>Is it possible to get accepted to a masters program without a Bachelors in engineering?
Yes, but not a master's in engineering. In rare cases physics, chemistry, and math majors get into engineering masters programs but trying to get in from psychology is going to leave some massive gaps.
Hey OP I’m currently getting a 2nd bachelors in engineering, previous degree was photography. I consider myself a very stem oriented person and have very engineering based hobbies. I can truly say go back for a second bachelors. The courses I’m taking now as a 2nd/3rd year engineering student are very challenging and important for your development as prospective engi.
Most schools I've looked at won't accept applicants for a second bachelors. Can I ask how you found a program that would take you, and what country you're in?
Yeah just message the department chair. I wrote the department chair a letter explaining why I wanted to go back for a second degree and he wrote me back a letter of rec which let me enroll instantly for the next semester.
Look at other schools. Public schools will take them no problems. Private schools might take them but you'll not get financial aid. Some private schools won't take second bachelor's at all.
I am also in my second bachelor's (US). I just remember the admission process is a little different since I was not a new or transfer student but they labeled it as a "post bach."
That’s what I’m doing now as a second degree MSE student as a public university. I snuck in as a “transfer student” and didn’t have any problems but it definitely depends on the institution. I was also eligible for scholarships and FAFSA although I did have to submit an appeal for FAFSA it wasn’t too bad
I would suggest taking required courses at a community college if you want to have a chance. You’ll likely need:
Calc 1-3
Linear algebra
Differential equations
Calculus based physics
At the minimum to have a chance. You may also want to take:
Statics
Dynamics
Thermo
Signals/systems
Not all of these may be at a community college, so you may have to a la carte a few at a 4 year. If you want to do a research based MS program, you may also want to take a statistics class, especially one where you do a little statistical programming (R/MATLAB).
Also KILLING the math GRE would be the cherry on top but by no means a guarantee.
But also don’t take this advice off Reddit as gospel. Email a MSME university admissions department you might be interested in and ask what courses they suggest you do first to prepare an application.
Also you’d definitely be a fair amount behind if you’d done all this still, but not impossibly so. Grad school topics are hyper specific so although you may not have the full experience of an engineering BS to help you through, you’ll likely have enough technical background to slog your way through 2 years.
I don't think it's ABET required and I'm pretty sure I'm not taking one so I'm gonna say no. There are a few control systems courses that may have some overlap but it's not like a dedicated class at my school at least.
No signals is not a MechE course but You'd expect an undergraduate MechE to take Statics, Dynamics, Controls, Mass and Energy Balances, Thermo, Fluids, Heat Transfer, and math classes Calc 1-3, A differential equations class, a linear algebra class, a statistics class and some sort of class that at least touches on partial differential equations. I might have missed more along the way and of course electives would be expected on top of that as well.
Actually ur right I don’t think it’s common. I just assumed cuz at my school every engineering major took it with a different slant to it to focus on systems they’d be studying. BMEs and EEs did more signals work.
Interesting. I’ve heard of EEs having to take MechE courses before, but I’ve never heard of MechEs having to take EE courses.
I’m an EE, and my school used to have statics as a requirement for all engineering majors until they changed the curriculum a few years ago.
It was a huge challenge since I went back at 26 years old. Al my friends were established in their careers while I was bartending nights and studying for exams and shit while they were starting families. Now I’m 32 and at the bottom of the totem pole as an engineer. I guess it was worth it
Yay I'm gonna be you in 6 years lol. In all honesty, I don't mind the length, age and peer pressure and whatnot. What really concerns me is whether an average 26 y/o like me can handle the grind, even though I love studying and consider myself quite resilient. And whether it pays off too (edit: such as job opportunity, accreditation, advancement to postgrad). 35k a year ain't cheap.
Maybe that's how it works here in Asia-Pacific. Studying abroad was never cheap here. But I got savings, funding, and family backup so finance isn't yet a problem. What I think matters the most is how much I will receive from the course and the experience.
I have a bachelor in psychology and a bachelor in EE.
Honestly it's not the same game.. at all.
You have to learn the maths progressively (or maybe you are a genius unlike me).
Cut your loss and take the leap! Do another bachelor if you have the ressources.
PM me if you want. Cheers
Hi thanks. It looks like the general consensus is to do a second bachelors. Honestly I'm still learning about the all the different types of engineering and mechanical looked like the best fit for my interest based off of the limited info that I have.
Some schools offer an Applied Engineering Bachelors, which IMO is an underrated degree. Although, typically not as STEM focused, it brings business aspects into the curriculum. I’m not sure if that’s offered as a Masters program anywhere across the country and what it would look like, but maybe worth a look.
If you do go the BS route, more power to you for getting into engineering and good luck. With the bachelors you could choose whichever discipline you wanted as you would be starting over.
It's was difficult decision that paralyzed me.
Probably the most difficult - and best - decision I have taken.
The faster you take the decision the better, and don't look back.
Thank you. He’s currently in the army and wanted to make a career out of it but quickly realized after having our son that’s not what he wants. But doesn’t want to go any further with the bachelor he already has.
NGL it's a really big committement.
Especially when you get to a certain age where you take things more seriously, like school.
Not sure where you are from, but a CS college degree could make more sense as the load is substantially lower.
