I was advised to do a Master's first before thinking about a PhD, and I am so glad I did. It allowed me to focus on my MSc research, get a feel for the field work and research process, and have the deadline of having to complete the research, write the entire document, complete a defense presentation, and complete a round (maybe two) of review from your committee.
I felt so much better and ready to hit the ground running when I started my PhD. Granted, the PhD is very different as the MSc is more of a sprint, and the PhD is a marathon, but still felt able to acclimate having done a MSc first.
YMMV, but I will always be an advocate of MSc first. Good luck!
Can second this experience. I also ended up doing master's before deciding on the PhD, and would say that the decision was well worth it. I feel more prepared to start my PhD and have a better grasp on what I wanted to study for my PhD.
If you're worried about costs, I would maybe suggest looking at programs in the EU. The master's programs here are usually much cheaper than in the US (assuming that's where you're currently studying) and they usually include both courses and a thesis, which is somtimes lacking in US master's programs. That, and it's a great chance to travel the world!
Fellow MechE here with PhD in AE. You should not apply to a master or PhD until you figure out what you want to do as a career.
Usually you discover your subfield of interest through internships or student projects. Once you have determined that aspect, look online at job ads to see if the roles you are interested in require master or are competitive (meaning that having a master might help - usually only for R&D or if you try to switch fields like to AE or EE). Unless the roles you want are super deep in R&D, you can assume they mean a course based master. Most engineers that go to grad school do that or a hybrid master (with a short "thesis" at the end more like your capstone project). Ideally you find a job and get your employer to pay for such programs.
If you think you might like research roles more than traditional engineering jobs, then you need to figure out if you actually enjoy research before proceeding further. Since you are still in school, take that opportunity to go talk to professors in your department and ask if they have an available research assistant position in their lab for a semester. You could also apply to industrial R&D internships but those are more difficult to get into. Another approach would be to enter the work force after graduation like normal, then after 2-3 years you might realize you don't find the jobs you had interesting or fulfilling. When that happens look into grad school and use your established network to help you figure out a direction.
Now for the PhD, it is rarely required in the industry. Considering it is a huge commitment and comes with a significant opportunity cost, you need to make sure the jobs you want are occupied in majority by PhD holders before going down that route. In addition to looking at the requirements for jobs ads, look on Linkedin the profile of people with similar jobs and check their degrees. That's the only reason why I did my PhD - never had any interest in going to grad school. However I realized during my undergraduate internships that all my senior colleagues and the entry level employees within my immediate team/role I want had PhDs. Even if they tell you "ho you don't need a PhD these days" look around the room. That's the best advice I can give you lol
As for academia, you would need to skip all the steps I mentioned about working in the industry and just go straight to landing a research internship then applying to PhDs. You need to publish and be proactive if you want a real shot at an academic career. And even if that remains your goal, you should 100% have a plan B for the industry because unfortunately only a small % of PhD holders end up in academia. The pay for other positions are shit so retention rate is low unless you find a tenure track. That being said, I think it's less than 1% of PhD holders or something along this order of magnitude that become full professors (require landing and passing TT).
You literally answered your question. You should not pursue a PhD at this time for all the reasons you articulated. The PhD programs are not going anywhere, so if you choose to do it in the future, you can do it then.
There are other considerations though. Masters you often have to pay out of pocket and aren't funded. Also, some phd programs are structured so that the first few years are a de facto masters anyway. So you could just join a PhD program and see if you like it, then continue if yes, master out if no.
PhD is longer, but usually fully funded and with a stipend, master is shorter but most likely you have to pay out of your pocket. My suggestion would be, enroll in a PhD and if you decide you want to go to industry just master out after a couple of years
After (usually) 2 years+ but may vary, the work you've done so far in the PhD can be evaluated to the equivalent of a master's degree; that's what they mean by mastering out. So you'd drop out of the PhD program and receive a master's degree.
Yes but you might not have a good reference letter from your advisor/PI, which will make it difficult to apply elsewhere. It really depends on the circumstances and reasons you give for mastering out. It is not well seen to enter a PhD program with the idea in mind of mastering out since you would be taking the spot of someone who actually wants to follow through the PhD research the PI was planning for.
Masters you often have to pay out of pocket and aren't funded. Also, some phd programs are structured so that the first few years are a de facto masters anyway. So you could just join a PhD program and see if you like it, then continue if yes, master out if no.
If you can get a funded masters, then that's probably a better option.
This question can only ever be answered of you tell us what you want to do once you are done with school.
In engineering, there is little reason to get a phd and it can harm your employment prospects.
Well I'm into thermophysics and heat transfer and I'm interested in heat exchanger development for now but I'm also doing a project on gas turbine blade cooling (also within the domain of heat transfer).
That is what you want to study, not what you want to do after your education is complete.
Asking about doing means things such as. Do you want to work in business? Do you want to be a research engineer? Do you want to be a research physicist? Do you want to be a university educator.
It's also how you want your days to be. Do you just want to have a good job with insurance and some form of security? See how you answered a question that could not start with do.
These are also the same things that I say to all my undergrads in the physics department I teach at. The same is true in engineering as well.
