The Bridge - Issue 3, 2019 - 7

Feature

Why Should I Go to Graduate School?

For example, students who have earned an
undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering
may elect to pursue a computer science master's
degree. This complements their skill sets so that they
are ready to capitalize on their expertise in one field
while using the concepts learned in another field to
create an entirely new career path.

reserve or set aside these unused course credits
so that you can transfer them into graduate school
when you are ready.
Be careful though! You have to make sure you
officially reserve them through your undergraduate
institution before you graduate, so your transcript
reflects that the courses were not used as credit

Photo courtesy of IEEE-HKN Mu Nu Chapter in Turin, Italy.

Photo courtesy of IEEE-HKN Mu Nu Chapter in Turin, Italy.

On the other hand, if your goals are to earn a Ph.D. in
a specific field, then you will want to attend a graduate
program that does go in depth into a discipline. This
important decision is all about what your personal
goals are! Going to graduate school because you just
don't know what to do with your life is a recipe for
disaster and misery!

toward your undergraduate degree. Some graduate
institutions will accept and transfer courses up to
seven years after you take them. Be sure to take
courses other schools find comparable to what they
also offer. For instance, if you take a special topics
in "brain psycho acoustics" course and there is no
equivalent course at your graduate institution, they
may not be so willing to transfer it in.

Graduate work takes focus and passion. If the passion
is not there, you will feel like a zombie going through
the motions and feeling totally unfulfilled. This is why
I often recommend that students do go out and get
a real job! Find out what you like and don't like. If you
discover some project that you are passionate about,
you may want to go find a program that helps you
further develop expertise and investigate the field in
more depth. You may even discover an engineering
management degree or MBA is more suited for your
aspirations than earning another technical degree.
Companies support graduate education, which
eliminates the fear of incurring more debt and it
allows you more time to complete schooling at your
own pace. I always recommend to undergraduate
students that if they have time and space in their
undergraduate program, to take additional courses.
Go ahead and take more higher-level courses, even
if you don't need them to graduate. Schools will
THE BRIDGE

Keep the syllabus for all the courses you wish to
transfer to another institution, so that you have the
information ready when you matriculate into a new
graduate program. Courses and instructors change
dynamically, so you can't rely on the information
being present on the website or in a bulletin, years
after you took the course.
Some companies even offer students the
opportunity to pursue a graduate degree full-time
with full pay! This is the ultimate option. However, a
company may have you sign a contract that after you
graduate, you need to stay with that company for
a specific period of time. Most companies support
part-time students to attend graduate school and
although it may take longer, you may have some
of those additional undergraduate courses ready
in reserve to help bring the time to your degree
completion down significantly.

Why Should I Go to Graduate School?

One of the great things about going to
graduate school is the opportunity to
interact with other professionals who are
also working in industry. This cohort could
give you an opportunity to meet someone
at another company for which you want to
work in the future. Many graduate programs
have adjunct professors from companies
lecturing at night, so again, you meet
other professionals who may be your next
professional colleagues!
The best reason to go to graduate school
is to focus on your personal goals and
to gain access to the best state-of-theart educational resources. Those can be
people, equipment, software, or networks
and support services that enable your
career advancement. When you are done,
you will inevitably make more money, but
you will also know that you are ready to
take on any new challenge and pursue
new opportunities as a leader.
Dr. Karen Panetta, a Fellow of
the IEEE, is the 2019 IEEE-HKN
President. She is the Dean of
Graduate Education for the School
of Engineering and a Professor
of Electrical and Computer
Engineering and Adjunct Professor
in Computer Science at Tufts
University in Massachusetts. Dr. Panetta received a
B.S. in Computer Engineering from Boston University,
and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering
from Northeastern University in Boston. She is the
Editor-in-Chief of the award winning IEEE Women in
Engineering Magazine. She previously served as the
Chair for IEEE Women in Engineering, overseeing the
world's largest professional organization supporting
women in engineering and science. Karen is currently
a Member-at-Large on the Systems, Man and
Cybernetics Board and has traveled around the globe
to inspire youth to pursue engineering through her
internationally acclaimed "Nerd Girls" Program, which
shows how engineers and scientists are creating
innovations for the benefit of humanity. Before
joining the faculty at Tufts University, Karen was a
Principal Engineer for Digital Equipment Corporation.

Feature

Tradition Runs Deep
with 115-Year-Old Eta Kappa Nu
In a shady spot under a large cottonwood, on the campus of
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, our founders
saw the need for an honor society - one that by invitation
would recognize scholarship, attitude, and character. The
vision was to promote the highest ideals of the engineering
profession and form an organization where professionals and
students help each other.
28 October 2019 marks the 115th anniversary of the founding
of Eta Kappa Nu. It's the perfect time to raise awareness of
the value that an IEEE-HKN Chapter brings to a university,
show the many ways a chapter serves fellow students and
the community, and encourage industry to support us. Today's
IEEE-HKN students are the leaders of tomorrow.
Chapters throughout the world are planning Founders Day
events to mark this auspicious occasion. Some will hold social
gatherings. Others will participate in a community service
event. Others may tour the workplace of an alum to see what
opportunities they may have. While others still will invite alumni
to campus to discuss career paths, professional development
and the things they don't teach you in engineering school.
If you are interested in helping your chapter or a chapter near
you celebrate, please fill out the Alumni Reconnect Form on
the HKN website. Your support just may be the one thing a
student needs to envision a successful future. So this Founders
Day, give back if you can. Once HKN, always HKN.
Tom Rothwell, (at right in photo),
President of the Upsilon Chapter in
1954, devoted vast amounts of time
and energy to Eta Kappa Nu for decades
before his death a few years ago. Fondly
remembered by all who knew him,
Tom is shown here with an HKN Pledge
Key and current HKN Governor At-Large
John DeGraw, another devoted alum.
The Key, the Crest, the Wheatstone
Bridge and the Induction Pledge are
traditions that are part of the fiber of HKN
and remain strong symbols of the Honor
Society 115 years into its existence.

HKN.ORG

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https://hkn.ieee.org/ieee-hkn-alumni-reconnect-form/ https://hkn.ieee.org/ https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 3, 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 3, 2019
