Conference turris::womannotes-v1

    I'm a software engineer at ZK pursuing a Masters in Engineering
    Management.  This is a relatively new program (2 years I think) at
    UMass/Amherst.  They saw engineers being promoted up into management
    with very little formal training for the new management job.  Needless
    to say a lot of these engineers are not very comfortable with their
    switch to a new career and some just don't do well at it.  This program
    is for engineers who have been out in the field for a few years and
    have some real experience in the work world and plan to go into
    management at some point. 
        
    The reason I'm able to take a course from UMass/Amherst while I'm
    located in Nashua is that it's on video tape,  VIP (Video Instructional
    Program).  The tapes come two or three per week. I watch them at home
    on the weekend, and I'm able to fast forward dull professors and rewind
    when I've missed some snippet of information.  It's great!  Homeworks
    and exams get sent in to the professor for grading.  The professor and
    teaching assistant also keep office hours so you can call if you want
    to discuss a problem. 
    
    I'm on my fourth course out of twelve, and for the most part have been
    very pleased.   I'm only taking one course per semester, so it's going
    to take me at least another 3 years to get my degree. 
    
    			Barbara b.

>    1) For those of you who are women engineers how many have or are
>    pursuing a masters degree and what is it in?

    I am pursing my master's in C.S. now -- at night through Metropolitan
    College of Boston University.  It consists of taking 10 classes.  There
    is a core of 5 basics: discrete math, Intro to Artifical Intelligence,
    Computer Organization,  Intro to Computer Language Theory, 
    and Intro to Operating Systems.  Then you must take 3 higher-level
    classes, which you get to choose out of a list (my three were
    Compiler Design/Construction, Operating System Principles, and 
    Natural Language Processing).  The last two course are "free 
    electives" within the school of computer science.  (Caveat: 
    they regularly change the requirements.)

    I haven't compared this program to others in the area.  I originally
    got started to give myself something to do evenings when I moved to this
    area of the country, and the B.U. program had off-campus sites
    relatively near where I lived.   The teachers have almost all
    been part-time teachers; people just like me who had jobs in
    the computer field during the day and taught at night.  This has been
    a mixed blessing.  Sometimes you get more up-to-date and practical
    information from someone who is working in the area the class is
    about; other times you get a lousy teacher.  Sizing up the quality
    of the teacher on the first night of class is important when you're
    going to night school! 
    
>    2) For those of you who are engineers (male/female) with a masters
>    degree, how did you make the decision of what to pursue it in and has
>    it helped your career?

    I got started because I didn't think my undergraduate degree (also
    in Computer Science) gave me a deep enough background in some topics.
    The graduate classes have filled in some holes.  It has helped my
    career in that sense.  Actually, it's hard for me to assess how
    helpful it's been.  I've been taking classes for almost 5 years
    now (this is the last semester), so any effect has been gradual.
    
 >   3) Living in southern NH where are the closest schools that have
 >   good degree programs in business and computer science?
    
    Boston Univ. did purchase the Wang Institute, just down the
    road in Tynsgboro.  I believe they are offering both computer
    science and business classes there.  Also, I know someone who
    got her master's in C.S. through Univ. of Lowell, which is also
    getting a good reputation.

    Good luck!  It's not an easy decision.  Nor is deciding whether to
    go full-time or part-time.

		Beth

    I am a software engineer with a master degree in CS.
    My case is different from yours in that                
       1- I am a foreigner and would have been unable to find work without
          a masters.
       2- My undergraduate was not in CS.
    Still, I find it helpful to have a graduate degree because it
    strengthens your background + it helps you in your  career
    (even if it is just because people value higher education).
                                         
    BTW, I still take graduate courses, and I beleive that it is worth
    the extra work. I say go for it!!!
              
    
    Amal

    I'm a hardware engineer with an MBA.  I enjoyed the program.  It
    is a totally different way of thinking than engineering. I went
    for it because it fits into my long term career goals.   You have
    to ask yourself whether you want to specialize in a certain area
    of engineering or whether you want to eventually get into the management
    area.  The MBA has improved my organizational and research skills.
    I also view engineering projects from the business point of view
    and I'm able to deal more effectively with non-engineering folks.
    
    I'd second the comment from .3, if you want to go into engineering,
    look into the GEEP program.  I attended evenings for my MBA and
    even though I went fulltime it was still a lengthy process.
    
    Good Luck!!!
                                                      

    I'm a software engineer. My B.S. is in computer science.  I finished
    my M.S. in computer science at B.U.'s Metropolitan College in 1982.
    I concur with what the previous reply said about the people who
    teach night courses: most of them teach part time and work in the
    field during the day, just like most of their students do (in fact,
    I know several people who teach there and elsewhere parttime), and
    most of them know their subjects and are up to date.  I took one
    course a semester (except for a couple when I was too broke or too
    busy - right after I bought my house, and right after I got divorced),
    and it was a very long haul.  I wouldn't even try taking more courses
    than one a semester - not unless you have a full-time servant or
    something to take care of necessary details like cleaning, laundry,
    shopping, relaxing, fixing things around your home, etc.!  Taking
    classes at night when you already work 45-50 hours a week is like
    having a second job!   GEEP is an option these days, but not in
    1982.   Oops - forgot to note that I got my B.S. in 1974, two years
    before I came to work here.
    
