Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am doing a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering, failed two courses but I passed both in final exams in June, really good results considering this is Spain and engineering degrees hard, failing is fairly usual, I would say almost 95% of students have failed at least a course. Anyway, I only have the final thesis to pass, I am happy? of course, today I knew the result of the final exam of yesterday and I am really happy.
Once I finish my Master's I will have: Associate's Degree in Chemical Engineering, Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering and Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering, the three degrees. My idea has been to have a solid basic education and academical background in Chemical Engineering, I would not mind to keep on studying (while working) if neccesary to do my best and achieve a good education position in Chemical Engineering field.
Would you consider a Master's Degree a good education level?
You're saying that people become engineers in Spain, who flunked one or more of their courses? 95% of engineers practicing in Spain have flunked at least one course, and struggled through others?
You're saying that people become engineers in Spain, who flunked one or more of their courses? 95% of engineers practicing in Spain have flunked at least one course, and struggled through others?
How has that worked out, in the long-term?
Yes, the Spanish graduate program seem to be different. In the US, a C in a graduate course is sorta like the kiss of death. Going for a PhD, even a B is.
I am doing a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering, failed two courses but I passed both in final exams in June, really good results considering this is Spain and engineering degrees hard, failing is fairly usual, I would say almost 95% of students have failed at least a course. Anyway, I only have the final thesis to pass, I am happy? of course, today I knew the result of the final exam of yesterday and I am really happy.
Once I finish my Master's I will have: Associate's Degree in Chemical Engineering, Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering and Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering, the three degrees. My idea has been to have a solid basic education and academical background in Chemical Engineering, I would not mind to keep on studying (while working) if neccesary to do my best and achieve a good education position in Chemical Engineering field.
Would you consider a Master's Degree a good education level?
I think you should be freaking proud of yourself. What you have achieved is AMAZING. An engineering degree is tough and you made it!
Don't be so humble. You have what most others will never have. Every time you apply for a job you can cross the box of higher education. It makes me proud every time I have to indicate my level of education.
Stand in front of the mirror, look yourself into your eyes and say slowly over and over " I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING" Say it until you digest and realize what you have accomplished.
You're saying that people become engineers in Spain, who flunked one or more of their courses? 95% of engineers practicing in Spain have flunked at least one course, and struggled through others?
How has that worked out, in the long-term?
I don't know the Spanish system, but it could all depend on how courses are managed and grades are determined. Could be it's just simply an expected part of the system, a right of passage so to speak, where people are actually expected to flunk a certain number of times before passing.
Heck, even here in the US, every engineer or hard science graduate I know has had professors who felt it was their duty to flunk out as many as possible. I have actually had professors who assigned problems they themselves couldn't solve.
Grad school isn't so much about education but about surviving a brutal slog through a swamp with running the gauntlet in the middle and at the end.
You're saying that people become engineers in Spain, who flunked one or more of their courses? 95% of engineers practicing in Spain have flunked at least one course, and struggled through others?
How has that worked out, in the long-term?
Sorry to be late but yesterday I fell asleep soon, I've had two hard weeks due to the final exams of the two courses I failed (I passed, yess!).
It's long to tell but let's go. This mostly happened before in hard degrees, mainly engineerings but also in mathematics, physics, chemistry and even in medicine. Then we barely had assignments, just a final exam where you have to study the entire course, your final qualification usually was the same as exam. With European Higher Education, Bologna Process, everything changed in Spain. We have no longer "technical engineerings" that would be the equivalent of an associate's degree in the US but 3 years degree instead of 2 and "superior or higher" engineerings, 5 years degrees. Currently we have a Bachelor's Degree (4 year degree) and Master's Degree (1 or 2 year degree), that is like other European countries. By the way I am having trouble to explain employers in Europe what is a "technical engineering" that never existed in other european countries but Germany I think, there known as diploma engineer. Prior to Bologna Process, your qualification was basically the exam, some courses had a couple of assignments but if you failed the exam, you failed the course, probably you may pass with a 4/10 if professor was a charitable soul. Some professors were so kind that put really hard problems to solve or hard exams like the one I failed with a 2/10 of Environmental Engineering, an entire course summarized in just two problems! where each result of a plant equipment was the input of the following one, if you failed in any equipment calculation, you basically failed the rest of equipment, I remember that in September (the exams of failed courses) we were even more people than in June, because most students didn't even went to June, what memories .
