MSIN at INI, CMU

[AndreaPirlo]

Hi folks... I wanted to know if anybody can give me details regarding the MS in Information Networking at the Information Networking Institute, CMU. The duration of the program is 16 months and it has a professional (course work) and a research (thesis) track. Can somebody tell me how good or how bad this program is??

[GeekByChoice]

Well.... My brother graduated in the class of 2009 in MSIN. I know about half that batch personally and quite a few in the batch after that.

I myself applied to the same program and received my admit 2 days ago.

Need I say more?

[AndreaPirlo]

Well.... My brother graduated in the class of 2009 in MSIN. I know about half that batch personally and quite a few in the batch after that.

I myself applied to the same program and received my admit 2 days ago.

Need I say more?

I too got an admit yesterday. Since you say you know quite a few people from INI, can you tell me how good is the thesis track of MSIN?? Looks to me more like a professional course. So what is the scope for a PhD in future given an MSIN degree?

[GeekByChoice]

No can help amigo! Most of the guys I know, including my brother, took the professional track...... and landed jobs with Apple, Deutche Bank, Riverbed, Redback Networks and Bloomberg... to name a few.

I am also interested the Thesis Track.... although i am not sure at present if I am in the mood for a 5-year phD commitment! Might have to call some friends to find out who all went down the Thesis track.

[AndreaPirlo]

No can help amigo! Most of the guys I know, including my brother, took the professional track...... and landed jobs with Apple, Deutche Bank, Riverbed, Redback Networks and Bloomberg... to name a few.

I am also interested the Thesis Track.... although i am not sure at present if I am in the mood for a 5-year phD commitment! Might have to call some friends to find out who all went down the Thesis track.

I don't know anybody who have graduated from INI. I have found a person's contact who graduated from INI. I have mailed him all my queries. Lets see what he has to say (if he replies!!). So INI is ur destination or are you waiting for other admits?

[GeekByChoice]

My top choices were Stanford, Berkeley and the INI, although I also applied to Johns Hopkins (the rather recent Engineering Management program) and UMich. I already have a reject from Berkeley and still waiting for a result from Stanford.

But I am quite confident that I am going to be at the INI for my grad studies. I love the campus and the city of Pittsburgh. Spent close a month in Pittsburgh last year. As long as you have no qualms with unpredictable weather..... you'll love the place!

What about you? Decided or still waiting?

[AndreaPirlo]

My top choices were Stanford, Berkeley and the INI, although I also applied to Johns Hopkins (the rather recent Engineering Management program) and UMich. I already have a reject from Berkeley and still waiting for a result from Stanford.

But I am quite confident that I am going to be at the INI for my grad studies. I love the campus and the city of Pittsburgh. Spent close a month in Pittsburgh last year. As long as you have no qualms with unpredictable weather..... you'll love the place!

What about you? Decided or still waiting?

I am awaiting decisions from GaTech, UMich Ann Arbor... And from Northwestern, Ohio State.. But a CMU admit is really gr8!!!! So if you finalize upon INI and I too finalize on that, I hope to meet you in pittsburgh!!

[GeekByChoice]

Great school man.... i too am awaiting a decision from UMich..... but somehow I'm more for CMU. My core interest is Systems and CMU is probably the best in that area.

Lets see if our paths cross at the INI. Wish you the very best with your admissions.

[AndreaPirlo]

thanks and wish u the same

[GeekByChoice]

I too got an admit yesterday. Since you say you know quite a few people from INI, can you tell me how good is the thesis track of MSIN?? Looks to me more like a professional course. So what is the scope for a PhD in future given an MSIN degree?

Here you go bro..... managed to find some info.

Conversations with the ECE phD student (who was an INI MSIN student):

====================================================

Question: How good is the Research Track in the INI program? What are the areas of research that INI students can undertake?

Answer: There is no "dedicated" research track in the INI. Essentially, when you come to campus, you are expected to talk to professors in ECE/CS based on your interests and work on a research project with them. INI allows 36 units of credit to be counted by this project. So the quality of the research track naturally depends on what professor/project you end up working on. Of course you can opt not to do this and take the course option instead.

Question: Are students allowed to propose new areas of research?

Answer: Yes. What research project you end up working on depends on the conversation between you and the professor. You can certainly propose ideas of your own.

Question: What are the phD/Research prospects after completing the MSIN program?

Answer: Doing a MS in INI definitely improves your chances of being admitted into the PhD since the professors know you to some extent and you've taken CMU courses. However admission into PhD is considerably influenced on your past research work. So I would recommend doing the research track instead of the course option in the INI.

Question: What kind of financial aid/stipend can a student expect when he/she joins the phD program?

