Stanford MSCS "cash cow"

[anonymous12345]

I was recently admitted into Stanford's MSCS program. I hear it has a reputation of being a cash cow program. I don't want employers to look at my resume and think "joke degree." If this program really is a "pay and go" type of thing, I think I might accept else where. Any thoughts?

[Babar_Suleman]

Stanford is Stanford. I don't think 'joke degree' would ever be the right adjective.

[juilletmercredi]

A "cash cow" is not necessarily the same as a joke degree. A "cash cow" usually refers to a program that generates money for the department, typically because they offer little to no financial aid for the program and expect students to pay either with loans or out of pocket if they are independently wealthy. The degree might be very useful and very well-regarded, but it's going to be expensive and one of the primary motives for the department to continue sponsoring it is the money it brings in.

[anonymous12345]

I was being too strong when I said joke degree. I just meant to ask if the degree is looked at as if its less than superior.

[blankslate]

It's still a well regarded MSCS degree. If you name the other places you got accepted, I could give you an idea of how they compare.

[anonymous12345]

Well could you compare them to other top engineering/CS schools i.e. MIT, Berkeley, CMU, Cornell, Illinois, Washu, etc.

[jgilme1]

I would just like to say that I was accepted to CMU's MS but not Stanford's. I do think they look for different things in the applicants, but Stanford is very selective and its tuition rate is not terrible. The degree is not research oriented but thats ok because you take more classes and prepare yourself for a big-time industry job in the valley. Go for it.

[blankslate]

When I applied for masters I was accepted to Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, UIUC, and UT Austin. I was rejected from most other top masters programs (though I did not apply to CMU). I picked Princeton as it was fully funded. If you have the option of doing your masters without having to pay at a top 10 school, go there. If you have to pay either way, Stanford's a great place to go (you'll need a little more initiative in finding TAships/RAships if you want to help cover costs and/or get research experience).

[wirru]

@blankslate: I am in a similar position as you were in. I was admitted to Stanford, CMU, Berkeley, Princeton. Princeton is fully funded. Are you happy with your decision? Do you like the Princeton Master's program?

[blankslate]

Yes, absolutely I am happy with my decision. This is always easier to say in hindsight when things turn out well though. TAing takes up a significant amount of time (you will be teaching every semester for two years) which varies from being relaxed to a downright drag depending on your assigned course. Your main support will be other masters students, and whatever clubs/activities you decide to get involved in on campus. I think you should factor in what you plan to do afterwards as part of your decision. If you're looking to go into industry, you will have no problem lining up interviews and having a shot at great jobs. If you're looking to do a PhD afterwards at a top CS program, I would look at research fit (are there professors here who you'd be interested in working with?). The type and quality of research that you do will ultimately determine what schools will accept you in this latter case.

[phantom]

Hi blankslate (and wirru if you ended up choosing Princeton),

I was wondering if you guys could both expand on Princeton's MS program! I'm currently deciding on Princeton vs a couple of other schools, and I wanted to know more specifically what their program was like!

[svent]

They won't think it's a joke degree. But your professors will think of you as 2nd class citizens to the PhD students. If you want to find someone to supervise a thesis, good luck. If you want coursework only, go ahead. The number of MS students in the department there is huge.

Employers won't see a difference.

I think the other posts in this thread are very useful too.

[svent]

Oh snap, just realized this thread is from 2012.