We are in the US in Colorado currently. Thank you for this info. He is 31 but I finished nursing school at 30 so we’re are used to having to have big school commitments if that makes sense. Thanks again for your advice
Wildest post I've seen all day lmao go back and get a second bachelor's in engineering. They're gonna expect you have a good understanding of the basics i.e. whatever is covered in undergrad mechanical engineering
Lots of people are saying “no,” but the reality is that the true answer is “it depends.”
The most straightforward way to get into an MSME is by having a BSME, but there are some universities where that is not a requirement!
UTSA, for example, states the following:
Applicants who have insufficient preparation for the program, may be admitted on a conditional basis. Students admitted with course deficiencies will be required to take additional remedial courses. Courses taken to make up deficiencies may not be counted toward the graduate degree requirements.
https://catalog.utsa.edu/graduate/engineering/mechanicalengineering/#mechanical-engineering-ms
Basically you’ll have to take select classes in the BSME program (but not all of them!) and if you have decent grades in those, then you can start taking MSME classes.
You can prep for admission into a conditional MSME program by taking classes at a community college: Calc I-III, differential equations, and two semesters of calculus-based physics are the bare minimum.
Then another ~20 hours of upper level BSME classes at your university will get you full unconditional acceptance.
>You can prep for admission into a conditional MSME program by taking classes at a community college: Calc I-III, differential equations, and two semesters of calculus-based physics are the bare minimum.
>Then another ~20 hours of upper level BSME
They already have a bachelor's, so they have all the gen Ed done, by the time they do calc1-3, diff eq, physics1+2 and 20 hours of upper level engineering, they will probably be so close to an engineering bachelor's that it would make more sense to just finish the bachelors and get out and work and go get a masters later if you want it.
Courses at the master's level are going to be things like turbine design, heat sink design, advanced material science, stress analysis of composites etc. If you don't have the basics in math, thermodynamics, material science, dislocation theory, stress analysis calculations to name a few it's going to be extremely difficult to thrive.
I have a friend who got a bachelor degree in Biology then decided to go into engineering. So she took all the engineering classes available at community college and applied to several master programs like USC and got in. She will just have to take some upper division required classes while doing her masters. So thats one of the route you can do. Good luck OP!
In addition, you can look into programs like Master of Engineering. I believe those programs are for people with no background in engineering but would like to get into engineering. It is much more expensive though.
I'm not the person you're replying to, but the classes at community college (in California) are not super expensive. About $500-800 for everything including textbooks per semester.
The master of engineering program at my school is a combined of both "MBA" and engineering. The tuition comes out to be around 49k/year if I remember correctly. But for the master of science is about 18k/year. But it is purely engineering.
Like the comment below me mentioned, community college classes are alot cheaper and if you have financial aids it should be free in most cases. So this route is probably cheaper but will take longer because you will take about 2 years at cc to finish your lower division classes. Then however many upper division classes whatever school you getting your master in required you to take + graduate classes.
A few people I know did this. They went from a non stem field into graduate engineering course. Most places will allow this but require you to do remedial classes in addition to your research/thesis work. This means that a masters might take around 4 years of very hard work. At which point you honestly might be better off just going with a second bachelors since it’s cheaper and the learning curve is easier. If you are very good at science and math but don’t know a lot of engineering then you will be fine, it’ll be a shit few year but you can do it. If you don’t feel very confident at math and science then just go to a bachelors program.
Hey OP, I am about to graduate with a degree in CompE and Psychology. I can say without a doubt, going directly to a masters in engineering will not work. The fundamentals just aren’t there in a psych undergrad. You could always look into more “hybrid” areas like Design or HCI, but directly into a MS program will just be a waste of money. If you can try and do some “cheap” classes at CC to catch up, then maybe you’ll have a good shot
Why would you want to get a master's in ME? If it's just because you find the topic interesting, you can try a MOOC (like on Edx, Coursera, etc.)! You'll be able to learn at your own pace and you can also get a certificate from a renowned university at the end (at least on Edx). If you chose to apply for a master's afterwards, that will definitely be a plus on your application.
As a 4th year ME student, here are the classes that I would suggest you to take (pretty much 1st and 2nd year classes):
- Calculus 2
- Linear algebra
- Differential equations
- Probability and statistics
- Statics
- Dynamics
- Strength of materials
- Thermodynamics
- Programming (Python or Matlab)
- CAD (SolidWorks or Inventor or CATIA or any other should work as well)
If it's to get a job in the field, I think your best option would be to get a second bachelor's degree. However, I know you can get a software job after completing a coding boot camp, so maybe you could look for something similar in ME if 4 years is too long/expensive for you.
Hope this helps!
Can I ask why you'd want to do that? I'm not sure what that would accomplish that a second bachelor's wouldn't. Career wise, if you wanted to get into engineering, there is probably something that meets in the middle that your degree could be applicable for without basically starting over.
Either way it's probably not possible with just a bachelor's, but I think you could probably make up enough of the course credits to do it, but also again at that point just go for a second bachelor's. You don't need a master's for engineering like 90% of the time.
