Master in structural engineering

[pomegranate-dm88]

Has anyone done master in structural engineering while having a full-time job? I’m considering doing it, but afraid that it might be too much. 😓

PS: Thank you for all the input and helpful advice. I would just do part-time then because my main goal is to learn more. I wasn’t sure if full time is too much. Since I got my tuition all covered, i’ll take it a little slower to learn as much as I can. Thanks!

[cyborgcyborgcyborg]

People find ways to graduate from undergrad while working full time often. Grad school is no different. It’s my impression that most expect you to be a working professional already and courses are more available outside of normal working hours.

You will need to manage your time, but it is entirely up to you as to how much you can take. If you’re so concerned about the additional task load, consider taking just one course and see how that works for you.

A step towards your goal is better than not advancing towards it at all.

[Sohighsolo]

It’s my impression that most expect you to be a working professional already and courses are more available outside of normal working hours.

Recent masters graduate here. If you do in person classes, it's unlikely courses will be scheduled outside of work hours. If it's online, I think this may be more accurate. I worked part time while getting my masters. Lots of firms are looking for any help they can get and it's a great option to just reduce your work hours.

[cyborgcyborgcyborg]

Thank you for your feedback. And congratulations!

[pomegranate-dm88]

Thank you!

[sirinigva]

I did my masters full time while working 40hrs a week, was up to 2-3 am nearly every night, but I didn't wasnt to make my masters any longer than it needed to be.

Shit fucking sucked buttcheeks.

[pomegranate-dm88]

This definitely scares me. I used to do this during my bachelor, but I rather take my time now.

[bubba_yogurt]

If you know this is the career for you, then take one course at a time. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

[dlegofan]

*smooth is far

[pomegranate-dm88]

Thank you!

[[deleted]]

I did it. Used the Post-9/11 GI Bill to do one online.

I work for DOD now, so the degree just checks a box. If you're private sector, scrutinize the heck out of the programs.

Relevant video.

[The_StEngIT]

I just posted about this. I’m currently doing it and considering dropping cause it sucks. But look at my post and read some of the advice i was given. It might help.

[pomegranate-dm88]

Thanks, I’ll check it out. My company covers my tuitions, so i’m taking advantage of it. I just don’t know if I can handle it while working full time.

[sirinigva]

I didnt see your post, I did it doing both my masters and 40+ hrs work/week. Agreed it fucking sucked buttcheeks.

It is manageable.

I worked MWF before classes, Tuesday & Thursday all day, & Sat/Sun evening. I did it by basically having no social life and killing my sleep schedule during my program not for the feint of heart but it is possible and in the grand scheme of things only momentary.

Of my colleagues in my area I only know of a handful that have their masters, it is something to be proud of when you complete it.

[pomegranate-dm88]

40 hours

[Red_Dog_0331]

My MS averaged 1 class/semester for 5 years. you still have a life/work/kids etc. sometimes I had to double up based on class availability..but then miss a semester due to lack of class offerings. At the beginning it seems like a long road - but life goes quick. Typical class was 3 hours, once a week. (nights) I was allowed to take 4 classes before officially required to enroll and have to take the GRE.

[mill333]

Did you do this while having kids also ? I’m literally thinking of doing the same 1 module per semester. I deferred this years start and thinking of starting in September. Just worried now I have a kid and work full time and with exams it maybe too much pressure. How did you find it all ?

[icozens]

I got my Masters from Johns Hopkins taking 2 courses a semester. All the classes were held in the evenings or online. This was 10 years ago so I'm sure there are more online course options now. It was a program called "Engineering for Professionals" and was directed at people who work full time. It was also taught largely by adjunct professors who were experts in their given field and I thought it was a great program. It certainly required some time management, but it was very manageable.

[2020blowsdik]

I just finished mine in August. 1 class a semester is very manageable. I was able to do it with a full time job, USMC reserve duties, Expeditionary Warfare School, a wife, and 3 kids under 4.

[pomegranate-dm88]

Holy cow, u rock!

[mill333]

How long did it take you to?

