Do I need to get a second BS or an MS to get into mechanical engineering?

Question

I have a BA in math, working in an unrelated career field. If I want to get into the mechanical engineering field, is it better to get a second Bachelors in MechE or an MS in MechE? There are programs that will accept me for a MS and make me do a few undergrad prerequisites; however, I'm concerned that the lack of an ABET accredited BS will hold me back in the job market. On the other hand, in my state (Rhode Island) I would be able to get my PE (professional engineers license) with just the MS and math degree.

Answer 1

In my experience, for the most part people tend to look at your most recent educational experience and mostly ignore what came before that.

For example, when applying to college your high-school grades are important but middle school isn't; or when applying to a Master's, your Bachelor's grades are scrutinized but your High-school isn't.

By that logic, I would think achieving an MS in MechEng would be adequate. As you said, all the theoretical holes would be filled by the MS requiring any missing BS-level courses. (In addition your maturity and age will often enable you to learn faster and more efficiently than during undergrad.)

The only thing i could imagine a potential employer wondering about is whether you have less total time experience due to doing a shorter MS versus the potentially longer BS. (For example, an ME undergrad may have spent 3 years playing with Solidworks, versus only 1 year to get an MS - just a guess).

So you may want to tackle that potential concern by ensuring your résumé shows that you have enough experience by the end of the MS program. For example, by showing fairly complex projects completed during your MS, or better yet, internships in ME type of positions, in which you gained experience using the tools of the trade for significant amounts of time (eg. 2-3mo. or more).

Answer 2

Whenever possible, prefer to move upwards in an educational career path, not sideways.

One intent for taking an MS degree is to advance your mastery to engage in research in the discipline. You follow this step when you take a thesis option for the degree. An alternative intent for taking an MS degree is to expand your core background into advanced courses within the discipline. You follow this step when you take a non-thesis (course-work only) path for the degree.

The required mechanical engineering (ME) make-up courses to enter an MS degree from a non-ME BS degree likely include core ME courses in topics such as statics, dynamics, and transport. The make-up courses likely do not include ME laboratory courses, senior design courses, and speciality courses. These latter courses are less about research and more about improving the hands-on technical and problem-solving skills needed in the discipline. When you would take the thesis degree option, the grounding that you missed will be made up (somewhat) by your need to engage in hands-on research using independent problem-solving methods. When you would take the non-thesis option, you short yourself of the benefits.

In your position without a BS degree in ME, you will exit from a non-thesis MS program in ME with less hard-level skills (laboratory and design) than a student who had a BS in ME and took the same non-thesis option MS degree in ME. By comparison, you will exit from a thesis MS in ME option with a more expansive foundational background (in math) compared to a student who has a BS in ME and a thesis option MS in ME. As you confront these two options, think carefully about the end market where you want to land when you complete your MS degree.

A professional engineering (PE) license is a benefit for showing a specific certification level to practice the discipline. Consider sitting for the PE license exam at the end point of your MS degree when you are reviewing where you want to go next, not at this point in your educational career as you are considering how to start an MS degree program in ME.