Masters in Engineering or MBA?

Would anyone who has had to make this decision tell us how they overcame this dilemma?

I don't have either - but i would lean towards the MBA. current trends in engineering, even w/ out the crappo economy figured in, already had an MBA as giving you more 'mileage' in terms of advancement potential, becoming principal / owner, etc. Depending on what you truly want to pursue career track-wise, an MBA probably will allow you to leverage yourself toward a wider array of tracks.

I took the middle road and got a MEM (Masters in Engineering Management). It's sorta like an MBA for engineers.

I was faced with the same decision. Im a Civil Eng. and just finished my MBA. The reason I chose the MBA route was because I had friends and my fiance who got masters or phds in civil. While they were taking the courses, I realized that most of the theory they learned wasn't applied in the real world. The classes that had relevance to their line of work, didn't teach them anything that I didn't know or couldn't figure out on my own. So, I felt I wouldn't get much out of a masters in civil. I also had in interest in Finance.

You need to have an interest in business however, as I had to take 60 credits to get my degree..and it took me almost 3.5 yrs to do it. So, luckily I enjoyed the material.

Diogo said:

I was faced with the same decision. Im a Civil Eng. and just finished my MBA. The reason I chose the MBA route was because I had friends and my fiance who got masters or phds in civil. While they were taking the courses, I realized that most of the theory they learned wasn't applied in the real world. The classes that had relevance to their line of work, didn't teach them anything that I didn't know or couldn't figure out on my own. So, I felt I wouldn't get much out of a masters in civil. I also had in interest in Finance.
You need to have an interest in business however, as I had to take 60 credits to get my degree..and it took me almost 3.5 yrs to do it. So, luckily I enjoyed the material.

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I am two semester into my MBA program. I chose this route also because of my interst in buisenss.

I am curious Diogo, what type of job oppurtunities are out there for a civil with an MBA emphisis in Finance? I am also interested in finance, but I am not sure what type of market there is for a civil engineer with an MBA in Finance.

I'm surprised that nobody has advised going with the Masters in Engineering. With our profession almost at the point of requiring a masters to become licensed, it would only put you ahead of the curve. (Maybe an MBA would help count towards those hours though, I am not sure)

I have about 1 semester left on my M.Eng Structural Engineering. I felt that it would strengthen my knowledge in my field (especially since my undergrad Civil was not a structural emphasis) and help me when it comes time to take the PE. Either way, furthering your education can never hurt. Good luck.

Due to cost I chose to get the Masters in Engineering...

A masters in engineering cost me about 20k when an MBA would have easily cost over 60k (UCLA costs 90k)... I've decided to teach myself business by reading books on the subject instead of taking the classes... I'll let you know in 10 years how this worked out for me

I got the Masters in Engineering. The gov paid me full salary to go to school full time, so it was a no-brainer.

An MBA/MS/ME might not be all that bad.

I've heard that some people believe that PE stands for a "professional eater."

kevo_55 said:

I've heard that some people believe that PE stands for a "professional eater."

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Physical Education is the one I hear the most.

both.

http://www.universities.com/Distance_Learn...ngineering.html

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to own your own business or go into management, then the MBA would be more helpful. If you want to be an design engineer then I would recommend the Masters in Engineering.

I think I am going to disagree with the fact that the information you get out of an engineering masters is not going to be helpful in real life experiences. At least with civil undergraduate programs, the curriculum are so broad to cover all of the material, that you miss out on a lot of the classes that teach you what you need to know about topics. Engineering education isn't just learning how to use codes and computer programs. Knowing how systems interact and behave isn't dictated by a code. Codes set safe boundaries for solutions. Computer programs are tools to help reach answers more quickly but it is often necessary to know the basic behind how they work in order to use them correctly. Engineers must be well enough versed in their fields to know that their solutions make sense and are reasonable. "The computer program said so" is not a valid excuse if there is ever a problem.

An MBA degree will give you the best of both worlds. You are getting trained to be an engineer and then you are trained to be a manager through an MBA. You get to interact with people that do nothing but manage, make business decisions, people who own businesses, who have filed for bankruptcy and who are thinking about starting their own company. From my experience, you polish your presentation skills, become a better communicator and learn how to see the big picture.

I agree that a masters in engineering will give you more depth in your topic...so it depends on what you want to do. I want to be a seasoned PE before I become a manager, but someday I hope to be in a managerial position, and at that point, I know I have all the tools that any Finance/Business major has. And if one day, engineering doesn't work out for you, businesses love engineers...I know engineers that work for Wall Street and work for Banks...so you never know where life may take you.

I think combining an engineering degree with a business degree is a good combination and a rare one. But again, you have to have an interest in business, because the curriculum is twice as long as an engineering masters...And get it early, I'm 25, but getting married next year...once you get married or have kids...it becomes twice as hard

Diogo said:

And get it early, I'm 25, but getting married next year...once you get married or have kids...it becomes twice as hard

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Or maybe even impossible, lol.

I'm taking a class in lean six sigma to see if I want to take more business classes... still undecided.

Personally I'd go with the Masters of Engineering degree instead of the MBA.

I'd figure one could learn enough about business just by taking some classes or going to industry training workshops.

Depends on what you want to do. If you ever want to practice as a Professional Engineer or even get an Engineering job in today's morket an MS is a no brainer. Unless you go to a real top-notch MBA program and never intend to practice Engineering professionally, I would think twice about an MBA. The market is flooded with them.

Back in the day... when I graduated in 1991... a BS degree in civil engineering required, at a MINIMUM, 153 semester hours. Today that same degree can be had for 125 hours. This is little more than an introductory curriculum and just not enough for professional career in Engineering. In a lot of undergrad programs, basic topics like linear algebra and stress/fem analysis aren't even taught until the grad level. Industry is demanding more from new hires.

If you *really* want to make the big bucks and work at the highest levels of industry - bite the bullet and get a PhD.

Roy T. said:

Depends on what you want to do. If you ever want to practice as a Professional Engineer or even get an Engineering job in today's morket an MS is a no brainer.
If you *really* want to make the big bucks and work at the highest levels of industry - bite the bullet and get a PhD.

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Yikes. I guess I'm completely unqualified. I guess I should quit my job and surrender my stamp for destruction.

chaosiscash said:

Yikes. I guess I'm completely unqualified. I guess I should quit my job and surrender my stamp for destruction.

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You can always get a job selling Mindys in today's Morket.

Roy T. said:

Depends on what you want to do. If you ever want to practice as a Professional Engineer or even get an Engineering job in today's morket an MS is a no brainer. Unless you go to a real top-notch MBA program and never intend to practice Engineering professionally, I would think twice about an MBA. The market is flooded with them.
Back in the day... when I graduated in 1991... a BS degree in civil engineering required, at a MINIMUM, 153 semester hours. Today that same degree can be had for 125 hours. This is little more than an introductory curriculum and just not enough for professional career in Engineering. In a lot of undergrad programs, basic topics like linear algebra and stress/fem analysis aren't even taught until the grad level. Industry is demanding more from new hires.

If you *really* want to make the big bucks and work at the highest levels of industry - bite the bullet and get a PhD.

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I was wondering why it took so long for someone to point this out too. MS/ME is good for practicing engineer, also with our industry pushing towards a masters becoming a requirement for licensure, for the same reason that you discussed.... the number of hours in undergrad.

About the big bucks and a PhD.... might not necessarily be true in the private sector. The pay is client driven, and if a BS/BE educated PE can get the job done, the client is not going to want and pay the PhD's fee that is set up according to their salary.