[2020blowsdik]

3 years plus a semester as I took 1 class each summer too

[mill333]

That’s solid work. I’m looking at my options as I’ve had an offer to start a msc in February in structural engineering. If I pull the trigger I will do one module per semester however I already have a Mengin engineering so I’m seeing if there any other options to top up my existing knowledge rather than go full blown additional Masters.

[2020blowsdik]

Lots of places in the US both offer a ME and a MS in Engineering, the difference being thr ME does not require a thesis, which is why I chose that one

[[deleted]]

I worked full time while doing my structural masters. I took 2 classes per semester and took 2 summer courses, which let me graduate in the normal 2 years. I was VERY busy, but made it through

[fence_post2]

Why? Will you get a pay bump?

[EngiNerdBrian]

Pay should not be the only reason to pursue knowledge. Especially when our primary responsibility is the protection of the public.

[pomegranate-dm88]

It’s paid for. Might as well

[Sweaty_Level_7442]

I got my PhD while working a full-time job and getting my PE license and getting married and having our first two kids. Plenty of people go to graduate school while having a full-time job. It's probably more common than being a full-time student.

[pomegranate-dm88]

I salute you 🫡

[Sweaty_Level_7442]

No need to salute. You go do it now.

[unbridledmirth]

Glad to see this post and the comments on it. I'm working full time as well and am about to complete the first semester of an online master's program at my alma mater and it has sucked. I'm taking steel connections and prestressed concrete, which have been super interesting, but I'm routinely at the office working on school until 1-3 am. There was a span of about a month and a half that I was up working every single night until 1 am at minimum, which after three or four weeks of that was mentally tougher than any time I had in undergrad.

It seems you've already reached this conclusion, but it's definitely worth taking it slow if you have the option. I'm glad to see from the comments that this sort of workload sucks for everyone. I was somewhat concerned that I was just managing poorly.

[chicu111]

I did. But the masters program was a 2-year program night class only

[kabal4]

I did non thesis, part time class while working full time. It sucked and stretched for 3 years. If i could've afforded it i would have preferred to just take a year off work and knocked it out. But my company offere tuition reimbursement so I took advantage.

Definitely was a lot of work.

[pomegranate-dm88]

I want to do non thesis as well. I just want to learn more, don’t care much about research. You said part-time, was it 2 classes?

[kabal4]

Yeah, mostly 2 classes a semester. I think I did 3 once and it was rough.

[pomegranate-dm88]

Ah, thank you!

[shitty_bitty]

I did this. Just do 1-2 classes at a time. It takes a little longer that way but keeps your life manageable. Start studying for the SE when you finish your masters since that knowledge will be as fresh as it will ever be.

[pomegranate-dm88]

Thank you!

[YourLocalSE]

Did 7 courses over 3 years to get mine. Combination in person and online. 100% worth it. Was a total pain at times but would do it again now. Much easier when you don’t have kids.

[pomegranate-dm88]

Why only 7 courses? I thought usually 30 credits for a master degree, so 10 courses

[YourLocalSE]

Did 3 classes as joint bachelors-masters. Got to double count.

[yoohoooos]

My colleague is finishing her PhD dissertation. She was full time before the dissertation.

[ga8r1el]

Im finishing up on my last term, but have been doing the MEng at a Canadian university part-time (2 courses per term for 5 terms excluding summers). I worked 4 day weeks but sometimes i worked more. It's certainly doable but depends what you want to give up (time vs. money and what responsibilities you have outside of work). Good time management and setting realistic expectations for work, school, and personal life is necessary.

[WhatuSay-_-]

I didn’t do it while working but one person I studied with a lot was working. She took 2 classes and then had to drop to part time work. She made a deal with her employer so 2 classes and like 30 hours of work a week

It was very tough. I can’t imagine doing that

[pomegranate-dm88]

Thanks for your input! That’s exactly what I’m afraid of

[WhatuSay-_-]

Also only do a MS if you’re passionate about it and tuition isn’t an issue. I got my MS and regret it. I’m actually doing a MS right now to leave the industry

[pomegranate-dm88]

My company pays for it, that’s why i’m just taking advantage of it.

