Graduate or Professional School Options
You may be considering attending graduate or professional school rather than starting a full-time entry-level job immediately after completing your degree. Options include graduate school (master's or doctoral degrees), business school (MBA program), and medical school.
Before you invest additional time and money in graduate or professional school, spend some time considering your career goals and how an advanced degree would benefit you, research your options carefully, and know what you need to do to apply for and finance your program.
Graduate School
There are two types of graduate degrees: master’s degrees and doctoral degrees. Master’s degrees provide specialized knowledge beyond the undergraduate level, typically in the same field as your bachelor’s degree or in a related field.
Doctoral degrees require original research on a specific topic in your field about which you write and defend a thesis paper or project. A doctoral degree is usually required if you want to pursue a career in academia or a high-level position in a research institute.
Business School
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree that provides training in project management, business strategy, human resources management, business ethics, workplace communication, and leadership. An MBA is a particularly useful degree for engineering students who want to be entrepreneurs, as it covers a wide variety of business-related topics that aren't commonly taught in engineering courses.
Medical School
If you are interested in a career in health care and services or medical research, you might decide to go to medical school after completing your undergraduate engineering degree.
