SWE - Fall 2007 - (Page 80) POINT/COUNTERPOINT Graduate School – Full Time versus Part Time Go Full-time and Immerse Yourself in Research BY BIANCA MCCARTT, SWE EDITORIAL BOARD S o you think you want to get a master’s degree. But, do you want to take two to three years to do it full-time? It really depends on what kind of master’s you want. If there is a subject you want to explore in depth, or have an interest in pursuing an academic or research career in the future, then doing the thesis master’s full-time is the way to go. The benefits of this approach are two-fold: You have both the freedom to explore your interests and the ability to focus your time and energy. Doing research may help you get a better job, but not just in terms of salary. The real boost comes from the knowledge you gain in the process. Academic research is filled with opportunities. The sheer diversity of areas to study is astounding. Beyond the subject material, once you choose a focus, you are likely to have ownership from all levels and thus you can get an in-depth view of all aspects of the project. You may be involved in studying the previous work, developing the theory, creating a model, designing a prototype, building a test rig, running tests, analyzing data, and correlating the theory and results. The upside of freedom is that you can try out many things that you could specialize in later. By doing a little bit of everything on your project, you will gain perspective on how the whole process works and what part of the process you enjoy. From your vantage point as a graduate student, you will see what other exciting research is going on and where technology is headed. You will have the opportunity to attend and present at technical conferences, where you will see what various companies are working on. You will also find you have a better perspective on your own abilities and interests, improving your ability to evaluate a potential job. This can be a great advantage when deciding where to focus for the rest of your career. You may also have the opportunity to be a teaching assistant, or teach an intro-level course. This can be another way to explore your interests, whether they are in teaching or deepening your understanding of a fundamental subject. Graduate school is demanding, so being able to focus all your time and energy on one major priority is a huge benefit. Having three graduate level classes a semester is often enough to absorb all the time outside of class as well. You can do research at your own pace for the most part. This is often not true of a full-time job, and having an employer may place additional constraints on your graduate work in the form of subject matter, GPA, and time. If you are a full-time graduate student, then your time is generally your own and you can decide how to prioritize, whether it be classes, lab work, or personal time. Some people make it a priority to finish their degree as fast as possible and spend all their time in that effort. Others take a more relaxed approach and have a social life as well. If you choose to go to graduate school part-time while working full-time, you may be sacrificing your personal time altogether. For some, the prospects of paying for graduate school makes employer- funded part-time programs seem like the best option. For graduate students who are also pursuing research, grant money usually offsets the cost of attending school. The availability and amounts of funding vary, but engineering research is in high demand. Women in engineering will also find they are eligible for additional grants and fellowships, making it even more likely that they will live comfortably as a graduate student. Full-time graduate school is not for everyone. Some people are not interested in doing research and writing a thesis, and in that case a part-time, non-thesis master’s makes sense. However, the two things are not equal and the lure of a “free” graduate degree paid for by your employer should not be the only factor in your decision. I Bianca McCartt is a Turbine Airfoil Cooling design engineer at GE - Aviation, where she is responsible for the design and analysis of cooling architecture in stage one high-pressure turbine blades to ensure safe and efficient operation in the LM2500 and LMS100. She graduated with a B.S.M.E. in 2003 and is completing her M.S.M.E. thesis, both from the University of Kentucky. She is serving as the FY08 South Ohio Section president and is a member of the SWE Magazine Editorial Board. 80 SWE FALL 2007
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