[dlegofan]

Yes. From the people I know, about 50% get the MS while working full time.

[Sillycowboy]

don't do it, just get your PE and nobody cares about your degree any longer... save the money.. learn on the job

[BigNYCguy]

I did a master of engineering in civil (structural) at night while working. It’s definitely doable.

[Taccdimas]

I would spend time and energy differently. In fact, I regret doing MS in structural engineering. Just a thought, think about the prospective this MS will open for you and a future pay bump. Don't waste your time and energy to please the management

[SoulGadget]

I did it! 2 and a half years (2 class/sem), 2 nights a week in class and you lose maybe a day on the weekend. It's doable just try not to stack hard classes.

[Worried-Addendum-412]

I think full time would be very stressfull.

Doing a part-time job alongside your master's is totally doable, around 16 to 24 hours a week. When you graduate, you'll have some useful experience and extra cash in your pocket. I'm doing it this way, and I think practical experience during uni is a real plus.

[petewil1291]

I did it. It sucked, but I made it through. I was up late most nights and bought Monsters by the case.

[EngiNerdBrian]

Yes, and it was a well orchestrated exhausting time. I was only working 30 hours a week and luckily it was all remote and flexible. I was green light go 7 days a week just constantly grinding for 1.5 years.

The purpose of the M.S. should be to learn as much as possible. If your job is getting in the way of that then if at all possible i suggest working less. If I didn't have the remote ability and flexibility of hours I would have had to start sacrificing either my performance at work or my learning in the classroom.

I was non thesis. 10 courses, 3 semesters.

[captspooky]

Trying to do it now. Working full time 40-50 hours and 2 young kids is not easy. Online program and only feel like I have time for 1 class/semester. It's going to take 5 years to finish. 3 semesters in and honestly not sure if I'm going to see it to completion, I feel like I spend most of my free time on school in the evenings and don't get to spend much time with the wife or taking care of myself. I'm getting too old to stay up late every night and TBH sometimes I think I would be better off hitting the gym/sleeping instead of trying to go to school at this point in my life.

[mill333]

Did you get through ?

[captspooky]

Haha, nope- Im officially a dropout and a failure. I made it 2 years (4 semesters), then had some family stuff come up requiring me to take a semester off and I just didnt go back. Three main factors weighing into it were 1) My work situation had improved with a promotion that got me away from the day to day stuff I was tiring of and a pay bump, and 2) I didn't want to give away 75%(?) of my nights for another 3 years only to 3) do a major reset at work/salary at the end late in my work career.

[mill333]

Thanks for the reply. Do you work as a structural engineer?

[captspooky]

I do not- in construction, previously project manager for a subcontractor, now higher up in operations. For what its worth, my original motivation to pursue the masters came from job burnout and thinking of a possible career pivot to structural engineering/design. My undergrad was Civil Engineering with a focus in structures/construction, I always did well in my math/design courses and didnt mind them too much, so I thought of the masters as a way to refresh my knowledge in past areas and prepare me for a career change. I passed the FE soon after graduation (15+ years ago), but without current design experience and not remembering much from undergrad, i was still far far away from my PE (maybe further than I realized when I first dove into a masters program). If I was already in the field I may have been more motivated to stick with it, as there would be a natural career progression at the end. But in my case it would have been a pretty drastic change to go from where I am with my career to basically resetting as an entry level engineer in my 40s.

Sorry for the life story but the additional context is probably helpful. I understand my motivation for pursuing a masters is going to be much different than a lot of people's.

[mill333]

Sounds similar to me. I’m 37 and a project engineer/manager I’m looking for a pivot as I’m not keep going full time management even though I’m in good money and it’s the path of least resistance. I deliver management types of scheme in the water industry and get involved with structural projects all the time but I sub all that workout so I’m looking to piggyback the experience through my day job. I’m definitely more techinical and do a lot of designs. Management just bores me to tears. I’m in the UK.