Nowadays is easier to pass because with Bologna we have assignments but still we strongly depend on a final exam, our system still relies on a final exam, if you fail this exam you have to go to June (we have June instead of september nowadays) to pass it, if you fail, you repeat the entire course. But assignments and continuous assessment help us to understand courses better. Still, failing courses is usual in this system and professors are used to it. I think is similar in Italy and UK as far as I have been told about those countries, Italy is more theoretical than Spain and they have less assignments than us. Regarding Spain, there have been many criticism about this system that still relies on final exams and where assignments only helps to improve qualifications once you pass the final exam. In my Master's Degree there was just one course where the qualification depended on assignments and 2 partial exams that represent 10% each one, in the remaining courses you are forced to pass a final exam. Take as an example "Treatment of Gaseous Effluents", my last exam, a failed optional course in first semester: 9.5/10 and 9.3/10 in assignments, 3.9/10 in final exam -> to June with final exam. We are about 50 students in this Master's Degree, too many people for two reasons: is a Master's Degree by two Universities, we had to go to one University the first semester and the second one in another University, unfortunately the first in the northern of the city and the second in the southern of the city, and is the official Master's Degree that gives the Master's Degree level in Chemical Engineering, I knew that not few students failed to get in this Master's Degree. The thing is that there are courses that are by far harder than others: Advanced Chemical Reactors: failed 25/50 students to June, I know that some of them will repeat the next year, fortunately I passed the first time.
Now let's talk about what bothers me more in Spain. Spain never recovered from the Economic Crisis, at least in terms of employment, our unemployment rate still remains absurdly high (18%, unnaceptable). I see that like this quotation that sorry I can't remember right now of Great Depression saying something that: "if you have a candidate you should adapt to his requirements, if you have lots of candidates you can ask whatever you want". Master's Degrees in Engineerings have become a requirement of a lot of job positions, mainly in Madrid, no longer seen as a differential feature but a must have to work in some companies. The sad thing is that most people don't have a Master's Degree in an Engineering because may be expensive, not every student is accepted of just they don't feel like studying more. Fortunately I was accepted (I have not bad qualifications in my Bachelors, I have an Associates as well and I have experience that is valuable in the selection process), fortunately I can pay the entire Master's, now even better because I don't have to repeat a single course, repeating is about two times expensive than the first tuition fees, without even asking a loan, the next course I only have to pay the final thesis and administrative abusive things such as the title expedition.
I think you should be freaking proud of yourself. What you have achieved is AMAZING. An engineering degree is tough and you made it!
Don't be so humble. You have what most others will never have. Every time you apply for a job you can cross the box of higher education. It makes me proud every time I have to indicate my level of education.
Stand in front of the mirror, look yourself into your eyes and say slowly over and over " I HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING" Say it until you digest and realize what you have accomplished.
Thank you my friend, I have 32, I will never regret of doing this Master's Degree, I may have thought I am too old for this, but instead of getting depressed I decided to keep on working. Now is giving me results, I have been contacted three times recently: from Asturias (Spain), Barcelona (Spain) and Germany, yes Germany, I have not even search them. Unfortunately I can't move at this moment since I have the final thesis but I think I can end this by the end of the year (The second year of the Master's Degree is the final thesis). I have been speaking with the german company telling them the truth, the situation, you know what? This was an application of the last year and they contacted me a year after! I was honest with them telling them that I was about to start a Master's Degree in Madrid, I submitted them the very best cover letter I've ever written, with my heart, really, telling them that I loved the position and was the first time I've seen a job involving material and heat balances since those are closely related with my favourite courses in Bachelor's and Associates Degrees, was true, still I cannot find positions like this, ANYWHERE. They contacted me again because they said they really like my resume and they would want me to join with them, I explained them the situation and told me that don't worry, and don't forget to apply again because they are really interested in me, they whised me the best in my Master's and now I will break my brain to end this as soon as possible. I've never thought about Germany, I have been looking for jobs in Oil & Gas, but I admit they have really interesting jobs in chemical industry.
I don't regret of studying further my Bachelor's Degree and I will keep on doing that if neccesary. I have lots of defects, plenty, but I will overcome this, I will never surrender and I will be working hard trying all the things possible.
I am doing a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering, failed two courses but I passed both in final exams in June, really good results considering this is Spain and engineering degrees hard, failing is fairly usual, I would say almost 95% of students have failed at least a course. Anyway, I only have the final thesis to pass, I am happy? of course, today I knew the result of the final exam of yesterday and I am really happy.
Once I finish my Master's I will have: Associate's Degree in Chemical Engineering, Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering and Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering, the three degrees. My idea has been to have a solid basic education and academical background in Chemical Engineering, I would not mind to keep on studying (while working) if neccesary to do my best and achieve a good education position in Chemical Engineering field.
Would you consider a Master's Degree a good education level?
That's a really subjective question. Actually, it differs by field. Have you learned enough? Is a masters degree enough education to get to where you want to be in your field?
Of course it is a "good education level". Only 25-30% of Americans hold bachelors degrees. Masters are relatively rare in this country. I admit to not knowing much about higher education in Spain.
At the end of the day, it does not matter what I think, or what any other forum users think. It matters most what YOU think.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