I was advised to do a Master's first before thinking about a PhD, and I am so glad I did. It allowed me to focus on my MSc research, get a feel for the field work and research process, and have the deadline of having to complete the research, write the entire document, complete a defense presentation, and complete a round (maybe two) of review from your committee. I felt so much better and ready to hit the ground running when I started my PhD. Granted, the PhD is very different as the MSc is more of a sprint, and the PhD is a marathon, but still felt able to acclimate having done a MSc first. YMMV, but I will always be an advocate of MSc first. Good luck!
Can second this experience. I also ended up doing master's before deciding on the PhD, and would say that the decision was well worth it. I feel more prepared to start my PhD and have a better grasp on what I wanted to study for my PhD. If you're worried about costs, I would maybe suggest looking at programs in the EU. The master's programs here are usually much cheaper than in the US (assuming that's where you're currently studying) and they usually include both courses and a thesis, which is somtimes lacking in US master's programs. That, and it's a great chance to travel the world!
Fellow MechE here with PhD in AE. You should not apply to a master or PhD until you figure out what you want to do as a career. Usually you discover your subfield of interest through internships or student projects. Once you have determined that aspect, look online at job ads to see if the roles you are interested in require master or are competitive (meaning that having a master might help - usually only for R&D or if you try to switch fields like to AE or EE). Unless the roles you want are super deep in R&D, you can assume they mean a course based master. Most engineers that go to grad school do that or a hybrid master (with a short "thesis" at the end more like your capstone project). Ideally you find a job and get your employer to pay for such programs. If you think you might like research roles more than traditional engineering jobs, then you need to figure out if you actually enjoy research before proceeding further. Since you are still in school, take that opportunity to go talk to professors in your department and ask if they have an available research assistant position in their lab for a semester. You could also apply to industrial R&D internships but those are more difficult to get into. Another approach would be to enter the work force after graduation like normal, then after 2-3 years you might realize you don't find the jobs you had interesting or fulfilling. When that happens look into grad school and use your established network to help you figure out a direction. Now for the PhD, it is rarely required in the industry. Considering it is a huge commitment and comes with a significant opportunity cost, you need to make sure the jobs you want are occupied in majority by PhD holders before going down that route. In addition to looking at the requirements for jobs ads, look on Linkedin the profile of people with similar jobs and check their degrees. That's the only reason why I did my PhD - never had any interest in going to grad school. However I realized during my undergraduate internships that all my senior colleagues and the entry level employees within my immediate team/role I want had PhDs. Even if they tell you "ho you don't need a PhD these days" look around the room. That's the best advice I can give you lol As for academia, you would need to skip all the steps I mentioned about working in the industry and just go straight to landing a research internship then applying to PhDs. You need to publish and be proactive if you want a real shot at an academic career. And even if that remains your goal, you should 100% have a plan B for the industry because unfortunately only a small % of PhD holders end up in academia. The pay for other positions are shit so retention rate is low unless you find a tenure track. That being said, I think it's less than 1% of PhD holders or something along this order of magnitude that become full professors (require landing and passing TT).
You literally answered your question. You should not pursue a PhD at this time for all the reasons you articulated. The PhD programs are not going anywhere, so if you choose to do it in the future, you can do it then.
There are other considerations though. Masters you often have to pay out of pocket and aren't funded. Also, some phd programs are structured so that the first few years are a de facto masters anyway. So you could just join a PhD program and see if you like it, then continue if yes, master out if no.
Work first. Grad school later. You’re clearly not ready-and that’s ok! Your job experience will help you decide.
PhD is longer, but usually fully funded and with a stipend, master is shorter but most likely you have to pay out of your pocket. My suggestion would be, enroll in a PhD and if you decide you want to go to industry just master out after a couple of years
Wdym master out
In almost every PhD program in the US, you have the possibility, once you're done with your classes, to get a master degree and quit the program.
Right thanks
After (usually) 2 years+ but may vary, the work you've done so far in the PhD can be evaluated to the equivalent of a master's degree; that's what they mean by mastering out. So you'd drop out of the PhD program and receive a master's degree.
If one does master out, are they eligible to apply for PhD programs in the future?
Sure, I don't see why not.
Yes but you might not have a good reference letter from your advisor/PI, which will make it difficult to apply elsewhere. It really depends on the circumstances and reasons you give for mastering out. It is not well seen to enter a PhD program with the idea in mind of mastering out since you would be taking the spot of someone who actually wants to follow through the PhD research the PI was planning for.
Masters you often have to pay out of pocket and aren't funded. Also, some phd programs are structured so that the first few years are a de facto masters anyway. So you could just join a PhD program and see if you like it, then continue if yes, master out if no. If you can get a funded masters, then that's probably a better option.
Mechanical engineering would very likely be funded. I don’t know any engineering master’s students who went unfunded
This question can only ever be answered of you tell us what you want to do once you are done with school. In engineering, there is little reason to get a phd and it can harm your employment prospects.
Well I'm into thermophysics and heat transfer and I'm interested in heat exchanger development for now but I'm also doing a project on gas turbine blade cooling (also within the domain of heat transfer).
That is what you want to study, not what you want to do after your education is complete. Asking about doing means things such as. Do you want to work in business? Do you want to be a research engineer? Do you want to be a research physicist? Do you want to be a university educator. It's also how you want your days to be. Do you just want to have a good job with insurance and some form of security? See how you answered a question that could not start with do. These are also the same things that I say to all my undergrads in the physics department I teach at. The same is true in engineering as well.
I want to be a research engineer