3 ms·

Is the dichotomy at the end of the Might's article content accurate? It seems too black-and-white to me, but I didn't go through a CS curriculum. Do MS/CS stude

by sidlls 10y ago

Is the dichotomy at the end of the Might's article content accurate? It seems too black-and-white to me, but I didn't go through a CS curriculum. Do MS/CS students not have to do original research or read research papers?

torrent-of-ions 10y ago
There is such a thing as a masters by research. I guess the article is talking about a taught masters.
pfooti 10y ago
I have a MS in computer science that I got at UC Berkeley. I had to take a lot of classes and write a thesis. Primarily, the thesis involved the design and implementation of something interesting (at the time, at least), and then I wrote about what it was, how it worked, and so on. I also got a PhD in science education at UCB, and that required writing a research proposal, carrying out a six-month classroom intervention, and a lot of other work on both sides of the research (design and framing the work, analyzing the data). The amount of work was very different. The number of classes was not too different - I had about the same number of credits. All that said, my experience in academia (and out) has taught me that a degree is only one indicator among many. I've had doors open to me because of my degree, advisors' connections, and where my degree was granted, some doors I did not particularly deserve, but the degree itself only shows that I can do a certain kind of work when I want to. I've met plenty of other people who can do the same kind of work who don't have the same kind of (or any) degree. So, it feels like one of those 'neither necessary nor sufficient' sorts of things.
nolepointer 10y ago
In my department (mid-tier university, I suppose), yes, an MS degree can be earned simply by taking courses (11 courses and a seminar on research). Alternatively, one can complete a project (9 courses, research seminar, and project defense) or a thesis (8 courses, research seminar, and thesis defense). However, even if you choose the course option, you will still have to read plenty of papers in your courses.
snovv_crash 10y ago
Depends where you go. I did my MS by research, no coursework at all. The research wasn't particularly novel, more a working implementation of literature in a slightly different context, but if it was more than that it would have been a PhD, right? I still find it odd that some people do coursework during their PhD. Seriously, put on your big girl panties and teach yourself. That's what your degree is all about, discovering things without someone holding your hand.
PeterisP 10y ago
As a rule, you don't have to achieve any original research for a master's degree, doing research on the current knowledge and summarizing and/or applying it is considered sufficient. Good students often manage to get some original research done during their master's years, but many (most?) don't.

by sidlls 10y ago

torrent-of-ions 10y ago

There is such a thing as a masters by research. I guess the article is talking about a taught masters.

pfooti 10y ago

I have a MS in computer science that I got at UC Berkeley. I had to take a lot of classes and write a thesis. Primarily, the thesis involved the design and implementation of something interesting (at the time, at least), and then I wrote about what it was, how it worked, and so on. I also got a PhD in science education at UCB, and that required writing a research proposal, carrying out a six-month classroom intervention, and a lot of other work on both sides of the research (design and framing the work, analyzing the data). The amount of work was very different. The number of classes was not too different - I had about the same number of credits. All that said, my experience in academia (and out) has taught me that a degree is only one indicator among many. I've had doors open to me because of my degree, advisors' connections, and where my degree was granted, some doors I did not particularly deserve, but the degree itself only shows that I can do a certain kind of work when I want to. I've met plenty of other people who can do the same kind of work who don't have the same kind of (or any) degree. So, it feels like one of those 'neither necessary nor sufficient' sorts of things.

nolepointer 10y ago

In my department (mid-tier university, I suppose), yes, an MS degree can be earned simply by taking courses (11 courses and a seminar on research). Alternatively, one can complete a project (9 courses, research seminar, and project defense) or a thesis (8 courses, research seminar, and thesis defense). However, even if you choose the course option, you will still have to read plenty of papers in your courses.

snovv_crash 10y ago

Depends where you go. I did my MS by research, no coursework at all. The research wasn't particularly novel, more a working implementation of literature in a slightly different context, but if it was more than that it would have been a PhD, right? I still find it odd that some people do coursework during their PhD. Seriously, put on your big girl panties and teach yourself. That's what your degree is all about, discovering things without someone holding your hand.

PeterisP 10y ago

As a rule, you don't have to achieve any original research for a master's degree, doing research on the current knowledge and summarizing and/or applying it is considered sufficient. Good students often manage to get some original research done during their master's years, but many (most?) don't.