5 ms·

Because masters degrees are for suckers? Especially paying for one?

by munin 11y ago

zhemao 11y ago
This may be the case in CS, but for EE and other engineering fields, a master's degree is definitely worth it. The expanded job opportunities and differences in starting pay are worth the tuition most of the time.
- nmrm2 11y ago
  In CS it makes sense it pretty much only makes sense you're going from an unkown school to a top school.
6stringmerc 11y ago
I've heard this as well - that a Masters in Biology/Genetics/etc science fields is, essentially speaking, a consolation prize for washing out. The best job (initial) prospect for people who hold that degree is teaching at a Community College. I don't mean that as a condescending thing, I just basically agree that the ROI is...not good...
- nmrm2 11y ago
  ... or any job they could've gotten with a bachelors.
jerf 11y ago
Really, really unconvinced that's the case for computer science. Graduate level classes are definitely yet another cut above undergrad classes, and a lot of the sub-fields that are heating up right now are currently graduate-level only, and in many cases, likely to stay that way. You just aren't going to get into serious machine learning or computer vision in an undergrad course, without rewriting the entire required curriculum for that explicit purpose. (The prerequisites for those things are already considered senior-level courses.) Disclaimer: I have one, but they paid me for it. I got it 2000-2002; a moment's thought will reveal why I thought that was a good way to spend those years.... (Spoiler: Which is better, being paid to get a grad-level degree or unemployment?)
- munin 11y ago
  in my experience the grad classes are whatever the professor can slap together at the last minute. the reason to get a graduate degree is for the research and mentorship and maybe you can get that out of a masters degree but probably not most of the time. edit: if you can get paid to get a masters, then why not. support is usually tiered so that phd students are covered and whatever is left over can go to masters students though...
- loukrazy 11y ago
  I did the same in 2010, seemed to be a good time to be in grad school.
raincom 11y ago
It is rational for foreigners to pursue Masters in US. This has to do with these factors. 1. Many of these students come from countries where getting a tourist visa is hard. Even getting a H1B is hard too: look at the lottery ticket issue. 2. UK does not permit non-EU foreigners to work after finishing studies. So, it is irrational for those who borrow money to study to UK, then find work to pay off the debts. 3. USA gives 12 months OPT EAD permit after finishing their studies. If it is STEM masters, this OPT can be extended for 17 months. So, solid 29 months afte finishing 2 years masters. Given how hard is it to win the H1 lottery, it is a good choice. 4. There is 20,000 H1 quota every year for US STEM graduates. 5. It is very hard for many of these Masters students in US to get a decent paying job in their home countries. That's why, in India, etc., F1 visa is seen as a ticket to good living abroad. American citizens/perm residents are equally rational as foreigners above. Their reasons are: A. You don't need a masters degree to pursue PhD in the states. This is not the case in India and in many common wealth countries: you need to have masters to pursue Ph.D. B. There is a chance that many students want to give up on Ph.D in the middle of their studies. So, they can use whatever credits they got to get Masters degree and drop out of the Ph.D program. This is the case when one passes Ph.D quals or not. C. Some pursue masters to broaden their interest. Imagine someone with BA in Maths is interested in psychology, but don't want to pursue Ph.D. He just want to broaden his understanding. He will go for MS in Psychology. D. For few, it could be moving from no-name school BA to MS in Finance at an Ivy League. HYP are in differnet category of Ivies from the rest. E. The only masters Americans show interest in are: JD, MBA, MD.
- klipt 11y ago
  > E. The only masters Americans show interest in are: JD, MBA, MD. JD (Juris Doctor) and MD (Medicinae Doctor) are actually doctoral degrees.

Because masters degrees are for suckers? Especially paying for one?

by munin 11y ago

Because masters degrees are for suckers? Especially paying for one?

This may be the case in CS, but for EE and other engineering fields, a master's degree is definitely worth it. The expanded job opportunities and differences in starting pay are worth the tuition most of the time.

nmrm2 11y ago
In CS it makes sense it pretty much only makes sense you're going from an unkown school to a top school.

6stringmerc 11y ago

I've heard this as well - that a Masters in Biology/Genetics/etc science fields is, essentially speaking, a consolation prize for washing out. The best job (initial) prospect for people who hold that degree is teaching at a Community College. I don't mean that as a condescending thing, I just basically agree that the ROI is...not good...

nmrm2 11y ago
... or any job they could've gotten with a bachelors.

jerf 11y ago

Really, really unconvinced that's the case for computer science. Graduate level classes are definitely yet another cut above undergrad classes, and a lot of the sub-fields that are heating up right now are currently graduate-level only, and in many cases, likely to stay that way. You just aren't going to get into serious machine learning or computer vision in an undergrad course, without rewriting the entire required curriculum for that explicit purpose. (The prerequisites for those things are already considered senior-level courses.) Disclaimer: I have one, but they paid me for it. I got it 2000-2002; a moment's thought will reveal why I thought that was a good way to spend those years.... (Spoiler: Which is better, being paid to get a grad-level degree or unemployment?)

munin 11y ago
in my experience the grad classes are whatever the professor can slap together at the last minute. the reason to get a graduate degree is for the research and mentorship and maybe you can get that out of a masters degree but probably not most of the time. edit: if you can get paid to get a masters, then why not. support is usually tiered so that phd students are covered and whatever is left over can go to masters students though...
loukrazy 11y ago
I did the same in 2010, seemed to be a good time to be in grad school.

raincom 11y ago

It is rational for foreigners to pursue Masters in US. This has to do with these factors. 1. Many of these students come from countries where getting a tourist visa is hard. Even getting a H1B is hard too: look at the lottery ticket issue. 2. UK does not permit non-EU foreigners to work after finishing studies. So, it is irrational for those who borrow money to study to UK, then find work to pay off the debts. 3. USA gives 12 months OPT EAD permit after finishing their studies. If it is STEM masters, this OPT can be extended for 17 months. So, solid 29 months afte finishing 2 years masters. Given how hard is it to win the H1 lottery, it is a good choice. 4. There is 20,000 H1 quota every year for US STEM graduates. 5. It is very hard for many of these Masters students in US to get a decent paying job in their home countries. That's why, in India, etc., F1 visa is seen as a ticket to good living abroad. American citizens/perm residents are equally rational as foreigners above. Their reasons are: A. You don't need a masters degree to pursue PhD in the states. This is not the case in India and in many common wealth countries: you need to have masters to pursue Ph.D. B. There is a chance that many students want to give up on Ph.D in the middle of their studies. So, they can use whatever credits they got to get Masters degree and drop out of the Ph.D program. This is the case when one passes Ph.D quals or not. C. Some pursue masters to broaden their interest. Imagine someone with BA in Maths is interested in psychology, but don't want to pursue Ph.D. He just want to broaden his understanding. He will go for MS in Psychology. D. For few, it could be moving from no-name school BA to MS in Finance at an Ivy League. HYP are in differnet category of Ivies from the rest. E. The only masters Americans show interest in are: JD, MBA, MD.

klipt 11y ago
> E. The only masters Americans show interest in are: JD, MBA, MD. JD (Juris Doctor) and MD (Medicinae Doctor) are actually doctoral degrees.