Graduate School

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED GRADUATE SCHOOL?
AE Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2002
Chris Raebel ’00 MS had been working as a structural engineer for nearly four years when he decided to enter graduate school. “I decided that if I didn’t go to graduate school now,” he said, “I never would. The responsibilities of my family life and career would only make it more difficult to do it in the future.” As Raebel discovered, a graduate degree is often an integral step for a career change or a promotion, not only in academia but also in the corporate world. His Master of Science degree, he said, “really helped me. I learned many things that help me on a daily basis. I make better decisions when I am designing structures because I have a greater depth of knowledge of how structures behave. I earn more money than I did before.” And, he adds, he’s teaching AE classes part-time at Milwaukee School of Engineering, an opportunity he would not have without his graduate degree. Graduate education at Penn State AE is a hidden treasure. Our undergraduate program is both well-known and well-respected in industry and academia. The reputation of Penn State AE undergrads is what fills Rec Hall at Career Fair time. However, our graduate program allows AEs to step up to the highest levels in career preparation and development. Graduate degrees provide advancement opportunities and, of course, allow for an academic career. “I believe that having a graduate degree has enabled me to outpace my peers,” said Cindy Cogil ’98 MS. “The skills I have acquired and/or developed by completing a graduate degree are highly relevant to my practice. Furthermore, having gone to graduate school shows employers that I am inquisitive, ambitious, determined, and disciplined.” Realizing how important an advanced degree is, the AE Department is pro-active in assisting prospective and current graduate students to achieve their goals. While they have the option to get a master’s degree, Penn State AEs who have completed the five-year BAE can also be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. For those concerned with the financial aspects of graduate school, the AE faculty will work with candidates to cover tuition, fees, and most living expenses. Internal financial opportunities change from year to year, depending on research funding and openings within a specific option. This year, for example, those considering the mechanical option may find more funding opportunities. Also, the Department takes into consideration professional experience and professional engineering licenses when reviewing a prospective student. As one AE graduate alumna said, “I thought my GPA wouldn’t be good enough to get me into graduate school, but my work experience really helped. I did my undergrad work here, so the faculty knew me and saw me mature. They felt comfortable bringing me into the program.” Getting Started If the idea of returning to the Penn State AE Department for graduate school interests you, the first thing to do is talk to one of our faculty members to see if graduate school will meet your goals and to see if Penn State will be a good situation for you. The faculty member will give you a good feedback on what you can expect as a graduate student. You can also visit our web site at http://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/ to get more information about the program and faculty research. A link to the Graduate School application is on this site. You will need to take the GRE before applying. The GRE is an exam similar to the SAT you took to enter the undergraduate program. In the U.S., the general exam is a computer-based test that can be taken year-round. More about the GRE exam registration and test locations can be found at the web site http://www.gre.org. There are books to help you prepare for the GRE, as well as practice exams. Before taking the exam, be sure you become familiar with the computer exam format and take as many practice exams as possible. Applicants are not required to take the subject exams. Financial Issues Unfortunately, graduate school is not cheap. However, the AE Department and Penn State’s Graduate School do their best to help students with financial needs. A form for an assistantship is part of the Graduate School’s application. The average stipend for an assistantship in the 2002/2003 academic year is $18,816, plus tuition and fees. An additional $5000-per-year fellowship generally accompanies a Ph.D. assistantship award, thus providing a reasonable sum of money to live on. Because there are some deadlines involved, making the most of funding opportunities requires some planning. Applications must arrive before January 31 to be considered for all available fellowships. Research funding decisions are usually made before April. However, if you miss application deadlines, there are often other avenues for funding. “Most of these awards are competitive,” said Amy Musser, ’94 BAE, ’98 PhD, “but if you keep applying for things, eventually you hit a few.” “I found my graduate school experience to be very positive,” said Raebel. “I recommend that you work for a few years before going back to school because your questions will be much better and your experience will really allow you to make the most of the classes you take and the research you perform.”

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED
GRADUATE SCHOOL?

