I have a BS in Bus better to get Masters degree in engineering or take the bachelor eng. classes first.?

Your Highness,

My educational experience is similar to yours, although the fields of study are different. I earned a B.A. is Sociology/Linguistics and a few years later decided to go back to school and get my MBA. But, because I had no educational background for the business curriculum, I first took all the upper division classes needed for an undergraduate degree in accounting and business management. From my experience, here are some things I think you should think about:

First, a Master’s degree is going to be worth much more in terms of job opportunities and compensation that having two bachelor’s degrees. A second Bachelor’s degree may make you qualified for a wider variety of job opportunities, but the jobs will still only be compensated on the basis of requiring a Bachelor’s degree. Jobs requiring a Master’s degree will pay more, and you will need a Master’s degree to qualify for those opportunities.

It took me 8 years of attending school part-time at night to complete the undergraduate and Master’s education in business. The career and financial opportunities have been worth it though. And, the undergraduate course work made the Master’s level studies easier to understand and less difficult to master. In hindsight, I think I could have been successful jumping directly into the Master’s level courses. But, I also think my understanding of the subject matter is broader and deeper because I have the undergraduate courses as well.

Considering the time and toll that 8 years of nighttime schooling took, if I had to do it over again, I think I would have jumped directly into the Master’s program without taking the undergraduate courses first. Or, maybe, I would have not taken ALL of the undergraduate curriculum.

In your case, engineering is a complex discipline that requires a very deep level of technical understanding. Without an undergraduate background, you may not have the knowledge necessary to work with the principles and calculations at such an advanced level. But, even if you decide to go ahead with the Master’s program right away, what is the worst thing that could happen? You might find the coursework is too challenging without the undergraduate background (which you should be able to determine fairly quickly). And, if the Master’s level classes are too difficult, couldn’t you just leave the Master’s program and then pursue the undergraduate classes first before re-enrolling in the Master’s program?

But, perhaps the most helpful thing you could do at this point is to go talk to a graduate advisor in the Master’s program. You can review your previous academic work and abilities and he/she should be able to give you an honest assessment of your preparedness for the Master’s curiculum.

You are definitely on the right track to pursue additional education. It is a $1,000,000 ticket to you future.

Good luck!

Here is Polytechnic University’s policy: To be eligible for admission as a graduate student, an applicant must hold a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution involving a minimum of FOUR YEARS of full-time study with a cumulative average of “B” in the major field. Attention will be given to the listing of schools by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Computer Science Accreditation Board (CSAB), and by the various regional accrediting associations. An applicant wishing to enter a graduate field of study different from the undergraduate field in which a Bachelor’s degree was earned must anticipate the possibility of taking prerequisite courses for which graduate credit may not be given.

I don’t recommend two bachelor degrees.

First choose the University you want to attend and check their prerequisites for entrance. Often, when pursuing a Master’s in an area different from the Bachelor’s the prereqs for entrance to the MS program are similar to that of a minor.

Second, some people have a natural affinity for certain subjects. If there are prerqs required for admittance, once you start taking them you will have a good idea if you need a better knowledge base in engineering.

Taking MS courses through distance learning can be sketchy. You need to research the University, to ensure they are an accredited institution. If it’s a valid University, distance learning requires allot of diligence, and follow through. Many people find it difficult to stay focused/disciplined with distance learning /computer / tv courses, because of the amount of discipline it takes to keep forging ahead without the structure of a ‘regular’ class to sit in.

Good luck in your educational endeavors!

FYI: I was the Director of Academic Advising for a University for years, now I work in a different capacity.

While not impossible, it would be very difficult for you to be accepted and do well in a graduate program in an engineering discipline with your current academic credentials. Presumably you have not taken any/very few engineering courses when you were an undergraduate. Take a close look at the requirements for a BS in, say, chemical engineering. Not counting math and science, have you had any courses in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, mass transfer, unit operations, stagewise operations, process control, reactor design, engineering economics, etc.?

To meet the prerequisites for the graduate program, you probably have to take so many courses that you might as well get the BS in (x) Engineering. It’ll probably take you 2ish years to do so.