HELP! Advice on what graduate school to go to.

I've got a dilemma. I have a couple of options to consider for graduate school.

Option #1: Stay at the university I currently attend and pursue a graduate degree in water resources, and an MBA at the same time, of which both I will complete in less than 2 years. My university is ranked about 70th in CE graduate programs and not ranked at all for its MBA program.

Option #2: Go pursue my graduate degree in water resources at a top 15 program.

I feel like it is an excellent opportunity to get both graduate degrees at the same time, but I don't know what weight an engineering degree from a top university holds vs. the university I currently attend. When you reach the workforce does a CE graduate degree from a top university mean a lot, or is the playing field pretty much level after a couple of years? If anyone could weigh in on this and give me some advice I would appreciate it. I've asked my professors but obviously they have a biased opinion and I'm looking for some outside advice.

Thanks!

Uhhh...I hear if you have a degree from a top 3 engineering school and piss everyone on the board off you can make $140k. At least that's what that one guy claimed.

Have you thought about stormwater modeling?

IMO It probably helps a little getting a job, however once you get "on the clock" it really doesnt matter all that much, its more what can you produce? who do you know? etc, etc.

My humble opinion is that after 5 years on the job its your work experience and work ethic and not your pedigree

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Road Guy said:

My humble opinion is that after 5 years on the job its your work experience and work ethic and not your pedigree

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Agreed. After being in the workforce for almost 7 years now, I was just updating my resume. Out of 3 pages, my school/degree ends up being about 4 lines. The resume is more about skills, work experience, registrations, associations and certifications.

Well which option is the better move? On one hand I get a MSCE and an MBA in two years, thats a pretty sweet deal. On the other hand I can get a MSCE from a top ten school but I would have to go back and get an MBA afterwards which might be hard to do.

Personally, I would go for the 2 master's degrees if the only options I had were those listed here. I would also look into seeing what job opportunities there out there, as many employers will pay you to go back and get a masters. This way, you get both the real-world experience that is 1000x more valuble + you get the additional training you want.

well I hit the wrong option. If you can get into a top 15 program and afford it, why not? I think it does offer you more opportunities in certain fields. I think you can go to a state university and get an excellent education and have a great career, but having a degree from a top program on your resume will certainly open more doors.

Okay to add a few more details. Both schools are public universities within Texas. I also looked at the job fairs for each university, and for the most part I see the same companies recruiting for both, with a few more at the top 10 university. My university is not Tier 1 either, but almost there according to the administration.

Suppose I end up getting a good job either way. Down the road would the MSCE at the top 10 university or the MSCE/MBA benefit me more?

The reason I want an MBA is that I believe it will provide me with the finance, management, marketing and interpersonal skills that will benefit me personally and professionally.

Has anyone gone back to school after work experience to get their MBA? How much of a pain in the rear is it? I figure if I went just for the MSCE that I would work unitl I got liscensed and then go back to get my MBA. But what if I get married? Create a child? Am overworked? Will I really have the time for night classes?

I've asked my professors but their opinion is obviously biased. I've got so many questions...

It sounds like you have made your decision and want somebody else to validate it for you...so I'll bite. I think you should definitely get the MSCE and the MBA simultaneously at the lower tier school.

If you are going to go full time and not work then I would do both MCE and MBA.

I did the MBA after I graduated (while working) it wasnt that hard but my kids were young(babies) at the time, you dont want to be going to night school when your missing baseball games, soccer, etc..

My opinion about the MBA is that for engineers its something that wont really pay for itself until you have some experience, grey hair, and are looking to take an office lead role, or something similar down the road, probably 10+ years. Mine has just started to be something that matters and I got out of college in 1997......

I agree...I work with a girl that has a business degree as well engineering..nobody cares unless your an office manager or in marketing. Also nobody cares what school you went to or what your GPA was unless its an electronics degree from ITT Tech. I know a lot of well educated people that are complete idiots.

