Is Master Degree in Civil Engineering worth it?

Hello everyone,

I'm a junior student in civil engineering. This coming fall would be the beginning of my Senior year and now i'm thinking ahead of what i need to do in the future. Currently i'm planning to take EIT/FE exam in this coming October, however, i am not working any internship related to my major. That makes me worried and fears that i'll be one of those graduated students with no job by the time i graduated.

That being said, i'm planning to continue my education and go for Master Degree in Civil Engineering(either Transportation or Water) if i am unemployed. However, a few of my friends/relative who are civil engineers, some with PE licenses, told me that Master Degree is not necessary unless i'm planning to teach in the future. They said EIT and PE is way better than Master Degree in Civil engineering industry.

So is it worth going after Master after i graduated? Thank you.

ayanhein said:

Hello everyone,
I'm a junior student in civil engineering. This coming fall would be the beginning of my Senior year and now i'm thinking ahead of what i need to do in the future. Currently i'm planning to take EIT/FE exam in this coming October, however, i am not working any internship related to my major. That makes me worried and fears that i'll be one of those graduated students with no job by the time i graduated.

That being said, i'm planning to continue my education and go for Master Degree in Civil Engineering(either Transportation or Water) if i am unemployed. However, a few of my friends/relative who are civil engineers, some with PE licenses, told me that Master Degree is not necessary unless i'm planning to teach in the future. They said EIT and PE is way better than Master Degree in Civil engineering industry.

So is it worth going after Master after i graduated? Thank you.

Click to expand...

If you can get a job, that is probably the better idea IMO. Better yet if you can get them to pay for your Master's degree.

Your friends are probably right. Although I am electrical, I have heard that EIT/PE is far more important for a CIvil than MS. Take the EIT. But you can't get the PE until you work for a while anyway.

So if you can't get the job right away, I see no problem going on for a Masters, as long as you keep looking for a job an it isn't too expensive. Try to take your courses at night to leave you open to work in the day.

At least that's how I'd do it.

I've got a MSCE and I definitely think that it's worth it, but Benbo's right, I would probably get a job first and have them foot the bill. Your friends/family are right that the PE is the most important thing for a civil engineer, but don't underestimate the value of a Master's degree. I've seen job postings and worked at a place that preferred a MSCE over a BSCE. It's been my experience that it will typically add a year of experience in an employer's eyes. That's not that big a deal when you've been work 10-20 years, but when you've been working 2-4 years, it can mean the difference between getting the job or not.

Good luck.

It sounds like you aren't too specific in Civil Engineering yet, so a masters degree might not hinder you from getting a job. EIT is very very important, so defitely get that.

If you want to get into water (especially process design), some companies require a MSCE focused on process design because civil engineering programs aren't specialized enough (one company I interned for said they wouldn't hire me in the process group when I graduated unless I got my masters degree - I didn't end up working for them after I graduated with an MSCE). My currently company doesn't "require" it, but during these tough economic times, it is certainly a differentiator.

If you have the grades and the references, you could try to get a research assistantship which can help pay for your tuition, plus a stipend for living expenses. Employers are more likely to favor MS degrees that were research based vs coursework-only programs anyway. At least that's how it is in my company.

benbo said:

ayanhein said:

Hello everyone,
I'm a junior student in civil engineering. This coming fall would be the beginning of my Senior year and now i'm thinking ahead of what i need to do in the future. Currently i'm planning to take EIT/FE exam in this coming October, however, i am not working any internship related to my major. That makes me worried and fears that i'll be one of those graduated students with no job by the time i graduated.

That being said, i'm planning to continue my education and go for Master Degree in Civil Engineering(either Transportation or Water) if i am unemployed. However, a few of my friends/relative who are civil engineers, some with PE licenses, told me that Master Degree is not necessary unless i'm planning to teach in the future. They said EIT and PE is way better than Master Degree in Civil engineering industry.

So is it worth going after Master after i graduated? Thank you.

Click to expand...

If you can get a job, that is probably the better idea IMO. Better yet if you can get them to pay for your Master's degree.

Your friends are probably right. Although I am electrical, I have heard that EIT/PE is far more important for a CIvil than MS. Take the EIT. But you can't get the PE until you work for a while anyway.

So if you can't get the job right away, I see no problem going on for a Masters, as long as you keep looking for a job an it isn't too expensive. Try to take your courses at night to leave you open to work in the day.

At least that's how I'd do it.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your advice. I prefer working as intern before i graduate. But i've gone to 2 interviews but no luck.

