Non-CS Major's Path to Grad School

[Stressica]

Hello everyone,

First off, I have been enjoying lurker status on these forums over the past several months. It's been inspirational, encouraging, and (at times) disappointing to read about what everyone is going through. You are an amazingly talented and motivated bunch.

As for myself, I'm not quite as amazing. I'd like to share my background and, if anyone is willing, get some input. I appreciate any feedback, thoughts, or suggestions regarding where I go from here.

I graduated from an unknown state university in 2009. I majored in visual communication design, which is essentially a slightly more academic version of graphic design. In the tail end of my schooling, I achieved a minor in programming. I took 6 classes overall, but I would only consider 3-4 of them foundation courses (programming principles series and data structures). I did well as a BA student. I graduated with a cumulative 4.0 GPA and was selected as one of four recipients of the university's highest honor among graduating health, science, and engineering students.

After graduation, I was marketable to advertising agencies on account of my design and technical skills. I spent the next 3 years working as a web programmer in the advertising industry. 2 years ago, I was hired by an agency that serves as a web development vendor for other advertising agencies nationwide. This job gave me an opportunity to design and build web-based content management applications for many Fortune 500 companies.

I recently left my job to return to school. I am interested in returning to school at this point for professional reasons. I feel there is more for me to learn, and I would like to branch beyond advertising and work on more socially-significant, experimental, and long-term projects. Ultimately I love building things on the web, especially community-oriented projects. It has been my passion for a long time, and is the reason I majored in design. I wish I had found my "CS legs" sooner, but unfortunately I was too afraid.

I originally came here in search of graduate opportunities at well-ranked schools. However, I can see now that my undergraduate curriculum and achievements do not compare with qualified CS applicants. I feel at this point it may be appropriate for me to earn a second bachelor's degree, but I have also learned that many schools do not allow this. (My hope was that these schools would admit graduate students from diverse backgrounds and allow them to take prerequisites as part of the program, but it's been difficult for me to see where this is and isn't happening.) At this point I think I have a few options if I would like to partake in a well-known program:

1. Pursue a second bachelor's degree at a known university that allows second degrees.
   Because I have a BA, I think I will qualify for schools that award second degrees to students who have not already earned a similar degree. This could be a good option for a number of reasons, one being that I am missing most science, math, and foundation courses that excellent grad candidates already have. From here I would hope to be a more qualified graduate candidate. I know, right? Long haul.
   
2. Take the subject GRE.
   I'm not going to lie, this option intimidates me. If CS majors get rocked, I imagine I'd come out a glutinous pile of muck -- thoroughly lashed and humiliated. I do not feel this is something I could prepare for without taking additional classes and setting aside a lot of time for self-paced study, and even then it's hard to say what my results would be compared to those who have been studying math and CS for 4-5 years.
   
3. Pursue a graduate program that is interdisciplinary, like HCI which seems to find a different home at different schools.
   I suspect that many who read my profile will say that I should consider HCI at a school that accepts students with limited math and science. (I do realize that many HCI programs are CS-oriented and do expect math/science majors.) Perhaps this is what I will do. My concern, however, is that these programs will not allow me much opportunity to further study CS. When I return to work, I would like to be hired as a programmer again, and I'm afraid an interdisciplinary degree will not change my current prospects.
   

What are your thoughts? Are you part of a program where someone with my kind of profile has been successful? Thank you for taking the time to read about my predicament, I do appreciate it.

Jess

[jjsakurai]

Do you want a PhD or an MS? Also what do you exactly want to do with the degree - do you want to head into research, be a software engineer or just learn more about how to program?

For instance, if your goal is to be a much better programmer, then you don't really need a degree for that.

Edited April 3, 2012 by jjsakurai

[Stressica]

Thanks for your response.

I forgot to specify -- I am interested in a professional MS, not research. The types of jobs I am interested in are along the lines of software engineer.

[Pauli]

Based on your academic credentials and your professional work experience, I highly encourage that you attempt to apply directly to an HCI program. Some universities offer HCI as part of the CS curriculum, while others offer HCI as its own major, but the CS programs with HCI focus and the purely HCI programs have varying degrees of similarities (most specifically, more technical requirements for those CS programs).

In those cases, I would recommend that you not take the GRE subject tests unless it's a strict requirement at the CS program. Additionally, I also suggest that you emphasize on a strong application and great reference letters from professional contacts vouching for you, as they go a long way to alleviate academic weaknesses (e.g., low GPA). I had a low GPA myself (sub-3.0), but I got into a strong program because I had stellar reference letters and a diverse academic portfolio.

If you wish to further advance your portfolio, you could also try to locate some HCI-themed courses at a local school and earn credits and academic experience there. It would be also beneficial to contact prospective HCI professors at programs you would like to apply to in order to gauge some direction in gaining their interest and improving your admission chances.

[psycho_killer]

One thing to keep in mind re: option #1 is that you can enroll in some type of 2nd degree or post-baccalaureate probram without actually finishing the degree - it's possible to take the core courses and then apply for an MS from there.

[jjsakurai]

Second the suggestion for applying to an HCI program. One thing I'd recommend if you do decide to take the HCI route is to have a good portfolio.

[Stressica]

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses.

Regarding getting in touch with HCI professors, I have felt this would help me find a good match, but I have also worried that contacting professors directly is "poor practice." What are your thoughts on and experiences with this?

[jjsakurai]

When I was applying for a PhD, I did email potential supervisors to see if they were hiring any students (as that would have factored in as to whether I applied to that school). Almost all of the profs I contacted replied back. I think if you express a desire to work with them and ask something along the lines of whether your background would be ok for the work you want to do with them, it shouldn't viewed on negatively. Keep any emails you send short and to the point. Don't ask for them to chance your admission or anything like that - they get dozens of such emails everyday.

Also bear in mind that the odds of a professor responding are still not very high as they are usually swamped with emails.

You might also want to ask this question at http://academia.stackexchange.com/ . They might have someone with knowledge of this.

Edited April 4, 2012 by jjsakurai

[Stressica]

Thank you jjsakurai, this is good advice.