getting a Masters in CS at school thats weaker than your undergrad school?

eon

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 11, 2003
Messages
2,218
I'm considering going back to school for my Masters since my job has a program where they'll reimburse the tuition. However the school I got my BS degree from will most likely not have class schedules I can squeeze in between work. So I was curious how does it look getting a MS degree at a weaker school? Because most likely any other school I find will definitely not be as reputable.
 
Coursework-only or research degree? With a research degree, it really depends on who your adviser is & how their standing in the field is, rather than the strength of the school as a whole.
 
my undergrad school's MS program is course work with a capstone project or thesis. I havent looked much into other programs yet but I'm almost certain any alternatives in this area are not on the same tier. If youre familiar with California schools I went to a state UC school, I'm now looking at CAL state schools to see what their class schedules are like.
 
my undergrad school's MS program is course work with a capstone project or thesis. I havent looked much into other programs yet but I'm almost certain any alternatives in this area are not on the same tier. If youre familiar with California schools I went to a state UC school, I'm now looking at CAL state schools to see what their class schedules are like.

That's a bit a tough one. The UC system is known for a much better master's program than the CSU's because they have a much higher budget for research. I currently attend a CSU for my undergrad, but I'm not sure if it would look good to get a masters from a CSU when you have an BS from a UC. Maybe Cal Poly SLO but not many others really would look great.
 
Two things I've learned from my college years:

Just to throw in an argument for a different school: it is good to get a masters at a different place than undergrad, looks better on a resume.

But to re-iterate previous points made against a lesser school: I have also heard it matters more where you get your graduate degree than it matters where you get your undergrad.

So by my logic you'd have to find a different school all together, ideally that is... Haha.
 
my undergrad school's MS program is course work with a capstone project or thesis. I havent looked much into other programs yet but I'm almost certain any alternatives in this area are not on the same tier. If youre familiar with California schools I went to a state UC school, I'm now looking at CAL state schools to see what their class schedules are like.

UC is a tent, covering from UC-Berk, UCLA, UCSD, UC-Irvine/Davis, to UC Merced and UC SF.

If you went to a top tier of the UC (us news/report), than its problem going to a cal state. If you were at UC-Merced or UC-SF, a Cal State maybe a step up. I believe UCSF is only medical, so you probably didn't go there, and it's not on your radar.
 
If your undergrad is in CS, I would recommend heavily against getting a Masters in CS, regardless of school. A degree in a new, but related field (Business/MBA, Economics, Human-Computer Interaction, Design, etc.) offers a whole new range of career possibilities in addition to many of those that would be offered with a MS in the same field as your BS. If your graduate university is ranked lower overall than your undergrad, they may still be ranked much higher in particular areas of study. Find out the best programs your school has to offer and consider their applicability to your chosen field. A graduate level education gave me a lot of flexibility to tailor my education and study with some leaders in their fields. Ultimately it was these experiences that led to great opportunities, moreso than the degree itself.
 
my undergrad school's MS program is course work with a capstone project or thesis. I havent looked much into other programs yet but I'm almost certain any alternatives in this area are not on the same tier. If youre familiar with California schools I went to a state UC school, I'm now looking at CAL state schools to see what their class schedules are like.

Which UC? I went to CPSLO, and from what I know and have seen since then, it's a good option for Master's students, equal to or better than a number of other UC options.
 
I'm considering going back to school for my Masters since my job has a program where they'll reimburse the tuition.
This is a very weak justification for entering the program.
 
That someone else pays for it isn't a justification alone to spend the time; it's clear that you've fallen into the same trap.

Time is also precious -- more precious than money. I'd contend that force masters program, the investment in time is greater than the investment in tuition. As such, the employer picking up the cost is irrelevant; it changes the parameters of the decision, but doesn't force the decision.

After the huge investment in time, what will be different? What will eon be able to do that they wouldn't have been able to do before attaining the masters? What could they not have done because they were working on the master's program? How long before a return on investment is shown?
 
its not my main justification of going but a solution to the most prohibitive factor of me going: cost
I'm well aware of that the time spent getting a graduate degree could many times have been more beneficially spent doing something else to develop skills and knowledge. But I would like to go to grad school to help keep my options more flexible. Theres a few careers I may be interested in that typical have hire people with grad degrees such as something dealing with algorithms. And then it would help if I wanted to get into management positions or even decided to do something outside of the IT field.
Also I've always been a bit of an academic where I actually enjoy going to school and learning new things so just being able to advance my education is a factor.
 
its not my main justification of going but a solution to the most prohibitive factor of me going: cost
It's the only justification you've offered so far.

I'm well aware of that the time spent getting a graduate degree could many times have been more beneficially spent doing something else to develop skills and knowledge. But I would like to go to grad school to help keep my options more flexible.
This is very vague, and to me it indicates you've not thought the matter through. In the real world, your degree will generally matter a lot less than your experience and demonstrable aptitude.

Theres a few careers I may be interested in that typical have hire people with grad degrees such as something dealing with algorithms. And then it would help if I wanted to get into management positions or even decided to do something outside of the IT field.
A masters in CS isn't important for management, and if you do get a management position, you'll wish you had done something for business or management post-grad, instead. Since you'll spend your time managing and planning, anything you've learned about CS is mostly inapplicable.

Also I've always been a bit of an academic where I actually enjoy going to school and learning new things so just being able to advance my education is a factor.
If you want to be a pro student, then by all means pursue a masters at a great school. You'll also want the masters if you go into research or directly into academia yourself. But at that point, the school usually matters more than the degree itself.
 
A lot of places care only about your title. You should check the fine print in the tuition reimbursement, usually those programs force you to stay with the company (probably making your non-masters salary) for a while.

Do a masters if you feel that will make you more 'complete', but if you wanna make big bucks, hop jobs.
 
If your undergrad is in CS, I would recommend heavily against getting a Masters in CS, regardless of school. A degree in a new, but related field (Business/MBA, Economics, Human-Computer Interaction, Design, etc.) offers a whole new range of career possibilities in addition to many of those that would be offered with a MS in the same field as your BS. If your graduate university is ranked lower overall than your undergrad, they may still be ranked much higher in particular areas of study. Find out the best programs your school has to offer and consider their applicability to your chosen field. A graduate level education gave me a lot of flexibility to tailor my education and study with some leaders in their fields. Ultimately it was these experiences that led to great opportunities, moreso than the degree itself.

This! Less overlap for more diversity will make you more valuable.
 
If your undergrad is in CS, I would recommend heavily against getting a Masters in CS, regardless of school. A degree in a new, but related field (Business/MBA, Economics, Human-Computer Interaction, Design, etc.) offers a whole new range of career possibilities in addition to many of those that would be offered with a MS in the same field as your BS. If your graduate university is ranked lower overall than your undergrad, they may still be ranked much higher in particular areas of study. Find out the best programs your school has to offer and consider their applicability to your chosen field. A graduate level education gave me a lot of flexibility to tailor my education and study with some leaders in their fields. Ultimately it was these experiences that led to great opportunities, moreso than the degree itself.

this.
 
i was thinking of doing an MBA... until i seen the ridiculous tuition for it.
 
Back
Top