Thesis vs. Course Option at Georgia Tech

[NattyDread]

Hey I got accepted into GA Tech MS program for Civil Engineering (structural) and will be attending this Fall. I was curious as to what option, course or thesis, do any of you recommend? I am a hard worker and appreciate any feedback as to what is a better or more fufilling option. I had a professor at CU Boulder that claimed the thesis option was the only way to go because it gives you a more rounded perspective on a subject. He was a bit of a genius lunatic so I would like to hear what some of you sane folk think. :wink:

If thesis option is chosen, does it affect the classes you should take so that you don't waste your credits on a course that will not help much?

I'm sure my advisor would help me on this stuff but that person will be assigned to me in mid-August and I would like to learn more before then. Thanks!

GO BRONCOS / NUGGETS

[noojens]

Do you want to continue for a PhD? If so, take the thesis track.

If you're interested in the MS as a credential for a career in industry, then just do whatever's more interesting for you. A thesis may help if you end up applying for jobs in a field related to your thesis research, but IMO it doesn't matter that much for industry.

Best of luck.

[NattyDread]

Hmmm that is a very interesting question. I don't think I want to get a PhD I just wanted a masters because a) it would add 1 year to my PE requirements and I love structural engineering and there is a lot I don't know about so I felt a masters would teach me a great deal more.

Thanks a lot for your input noon, but now I'm just curious, which one do you believe is more difficult if MS is the final goal?

[twocosmicfish]

I agree with noojens - thesis is preferred for PhD program, but most companies do not care that much unless they are looking for that specific area of research.

Doing the thesis makes you an expert on that area - it is tougher and less certain, and may take longer if things do not play out just right. But it also leads to a deeper level of understanding.

The coursework option is easier to do (IMO) and simpler to plan, but you also get much less out of it. At least, I got little out of mine.

[Jordan+AirForce1]

by the way, my heart goes out to the fallen Nuggets, i thought they gave the Lakers a lot of headache, but they weren't quite good enough. Maybe next season !!