Repercussion of a Master's in CS from a small dept.

[adelashk]

I am trying to weigh things in, do not get me wrong; I am ecstatic to have received this offer but I feel like I have to divide my emotions from reason. I graduated from a top 10 engineering school in the U.S. (I did a dual major in Computer Engineering and Computer Science Engineering). I just got accepted to a CS master's program at an IVY school that is not very well known for CS or even engineering. My questions are-

1) Would doing a master's in CS or graduating from not a well known CS dept. dilute my chances at getting a PhD in EE (subfield: computer engineering) from a reputable EECS program?

2) For internationals, I know that CS degrees are not viewed as prestigious as a degree in Comp Eng... Would a master's in science overshadow my bachelor's of engineering?

3) What about job prospects? As a graduate of a top engineering school I rarely had trouble getting interviews at top high-tech companies, would this be the case for an unpopular CS dept. at a world class university?

I do realize that these questions might sound very shallow or I may be very well misinformed but considering I am paying tuition I feel there should be no barrier to asking such questions. Apologies if my ignorance insults anyone.

Thank you.

[starmaker]

I don't know what Ivy you got into that you think is shoddy in CS, because all of them are top-50 and all of them but Dartmouth are top-20 (I am going based on the US News rankings, but IIRC all of them that are top-20 in that ranking are at least top-30 in the NRC ranking, and most are still top-20). None of them are "unpopular."

Getting a master's won't hurt your chances of getting into a PhD program.

How does it make sense that CS degrees would be less prestigious than CompE degrees? They are different fields with different uses and some overlap. In the US, a master's in CS will not somehow degrade your bachelor's in engineering. I can't speak for other countries' systems.

Your job prospects with an MS in CS from any of the Ivies will be just fine. All of them will look fine to prospective employers, and besides, they'll still see the name of your bachelor's school on your resume. My bachelor's university was somewhat more prestigious than my MS university, but prospective employers are still impressed about the bachelor's.

[jergensultrahealing]

Just wondering... what's the difference between COMP eng vs. COMP SCI eng?

I am trying to weigh things in, do not get me wrong; I am ecstatic to have received this offer but I feel like I have to divide my emotions from reason. I graduated from a top 10 engineering school in the U.S. (I did a dual major in Computer Engineering and Computer Science Engineering). I just got accepted to a CS master's program at an IVY school that is not very well known for CS or even engineering.

Edited February 21, 2011 by jergensultrahealing

[nobody2008]

I also have been admitted to a small CS dept in an Ivy League university. What is the advantage of attending an ivy league school as compared to equally ranked schools in computer science?