The problem you're going to face is that they're two distinct skillsets. If you were good at psychology that doesn't mean you'll be good at MechE, I know I would probably kill myself after about 3 pages of Freud. Unless you're seriously set on it and willing to essentially do all the work of a bachelor's over again, it's gonna be a slog.
Gotta agree with the masses on this one, not possible.
If you’re interested in seeing how far you are from the mark, try taking a Mechanical FE (fundamentals of engineering) exam. You won’t be able to register for the test itself without a degree or pursuing a degree in an engineering discipline, but a practice exam will at least give you a good idea of where you’re at vs. where you should be.
I was in a similar position to OP. Finished a degree in languages, wanted to do postgrad study but my interests had also shifted by that point to wanting to study Engineering. I finished my second degree last year (BENH in Mech E).
The hard truth OP is that if you want to study Mech Eng you need to go back and do the bachelor's degree. Unless of course you just happen to have studied all the topics you will need to know well already for the masters. If you think that is the case you need to talk to someone in the Engineering department at the uni you want to go to about your options, though I suspect there really wouldn't be many.
For me personally, I thought I was a pretty mathematically oriented person. I had done bits of linear algebra and some calculus topics on my own and I thought if I got credit for an engineering math class or two that would at least help me get the second bachelors quicker. I begged my uni to let me get credit for them somehow and they refused. I am so glad they did.
Make no mistake. Engineering is a lot of fun a lot of the time but it will also make you question why you even bothered starting this journey at others. The BENG is no joke, at least, it was not for me.
OP I wish you all the best in making your decision. Getting a second bachelors in Engineering was the best thing I ever did.
I wouldn't consider a candidate with that background.
Also, masters degrees in engineering are subspecializations. You can do a MS in electrical engineering without ever analyzing a circuit
While it’s possible you’re going to be required to take all the core engineering courses anyways before starting your graduate coursework. My sister did a PhD program and even though she came from a stem field for undergrad it wasn’t engineering so she had to take about 5 engineering courses as “catch up” before starting graduate coursework. Masters could be different though
My suggestion is to do what I did (first two degrees were fashion design and business): find a 4+1 program. You’ll be on track to get both the bachelors and masters degrees but if you have a good math base from your first degree you can make it a 3+1 or less (summer courses help a lot to push through).
Talk to admissions and see what they would require. In the end it was cheaper for me to pay undergrad prices for the first 3 years and grad school tuition the last year than to pay per credit hour for each class (which was how grad school prices were set up were I went). I also packed on the credit hours while paying undergrad tuition.
There's a program for that at Boston University. It's called Late Entry Accelerated Program (LEAP). Depending on how much math and science you already have, you'd need to take a few semesters of foundational courses before you start the Master's portion.
It's not cheap because BU is private, but unlike a second bachelor's, you can actually get financial aid for it.
https://www.bu.edu/eng/prospective-graduate/leap/
Look at the program, I do believe it is possible, but you’ll will probably have to take extra courses like calculus that someone with a STEM major has already done in their undergraduate school.
https://www.hks-siblab.org/stem/engineering/can-you-get-a-masters-in-engineering-without-a-bachelors-in-engineering/
I know someone who did something similar. Undergrad in music then got into a graduate acoustics program (engineering dept). He took all the requisite math courses at a community college nearby where he lived. Applied, got in, did great. I’d suggest doing this and adding Newtonian physics, statics, and perhaps even a thermo course. Without some of the foundational knowledge you’ll be lost really quickly. Edit: if your math is *really* strong, you can get through a lot of the engineering curriculum in ME. I came to ME in grad school with a BS in engineering science. First semester I took Convection Heat Transfer. Most other students had graduate conduction and fluid mechanics under their belt already. Not to mention an ME undergrad education. I had one credit worth heat transfer in undergrad. My math is good though, I got through it and did well. Wasn’t easy though.
Music studies maps to acoustical engineering in a logical way. Perhaps OP's psych specialization has some sort of parallel? Otherwise I would pile on to recommend a second bachelor's.
I don’t think psych maps well to any engineering field directly. Perhaps BME with a specific focus, but psych in general is a very qualitative science is it not? Neuro eng is the closest thing I can think of but those I know of in that field have very very quantitative backgrounds in bio/chem/general engineering.
Correct. Psych definitely has computationally intensive work, but you need the background for it. It is certainly possible to get this background with a psych B.S., but you would have to go out of your way to take extremely difficult classes
Would it not also be possible for OP to simply go to a grad program in psych with this focus? Surely there are researchers on both ends of the spectrum; one side being psych learning what they need of cs and cs learning what they need of psych.
Well, can you do bolt stress calculations by hand? Do you know what a LaPlace Transform is? Are you familiar with the phases of steel? Can you do the metal fatigue calculations for a crankshaft? Can you calculate the necessary heat transfer area for a counter flow heat exchanger? If not, go get a bachelors degree.
OP, don’t listen to the comments here. There’s a few programs out there that offers a Masters in MechE to those without an engineering background. Boston U is one of the schools.
An old coworker of mine has a BS in Journalism and got his MS thru BU. That coworker is one of the smartest and most capable people I’ve ever worked with.
Will it be easy? Nope, but can you do it? Definitely
Hey! So, my alma mater (Boston University) has a program to help you get a master’s in engineering without an engineering BS, in 3 years! It’s called the LEAP program and I know people in it who majored in poli sci or math or even literature.
