Is it bad to say you want to go into industry rather than research/academia for an MS/MEng degree?

[caviar]

Are there certain schools/programs more open or favorable towards students who are just interested in a Master's for career purposes rather than research/academia?

For instance, I think Berkeley's M.Eng program would be a good fit for me, but I read that MIT evaluates candidates for Phd potential, even if they just want a S.M.

In the latter case, would I be better of feigning an interest in research?

[process chemist]

You should find programs that specifically say that their M.S. program is designed for people who want to go into industry. I think UMICH's BME M.S. program clearly states, "the MS program is a terminal degree for those choosing to enter industry" so if you want a MS but change your mind mid stream and say you want a PhD now, that is not gonna fly. You are getting a M.S., so therefore you are interested in reseach (assuming that this is a thesis based MS). If it isn't a thesis based program, you might as well get a job, and have your company pay for you to take some classes to get your M.S.

Why do you want an M.S.? If you are already an engineer, most companies do not award higher salaries because you have a master's; they only give higher salaries if you have a PhD, (at least my company doesn't, and we are a leading Fortune 500). It really doesn't make sense to get any degree beyond other than a PhD, because you will be wasting time and money pursuing a M.S. while you could go straight to work; which, is going to be primarily project management and no real engineering. An M.S. in Engineering is helpful to people who majored in physics/chemistry/ etc to get an engineering degree, so that they can find a job. But if you already have an engineering B.S. it really doesn't make sense to get a M.S.

[caviar]

Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely looking for a terminal master's/MS with no thesis. I was under the impression that a Master's allows for more advanced work in the field, whereas a PhD is more for academia/research? Do you think I could get the same jobs with a BS in EE as I could with an MSEE?

Are most terminal Master's applicants people who have already worked in the field? Is it easier to get into a terminal MS program than a PhD?

[process chemist]

You could get many jobs w/ a B.S. in EE. Just know what areas you want to work in (eg. power systems, etc)