Letter 5 Why (and Why Not) to Get a Master’s or Doctorate in Engineering
Dear Nick and Natasha,
I trust you’re having a successful day and that my letter will bring you some cheer. Especially so, since I hear that you have questions and concerns about what you should do after getting your bachelor of engineering (BE) degree. I know I did. Most people try to find a full-time job right away in university, industry, or government, but others decide to get a master of engineering (ME) or doctorate in engineering (PhD) degree. Some folks who get their PhD go on to do even further specialized training as a post-doctoral fellow (PDF). In any case, all of these are major commitments of time and effort and have their own unique benefits and drawbacks. So, is it worth it? This letter will describe what you might expect from an ME, PhD, or PDF experience, as well as what the pros and cons are for your career in the short- and long-term.
In addition to reading this letter, I recommend that you do a few more things before you apply, if possible. Learn about the reputation, atmosphere, and facilities of the university or technical school to see if it meets your expectations and needs. Discover which professors have openings for an ME, PhD, or PDF candidate. Find out about the teaching focus and research interests of those professors to see who best matches your interests, since one of them will be your supervisor. Make an appointment with those professors to meet them, get a tour of their research labs, and talk with their current ME and PhD students and their PDFs.
Like many of my engineering peers, my personal enjoyment increased in going from my BE to my ME to my PhD to my PDF training, in part, because I was able to focus more and more on a specific research topic I was really interested in. Of course, enjoyment was only one factor that I considered in making my own career choices, since there were other philosophical and practical reasons too. But, of course, this is something you have to decide for yourself. With that said, let’s now take a look at some details for a typical ME degree, PhD degree, and PDF training program in engineering (see Figure 5.1).
Figure 5.1 The pros of getting a BE vs. also getting an ME or PhD or becoming a PDF.
Master’s Degree
Almost all universities that have a BE degree program will also offer an ME degree program in engineering. But, there are a few universities and technical schools that only offer the BE degree, after which students will need to go to a different institution to get their ME degree. Other equivalent designations could be MEng (master of engineering), MEngSc (master of engineering science), MASc (master of applied science), or something similar. After completing an ME, you can legally put those letters after your name on your business cards, documents, email signatures, letters, office door, and so forth.
The requirements for a typical ME include several courses, plus a major research thesis for which the student engages in analytical/mathematical modeling, computational analysis, experimental testing, and/or on-site field observations on a unique topic, as well as the occasional back-of-the-envelope calculation. The findings of the thesis are often expected to make a new contribution to engineering by 1 article published in a peer-reviewed journal or 1 presentation given at a conference. This is commonly a 2-year program, the student will be paid a modest salary, and they will often be a teaching assistant for BE courses that will involve facilitating tutorial sessions, grading assignments, and/or running hands-on lab exercises.
Some universities offer a shorter version of the ME program that requires a greater number of courses, but only a minor research project that is simply intended to demonstrate the student’s basic competence, that may not make a unique contribution to engineering that is publishable as an article. This is commonly a 1- to 2-year program, the student will not be paid a salary, and they may or may not be asked to be a teaching assistant.
For both versions of the ME program, the student will have a professor who will be their supervisor to guide them in their studies, although an additional co-supervisor may be involved especially if they bring some knowledge, skills, or resources that the primary supervisor lacks. Also, if the student knows for certain that they will stop after getting an ME, then it won’t matter to potential employers whether or not it was from the same institution where the BE was obtained.
The benefits of an ME vs. only a BE are (i) higher salary in the workforce, (ii) more skill and knowledge that often increases the chances of employment, (iii) the option of being a professor at a university or technical school that offers only BE degrees, and (iv) the option of doing a doctoral degree. The drawbacks of an ME vs. only a BE are (i) a 1- to 2-year delay of getting into the workforce and collecting a good salary compared to peers, (ii) some employers only want BE graduates because they are younger and can be more easily trained to meet the company’s objectives, and (iii) more studying to do.
Doctoral Degree
Virtually all universities that have an ME degree program will also offer a PhD degree program in engineering. But, there might be a few universities and technical schools that only offer the ME degree, after which students must go to a different institution to get their PhD degree. Another equivalent designation could be the DSc (doctor of science), or something similar. After finishing a PhD, you can legally put those letters after your name on your office door, business cards, letters, documents, email signatures, and so on.
The requirements for a typical PhD may or may not include several courses, but it will always include a major research thesis for which the student will engage in analytical/mathematical modeling, computational analysis, experimental testing, and/or on-site field observations on a particular topic, plus some back-of-the-envelope calculations from time to time. The findings of the thesis must make a major contribution to engineering by a series of articles published in peer-reviewed journals and presentations given at conferences. This is commonly a 3- to 5-year program, the student will be paid a modest salary, and they will be a teaching assistant for BE or ME courses that will involve facilitating tutorial sessions, grading assignments, and/or running hands-on lab exercises.
The PhD student will have a professor who will supervise them in their studies and provide full or partial salary support, although an additional co-supervisor could be involved if they bring some knowledge, skills, or resources that the primary supervisor lacks. Also, because the program is so long, the student may need to apply for government grants, industry sponsorships, or other scholarships to supplement any salary funding their supervising professor is providing.
Some more rigorous PhD programs also require the student to complete a major series of exams (separate from any course exams) in order to test their knowledge on certain core topics in their engineering discipline, as well as passing a preliminary exam on their proposed research topic before they get too far into their research work. The student’s performance on these exams will be judged by a committee of university and/or industry experts.