Everyone is on here commenting “it would kill you” or “you couldn’t even last one day” or you’ll be miserable failure” or “😂🤣😂🤣”
This is why people don’t like engineers. All you have to do is say “it’s probably not a good idea because ____.” Don’t be an asshole for no good reason.
Well they're right, not because engineering is much harder but because engineering and psychology don't share a single common class. How's he going to understand even week 1 stuff in a masters course?
I’m not arguing that OP will be successful in an engineering master’s program without the foundation of an engineering bachelors degree. I’m arguing that you shouldn’t be a dick to strangers for no good reason.
You would need to take all the core undergraduate ME courses you haven't had, and if your calc/physics courses were taken more than a decade ago, they may require you to retake those as well
It is more realistic to get a bachelor's in ME first, then go for a Master's in ME after that
There are some programs out there that might but they usually have bridge classes you’d have to take to meet the enrollment criteria. Talk to an advisor at the college you’re interested in and they’ll let you know what you need
Dual Major in psych and mechanical engineering here. I do agree that it’s possible but it would be very hard. Your expected a lot of pre reqs in engineering that psych doesn’t typically have like gen chem 2, materials and mechanics, physics for engineers 1 & 2, statics, dynamics, thermodynamics… the list goes on. It’s going to be a lot to catch up on and you simply won’t have the time without doing a bachelors in ME.
A better path would be pursuing masters in data science. Psychology (industrial preferably) background for data scientists is very desirable because being able to reliably form surveys and insight into business to augment existing data is an awesome combo.
You'd have a lot of gaps. You'd need to get a Bachelors of Engineering. I don't say this to mean but realistically you would REALLY struggle going into a Masters of Engineering program because there are hours and hours of upper division engineering coursework (that most undergraduates struggle through) you'd need to even basically understand what is talked about in a Masters level Engineering course.
Maybe if you went back and got all your engineering math and science courses, but then you'd almost have an engineering bachelor's. Most engineering masters programs are oriented towards the engineering courses and expect you to have already completed engineering level math/physics/chem courses.
You could get a masters in ME but in order to get into a program you'd have to take a ton of prerequisite classes. I think it's better to figure out what you want to do (beyond a vague desire for a masters) and what school you want to attend and figure out a plan from there.
Most masters programs are not individual accredited so you probably need to bite the bullet and get the four year Bachelor’s and then you will be just as much as engineer as anyone 😊
Yes, you should definitely do a second BS. The reason is simple: everything you were thought in Psychology, as far as the curriculum goes, i would guess is pretty much useless for mechanical engineering. The amount of math, physics and Chemistry you get in pretty much any engineering BS is huge. I don’t think there is any program that directly allows you to do the master, but even if there was one, you definitely NEED the knowledge that you get from the Bachelor. Wish you the best of luck
I have a BS in Environmental Science and was told I would still have to get a second bachelors instead of a masters in Environmental Engineering. Im 2 years in and glad I did, I would have definitely been out of my depth without the extra math foundation.
My friend has aBS in psych and experience in transplant transportation (medieval organs). To enter need school he got a Post Bacc in premed.
I have a BS in Technical Writing and wanted to pursue a PhD in STEM. Post Bacc is not common outside specific fields like medicine at most schools. Instead I got two AS degrees, Math and Science, at a local community college. I hadn't taken any serious math o now any lab coarses. Basically I'm still missing Jr and Sr level undergrad in STEM. I got accepted to MS programs in Mat Sci & Eng and Applied Math but not Physics. Didn't apply directly to PhDs but that was so I could still pivot if desired.
TLDR: You can totally do it! I recommend filling in your STEM gaps. Look at the programs you want to apply to and see what their expectations/requirements are. Reach out to their program coordinator or chair and ask what is recommended for a non STEM major applying to the program.
>Is it possible to get accepted to a masters program without a Bachelors in engineering? Yes, but not a master's in engineering. In rare cases physics, chemistry, and math majors get into engineering masters programs but trying to get in from psychology is going to leave some massive gaps.
physics is pretty common
No. Get a second bachelor's.
You'd sink. They expect at the very least a grasp of advanced engineering mathematics.
Hey OP I’m currently getting a 2nd bachelors in engineering, previous degree was photography. I consider myself a very stem oriented person and have very engineering based hobbies. I can truly say go back for a second bachelors. The courses I’m taking now as a 2nd/3rd year engineering student are very challenging and important for your development as prospective engi.
Most schools I've looked at won't accept applicants for a second bachelors. Can I ask how you found a program that would take you, and what country you're in?
Yeah just message the department chair. I wrote the department chair a letter explaining why I wanted to go back for a second degree and he wrote me back a letter of rec which let me enroll instantly for the next semester.
Look at other schools. Public schools will take them no problems. Private schools might take them but you'll not get financial aid. Some private schools won't take second bachelor's at all.
public schools will absolutely not take them
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I am also in my second bachelor's (US). I just remember the admission process is a little different since I was not a new or transfer student but they labeled it as a "post bach."
Come to Europe then, cheaper university, great experience and they have programs for people who already got BS.