My personal opinion is that I would wait on the MBA and get the Master's in Civil Engineering at the better school. Most of the good MBA programs won't take students without at least 2 to 3 years of work experience and there are some really good options for getting an MBA while working. I got my Master's in Civil Engineering (water resources as well) 7 years ago and I'm now considering going to get my MBA. At the time I started working here, my company wouldn't really consider hiring entry level students without a Master's in engineering. Plus with NCEES bascially requiring the Master's to get licensed, you don't want to be one of the few people in your company without a Master's.

My advice would be first to try to get a job. I believe there was a lady that used to post here that had degrees from UI-UC - highly rated (#2) in CE. She was constantly getting laid off. So there are no guarantees.

If you can get a job, they will likely pay for your masters, saving you some debt.

If you can't get a job, I would recommend getting the MSCE from a top school, then getting a job and working, then going for an MBA from a top school if you want it. I don't think for the MSCE it matters as much where you went to school, but if the expenses are equivalent, choose the better school.

I have the equivalent of an MBA from a second rate school. I'd say it's as useful as toilet paper, but TP is actually more useful. For an MBA I believe it is only of much use if you get it from a top 10 school, or if a company you already work for rewards you for it in some way. MBAs from second tier schools without work experience are a dime a dozen.

I got both my degrees while working full time. I'd say that's not uncommon around here.

benbo said:

For an MBA I believe it is only of much use if you get it from a top 10 school, or if a company you already work for rewards you for it in some way. MBAs from second tier schools without work experience are a dime a dozen.

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agreed. many get MBA thru online study as well...mostly just resume padding or company's paying for it. MBA really is ideally utilized / obtained after one has job / business experience, and has some course laid out as to where they want to head with it - it is almost more suited for 'graybeards' than for young 20 something yo's, if your undergrad degree is nonbusiness field i should say. Get the master's from more presitigious Univ.

Oh, and dry land is not a myth...i've seen it!

A little anecdote (just a single anecdote, I know, but I believe it applies)-

My sister and BIL both went to Dartmouth UG. He got a degree in Geology, she got a degree in Communications or some such nonsense.

They then both went to grad/business school at UT Austin. I think that's a reasonably well regarded business school. She got a Masters in Communications and an MBA emphasis in Marketing. He got a Masters in Geology, MBA emphasis Finance.

He got a six figure job right out of school, and that was late 80s.

She never really got a job based on her degrees, and is now a school librarian. To be fair she took time off as a stay at home mom.

I think the technical degrees are always in more demand.

I would say go get a masters degree from the better school - its more likely that the professors you'll be taking classes from are more highly regarded in their fields, and getting a job later (in a tough economy) is all about networking in my opinion. Hopefully you have an option to do a research project with a good professor too, because you can get a lot of neworking mileage out of doing presentations on your research at conferences.

As an example, we had a job opening for a wastewater EIT. I heard that my manager received approximately 250 resumes for that one position. The gal who got the job I think had done research under a professor that was known by one of our company's senior vice presidents. He ended up meeting her at a conference and gave her a good recommendation to our manager.

As others have mentioned, once you've been working awhile, where you went to school doesn't matter. Also, getting an MBA this young may not be as benefitial as you think because you don't have the work experience to make the degree as valuable (for example, being able to apply real world examples to what you're learning). I doubt that many managers are looking for people with MBAs to fill an EIT's role. They are more likely looking for work experience and research.

klk said:

I doubt that many managers are looking for people with MBAs to fill an EIT's role. They are more likely looking for work experience and research.

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This is a good point.

It all depends on what you think gives you the best chance at landing a job. Do you think you could get a good job now, or do you think the Masters and/or MBA gives you a better chance (at least equal to the additional time & cost)? Or is the masters and/or MBA something that you want for your own personal satisfaction?

If it's about landing a job (and needing the masters), I would focus on getting the degree from the better school. The "brand" of your schooling and degree does carry alot of weight when fresh out of school.

If its a personal thing, go with the option that would give you the most satisfaction (whatever that may be, whether it's how much you can do in a short time period, or completing a difficult program, etc).