Adamah

I don't think so. A lot of people apply to MS programs as backups when doing PhD applications.

You should definitely retake the GRE. That quant score is pretty dismal, and many schools do care about it. Be sure to take practice tests and study beforehand to get it up as much as possible.

I took some courses through Stanford SCPD program. You do indeed watch the same lectures as on-campus students (through video), and do the same homework assignments, projects, and exams. I think most people in industry would recognize that there's really little benefit to physically being on a campus when it comes to computer science, so I don't think online MS degrees are looked down upon (aside from some lasting stigma associated with only degrees, that I suspect will eventually disappear). Georgia Tech is putting a lot of effort into their online MS program, and it seems pretty reasonably priced unlike a lot of online MS programs out there, so I'd definitely recommend giving that a shot. Stanford's program was pretty good, but it's very expensive. You should also see if your job will cover the cost. A lot of places will.

QR on the GRE is a pretty important hurdle to most top PhD programs. I hear the general rule of thumb is it needs to be above 90%. I think you should apply to some PhD programs you are interested in anyway. You might get in, and if so it would save you a lot of time, money, and effort. If you have a particular professor in mind at a school, and your background happens to fit their research interests, then you have an even better shot.

CS programs are ranked according to the research they produce, so those rankings are not the best source when looking at MS programs (or even PhD programs). If you are interested in potentially going for a PhD afterward, make sure there is a research component, or at least a research option, in the Masters program you apply for. In my experience, the quality of MS programs varies dramatically, even among top schools. Stanford, for instance, treats the MS students more as 5th year undergrads than grad students (indeed, about half of the MSCS students there are 5th year undergrads). The best MS programs I've found are Berkeley, Princeton, and CMU Robotics. These are also extremely hard to get into, especially Berkeley (which I think takes only 1-2 MS students each year).

Very few US MS programs offer guaranteed funding to any students. CMU's Robotics MS offers funding through RAships to most students, but it's only guaranteed to a few each year, and the rest must pay at least for the first semester out of pocket. I've heard Princeton offers funding for their MSCS program, but I don't know the details other than that it is a small program. I don't think applying to the PhD program first will help you get funding in the MS program, but I'd recommend applying to the PhD program anyway. You might get lucky and get in anyway.

Canadian masters programs will guarantee you funding. Almost all CMU Robotics MS students receive funding after the first semester. I'm not sure about the CS Masters though. Stanford has opportunities for funding (including full tuition+stipend for TAing) but these almost always go to Stanford undergrads because they've taken the courses already. I suggest contacting the school and asking directly how many students received funding the previous year. Schools that offer funding usually don't advertise it because they don't want you to drop out if you don't get it.

I don't think you should plan on two rounds of applying. Besides, would your application significantly improve if you waited until next year? It's true that your lack of research experience (especially since you've already done a masters) is a negative for them, and your GPA is not outstanding. I'd say your odds for those schools is minimal, but you never know. If there is something unique in your application and you can convince them that you have a specific research interest that happens to align well with a faculty member who is looking for a student, then you could get lucky. Also, mentioning that you have external funding is a big plus. That makes you free for them, so there's much less for them to lose by accepting you.

As much as I like online coursework, I don't think schools would count it. You might be able to get away with it if you take the CS subject GRE, but I'm not sure. Also, you should see if you can take the courses for free, since you'll be doing full-time research at the university.

PhD or MS? Etiher way, you would need at least Data Structures and Algorithms, and ideally Computer Architecture, to get into any CS grad school. You should find a way to take these classes before applying. tkulk made a good point that maybe you should look at specialty programs instead of general CS schools. CMU offers PhD's specifically in natural language processing or machine learning, for example. However, you'd have to show these schools that you know the subject well enough that you are confident you want a degree specifically in that area.

What do you want to get out of a Master's? Different schools have different strengths, depending on what you want from it

I don't know too much about Georgia Tech's program, but the website states: "The Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) program is a terminal degree program designed to prepare students for more highly productive careers in industry." It may still be decent preparation for a PhD program, but you should look to see if research assistantships are a viable option. Maybe ask the admissions staff how many MS students get RAships, and how many continue on to PhD programs. Hopefully they will have post-graduation stats on hand.

UMass is not a stretch for your profile. CMU, MIT, and Cornell might be, but you should apply anyway. Admissions can be unpredictable, both positively and negatively.

The Georgia Tech MS in CS is a terminal degree not intended to prepare you for a PhD. Generally, MS programs in other countries are viewed as preparation for a PhD, and are also a lot cheaper. I'd go with Oxford.