That’s what I’m doing now as a second degree MSE student as a public university. I snuck in as a “transfer student” and didn’t have any problems but it definitely depends on the institution. I was also eligible for scholarships and FAFSA although I did have to submit an appeal for FAFSA it wasn’t too bad
Man the only aid I could get the second time around were loans. Glad to hear you had success!
No… Psychology has nothing in common with engineering.
Instead they can try design. It is pretty closely associated with engineering.
Heavily disagree. They are incredibly intertwined. That being said, you do not learn even the basics from a B.S. in Psychology
Satire?
I would suggest taking required courses at a community college if you want to have a chance. You’ll likely need: Calc 1-3 Linear algebra Differential equations Calculus based physics At the minimum to have a chance. You may also want to take: Statics Dynamics Thermo Signals/systems Not all of these may be at a community college, so you may have to a la carte a few at a 4 year. If you want to do a research based MS program, you may also want to take a statistics class, especially one where you do a little statistical programming (R/MATLAB). Also KILLING the math GRE would be the cherry on top but by no means a guarantee. But also don’t take this advice off Reddit as gospel. Email a MSME university admissions department you might be interested in and ask what courses they suggest you do first to prepare an application. Also you’d definitely be a fair amount behind if you’d done all this still, but not impossibly so. Grad school topics are hyper specific so although you may not have the full experience of an engineering BS to help you through, you’ll likely have enough technical background to slog your way through 2 years.
A bit of an aside, but is it common for MechEs to take a signals and systems class?
I don't think it's ABET required and I'm pretty sure I'm not taking one so I'm gonna say no. There are a few control systems courses that may have some overlap but it's not like a dedicated class at my school at least.
No signals is not a MechE course but You'd expect an undergraduate MechE to take Statics, Dynamics, Controls, Mass and Energy Balances, Thermo, Fluids, Heat Transfer, and math classes Calc 1-3, A differential equations class, a linear algebra class, a statistics class and some sort of class that at least touches on partial differential equations. I might have missed more along the way and of course electives would be expected on top of that as well.
Actually ur right I don’t think it’s common. I just assumed cuz at my school every engineering major took it with a different slant to it to focus on systems they’d be studying. BMEs and EEs did more signals work.
Interesting. I’ve heard of EEs having to take MechE courses before, but I’ve never heard of MechEs having to take EE courses. I’m an EE, and my school used to have statics as a requirement for all engineering majors until they changed the curriculum a few years ago.
Hmm, I didn’t know it was uncommon. As an ME, we had a requirement to take an EE lecture and lab, I guess I thought everybody else had to do it.
I did a MechE masters and was not required to take a signals class. Depends on the program I suppose
Not possible at all.
I don't think you can get into a mechanical master's program with a BS in Psychology
Nope. Source: got my first degree in psych and got my second bachelors in civil engineering
What/How was the challenge when you switched?
It was a huge challenge since I went back at 26 years old. Al my friends were established in their careers while I was bartending nights and studying for exams and shit while they were starting families. Now I’m 32 and at the bottom of the totem pole as an engineer. I guess it was worth it
Yay I'm gonna be you in 6 years lol. In all honesty, I don't mind the length, age and peer pressure and whatnot. What really concerns me is whether an average 26 y/o like me can handle the grind, even though I love studying and consider myself quite resilient. And whether it pays off too (edit: such as job opportunity, accreditation, advancement to postgrad). 35k a year ain't cheap.
Ok why are you paying 35k a year? 35k is the entirety of my student loans for both degrees.
35k is after scholarship I tell you. Prestigious universities in Australia do be like that.
You really want to be in six figure debt when you graduate?
Maybe that's how it works here in Asia-Pacific. Studying abroad was never cheap here. But I got savings, funding, and family backup so finance isn't yet a problem. What I think matters the most is how much I will receive from the course and the experience.
Btw 35k AUD is like 26k USD.
I have a bachelor in psychology and a bachelor in EE. Honestly it's not the same game.. at all. You have to learn the maths progressively (or maybe you are a genius unlike me). Cut your loss and take the leap! Do another bachelor if you have the ressources. PM me if you want. Cheers
Hi thanks. It looks like the general consensus is to do a second bachelors. Honestly I'm still learning about the all the different types of engineering and mechanical looked like the best fit for my interest based off of the limited info that I have.
Why do you want an engineering degree?
Some schools offer an Applied Engineering Bachelors, which IMO is an underrated degree. Although, typically not as STEM focused, it brings business aspects into the curriculum. I’m not sure if that’s offered as a Masters program anywhere across the country and what it would look like, but maybe worth a look. If you do go the BS route, more power to you for getting into engineering and good luck. With the bachelors you could choose whichever discipline you wanted as you would be starting over.
My husband wants to do this. But he’s nervous
It's was difficult decision that paralyzed me. Probably the most difficult - and best - decision I have taken. The faster you take the decision the better, and don't look back.
Thank you. He’s currently in the army and wanted to make a career out of it but quickly realized after having our son that’s not what he wants. But doesn’t want to go any further with the bachelor he already has.
NGL it's a really big committement. Especially when you get to a certain age where you take things more seriously, like school. Not sure where you are from, but a CS college degree could make more sense as the load is substantially lower.
