If you feel like you have been passed over for promotion then now is the time look into a master’s degree program to catapult your career to the next level. While we can’t help you with corporate ladder, here are the top ten things to keep in mind when researching your engineering masters.
Remember to check out ENGINEERING.com’s own masters discovery tool as well. It can match you with schools that meet your specific criteria, and offers class lists and faculty interviews to help you find the right program for your goals.
1. Is an Online or an On-Campus Master’s in Engineering Best?
Class size is small and most are online.
Chances are your engineering undergrad was on-campus; complete with uncomfortable seats and a board full of equations. However, the world of online education has advanced quite a bit in the last few years and may offer a nice alternative.
Online programs and curriculums are on par or may even surpass their on-campus counterparts. Online students are able to learn at their own pace, experience larger graduation rates, participate in smaller class sizes, complete assessments whenever it is convenient and seamlessly collaborate on the World Wide Web. Additionally, online learning tends to have more start dates and is often offer greater flexibility about the timing of following terms.
All of these benefits make online learning ideal for the working professional. Perhaps that is why most working professionals are choosing an online master’s. However, online learning isn’t for everyone and there are some on-campus experiences that you can never replicate online.
If you are on the fence, perhaps try a Massively Open Online Course. Many of these courses are free and organized by schools you know and trust.
2. Find a Master’s Program to Study
Many engineers already have an idea of the program they wish to study. However, looks can be deceiving. Your master’s program will make up some significant years in your life, so research and check if the topics of study are really for you.
Additionally, you might find that the MBA you had your heart set on isn’t the best bet for your tech venture. Perhaps a masters in engineering management (MEM) or industrial engineering might be better suited, as they focus on technical business. So do your research!
3. Know Your Master’s Course Options
Occurrence of Popular Engineering Management Courses at different schools.
There will be many schools offering the master’s of your choice. But how do they all compare? Is the local MEM better suited for you than the one across the coast? To assess this it is often best to look into what courses a program focuses on.
Even when studying the same degree, universities will often tailor their programs to a certain demographic. For instance, an engineer might want to become an engineering manager. However, a production engineering manager might be more interested in Six Sigma than IT management. Not all MEM programs will offer Six Sigma courses, or IT Management for that matter. If you are set on a particular course, make sure it is offered at the schools you are looking at.
4. Dual Master’s Degree, Two Birds for (Almost) the Price of One
Want to boost your Master of Engineering Management with another degree? Here are some options.
When researching your potential program topics or courses, you might realize that having two master’s degrees is what your career path really requires.
At your dream job do the engineering managers all have master’s that focus on the science behind the business? In this case you are in luck as 75% of MEM programs offer an option to pair your degree. Having both an MEM and specialty degree will certainly put you above the competition.
5. What is the Engineering Master’s Minimum Requirements?
GRE and TOEFL admission requirements for Engineering Management.
If you have been out of the education game for a while, you may no longer have all the requirements you need to be accepted into your dream master’s program. For example, some schools will look for a recent GRE, TOEFL or transcript.
If it’s been 10 years since you’ve taken an exam, these documents may have ‘expired.’ Furthermore, since you have been out of the game for a while, you may not want to study for a standardized test. Take a good look at the acceptance requirements before you decide on a school. Many programs focused on working professionals will skip the need for standardized tests in favour of experience.
6. Are You a Good Match for the Engineering School?
Target audience experience in years.
Target audience age range.
Not everyone wants to be the oldest or youngest in a room. Not everyone wants to be the least experienced or conversely be able to teach better than the professor. If there is a recommendation for years of experience in the program requirements, pay attention. You may not want to undershoot or overshoot that number by too much.
Additionally, if you are worried about fitting in, then don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and talk with the faculty about the type of students they accept.
The bottom line is to make sure that the program will cater to working professionals at your level.
7. Organize Your Master’s Program Research
Like any good engineer, you have to crunch the data to find the optimal master’s for you. However, this assessment will need a large amount of organization.Perhaps an Excel spreadsheet might be a good place to perform this master’s risk assessment? If you don’t stay organized when looking for a master’s, it may be hard to “see the forest for the trees.”
8. Ask Students About the Program
Alternatively, it could be useful to ask some engineering master’s students about how they conducted their research before you start your own.
As engineers, we often try to reinvent the wheel. We forget that others may have been there before us and opt to solve the problem all on our own.
I suggest you let others do the heavy lifting for you and talk to those that have been through the process already or are in the midst of their studies. They should be able to offer helpful insight / advice which you can’t find anywhere else.
9. How to Afford an Engineering Master’s
Education isn’t cheap. If you don’t opt to work while studying, then you will need an income stream to ensure you stay in the black during your master’s degree.
Between bursaries, grants, research, teaching and working for the university, there are plenty of options to consider before you resort to a loan. Make sure you plan wisely and well in advance.
10. Where to Look for a Master’s in Engineering
Finally, you must populate your list with possible master’s programs. Fortunately, there are many ways to look for a master’s that meets your criteria. For instance, some will opt for a global Google search while others will automatically narrow the field by looking in their local area.
If you are interested to see how your dream school or program stacks up with the rest, then you might want to look at a ranking from US News and World Report or a similar organization. For more detailed information on each program, take a look at ENGINEERING.com’s own masters discovery tool. The tool will match you with the schools that fit your criteria and supply class lists and faculty interviews to dive deep into the program.