My son is starting college in the fall. He is looking at engineering. He has been accepted at a number of , schools ( Clarkson, RIT, Suny Buffalo, Suny Pottsdam ->3-2 program with Clarkson...) and we have to make a final decision on a school by May 1st. My questions are: Is a bachelors in engineering needed to become an engineer or could he get a bachelors in physics and a Masters in engineering ? Of course I understand he will have to take a PE exam for our state. And it seems if he does not have a bachelors in engineering he needs more years of experience to get his PE. Still I think cost wise it is cheaper to get the bachelors in physics and masters in engineering even with the bridge courses he would have to take. Would not having a bachelors in engineering hurt him ? I do not want to take the cheaper way out only to find out in the end it was not really the better way, because it costs him career-wise in the end. thanks for your help in this.
Get the bachelors in engineering. Save the masters for something else. Especially if he intends to get a PE and work in engineering. Some reasons for this recommendation include the current use of automated hiring systems that grade out based upon an entry requirement. i.e. "Do you have a bachelors in engineering, ABET accredited program?" Engineering is a difficult course of study. From a practical standpoint the GPA required to get a bachelors is less than that required for a masters. I also recommend that your son look at taking courses in business as electives so that should he decide to pursue a management track later in life he will be prepared for an MBA or management masters. What I am recommending is a lot of work but will pay dividends long term. Best of luck,
To provide a more in depth answer to your questions I would need to know what engineering branch your son is looking at. The PE requirements do change from state-to-state but of the hundreds of engineers (matbe thousands) I know or have worked with very few were PEs. But then I have worked in aerospace and defense for my working life (although I started out as a structural engineer). The engineering degrees I would recommend these days are civil and chemical. The nation's infra-structure will need overhauling soon, answers to our water problems are going to be needed, and of course new energy sources are needed. I have worked as an engineer for a long time and do not have an ABET degree – I have UK certifications and my Excelsior BS used these plus some additional credits earned around the US. I know quite a few engineers (mostly CAD jockeys) who do not have a BS degree of any kind. Engineering positions for physics degree holders are rare in aerospace but perhaps their are opportunities with companies involved in radar, lasers or other specialized areas. Overall I think a BS in engineering would be a better option than physics but he could do a double major or develop a plan to obtain a second degree in physics. Engineering pays good salaries and often good job security.
I have an engineering degree and I can say with complete confidence that I could not have gotten my job if I had a degree in Physics. There's too much specialized coursework. Of course, depending on the branch of engineering that interests your son, that may be more or less true for him.
As several of the previous posters have said, the normal progression for a working engineer is BS engineering Masters in another field (even another engineering field). Alternatively the masters is used to specilize in a particular area.
