Kevin & Ellen McLain

Video Transcript

We're Kevin and Ellen McClain of Jefferson City, Missouri, and we're Wildcats.

Kevin: I'm a geotechnical engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation. I have been there approximately 18 years in different job capacities, but right now my job entails going out across the state and helping out with different problems, and I'm also in charge of our geotechnical testing lab.

Ellen: I work at Mizzou, the University of Missouri. I am in the office of gift planning and endowments, and I have been in their advancement office for 11 years in July.

What was your goal for returning to school?

Kevin: I decided to go back to get my master's degree so I could basically be on the same level with the other geotechnical engineers. I'd deal in a private industry.

Ellen: Completing the program helped me because I was able to make a move into the office of gift planning. Now I feel like I have a better feel for what donors are looking at, not just how they are charitable. But planning fits into everything else. That some of the things their advisors tell me and what that means and how it impacts the donors and how it impacts the university.

Why K-State? Why distance education?

Kevin: I chose the program at K-State because it was fairly flexible with my work hours, plus I traveled quite a bit and so I was able to work on the program in the evenings and on the weekends, and I could bring work with me while I was on the road.

Ellen: Distance education worked well for me because I travel so much. We'd chat, I did tests online. I just took the study materials with me and I remember taking either the first quiz or second quiz in a hotel in Walnut Creek, California on a Sunday night. So I could just do it wherever I needed to and whenever.

What advice do you have for others?

Ellen: I would go ahead and contact the Continuing Education office and find out a little more about what K-State offers in your field. I think distance education is really important with working professionals because you can continue with your career while you get the degree or certificate that enhances your career, and you can still be with your family.

Kevin: My advice to other people going into the distance education program is to go for it. I really think it's great. I've steered several other people into the K-State program for Engineering, and so I think it's a great program and I totally believe in it.

Quick Facts about the Engineering Management Master's Degree Program

Degree: Master's
Description: Concentration in chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, or software engineering or engineering management
Course delivery: Online
Application requirements: Bachelor's degree in engineering or related fields with 3.0 minimum GPA on last 60 credits. May require specific undergraduate courses*.
Completion requirements: 30-33 credit hours with 3.0 minimum GPA; *See website for complete listing.

Quick Facts about the Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program

Degree: Graduate certificate
Description: Accurate and timely information in the key areas of financial planning
Course delivery: Online
Application requirements: Bachelor's degree with 3.0 minimum GPA on last 60 credits
Completion requirements: 18 credit hours with 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA

Kevin and Ellen McLain

Master's Degree in Civil Engineering (Kevin)
Graduate Certificate in Personal Financial Planning (Ellen)
Jefferson City, Missouri

A lifelong Wildcat fan and long-time employee of the Missouri Department of Transportation, Kevin wanted to earn his master's degree to deepen his understanding of geotechnical engineering and so he could better collaborate with consultants and peers in his field.

While Kevin was working on his degree through K-State, his wife, Ellen – a development officer for the University of Missouri – learned about K-State's certificate program in Personal Financial Planning and thought it would enrich her career as well.