I'm going to apologize up front for this being a long post.
I am just beginning my study at a community college, where I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering Technology. I plan to complete my associates degree there; in order to complete it, I need to take Calc I, General Physics I and II, two CAD courses and a solid modelling course, and several "applications" classes: Statics, Strength of Materials, Kinematics, a manufacturing course, and a robotics course. Here's a link to the curriculum:
My question is this - would I be better served:
- Completing the BSET degree, and maybe adding some more courses to fill in the gaps (I already have a B.A., so I have some extra room. I was thinking of adding Calc III and Diff Eq, Analytical Physics III, and Engineering Mechanics I and II, and possibly some more electronics courses), and then perhaps going on to a masters program in Mechanical (the university has a bridge program, has had BSET students attend the Masters program before, and I would already have the math out of the way, so I wouldn't have to take many extra courses). Would the Masters degree alleviate the limitations that might be placed on me with a BSET undergrad? I do realize that Masters programs in Engineering are very difficult. In NJ, I believe I can sit for both the EIT and PE with the BSET.
- Continuing past the associates and transferring into a straight BSME program - I will prob have to take some extra courses (I took Chem I back in 1988, so maybe that and Chem II), and may have to take some, if not all, of my applications courses over, as they not based on higher calculus (I'm not super worried about this, because exposure to the courses may give me a better chance of doing well in them when I take them again at a more rigorous level). Obviously, this will take longer. This option would allow me to attend a MS program later without worrying about the bridge. The same university where I would attend my BSET has a BSME.
The reason I am doing the MET as opposed to a straight pre-engineering associates degree is that I will need to secure employment in order to pay for school and help support my family. The first two years of an engineering curriculum are great prep for the last 2, but telling an employer I passed Calc, Physics, and Chem isn't necessarily going to get me hired.
Obviously, I am concerned about handling the rigor of the math and applied BSME courses. If I can't pass Calc III, well the decision is made, I guess. As far as the rigor of the courses, if you are not a whiz at math up to diff eq, are you basically screwed, or is it just a matter of putting in the hard work and study time, and then you'll get through? I have seen some Thermo, Statics, Electrical and Dynamics texts, and they seem like they're all Calc, so I don't come even close to understanding them -- to be fair, I haven't taken Calc yet, and I'm guessing a freshman in a BSME program wouldn't get them either. I would be attending on the Bachelor's level part time and working, and I have already been told to expect to put in very long hours studying either way. I am not downplaying the MET courses BTW, they're going to be a lot harder than the liberal arts I took back in college, but I'm guessing just not as hard as the BSME. Getting the BSET and the Masters may take the same or even less time than getting the BSME, so it's easier -- I'm just interested if it's the smart thing to do in the long run.
If you guys were me, what would you do? Please feel free to answer here or via e-mail.
Peter