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I am hoping someone out there will be able to point me in the right direction. I am very interested in the development and application of technology in child development and child psychology. Basically, I am interested in both normal and abnormal development and how technology (especially computer and mobile apps) can be used in pre-k and elementary education, to encourage development, and in various forms of therapy (behaviorally therapy, occupational therapy, etc). I know that there must be professors out there studying this, but I am not sure how to find them. Does anybody have any leads for any schools or professors in the US or Canada that fit into this general area? Professors in Psychology, Information Sciences, Human-Computer Interaction, and Human Factors are all fair game. Thanks in advance!

As background information, I am planning to apply for master's programs in Computer Science and do not plan to move on to a PhD. After several years of drifting, I am finally on track to graduate this Spring. However, my program is completely online. I am doing research this summer so I will have a letter from that, but my other two will likely have to be from professor's I've interacted with only online. That said, I am a good and active student so I wouldn't expect these letters to be bad, per se, but given that classes are only 8 weeks long and the courses are online, I wouldn't expect these professors to be able to write the strongest letters either. I have a previous employer who I worked with for several years who would undoubtedly write me a very strong recommendation, but the work was in a completely unrelated field. So basically my question is: do I stick with 2 possibly mediocre academic letters in my field of study, or replace one with a very strong professional letter in a field unrelated to my field?

I am looking to apply to MS programs for Fall 2013 (Computer Science) and likely continue on to do a PhD. Thus far, I have no real research experience. I am debating whether to contact one of the professors at my local institution and ask about research opportunities, however neither of them is quite in my area of interest. The alternative would be to self-study in my particular area of interest- reading papers and so on- and then being able to write a knock-out SOP describing my research interests. Researching under a professor would give me some solid experience, but by application time I would only have a couple months under my belt, which I am not sure would really be enough to significantly boost my application. What should I do?

Hi everyone, I am attempting to piece together a solid shortlist of schools. My goal is to get a Master's (with thesis) in CS for Fall 2013 and then either pursue a PhD or go to work in industry. My main area of interest is Artificial Intelligence- more specifically machine learning and AI in gaming. Basic Stats GRE: 160Q, 164V, 4.5AW (Percentiles: 84, 94, 72) Overall GPA: 3.7 CS GPA: 4.0 US Citizen My biggest weakness is my lack of research experience. I only recently focused in on CS after a long and winding journey. I do plan to contact a couple of faculty at my local institution but I do not attend there so it may be more difficult to find an opportunity. (Advice on how one might compensate for lack of research is welcomed.) I do have strong writing skills and expect to be able to write a decent SOP. Unless I am able to find a research opportunity, my letters will be from CS professors observing me as a student and should be decent quality. Shortlist University of Texas- Austin University of Toronto University of Maryland- College Park University of California- Los Angeles McGill University University of British Columbia North Carolina State University University of Alberta UC Santa Cruz George Mason University Oregon State University Can anyone give me an idea of my chances at these schools? Does anyone have suggestions for other schools I might consider? I'd be especially interested in schools that do research in AI in gaming.

So on researching graduate programs, I have noticed that there are two types of Master's programs offered: "professional" master's degrees and "academic" master's degrees. From what I gather, academic degrees are more theoretical and are often preparation for PhDs, whereas professional degrees tend to be terminal and focus more on job skills. I do not intend to go for a PhD, but I am still unsure as to which type of program I should look at. Can anyone shed some more detailed light on the differences between the two? Are professional degree seekers less likely to receive financial aid and/or be offered TA/RA positions? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hello, I am looking closely at the online M.S. is Computer Science programs Johns Hopkins University, Capitol College, and Colorado State University- Fort Collins. Can anybody give me feedback on any of these programs? Likes, dislikes, selectivity of admissions, any information that might be useful? Recommendations from current students/alumni of other online pure CS programs are also welcome, preferably those that do not require the GRE (willing to take if necessary, but would rather not due to time constraints). Thanks in advance!