Ble_PE said:

I've got a MSCE and I definitely think that it's worth it, but Benbo's right, I would probably get a job first and have them foot the bill. Your friends/family are right that the PE is the most important thing for a civil engineer, but don't underestimate the value of a Master's degree. I've seen job postings and worked at a place that preferred a MSCE over a BSCE. It's been my experience that it will typically add a year of experience in an employer's eyes. That's not that big a deal when you've been work 10-20 years, but when you've been working 2-4 years, it can mean the difference between getting the job or not.
Good luck.

Click to expand...

Thank you for confirming my information. My goal is to achieve PE license, however, right now it's to pass EIT. I believe that Master's degree would make a difference to land a job.

klk said:

It sounds like you aren't too specific in Civil Engineering yet, so a masters degree might not hinder you from getting a job. EIT is very very important, so defitely get that.
If you want to get into water (especially process design), some companies require a MSCE focused on process design because civil engineering programs aren't specialized enough (one company I interned for said they wouldn't hire me in the process group when I graduated unless I got my masters degree - I didn't end up working for them after I graduated with an MSCE). My currently company doesn't "require" it, but during these tough economic times, it is certainly a differentiator.

If you have the grades and the references, you could try to get a research assistantship which can help pay for your tuition, plus a stipend for living expenses. Employers are more likely to favor MS degrees that were research based vs coursework-only programs anyway. At least that's how it is in my company.

Click to expand...

I like your idea of being a research assistant. Thank you for your advice.

You might want to go for that master's at some point, with the B+30 rules for licensing coming into play in a few years...

It certainly doesn't hurt to apply for master's program and keep your options open. Apply for the programs you are interested in and start interviewing for positions/internships soon (we interviewed in November for the following summer), then you can evaluate all your options. If you don't have any job offers, then maybe grad school is a good idea, but you don't have to limit yourself to that as the only option. It's very competitive right now, anything that helps set you apart is a good thing.

VTEnviro said:

You might want to go for that master's at some point, with the B+30 rules for licensing coming into play in a few years...

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Thank you for your advice.

IL-SE said:

It certainly doesn't hurt to apply for master's program and keep your options open. Apply for the programs you are interested in and start interviewing for positions/internships soon (we interviewed in November for the following summer), then you can evaluate all your options. If you don't have any job offers, then maybe grad school is a good idea, but you don't have to limit yourself to that as the only option. It's very competitive right now, anything that helps set you apart is a good thing.

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Yea i definitely need an internship. That is my priority right now, if not going after Master would be my 2nd priority. Thank you.

ayanhein said:

IL-SE said:

It certainly doesn't hurt to apply for master's program and keep your options open. Apply for the programs you are interested in and start interviewing for positions/internships soon (we interviewed in November for the following summer), then you can evaluate all your options. If you don't have any job offers, then maybe grad school is a good idea, but you don't have to limit yourself to that as the only option. It's very competitive right now, anything that helps set you apart is a good thing.

Click to expand...

Yea i definitely need an internship. That is my priority right now, if not going after Master would be my 2nd priority. Thank you.

Click to expand...

I agree with everything above, but I want to say that having a master's may give you an edge, but not necessarily guarantee better employment potential. The reason I say this is that a master's program will narrow your focus on your particular interest in civil engineering and it would only pay off if you find a job in that field. However, this also would narrow the job opportunities that you would pursue in order to justify the additional education. If you're the type that will stick to your guns and will only want to be a particular type of civil engineer, then I would advise pursuing a master's degree. But if you want to work for the sake of experience regardless of the type of engineering the job may entail, then I would recommend holding off on a master's for now and spend your energy on looking for work. Depending on the nature of your future job, it may provide opportunities through networking to help you decide what would be best for you and receive a salary at the same time.

Do yourself a huge favor and get your master's degree right now. It will be easier, the economy sucks anyways (hope and change), very few people return to school after leaving and actually graduate. Besides, it is so fun to be in grad school. Please listen to me now and make this investment into your future. You will regret not staying and finishing your grad degree. Soon you will have a mortgage, kids, alcoholism and a wife. Also, you will get a job that requires 50+ hours a week and school will be the last thing on your mind. You will just want to make it through the work week and keep the lawn looking nice. STAY IN SCHOOL!

^^LOL!

A very valid viewpoint. If I had gotten a Masters degree years ago, I certainly would not regret it now.

However, if I had gotten a Masters right after my undergrad, it would have been in ME and I would certainly not be where I am now, as an enviro. eng. I would have had a different wife, different kids, different life. Maybe fat and lonely. Maybe rich and happy. Who knows.

Life's an adventure. You can't plan for it. If you are in a good position to get a Masters degree and you have no other work lined up now, it might make sense. But it also might make sense to get out and find out what you are really interested in first. It's just not that easy a question to answer.