AE Newsletter - Fall/Winter 2002

Chris Raebel ’00 MS had been working as a structural engineer for nearly four years when he decided to enter graduate school. “I decided that if I didn’t go to graduate school now,” he said, “I never would. The responsibilities of my family life and career would only make it more difficult to do it in the future.”

As Raebel discovered, a graduate degree is often an integral step for a career change or a promotion, not only in academia but also in the corporate world. His Master of Science degree, he said, “really helped me. I learned many things that help me on a daily basis. I make better decisions when I am designing structures because I have a greater depth of knowledge of how structures behave. I earn more money than I did before.” And, he adds, he’s teaching AE classes part-time at Milwaukee School of Engineering, an opportunity he would not have without his graduate degree.

Graduate education at Penn State AE is a hidden treasure. Our undergraduate program is both well-known and well-respected in industry and academia. The reputation of Penn State AE undergrads is what fills Rec Hall at Career Fair time. However, our graduate program allows AEs to step up to the highest levels in career preparation and development. Graduate degrees provide advancement opportunities and, of course, allow for an academic career.

“I believe that having a graduate degree has enabled me to outpace my peers,” said Cindy Cogil ’98 MS. “The skills I have acquired and/or developed by completing a graduate degree are highly relevant to my practice. Furthermore, having gone to graduate school shows employers that I am inquisitive, ambitious, determined, and disciplined.”

Realizing how important an advanced degree is, the AE Department is pro-active in assisting prospective and current graduate students to achieve their goals. While they have the option to get a master’s degree, Penn State AEs who have completed the five-year BAE can also be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. For those concerned with the financial aspects of graduate school, the AE faculty will work with candidates to cover tuition, fees, and most living expenses. Internal financial opportunities change from year to year, depending on research funding and openings within a specific option. This year, for example, those considering the mechanical option may find more funding opportunities. Also, the Department takes into consideration professional experience and professional engineering licenses when reviewing a prospective student. As one AE graduate alumna said, “I thought my GPA wouldn’t be good enough to get me into graduate school, but my work experience really helped. I did my undergrad work here, so the faculty knew me and saw me mature. They felt comfortable bringing me into the program.”

Getting Started
If the idea of returning to the Penn State AE Department for graduate school interests you, the first thing to do is talk to one of our faculty members to see if graduate school will meet your goals and to see if Penn State will be a good situation for you. The faculty member will give you a good feedback on what you can expect as a graduate student. You can also visit our web site at http://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/ to get more information about the program and faculty research. A link to the Graduate School application is on this site. You will need to take the GRE before applying. The GRE is an exam similar to the SAT you took to enter the undergraduate program. In the U.S., the general exam is a computer-based test that can be taken year-round. More about the GRE exam registration and test locations can be found at the web site http://www.gre.org. There are books to help you prepare for the GRE, as well as practice exams. Before taking the exam, be sure you become familiar with the computer exam format and take as many practice exams as possible. Applicants are not required to take the subject exams.

Financial Issues
Unfortunately, graduate school is not cheap. However, the AE Department and Penn State’s Graduate School do their best to help students with financial needs.

A form for an assistantship is part of the Graduate School’s application. The average stipend for an assistantship in the 2002/2003 academic year is $18,816, plus tuition and fees. An additional $5000-per-year fellowship generally accompanies a Ph.D. assistantship award, thus providing a reasonable sum of money to live on.

Because there are some deadlines involved, making the most of funding opportunities requires some planning. Applications must arrive before January 31 to be considered for all available fellowships. Research funding decisions are usually made before April. However, if you miss application deadlines, there are often other avenues for funding. “Most of these awards are competitive,” said Amy Musser, ’94 BAE, ’98 PhD, “but if you keep applying for things, eventually you hit a few.”

“I found my graduate school experience to be very positive,” said Raebel. “I recommend that you work for a few years before going back to school because your questions will be much better and your experience will really allow you to make the most of the classes you take and the research you perform.”

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