masters in EE

[shahh]

Hello guys,
I need everybodys feedback on this. I graduated with a B.S in electrical and computer eng. last year. Still looking for a job. I am thinking if i should go back to school for masters in EE. Would it be worth it? I need everybody who has done their masters in EE to tell me if they were in a similar situation and how has it helped them now.

 

[Styx]

hi,

You don't state where you are from.
In the UK the rules are somewhat strict if you want a BEng not a BSc and asp a MEng not a MSc

To get a BEng you must complete an IEE accredited degree (ie cover enough points in engineering subject to warrent a BEng not just a BSc)

equally to get a MEng you must have a BEng and tehn complete enough modules to ensure that your MEng is accredited.


I got an MEng and it did wanders. I only went into MEng to increase my knowledge on Power Electronics and Motor-Drives. Incedently a British MEng is equivelent to a US PhD

 

[shahh]

I went to the ohio state univ. in columbus. I need people in the US who have got their masters or in the process to tell me their experience on how much worth is it. Will it it make it easier for you to get a job in this economy and what does the trend of EE look like in the future.

 

[crust]

I have a MS and PhD in EE. I would *highly* suggest an MS. If nothing else, the MS basically doubles your education. I say that b/c in the US at least, you spend the first two years taking fundamental courses that for some (english, history) don't have much to do with EE. In a master program you can pick your specialty and your courses. When I did it, I felt it was the best deal (I went to UT Austin). The PhD is a personal choice. It doesn't open as many doors, but it does give you a few more things (such as the ability to win contracts, teach university courses, etc) that sometimes help.

 

[shahh]

Thank you Sir. Can i ask you what your specialty was in college, and how can i find out what i should pick for my MS, besides the courses i took and did good for my undergrad. Also, i would like to know if a thesis option would be good as taking just classes and giving a oral exam in front of a committee. Anything else i should know when doing my masters or applying for it. Also, give me any reference sites that explain the procedure for applying for a MS.

 

[shahh]

hello guys,
Can you please give me an idea on which specialty of EE is poplular or how can i decide what i should specialize in grad school. Please i need everybodys input.

 

[samcheetah]

To get a BEng you must complete an IEE accredited degree (ie cover enough points in engineering subject to warrent a BEng not just a BSc)

what does that mean. is BEng different from BSc.

actually im studying electrical engineering and the degree will be called BSc Electrical Engineering with Specialization in electronix. is this different from BEng of UK. and about the IEE accreditation, is this given by IEE after an inspection of the institution?

i only know about the american system. they only have BS there. but in UK its quite different. plz would u help me in understanding this???

and one thing more, i live in pakistan

 

[crust]

Thank you Sir. Can i ask you what your specialty was in college, ... i would like to know if a thesis option would be good as taking just classes and giving a oral exam in front of a committee.

My area is developing hardware for signal processing, though in reality I do analog, digital, micros, FPGA, asic design, etc. My dissertation is the design and analysis of a modular pipelined FFT processor. In my experience, the thesis option got you out of school faster, but it does not count if you intend to do a phd. the phd required 45 hours of coursework with a grade of A or B. As a result, I didn't even consider it. As for the application process, each school is different though most require you to apply to the university and the degree program independently. You should pice a specialty (or concentration) that is something that interests you. In most schools it is a little more difficult to change areas in graduate school (but not impossible, I did it).

 

[Styx]

To get a BEng you must complete an IEE accredited degree (ie cover enough points in engineering subject to warrent a BEng not just a BSc)

what does that mean. is BEng different from BSc.

actually im studying electrical engineering and the degree will be called BSc Electrical Engineering with Specialization in electronix. is this different from BEng of UK. and about the IEE accreditation, is this given by IEE after an inspection of the institution?

i only know about the american system. they only have BS there. but in UK its quite different. plz would u help me in understanding this???

and one thing more, i live in pakistan

yes there is a difference between a BSc and a BEng in the UK. The IEE/IMechE/... wil audit university courses to ensure that it meets its specifications that it layed out.

This specification is based on what it has defined as what an engineer needs to do to become chartered.

Lets put it this way if you went to uni and took up elec eng and did just the core modules and had 60pt and needed 120pt to pass the year in optional modules.
you could go to say the computer science dept and choose a year 1 module in "introduction to HTML" and come out with 90%, you could then carry on doing this. Say then goto the Eng dept and do a "introduction to webpages" technically a different module.

What the IEE tries to do with providing a University with the right to award BEng and MEng is to ensure that anyone that graduates from a uni with one has pretty much the same level of hardness (independant of specialties taken"

The ways universities do this is ensure that once you have chosen so many points of engineering modules you can then choose any module from any dept as long as it is from the same year of study you are in or above.

Some even go as far as vetting your modules to ensure you do not invalidate your BEng.

Hope this helps

 

[samcheetah]

okay now im getting it a little bit.

but here we only have the accreditation of the Pakistan Engineering Council. its the body that governs the regulations for engineering colleges all over Pakistan. all the engineering graduates are registered in their database.

in my university the degree is called BSc Electrical Engineering. two years are common for all electrical engineers. after that they have to choose their specialization i.e computer, electronics, biomedical, communication. and the course load is about same for all of them. and there isnt such a case where the load can be lessened. we cant take courses from the IT department (like HTML as u said).

so if i complete my bachelors from here and then come to UK what would i need to prove that my degree is equivalent to a IEE accredited degree???? can that be compensated by taking additional courses????

 

[Styx]

you dont need to be chartered to work as an engineer in the UK. It is just an extra thing that you can do. most companies provide benifits if you are chartered.

If you are still interested in joining teh IEE you can, as to gettting chartered I dont think that your degree can be accredited. but you can through contact with the IEE sort that.

http://www.iee.org/ProfessionalRegistration/Education/

If you are still at uni and contact the IEE they might be able to advise you on what you can do whiles still at Uni.

But as I said you dont have to be chartered to be an engineer

 

[samcheetah]

so i dont need to be chartered by IEE to apply for MEng at UK????

i dont know if i am going to to MEng from UK or not. but i was just looking at the possibilities. thanx for your help

 

[Styx]

???

are you still at uni or have you graduated?.
Chartership is a professional status.

At to your query abt getting a MEng it is going to be a bit of a trouble since it seems your BSc will not be credited, what the IEE should be able to do (if you want a MEng) is to between you and the British uni of choise sort out any extra modules to basically bring your BSc to a BEng then complete the MEng.

You could go for a MSc in Engineering, or do you want the Eng bit?? Only difference is accreditation, and now the Eng is prefered

 

[samcheetah]

no im still at uni. infact my fourth semester is about to start. so ive got alot of time ahead of me. the reason for my inquiring was just to know what i need to do if i decide to do MEng from UK. anyway thanx for the help.