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Is a MSc regarded as better then doing an MEng/MSci?

GuyUK

You can do

MEng/MSci - 4 years
BSc/BEng then MSc 4 years

Is the work more advanced in MSc then the 4th year of MEng/MSci? I believe that MSc are 12 months, while the 4th year of MEng/MSci are 9 months (ends in June).

If you can do the 4th year of MEng/MSci for free, why waste for example £3466+ to do a MSc , you get 3 months of extra teaching. But if you can get a job after your MEng/MSci, that's 3 months of wages you could be earning. I suppose you can experience living in another city doing a MSc.

Would you argue that a BSc is better then a MSci/MEng or BSc then MSc, as you can earn a salary for the year your doing your MSci/MEng or BSc then MSc. Do people earn more money after doing a 4th year or doing an MSc?

There are many options

BSc - 3 year
BSc with placement - 4 years
MEng/MSci with placement - 5 years
MEng/MSci - 4 years
BSc + MSc - 4 years

Can you do a MSc after a MEng? I don't think so. So I guess that's all the possible options.

Which do you think is the best option?

(edited 12 years ago)

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Reply 1

alphabet

Well I know that for engineering, most people choose to do a straight 4-year MEng, as employers rarely hire someone with just a BEng.

Reply 2

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by alphabet

as employers rarely hire someone with just a BEng.

Of course they do.

Reply 3

alphabet

Original post by Smack

Of course they do.

Really?

Reply 4

DarkWhite

Original post by GuyUK

Well it totally depends what job, which employer etc. I mean, for a research job, a 3-year undergrad followed by a 1-year postgrad research-led Masters is probably better than a combined undergraduate 4-year Masters, where it's teaching-led.

Likewise, a career which requires substantial knowledge and doesn't involve much analytical work might be best served by someone with more time being taught, so more implied knowledge (although not necessarily true - just an example).

In terms of experiencing new cities, you could just apply to study elsewhere during your undergraduate degree - it's not as much hassle as it sounds a lot of the time. You could also take years abroad as part of your course for example.

Of course you can complete an MSc after an MEng! You could rack up 6 MEng degrees and still go and do a series of MScs if you really wanted - it just means applying to research councils for funding.

Reply 5

i.am.lost

I remember at my Imperial Computing interview, the interviewer told me if I'm interested in staying in research then an MSc is more valuable, otherwise I should just do the MEng.

Reply 6

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by alphabet

Really?

Yes. That's why I said "of course they do".

Reply 7

alphabet

I was being sarcastic you tool

Reply 8

mailmerge

Original post by GuyUK

If you do a 3 year BSc, you won't have any work experiences unless you do a 4 year BSc with placement or like the Southampton Computer science course, 4 year with two 10 week placement. They don't offer any placement for a 3 year BSc.

You may not get a graduate job after your 3 year BSc, so in the long term, you might of earn more doing a placement for a 4 year course. So I don't think necessarily your lifetime earning will be most for doing a 3 year BSc .

If I can land a graduate job straight after a 3 year BSc, then of course it's the best option in terms of lifetime earnings. But it's a big risk, that you may be unemployed even if you have a 1st or 2:1, so maybe it's better do spend the extra year doing a placement or learning more advance material.

If you did a 3 year BSc, and can't find work after graduating. Your not guarantee a graduate job after a MSc? It will look better on a CV and increase chances of working in the field you did your MSc in.

Regarding your last point. If I wanted to dig deeper in a certain subject, then a MSc is the best option, as although there you can choose from many options in your 4th year of your MEng/MSci. It's likely to be one or a few modules of that particular subject.'

Yeah. you're probably right. I'd already deleted my post after re-reading it and realising it was garbage. Why'd you have to quote me? x.x

I still don't think it's unreasonable to expect a graduate job with a good BSc degree though. Maybe not for everyone, but then I'm not sure how much an extra year would help those people.

My last point was agreeing with you.... just badly phrased.

Reply 9

GuyUK

Original post by mailmerge

I will delete my post

Reply 10

Sheep

i have no idea what the difference between these is nor which one im about to do in october

lets hope its a good one

Reply 11

Thinker03

Original post by GuyUK

If you wanna look for a job, it doesn't matter much really... Doing a year of placement will be more important. For research, MSc is better.
Yes, you can do a MSc after a MEng, but again unless you're thinking of a research career (or change of specialty) it's pointless.

Anyway I would definitely go for a BSc/BEng + MSc over a MEng. It will be a postgraduate degree and you'll get more experience, learn more also.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 12

laser

Original post by Sheep

i have no idea what the difference between these is nor which one im about to do in october

lets hope its a good one

The MSc is a (one year) postgraduate degree you already have to have a degree for - i.e., you do a BSc and then a masters MSc. A MEng is an "integrated masters", i.e., you only get one degree at the end of it (only have to do 1 final year project, etc), but it's a masters degree.

imo, BEng+MSc > MEng > BEng

Reply 13

Moggs

Afaik in most places, the MEng is the BEng + MSc without the research element.

Year 4, your MEng year, is actually postgraduate level study. It's just billed as undergraduate. The upside to this is you get undergrad funding for the MEng, where you'd have to pay for the MSc yourself. The downside is your CV will say MEng instead of BEng/BSc + MSc.

As stated, BEng + MSc for research, academia, and non-engineering jobs.

MEng for engineering jobs.

Both fulfil the academic chartership requirements.

Reply 14

Legendary Carrot

So if it is better suited to do BEng + MSc for research, is it better to do a MRes instead of a MSc? What's the difference between the two?

Reply 15

Thinker03

Original post by Legendary Carrot

So if it is better suited to do BEng + MSc for research, is it better to do a MRes instead of a MSc? What's the difference between the two?

Well whether to do MSc, MPhil or MRes totally ups to you and what you need. If you already have enough knowledge you might well go for MRes (or MPhil). If you think you need to learn more before you're prepared for research, you go for MSc.

Normally you don't do a MRes if you plan to do a PhD afterwards, you'll do MPhil.

Reply 16

cybergrad

Original post by GuyUK

You do not get 3 months of extra teaching, the teaching stops at the beginning of the summer term, if not earlier. You get extra 3 months working on your research project, in other words your project in an MSc degree has more depth and requires longer time to finish than an Meng/MSci final year project.

Also, in case you want to look abroad for a job an Meng degree in the eyes of a foreign employer is seen as just as four year undergraduate degree which is something very common abroad. Over here an employer knows that an Meng is slightly more demanding than a Beng but abroad means nothing, only a separate postgrad qualification tips the balance when applying for jobs abroad.

But for me, the greatest disadvantage of an Meng is the fact that the 4th year module choices might be very limited and they might not be so specialised as you want them to be. An MSc gives you more options and you can choose to specialize in something that you really liked during your undergraduate degree.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 17

Cyborgasm

MEng/MSci are undergraduate degrees and predominately arose in current form to get students through the syllabus they used to do in 3 years and for some, financial reasons. (And some would argue to "deal" with the MA (Oxon) or MA (Cantab) anomaly).

MSc (and old MEng) are postgraduate and for certain posts will improve your chances as they have a substantial independent research element..

So BSc/BEng not as valued as MSci/MEng not as valued as postgraduate MSc by some.

Reply 18

Llamageddon

You get student loans for the MEng year and reduced cost tuition fees. You might get funding for an MSc but it's not always enough to cover the tuition fees and you will certainly struggle when it comes to living expenses (if you get it at all) after applying from the position of a BEng.

Reply 19

xsanto

Is the BEng- Msc combination good for finding an industry job? Are they recognised in the EU ? Which combination would get me chartered in my country (Greece)?