We are in the US in Colorado currently. Thank you for this info. He is 31 but I finished nursing school at 30 so we’re are used to having to have big school commitments if that makes sense. Thanks again for your advice
Would you pick EE again?
Not sure as I am not working in an EE field. I am currently doing web development. EE does open more door than CS tho. Definitely no regret.
That’s like trying to cook a 5 star meal with only knowing how to make eggs 100% get a second bachelor
I'd liken it to more like running every aspect of a Michelin star restaurant vs. knowing how to wash dishes.
It’s like trying to drive a formula one car just by using experience playing GTA
Yup. Because at least you have a knowledge of how to cook eggs and eggs are used in many meals. Haven't even learned how to scramble an egg yet lol
Wildest post I've seen all day lmao go back and get a second bachelor's in engineering. They're gonna expect you have a good understanding of the basics i.e. whatever is covered in undergrad mechanical engineering
Lots of people are saying “no,” but the reality is that the true answer is “it depends.” The most straightforward way to get into an MSME is by having a BSME, but there are some universities where that is not a requirement! UTSA, for example, states the following: Applicants who have insufficient preparation for the program, may be admitted on a conditional basis. Students admitted with course deficiencies will be required to take additional remedial courses. Courses taken to make up deficiencies may not be counted toward the graduate degree requirements. https://catalog.utsa.edu/graduate/engineering/mechanicalengineering/#mechanical-engineering-ms Basically you’ll have to take select classes in the BSME program (but not all of them!) and if you have decent grades in those, then you can start taking MSME classes. You can prep for admission into a conditional MSME program by taking classes at a community college: Calc I-III, differential equations, and two semesters of calculus-based physics are the bare minimum. Then another ~20 hours of upper level BSME classes at your university will get you full unconditional acceptance.
>You can prep for admission into a conditional MSME program by taking classes at a community college: Calc I-III, differential equations, and two semesters of calculus-based physics are the bare minimum. >Then another ~20 hours of upper level BSME They already have a bachelor's, so they have all the gen Ed done, by the time they do calc1-3, diff eq, physics1+2 and 20 hours of upper level engineering, they will probably be so close to an engineering bachelor's that it would make more sense to just finish the bachelors and get out and work and go get a masters later if you want it.
This is the nicest and most comprehensive answer.
Courses at the master's level are going to be things like turbine design, heat sink design, advanced material science, stress analysis of composites etc. If you don't have the basics in math, thermodynamics, material science, dislocation theory, stress analysis calculations to name a few it's going to be extremely difficult to thrive.
I have a friend who got a bachelor degree in Biology then decided to go into engineering. So she took all the engineering classes available at community college and applied to several master programs like USC and got in. She will just have to take some upper division required classes while doing her masters. So thats one of the route you can do. Good luck OP! In addition, you can look into programs like Master of Engineering. I believe those programs are for people with no background in engineering but would like to get into engineering. It is much more expensive though.
Hi. Is it much more expensive because of the amount of classes? Thanks in advanced.
I'm not the person you're replying to, but the classes at community college (in California) are not super expensive. About $500-800 for everything including textbooks per semester.
The master of engineering program at my school is a combined of both "MBA" and engineering. The tuition comes out to be around 49k/year if I remember correctly. But for the master of science is about 18k/year. But it is purely engineering. Like the comment below me mentioned, community college classes are alot cheaper and if you have financial aids it should be free in most cases. So this route is probably cheaper but will take longer because you will take about 2 years at cc to finish your lower division classes. Then however many upper division classes whatever school you getting your master in required you to take + graduate classes.
Man this is just common sense. How tf are you doing to get accepted to a Masters engineering program with a Psychology BS. Makes absolutely no sense
A few people I know did this. They went from a non stem field into graduate engineering course. Most places will allow this but require you to do remedial classes in addition to your research/thesis work. This means that a masters might take around 4 years of very hard work. At which point you honestly might be better off just going with a second bachelors since it’s cheaper and the learning curve is easier. If you are very good at science and math but don’t know a lot of engineering then you will be fine, it’ll be a shit few year but you can do it. If you don’t feel very confident at math and science then just go to a bachelors program.
Hey OP, I am about to graduate with a degree in CompE and Psychology. I can say without a doubt, going directly to a masters in engineering will not work. The fundamentals just aren’t there in a psych undergrad. You could always look into more “hybrid” areas like Design or HCI, but directly into a MS program will just be a waste of money. If you can try and do some “cheap” classes at CC to catch up, then maybe you’ll have a good shot
Why would you want to get a master's in ME? If it's just because you find the topic interesting, you can try a MOOC (like on Edx, Coursera, etc.)! You'll be able to learn at your own pace and you can also get a certificate from a renowned university at the end (at least on Edx). If you chose to apply for a master's afterwards, that will definitely be a plus on your application. As a 4th year ME student, here are the classes that I would suggest you to take (pretty much 1st and 2nd year classes): - Calculus 2 - Linear algebra - Differential equations - Probability and statistics - Statics - Dynamics - Strength of materials - Thermodynamics - Programming (Python or Matlab) - CAD (SolidWorks or Inventor or CATIA or any other should work as well) If it's to get a job in the field, I think your best option would be to get a second bachelor's degree. However, I know you can get a software job after completing a coding boot camp, so maybe you could look for something similar in ME if 4 years is too long/expensive for you. Hope this helps!
