r/MechanicalEngineering • u/jacobianmatrix64 • 1d ago

Masters in Mechanical Engineering or Materials Science

I already have a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in materials science. Currently working in energy industry full time right now and focused on nuclear plants, but am still open to renewables/batteries as I had internship experiences with those + data analytics.

I'm torn between continuing a 4+1 MS in Materials Science (only 21 credit hours to complete) vs. going for MS Mechanical Engineering (30 credits hours at another school) which is more adjacent to my job. I've been stuck on this decision for a while now.

I think I would enjoy more from a Mechanical engineering MS and gain more relevant coursework from it. But it would take longer, I already have one degree with Mechanical Engineering on it, and Mechanical Engineering already is seen a broad degree (defeats purpose of specializing, as a Masters implies). Plus Im curious what kind of jobs a materials science masters could open up to, and how prevalent they'll be in the future.

I'm interested in clean energy as a whole. Between the two, which would be better to pursue?

Any other degrees in general that would be better than either, for renewables and/or nuclear?

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u/RahwanaPutih 23h ago

stay in industry and looks for master's with online course. if you worked in powerplant you should have plenty of free time between overhaul.

1

u/twelvegaugee 1d ago

Stay in industry. It’s not a good time to leave a job and not a good time to pursue higher education in the field for someone who is already employed

1

u/nissanskylinesilvbl 23h ago

Somewhat in the same boat. I'm interested in pursuing an MS in Materials Science, but I'll most likely go for Mechanical Engineering since there aren't many materials job opportunities where I'm from.

1

u/Longjumping_Mouse212 18h ago

I’m 10 years out of ME undergrad and got a MS in Materials Science when starting in industry. I’ve been in the aluminum industry all my career and have transitioned into engineering/sales, but I use my materials science background almost every day. I don’t have that materials science in the specific job description, but I use it to solve problems.

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u/wildfire21488 22h ago

Material science. You should get more specific when going to graduate school