Answer: By and large, PhD students are fully funded. The funding comes from the advisor/project you are working on. Alongwith tuition, you get a monthly stipend of about $2000, which is sufficient to live comfortably in Pittsburgh.

Email-exchange with INI Staff:

=======================

Question: Are there any students who opt to undertake a phD after the MS program from the INI?

Answer: yes, students who are interested in PhD's have successfully been able to get into reputable (including CMU ECE PhD ) programs. Please see the following link for a comprehensive look at PhD programs and other post graduation statistics: http://www.ini.cmu.e...ti...ndex.html.

Note: Check out older batches to see the list of universities that INI students went on to pursue a phD.

Hope this helps.

Edited March 9, 2010 by GeekByChoice

[AndreaPirlo]

Thanks dude!!! great job... So doing a PhD is possible with thesis track. good and of course, the quality of courses is unmatchable.. So anyway at least to do those courses, one needs to go to CMU

I guess I am gonna finalize CMU. I hope I can sort out all the financial stuffs. The cost is really high

Thanks once again. Keep me updated if u get to know something more...

[GeekByChoice]

Anytime man!

I am still waiting to hear from them regarding the financial aid stuff. I agree that it is a little expensive compared to other places, but then its worth the money once you get placed. The placement records show that the initial pay package is pretty much as par with the tuition. and the burgh ain't exactly an expensive place! (relatively speaking of course And the CMU brand is recognized all over the world!

They have created a Google Group for the INI MS 22 batch. I'm sure you would have received an invite from them.... (check your junk mail folder in case its not in your inbox...... thats where it landed up for me... thanks to Hotmail's filtering!)

[AndreaPirlo]

Anytime man!

I am still waiting to hear from them regarding the financial aid stuff. I agree that it is a little expensive compared to other places, but then its worth the money once you get placed. The placement records show that the initial pay package is pretty much as par with the tuition. and the burgh ain't exactly an expensive place! (relatively speaking of course And the CMU brand is recognized all over the world!

They have created a Google Group for the INI MS 22 batch. I'm sure you would have received an invite from them.... (check your junk mail folder in case its not in your inbox...... thats where it landed up for me... thanks to Hotmail's filtering!)

I have already joined... And I'm one edulix too ...

[GeekByChoice]

I have already joined... And I'm one edulix too ...

Oh great!!! Wats ur handle on edulix??

[AndreaPirlo]

Oh great!!! Wats ur handle on edulix??

ZoSo - abhinav.zoso

And I assume you must be AnandSuresh??

We have been talking as if we are strangers on gradcafe

[GeekByChoice]

ZoSo - abhinav.zoso

And I assume you must be AnandSuresh??

We have been talking as if we are strangers on gradcafe

lol!!! This is what happens when you end up using different usernames on different forums!!!!

[Yonghao]

Hi everyone! Sorry to bump this old thread... But I think I have a very relevant question.

I am a ECE graduate from Singapore, with 2nd upper honours from Nanyang Technological University (NTU, also in Singapore)

I am very interested in applying for MSIN at INI, CMU too, but I am wondering about my chances.

Can anyone give me an idea how likely I will be accepted?

My information:

Plusses

I had been working for about 1.5 years.

I have a pretty rich work experience to write about.

I have excellent records for my extra-cirriculum activities

I will likely get 3 very good recommendation letters from my employers.

Minuses

My official transcript isn't good though.

My technical modules averages to about A-, but my non-technical modules are horrible, probably a B-/C+.

My Final Year Project is only a B+ and 2 of my modules are recorded as fail (because I forgot to drop them, there is a validity date for that )

Those 2 modules are non-relevant to my ECE degree though.

[krok]

Yonghao,

It's going to depend on your whole application package. Admissions rarely come down to a single GRE score or GPA (unless either of those are low than you'll surely be in the reject pile). You'll need strong GRE scores, strong recommendation letters and you'll need to be able to demonstrate strong programming skills in C/C++. Having an A- average in your technical classes is good. The not so great scores in your non-technical classes may not be a big deal if all of the other relevant pieces of your application package are strong. Nanyang is a good school for technical majors so if you did well in the tech classes you took this should be a plus in your favor. With this program though the coding skills and C/C++ are very important as are the required undergrad pre-reqs they list on their application requirements page.

[krok]

Oh I forgot to add extra curricular activities don't count for anything in a graduate school application. It is only undergrad programs that like to see that. Grad programs don't care. Relevant, good work experience should help though.

[Network]

I know this is going back a little bit, but to AndreaPirlo and GeekByChoice, could you tell us more about your qualifications as accepted students? For example, how were your GRE scores, what was your undergrad GPA and from what school did you graduate, and what sort of work experience did you have?

Congrats on your success, both of you, and good luck with your studies!

Also, AndreaPirlo, did you end up doing the research track?

Edited September 14, 2010 by Network