The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022 - 11

2021 Year in Review
others. Therefore, it is important that if there are specific
faculty a student wishes to work with, the student should
note this and give details in a personal essay detailing the
most appealing aspects of their work as well as what they
can contribute to the team.
To Be or Not to Be a Ph.D.?
Students graduating with a bachelor's degree, who are
applying to a Ph.D. program, have the most to consider
because they have little experience compared to applicants
who may already have earned a master's degree. Many
students apply to Ph.D. programs because they know
these programs come with the best probability of receiving
tuition aid or funding and a stipend. If funding is the priority,
students must investigate which programs and degrees have
the possibility of tuition scholarships and stipends.
This is a major difference from undergraduate financial
aid, where students receive aid based on their scholarship
potential or financial need. One can be a stellar student, but
if a program does not include aid, it is not magically going to
appear. For instance, many master's programs do not come
with any aid or stipends, yet students apply, get admitted,
and then appeal for funding in vain. I always wonder why a
student would pay an application fee, which is not cheap,
when they know funding is not an option. Don't waste
your time!
Students tend to pursue " brand name/designer " institutions,
even if the institution doesn't match the student's goals.
Oftentimes, this means the student has not really thought about
what their goals are or what kind of program and environment
is conducive to their success. There is an abundance of other
exceptional small institutions that do provide funding and are
often providing a better fit for the student. In the U.S., there are
many fine institutions, not just the ones on the coastlines, that
are producing impactful leaders and experts.
Many schools are offering combined BS/MS programs to
undergraduate students that expedite the student's path to
earning an MS degree with significant tuition discounts, fewer
application requirements, and waived application fees. These
programs are great options because they don't require the
student to move and navigate a new campus, new policies,
and new environments.
My favorite option, when money is an issue, is to get a fulltime
job and continue part-time if the company offers tuition
reimbursement. This option allows students to learn about
real-world problems in industry, which can help focus their
graduate studies. Since the pandemic, many institutions are
offering their courses online, which provides great flexibility
for people who have full time jobs.
So many IEEE-HKN students have an entrepreneurial spirit
and question whether another technical degree is needed or
whether an MBA is the more suitable choice.
I say, " why not both? "
Institutions are offering dual MS/Engineering
Management/MBA programs that are addressing this
need. Pursuing two degree programs independently
could be astronomically expensive and take years, so
these programs offer expedited and lower-cost options
that overlap/double-count program requirements to get
students both the technical and business skills to satisfy
both degree programs.
Deciding on pursuing a Ph.D. program should not
be considered lightly. Desiring people to address
you as " Doctor " is not a good reason to pursue a doctoral
degree. Research laboratories, educational institutions,
higher-level administration, and leadership roles in
institutions and companies may require doctoral degrees.
Ph.D. programs are rigorous, can be stressful, and take
five to seven years to complete. When one enters a Ph.D.
program, they should be in good health, both physically
and mentally. Too often, students come to Ph.D. programs
thinking it will be a good environment for them to do
things at their own pace and not be held to the rigid 9-to-5
cubical life of a full-time industry job. Graduate school is a
fast-paced, dynamic environment that requires resiliency
and patience.
Funded Ph.D. positions come from a grant awarded to the
adviser who wrote that grant and is committed to fulfill
the work promised in the grant. They have deadlines and
milestones, and the money is not just for the student to
study what they want at their own pace. It's a job with
expectations -- just like an industry position. If the student
decides they don't want to be in that faculty member's
research group or work on that specific project anymore,
the obligation of finding a new position with funding is on
the student. The funding does not follow the student.
Think of it this way: The faculty member is paying to
support their Ph.D. students from their own bank account at
their discretion. If a student decides to leave the job or wants
to change topics, even within the same group, and those
goals are not part of the faculty member's awarded contract,
they can't pay the student to do that work. As a matter of
fact, it's illegal for faculty members to pay students from a
HKN.ORG
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https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 1, 2022

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