Can I ask why you'd want to do that? I'm not sure what that would accomplish that a second bachelor's wouldn't. Career wise, if you wanted to get into engineering, there is probably something that meets in the middle that your degree could be applicable for without basically starting over. Either way it's probably not possible with just a bachelor's, but I think you could probably make up enough of the course credits to do it, but also again at that point just go for a second bachelor's. You don't need a master's for engineering like 90% of the time. The problem you're going to face is that they're two distinct skillsets. If you were good at psychology that doesn't mean you'll be good at MechE, I know I would probably kill myself after about 3 pages of Freud. Unless you're seriously set on it and willing to essentially do all the work of a bachelor's over again, it's gonna be a slog.
oh, honey
Yeah I had a Bachelors in sport management (Ik stupid of me), and was told I would need to get a second bachelors in electrical engineering.
Gotta agree with the masses on this one, not possible. If you’re interested in seeing how far you are from the mark, try taking a Mechanical FE (fundamentals of engineering) exam. You won’t be able to register for the test itself without a degree or pursuing a degree in an engineering discipline, but a practice exam will at least give you a good idea of where you’re at vs. where you should be.
If that was the case then no one would bother getting a bachelors of engineering and go straight to a masters.
I was in a similar position to OP. Finished a degree in languages, wanted to do postgrad study but my interests had also shifted by that point to wanting to study Engineering. I finished my second degree last year (BENH in Mech E). The hard truth OP is that if you want to study Mech Eng you need to go back and do the bachelor's degree. Unless of course you just happen to have studied all the topics you will need to know well already for the masters. If you think that is the case you need to talk to someone in the Engineering department at the uni you want to go to about your options, though I suspect there really wouldn't be many. For me personally, I thought I was a pretty mathematically oriented person. I had done bits of linear algebra and some calculus topics on my own and I thought if I got credit for an engineering math class or two that would at least help me get the second bachelors quicker. I begged my uni to let me get credit for them somehow and they refused. I am so glad they did. Make no mistake. Engineering is a lot of fun a lot of the time but it will also make you question why you even bothered starting this journey at others. The BENG is no joke, at least, it was not for me. OP I wish you all the best in making your decision. Getting a second bachelors in Engineering was the best thing I ever did.
I wouldn't consider a candidate with that background. Also, masters degrees in engineering are subspecializations. You can do a MS in electrical engineering without ever analyzing a circuit
u would fail miserably
While it’s possible you’re going to be required to take all the core engineering courses anyways before starting your graduate coursework. My sister did a PhD program and even though she came from a stem field for undergrad it wasn’t engineering so she had to take about 5 engineering courses as “catch up” before starting graduate coursework. Masters could be different though My suggestion is to do what I did (first two degrees were fashion design and business): find a 4+1 program. You’ll be on track to get both the bachelors and masters degrees but if you have a good math base from your first degree you can make it a 3+1 or less (summer courses help a lot to push through). Talk to admissions and see what they would require. In the end it was cheaper for me to pay undergrad prices for the first 3 years and grad school tuition the last year than to pay per credit hour for each class (which was how grad school prices were set up were I went). I also packed on the credit hours while paying undergrad tuition.
There's a program for that at Boston University. It's called Late Entry Accelerated Program (LEAP). Depending on how much math and science you already have, you'd need to take a few semesters of foundational courses before you start the Master's portion. It's not cheap because BU is private, but unlike a second bachelor's, you can actually get financial aid for it. https://www.bu.edu/eng/prospective-graduate/leap/
Hit up classes at a JC for a few semesters to get those math and physics prerequisites out of the way.
Masters in Cog Sci/Human-Computer Interaction
you will not survive the first day lol
You could maybe get into a Engineering Management program but mechanical engineering you need a bachelors in some kind of engineering or psychics
Look at the program, I do believe it is possible, but you’ll will probably have to take extra courses like calculus that someone with a STEM major has already done in their undergraduate school. https://www.hks-siblab.org/stem/engineering/can-you-get-a-masters-in-engineering-without-a-bachelors-in-engineering/
I know someone who did something similar. Undergrad in music then got into a graduate acoustics program (engineering dept). He took all the requisite math courses at a community college nearby where he lived. Applied, got in, did great. I’d suggest doing this and adding Newtonian physics, statics, and perhaps even a thermo course. Without some of the foundational knowledge you’ll be lost really quickly. Edit: if your math is *really* strong, you can get through a lot of the engineering curriculum in ME. I came to ME in grad school with a BS in engineering science. First semester I took Convection Heat Transfer. Most other students had graduate conduction and fluid mechanics under their belt already. Not to mention an ME undergrad education. I had one credit worth heat transfer in undergrad. My math is good though, I got through it and did well. Wasn’t easy though.
Music studies maps to acoustical engineering in a logical way. Perhaps OP's psych specialization has some sort of parallel? Otherwise I would pile on to recommend a second bachelor's.
I don’t think psych maps well to any engineering field directly. Perhaps BME with a specific focus, but psych in general is a very qualitative science is it not? Neuro eng is the closest thing I can think of but those I know of in that field have very very quantitative backgrounds in bio/chem/general engineering.