    Now, as for career growth, don't expect a whole lot compared to
    a person coming into DEC with the same degree.  Earning another
    degree does help, but only gradually.   This might be different
    if you are changing career directions at the same time, such as
    getting your MBA and moving from a technical contributor position
    to a management or sales position you would have trouble being
    considered for without the new degree.
                               
    Good luck!
    
    /Charlotte

    I'm currently working on my MBA after getting my BS in computer
    science.  Worcester Polytech has remote site courses that are offered
    for the MBA program.  They are usually help at LKG or at Tewksbury,
    so the drive isn't too bad.  They send 2 or 3 video tapes a week,
    and the class watches them (and goes over the work) together.  This
    gives the flexability of tapes (if you can't make class you can
    borrow the tapes), but the group atmosphere of a class.  The program
    will take a little over 3 years, taking 2 classes a semester.  It
    is a lot of work, but anything worthwhile isn't easy.  
    
    For more information, contact WPI management department at
    617-793-5000.
    
    Dave
    

    I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and just got my MBA last
    June from Clark University.  I decided on the MBA over a technical
    graduate degree because I wanted to learn about the business end
    of things, and because I want to go into management.  I've always
    preferred doing project management over doing the actual engineering
    on something, so I thought that the MBA would round out my education
    better.  Currently, I am a Program Manager, so the MBA courses have
    helped quite a bit in my career in terms of giving me better skills
    in the right areas.
    
    I think you have to consider what you want to do with your life
    and what career path you want to take in order to decide which kind
    of graduate degree to get.  I was tired of engineering and needed
    a change, and the MBA courses definitely offered that.  The one
    thing that I had difficulty with was learning that not everyone
    thinks like an engineer, so the courses helped me to see things
    from a different perspective and to accept other viewpoints better.
    And my technical training was a great asset in the program especially
    when it came to the math-based courses which used graphs or calculus.
    
    Have you considered going to one of those college days that DEC
    frequently has at the various sites?  That's where several colleges
    come in and talk about their programs.  Attending one of these might
    give you more information about what to expect and what is available.
    
    Good Luck.
    Cathy

    Thanks for all the great replies - so far I have called
    the U-of-Lowell for their MBA, UNH graduate center in Nashua
    for the Masters in CS and UMass for their Engineering Management
    program.  At least now I have the information to make an educated
    decision - thanks for your input!

Another alternative to a Masters Degree is to get a second Bachelors Degree. I
have a BS CS from MTU in MI, and I was working on a second BS in EE when I ran
out of money.  A second BS *really* allows you to broaden your knowledge a lot,
as opposed to a MS in the same degree which is usually specialization, although
an MS in a different field with the specialization related to your BS could be
fun too.  If I were to try a third degree, I might try Physics, as it is the
basis for many other sciences. 

Unfortunately, DEC does not have a GEEP program for second BS, and in any case,
a second degree would not advance my career much; DEC doesn't pay as much
attention to degrees as other companies.   I have no desire to be a manager, but
tend toward a consultation position for which the wide range of knowledge is
more of a benifit then specialization.

JMB 

    	RE:  A second Bachelor's
    
    	My Bachelor's is in Philosophy, so in order to go for a Masters
    	in C.S. (which is my goal,) I'd have to take a number of under-
    	graduate courses as pre-reqs for the graduate courses that I
    	want.
    
    	At Regis College, they have 5 evening semesters per year (which
    	run entire degree programs aimed at working adults.)  So,
    	what I plan to do is to finish earning a second Bachelor's at
    	Regis, and then move into the Masters Program at the University
    	of Colorado in the fall of 1989 (hopefully.)
    
    	Since I have to take the courses anyway, it makes sense (to
    	me) to have the work apply towards a B.S. degree.
    
    	The M.S. in C.S. should then take about two and a half years.

    Suzanne, there are programs out here for people who got liberal
    arts undergrad degrees, but who have been working in the computer
    industry for a while and who want to get a MSCS degree.
    
    The one at Rivier College which I'm working on has 3 tracks.
    
    One is for students with an engineering/math/computer background.
    They take 12 courses.
    
    The second is for students with some technical background, and they
    take 13 courses.   (I got recommended for this one.)
    
    The third is for people who are coming in from the liberal arts.
    They take 15 courses.                    
    
    All of the tracks require the following prerequisites:
      
      Probability and Statistics
      Calculus                                    
      Ability to program in a language other than BASIC
    

    	Holly, that sounds interesting, but it would be a difficult
    	commute for me (from Colorado.)  :-)
    
    	The Regis College I'm planning to attend is here.  It's run
    	by the Jesuits (as is the Regis College back east.)
    
    	I like the program at Regis -- I think it will be a good prep
    	for the Masters I want to take at U.C.C.S.
    

    A friend of mine who has a BSEE, graduated last year from Northeastern
    University's High Tech MBA program.  It's really a business program,
    but it focuses on the high tech industry.  She really enjoyed and
    it seems to have helped, as she was recently promoted to a management
    position.  It's only two years, part-time, but it's relatively intense.
    You move the whole program as a class, as opposed to taking random
    courses here and there.
    
    I believe her schedule was every Wed. night and every other Saturday
    all day, plus some weekend-long residencies.
    
    If you would like to talk to her about, please send me mail.
    
    Tracy