University of Houston Vs George Mason University

[Rahmani]

Hi, I'm struggling to decide where to go for a PhD in Comp Sci.  I've narrowed it down to George Mason University or University of Houston.

What's so important to me is reputation and my chance to  find a good academic position after graduation.

Any comment is appreciated

[ShogunT]

1 hour ago, Rahmani said:

Hi, I'm struggling to decide where to go for a PhD in Comp Sci.  I've narrowed it down to George Mason University or University of Houston.

What's so important to me is reputation and my chance to  find a good academic position after graduation.

George Mason U is ahead of U of Houston in the CS general ranking [1]. You haven't define what you mean by 'good academic position' so I assume a top-50 school in CS. Generally both schools at your choice are lesser ranked, so it can be really hard for you to apply for a tenure-track position at one of the top CS schools. Furthermore, no matter where you choose to do your PhD, it is already challenging to have a 'good' academic position given the current market. With that said, aiming for a good academic position you are putting yourself in a very difficult situation at the very start. I just want to give you heads up. However, many people have started in lesser ranked schools, thrived with plethora of publication, went to do post-doc at top schools for 1-3 years, and got tenure-track positions in high ranked schools.

 

There are two things you should consider when picking up your school. Take them with a grain of salt.

1) Funding:

Which program has stable funding for you to do RA? - 10 points

Which program has stable funding for you to do TA? - 8 points

 

2) Research:

Professor at which school is a better match? - 10 points

Who produces more publication in your field of interest in the past 5-7 years? - 9 points

If you talked to them already, whom do you feel more comfortable speaking with? - 8 points

Who graduated more PhDs that coming to good research labs or top CS schools in the past 10 years? - 7 points

Who has better reputation or is a journal/conference committee of some relevant publication venues? - 6 points

 

Evaluate your options with this kind of assessment.

Hope it helps somehow.

 

1] http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/computer-science-rankings?int=abc409