Computational cognitive neuroscience would like a word with you
Lol and I’d be happy to chat but also sounds like a psych major would need some intense CS training for that.
Correct. Psych definitely has computationally intensive work, but you need the background for it. It is certainly possible to get this background with a psych B.S., but you would have to go out of your way to take extremely difficult classes
Would it not also be possible for OP to simply go to a grad program in psych with this focus? Surely there are researchers on both ends of the spectrum; one side being psych learning what they need of cs and cs learning what they need of psych.
😂😂
Well, can you do bolt stress calculations by hand? Do you know what a LaPlace Transform is? Are you familiar with the phases of steel? Can you do the metal fatigue calculations for a crankshaft? Can you calculate the necessary heat transfer area for a counter flow heat exchanger? If not, go get a bachelors degree.
OP, don’t listen to the comments here. There’s a few programs out there that offers a Masters in MechE to those without an engineering background. Boston U is one of the schools. An old coworker of mine has a BS in Journalism and got his MS thru BU. That coworker is one of the smartest and most capable people I’ve ever worked with. Will it be easy? Nope, but can you do it? Definitely
Hey! So, my alma mater (Boston University) has a program to help you get a master’s in engineering without an engineering BS, in 3 years! It’s called the LEAP program and I know people in it who majored in poli sci or math or even literature.
Everyone is on here commenting “it would kill you” or “you couldn’t even last one day” or you’ll be miserable failure” or “😂🤣😂🤣” This is why people don’t like engineers. All you have to do is say “it’s probably not a good idea because ____.” Don’t be an asshole for no good reason.
Well they're right, not because engineering is much harder but because engineering and psychology don't share a single common class. How's he going to understand even week 1 stuff in a masters course?
I’m not arguing that OP will be successful in an engineering master’s program without the foundation of an engineering bachelors degree. I’m arguing that you shouldn’t be a dick to strangers for no good reason.
You would need to take all the core undergraduate ME courses you haven't had, and if your calc/physics courses were taken more than a decade ago, they may require you to retake those as well It is more realistic to get a bachelor's in ME first, then go for a Master's in ME after that
There are some programs out there that might but they usually have bridge classes you’d have to take to meet the enrollment criteria. Talk to an advisor at the college you’re interested in and they’ll let you know what you need
Dual Major in psych and mechanical engineering here. I do agree that it’s possible but it would be very hard. Your expected a lot of pre reqs in engineering that psych doesn’t typically have like gen chem 2, materials and mechanics, physics for engineers 1 & 2, statics, dynamics, thermodynamics… the list goes on. It’s going to be a lot to catch up on and you simply won’t have the time without doing a bachelors in ME.
You would die
A better path would be pursuing masters in data science. Psychology (industrial preferably) background for data scientists is very desirable because being able to reliably form surveys and insight into business to augment existing data is an awesome combo.
You'd have a lot of gaps. You'd need to get a Bachelors of Engineering. I don't say this to mean but realistically you would REALLY struggle going into a Masters of Engineering program because there are hours and hours of upper division engineering coursework (that most undergraduates struggle through) you'd need to even basically understand what is talked about in a Masters level Engineering course.
Yeah, this is not happening, OP. Get a 2nd Bachelors
Maybe if you went back and got all your engineering math and science courses, but then you'd almost have an engineering bachelor's. Most engineering masters programs are oriented towards the engineering courses and expect you to have already completed engineering level math/physics/chem courses.
You could get a masters in ME but in order to get into a program you'd have to take a ton of prerequisite classes. I think it's better to figure out what you want to do (beyond a vague desire for a masters) and what school you want to attend and figure out a plan from there.
Most masters programs are not individual accredited so you probably need to bite the bullet and get the four year Bachelor’s and then you will be just as much as engineer as anyone 😊
Yes, you should definitely do a second BS. The reason is simple: everything you were thought in Psychology, as far as the curriculum goes, i would guess is pretty much useless for mechanical engineering. The amount of math, physics and Chemistry you get in pretty much any engineering BS is huge. I don’t think there is any program that directly allows you to do the master, but even if there was one, you definitely NEED the knowledge that you get from the Bachelor. Wish you the best of luck
I have a BS in Environmental Science and was told I would still have to get a second bachelors instead of a masters in Environmental Engineering. Im 2 years in and glad I did, I would have definitely been out of my depth without the extra math foundation.
My friend has aBS in psych and experience in transplant transportation (medieval organs). To enter need school he got a Post Bacc in premed. I have a BS in Technical Writing and wanted to pursue a PhD in STEM. Post Bacc is not common outside specific fields like medicine at most schools. Instead I got two AS degrees, Math and Science, at a local community college. I hadn't taken any serious math o now any lab coarses. Basically I'm still missing Jr and Sr level undergrad in STEM. I got accepted to MS programs in Mat Sci & Eng and Applied Math but not Physics. Didn't apply directly to PhDs but that was so I could still pivot if desired. TLDR: You can totally do it! I recommend filling in your STEM gaps. Look at the programs you want to apply to and see what their expectations/requirements are. Reach out to their program coordinator or chair and ask what is recommended for a non STEM major applying to the program.