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Is a Master's degree necessary?

I am pursuing an engineering major and was wondering if I should pursue a Bachelor's degree or a Master's. Is it necessary for engineering students to continue their studies after undergrad? Also, is a BS degree a lot more practical than a BA degree?
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Ken’s Answer

The level of a degree that a person attains should be in line with the requirements of the career position held. This information regarding the appropriateness of a degree is gained by researching the career field which one is considering. Many times, a person can enter into a career field with a BA and an employer will financially assist an employee in attaining advanced education depending upon the requirements of the job and the increased ability of the employee to assist the company with such additional education. Conversely, if a student attains an advanced degree without practical career experience, he/she could make himself/herself less attractive in the marketplace and face a more difficult time finding employment. Through my years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I have seen too many instances in which a student has attained advanced degrees, but, without the practical experience and insight gained along the way, the student skipped important steps and make himself/herself less employable. Below are some important steps towards appropriately advancing in one's education/journey.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Katie’s Answer

For me, it has not been necessary to have a Master's degree. I graduated in 2001 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and have enjoyed a career that has given me the opportunity to work in various segments of a large company.


While a Master's degree is not necessary to have a career, you cannot stop learning. My first role required me to become a Six Sigma Black Belt, and I have used these skills throughout my career. More recently, I have become a Certified Leader Auditor. I have taken a variety of internal trainings as well, and I am required to have a Development Plan every year to ensure that I am always focused on learning more and improving my skills.

Katie recommends the following next steps:

What do you want to do with your Engineering degree? Check out job postings to see if these roles require more education.
When starting your job search, make sure you ask about what type of educational/developmental support that the employer provides.
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Rich’s Answer

Get a bachelors first, then ideally get some real world experience by working in your field.  At some point - depending on your career direction, you will find to proceed in your career you may need a Masters (of science or MBA).

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