So I thought I'd fill you all in on what happened. I went to CMU for a visit and met with the professor. Overall I felt the project didn't really fit the research area I want to go into, so I turned it down. That said, I was really impressed with the program. It seems like they invest a lot more in their MS students than Stanford does. There's only about 25 MS students each year, compared to 200-300 or so from Stanford (most of whom are former Stanford undergrads who treat it, perhaps rightfully, as an extra year of college). The professors I spoke to at CMU were all more than willing to sit down and talk, and their interests seemed to align very well with mine. In the end, I decided to turn down the offer for full funding but accepted CMU anyway. It is almost guaranteed that I'll have an RAship after the first semester, so I decided it would be worth the loss of funding to wait for a project that I'd be really passionate about.

I don't see why you'd want a PhD. Do you want to go into research, or do you want to stay in software development? Keep in mind that a PhD often takes someone with an MS 4-5 years full-time to finish. If you're doing part-time, it might take you longer than 8.

I'd definitely say pick probability. It's one of the few courses that teaches you to think in a different way and is also extremely applicable.

I don't think you need more CS courses, but I'm not 100% on that. Machine learning isn't core CS anyway. It's really more statistics, so I don't think the professors would care whether you know your data structures if it's clear your interest is in machine learning. I don't know if CMU counts as Northeast, but you should consider it if you're interested in ML. They have a distinct PhD for ML, and they even have a subprogram for Neural Basis of Cognition. You would also definitely want to apply to MIT, Cornell, and UMass (which has one of the best Machine Learning programs in the country). Your situation is pretty unique. You should definitely talk to some faculty. I'm sure they'd be happy to speak with you.

Some more info on the MS in Robotics at CMU: About 40-50 students are accepted each year, and about 20 enroll. A small number, maybe 3-5, are offered full funding before enrolling. Funding for the rest is not guaranteed. That said, apparently all the students for last year received at least tuition waivers for the second semester. I think it's strange they don't mention this fact publicly. Perhaps they don't want to give students a false sense of security.

Agreed. Also, UPenn has very good placement for its grad students. I know of at least a few professors at top schools that came out of UPenn.

Yeah... I guess objectively CMU is a better choice. Is it weird that I'm a bit downed by that? There's just something so romantic about living amidst Silicon Valley. I'm going to talk to the professor soon and get more details. More than anything, I think it will come down to the project I'd be RAing for. That will be the main focus of my life for the next 2 years, so I need to make sure it's something I can be passionate about.

I know someone that never went to college, but instead worked his way up in industry over 10 or 15 years. He just finished interviewing with all the top companies in Silicon Valley and landed a lead engineering job working on a top secret project. They couldn't even tell him what it was until after he accepted. My point is, formal education really doesn't matter as much as you might think when it comes to software engineering. It might matter for your first job, but after that it's pretty irrelevant. That said, I'd think the thesis option is superior to the non-thesis. I have very little to base this on, but I suspect that having a thesis would give someone a concrete example of your work. It shows that you are capable of taking on a serious project independently, and rather than judge you based on abstract A's and B's on your transcript, they can see first-hand in your thesis report just how good you are.

I did not. I only applied to Masters programs that have a research option.

I guess my concern is that I'm not necessarily set on robotics. I'm interested in AI, and I guess more specifically in multi-agent systems but I'm not set on anything. Funding is a factor, but one quarter isn't huge for me. I've worked for three years after college so I've saved up enough to get through grad school comfortably.

I've been fortunate enough to be accepted to both the MS in Robotics program at CMU, as well as the MS program in Computer Science at Stanford. I had visited Stanford on Monday and was all set to decide on them, but today a professor at CMU emailed me offering me an RAship that provides full tuition coverage and a stipend for the two years of the program. I am now back to square 1 in deciding where to go. The funding situation is definitely in CMU's favor. They offer guaranteed funding plus a stipend in the form of an RAship. Stanford doesn't offer guaranteed funding, but from what I've heard TAships are commonly available. I speak native English and have a lot of TAing experience though, so I'm pretty confident I could land a TAship. TAships at Stanford cover tuition and give a stipend. In terms of reputation... this is a little more tricky. Stanford is Stanford. It's a name that's hard to beat, regardless of the field. Then again, when it comes to CS CMU is just as good, and when it comes to Robotics CMU is probably better. The MS Robotics program seems more competitive than the Stanford CS program though, and it seems like the school invests more in their MS students than Stanford. I think the big thing Stanford has in its favor, in my opinion, is the location. Silicon Valley is next door. The weather is perfect... that's hard to beat. I've also finished 10/45 credits for the Master's program through the Stanford SCPD program, so I'd be able to finish the degree in a little more than a year, compared to CMU's 2. My heart is telling me Stanford right now, but objectively it seems CMU is a better choice. I'd appreciate any feedback people have. Are there questions I should be asking that I've not been looking at?