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[kissa_mau]

I'm asking for my husband. He did a master's in a chemistry field and has been working in different aspects of industry for a number of years since then. Back in the day he turned down a nice set of doctoral programs at some incredibly prestigious programs because his heart wasn't in it.

Now he's in a bit of a career crisis and is thinking about going back to school. We're wondering about letters of recommendation. His M.S. supervisor is dead, as are the professors he worked with, except for one. I did a search looking for answers to this, but in his case he's actively doing work in his field.

So, my question: is one letter from a professor and the others from industrial supervisors with Ph.D.'s enough? Or should he look into taking a couple of classes to get additional letters from academicians?

Personally, I think he should just get an MBA and go for the cash, but that's beside the point. Anyway, any thoughts?

[iomhaigh]

When I was applying for grad school, I had two letters from my undergrad profs and two letters from my industry references.  (I mixed and matched to avoid overloading any one person, and to cater to the different programs.  The purely academic programs got two profs and one industry, the more industry-oriented programs got two industry and one prof, etc.)

I was in my 20s and with a much shorter time in industry at that point.  I think he'll be fine.  Just be sure that they talk about the things that matter to academics (ability to work on your own, picks up skills quickly, self-motivated, works well with others, etc.)

Different fields, so take this for what it is worth. 

[polly_mer]

Recommendations from industrial supervisors with science or engineering doctorates should be acceptable as long as they can write a glowing letter extolling what a fantastic researcher your husband will make instead of bland "He's a good worker and pretty smart" letters.  Chemistry and related chemical science fields play well with industry and it's common to have entering graduate students who have been working in the field for a few years after earning a BS.

It would be best if the recommendations came from people who are active in research through presentations at national meetings, publications, and patents.  A good recommendation from someone at one of the major industrial labs will carry more weight than a "He did well in my class" letter from an assistant professor.  Supervisors who have earned Ph.D.s may also have contacts at some of the schools and your husband should ask about that when deciding which programs are best for him.

[sciencephd]

So, my question: is one letter from a professor and the others from industrial supervisors with Ph.D.'s enough?

Yes, absolutely. 

Or should he look into taking a couple of classes to get additional letters from academicians?

That would actually look somewhat peculiar if it excluded reccomendations from people that he worked with.  I would only do this if he expects weak reccomendations from industrial colleagues.

If he is doing chemistry research in his current job and has good reccomendations, his chances of getting into a good program are excellent.

Personally, I think he should just get an MBA and go for the cash, but that's beside the point. Anyway, any thoughts?

There is a glut of PhD / MBA combinations in the sciences, because many people have had this idea 10 years ago.  It was true then (6-10 years ago) that you could jump into a high-paying job with a good MBA tacked onto a science degree.  However, those days are OVER.

[kissa_mau]

This is all great advice, thanks! I'm in a science, but not chemistry, so it is hard for me to have answers for him. He works at 3M, which is about as giant and industrial as you can get, I think. At least we always have enough post-it notes at home!

It is also good to hear about the MBA situation. It is an expensive degree to get, so definitely doesn't seem worth going for without a good deal of research on the job options. He's also thinking about a statistics masters with an emphasis on SAS programming. At least I can help him with the homework there.

Maybe he's in the midst of a mild early-midlife crisis and thinking about all his options. But he's been following me around the country for ages, so I'm ready to support whatever he decides he wants to do.