If someone gets a BE and ME from the same institution, it is probably advisable to get their PhD somewhere else to give them a broader background, so they are not perceived by potential university, industry, or government employers as being too narrow intellectually and experientially. But, if they did the BE and ME at different institutions, then it’s okay to go back to one of those to do PhD studies, since they will still be perceived as having a diverse educational background. Moreover, many people like to work in industry or government for a few years to earn some money and gain experience, and then come back to university later to do their PhD, but this approach is not critical for a long-term successful career. Also, some universities let students complete only the first year of an ME and then, if their course grades are excellent, to transfer directly to a PhD program, which saves a year.
The benefits of a PhD vs. only an ME are (i) higher salary in the workforce, (ii) more skill and knowledge that often increases the chances of employment, (iii) the option of being a professor at a university or technical school, and (iv) the option of doing a post-doctoral fellowship. The drawbacks of a PhD vs. only an ME are (i) a 3- to 5-year delay of getting into the workforce and collecting a good salary compared to your peers, (ii) some employers only want ME graduates because they are younger and can be more easily trained to achieve the company’s goals, and (iii) more studying to do.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
All universities that offer a PhD in engineering will also provide opportunities for a PhD graduate to do extra training as a PDF. The trainee is also informally called a “post doc,” and the training itself is called a “fellowship.” This training experience is not a degree program, so there are no additional designatory letters to legally place after your name, unlike a BE, ME, or PhD degree.
A PDF has no courses or research thesis to complete. Instead, the goal is to give the PDF extra training in research under the supervision of an experienced professor. The PDF will often informally supervise ME and PhD students doing their own research theses and be involved in applying for government grants, industry sponsorships, or other scholarships to fund the ME and PhD students. The research may include analytical/mathematical modeling, computational analysis, experimental testing, and/or on-site field observations, as well as some back-of-the-envelope calculations when needed. The research must make a major contribution to engineering by a series of scholarly articles published in peer-reviewed journals and presentations given at conferences. The PDF is usually under contract for a 1- to 2-year period, they will be paid a much higher salary than they had during their PhD studies, and they may be teaching BE, ME, or PhD courses and/or acting as the teaching assistant for such courses.
If someone gets a BE, ME, and PhD from the same university, it is probably advisable for them to become a PDF somewhere else to gain a broader background, so they are not looked upon by potential university, industry, or government employers as being too narrow intellectually and experientially. But, if they did the BE, ME, and PhD at various universities, then it’s okay to go back to one of those as a PDF, since they will still be looked upon as having a diverse educational background. As mentioned earlier, many folks like to work in industry or government for several years to earn money and obtain experience, and then come back later to university to be a PDF, but this strategy is not critical for long-term success.
The primary benefit of a PDF position is that it gives you more skill and knowledge that increases your chances of employment as a professor at a university or technical school. The primary drawback of a PDF position is that there is a 1- to 2-year delay of getting into the university, industry, or government workforce and collecting a much better salary compared to your peers.
Will I Be Too Specialized?
You might be concerned that these highly specialized engineering degrees and experiences may lead to a dead end that forever locks you into a career that you later don’t really like or that doesn’t meet your financial or other goals. Please be assured that this is not necessarily the case, so don’t feel paralyzed in making these decisions. There are always potential ways to change directions in your career at a later time, especially if the opportunity clearly arises.
In my case, during my BE studies in mechanical engineering I chose to do 2 courses and my graduating thesis project in biomedical applications. Later, I did my ME in mechanical engineering with a research thesis in the area of aerodynamics or wind engineering. I investigated how wind flows around big overhead electrical power lines when they accumulate ice on their surface during winter. The ice actually forms into a teardrop or pear shape, so it acts like a small airplane wing. And once the wind starts to blow, the power lines can start to move up and down so violently that it damages the power lines and causes major electrical shortages. I did all sorts of interesting wind tunnel tests like using smoke visualization techniques and so on. I enjoyed my experience so much that I considered staying in this area for the rest of my career.
So, when I finished my ME, I applied to several PhD mechanical engineering programs where I could pursue my interests in wind flow and flow induced vibrations. But, I also applied to several PhD mechanical engineering programs that focused on biomedical applications. I was torn between these 2 topics and just wanted to see which doors opened and closed. The best option that finally presented itself for practical and financial reasons was one of the PhD programs in biomedical applications. My PhD thesis research topic was to use medical ultrasound technology to analyze the mechanical stresses experienced by total knee implants. I also became a PDF for 2 years in the same area. And I happily stayed in this area for the remainder of my career.
But also consider some of the colleagues I’ve personally known who made even bigger shifts. Some of them did their ME or PhD degrees in engineering, yet then decided they really wanted to be an MD (doctor of medicine); they became doctors with thriving full-time medical practices in reputable hospitals. Similarly, I know another colleague who did an ME, but then completed a master’s degree in intellectual property law and a master’s degree in business administration; this person went on to have satisfying full-time work in the upper levels of administration in a university as a science and technology patent officer. I also knew someone who completed a BE degree, but then several years later decided to go to law school, after which they had a successful career as a lawyer.
So, What’s the “Take Home” Message of This Letter?
The main goal of this letter was to give you insights into some of the most important practical aspects of getting an ME or PhD degree, as well as being a PDF. Also, I’m sure that you’ve noticed that there are pros and cons to each of them, which you can consider seriously in charting the course of your engineering career. Regardless of how your career unfolds, I wish you the best.
All for now,
R.Z.