CS : MS at Stanford vs PhD at UCSD

[futureGrad]

Hi,

I have been accepted at Stanford for a CS Master (unfunded), and at the same time at UCSD for a PhD, with a fellowship (tuition fees + 22000$ a year). I think the PhD offer is much better, but I am not sure : is there a huge difference of reputation between Stanford and UCSD which would make finding a job more difficult after graduating from UCSD than after graduating from Stanford ?

Please, tell me your opinion !

Thanks !

[origin415]

What do you want to do with your degree?

A PhD is necessary for academia, so you will just be putting it off by getting a masters, and you'll accumulate debt too. However, if you plan on joining the work force where a PhD is unnecessary, the better name Stanford has could be a bigger deal.

Edited March 23, 2010 by origin415

[khwook]

Hi,

I have been accepted at Stanford for a CS Master (unfunded), and at the same time at UCSD for a PhD, with a fellowship (tuition fees + 22000$ a year). I think the PhD offer is much better, but I am not sure : is there a huge difference of reputation between Stanford and UCSD which would make finding a job more difficult after graduating from UCSD than after graduating from Stanford ?

Please, tell me your opinion !

Thanks !

simple question: can you afford the tuition?

if no, go to UCSD.

if yes, go to Stanford.

What if the answer is yes, but you do want to get a PhD? Still, go to Stanford. Find a professor during your Masters study. Ask him to support you to get into a PhD program. Fill out a petition form, get his signature, get your PhD.

[khwook]

What do you want to do with your degree?

A PhD is necessary for academia, so you will just be putting it off by getting a masters, and you'll accumulate debt too. However, if you plan on joining the work force where a PhD is unnecessary, the better name Stanford has could be a bigger deal.

I wouldn't use the phrase "PhD is unnecessary." It will be a boost whatever you do -- it can be a little boost or a big one, depending on what you do, but still, I wouldn't say it's "unnecessary."

Edited March 25, 2010 by khwook

[futureGrad]

Thank you very much for your answers. My plans are to join the work force after my studies, and I can afford the tuition (but hopefully I will manage to get an assistanship). If I understand well, the good choice for me is Stanford. Does anyone know how hard it is to get a TA or a RA during the MSCS at Stanford ?

Thank you every body for your help !

[prolixity]

Thank you very much for your answers. My plans are to join the work force after my studies, and I can afford the tuition (but hopefully I will manage to get an assistanship). If I understand well, the good choice for me is Stanford. Does anyone know how hard it is to get a TA or a RA during the MSCS at Stanford ?

Thank you every body for your help !

Stanford has a small undergraduate student body, and TAships are required for incoming PhD students, so it might be VERY difficult to get a TA position as an MS student.

Seriously, take the PhD with stipend. Your future will thank you for it. UCSD is a solid university in a killer location.

[cardinal]

What if the answer is yes, but you do want to get a PhD? Still, go to Stanford. Find a professor during your Masters study. Ask him to support you to get into a PhD program. Fill out a petition form, get his signature, get your PhD.

It doesn't work that way. Stanford MS students have to apply to the PhD program like everybody else. That is, being an MS student hardly makes one a shoe-in for the PhD program.

Stanford has a small undergraduate student body, and TAships are required for incoming PhD students, so it might be VERY difficult to get a TA position as an MS student.

PhD students are required to TA the equivalent of one full quarter, whereas it takes around 20 quarters to complete the degree. Furthermore, there are a _lot_ of CS courses on offer at Stanford. The undergrad body may be smallish, but there are lots of graduate students (both MS and PhD) interested in courses and there are tons of upper year offerings. That said, I've seen a lot of MS students TAing, and quite a few doing RAships. It doesn't seem _that_ difficult to do, but they probably don't guarantee anything.

Seriously, take the PhD with stipend. Your future will thank you for it. UCSD is a solid university in a killer location.

Huh? One should do a PhD if they want to. If they don't, then this seems like bad advice.

One could use a PhD program as a way of getting a "free" masters, but the program requirements will likely differ substantially. They'd probably take fewer courses, would be expected to primarily engage in research, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes longer on average to get a research-based MS on the way to a PhD than to do a class-based "professional" masters degree.

I think that "futureGrad" should ask him or herself what they want to do. The two options are actually substantially different.

Edited March 26, 2010 by cardinal

[BKMD]

I guess my first question would be if you really need an MS. If you look around at decent institutions and look at the starting salaries of their alumni, you will probably find that there is not a huge difference in the salaries of those who have a BS compared to an MS (but there is a big difference with a PhD). On the other hand, if your BS is from a school that is not well known (particularly if it is a foreign institution and you want to work in the US) then an MS from a recognized school would be important. But really make sure you actually need an MS from Stanford before you commit to the potentially massive amount of debt.

My impression is that there are opportunities for TA/RA positions as a masters student at these schools, but it is not guaranteed, and you might have to wait (meaning, at the very least you could be paying out of pocket for the first semester or two). If you are seriously considering this option, then email the masters students who work with the same faculty that you would consider working with and ask them about their funding situation. Schools make their money from unfunded masters students. They aren't going to go out of their way to offer you funding unless you're good enough that they think you'll stick around for their PhD program.

If you are interested in doing a PhD, then I would definitely take the UCSD offer, assuming you are interested in the school. It's a highly ranked school and it's in California, so I think you will have perfectly adequate job prospects with a degree from there. I would say a PhD from UCSD is worth more than an MS from Stanford. On the other hand, if there isn't research going on at UCSD that you aren't passionate about, but you do want to do a PhD, then perhaps getting an MS and re-applying in a couple years would be a good option. But know that doing an MS at Stanford won't be any means guarantee that you'll get into the PhD program there (I think it often works out that way, but it's not a sure thing).

[zonko]

Both UCSD and Stanford have strong reputations. I would think about whether you want MS or PhD. If you want MS, go to Stanford. If you want PhD, go to UCSD. Don't think that UCSD is a bad school, because it is very highly regarded in a number of areas. Please realize that PhD programs are designed for people who want PhDs and it may take much longer to get a masters if that is all you care about.

Also, only 1 or 2 MS students from Stanford get into the PhD program each year, out of ~250 so don't expect it to get you in.

Edited March 29, 2010 by zonko