<p>BSCS programs typically contain a lot of theory so grads should, in theory, be able to do a lot of learning on their own if they wish.</p>
<p>I had a guy in my office today who was short three courses of an MSCS who never bothered to finish it. He has patents, houses, cars and computers and is doing fine.</p>
<p>That's really fascinating, thanks for all that info.</p>
<p>Son & I were talking in the car yesterday about the whole college/comp sci thing...and the way we figured (after reading everything here, talking to admiss people, son's preferences) is that since son is interested in working soon, doesn't particularly love the abstract, theoretical part of comp sci (generally) and would (hopefully) get a higher-type salary after 4 years, that he'd shoot for going to a school w/the best 4 yr program available (even if it means some debt). </p>
<p>Unlike, say, a kid who eventually knows for sure they are going to grad school or getting their doctorate (maybe a med doc) w/the 4 yr degree plan, there's likely not going to be further school debt piled on. </p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad--the otoh/otooh discussion made a lot of sense! Many factors to consider.</p>
<p>Even w/the 'likely no grad school' discussion, son did like the 5-year BS/masters programs at some schools like VaTech & UMD.</p>
<p>Re: rankings. Here's the US New rankings of comp sci grad schools. I've asked many people, and have often been told that grad school quality corrolates w/undergrad:</p>
<p>Search</a> - Computer Science - Best Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report</p>
<p>What exactly do you know about the 5 yr Masters program in CS at UMD? I know my son would be very interested in that.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, I think its the ROI(return on investment) calculation which has our son rethinking grad school. Its dawning on him that the lost $150,000 in wages plus the value of 2 yrs working experience makes it hard to economically justify grad school. </p>
<p>And he is also probably factoring in the incredible hours of work he put in during his last two years of undergrad in his compsci/gsas program. Does he want to hop right back into that again?</p>
<p>Frankly I think the only attractive thing about grad school is the fact that he loved his four college years and is probably hesitant to let that go.</p>
<p>It's been a while since I worked in the field, but once you're in a job, having or not having a MS makes no difference in terms of job assignment. Managers assign you based on your track record and availability at the time of need.</p>
<p>Having an MS can make you stand out when trying for a new job, particularly if it's a management job. But I've seen plenty of managers attain their placement w/o the MS.</p>
<p>Employers will pay for MS degrees. Personally I would have found it very difficult to study for one, given the amount of travel I did and the overtime I worked. But I worked with people who did get MS degrees while working, who didn't travel and managed to get assignments that didn't call for tons of overtime. Some of this is luck, some of it is setting priorities.</p>
<p>I agree w/UCLA dad - see how you feel at the end of the 4 years.</p>
<p>Seeing how you feel at the end of four years is a good plan. Thinking that's what son will do. Hard for a 17 yo who's never even been to college to make a decision re: additional schooling.</p>
<p>Maximus: I don't know a ton about it; just that they offer the option to take a few extra courses during undergrad (I think) and get your masters in one year after the BS. Here's the link to UofMD CS grad dept, hope that helps somewhat:
Graduate</a> Program</p>
<p>Our son has to make the MS in one-year decision in the future. He likes the math and theory along with the practical aspects and there's no real pressure on him either way (at this time). A lot of kids that go into Computer Science are intellectually curious and may want to pick up more on computer science. They can do this immediately after or wait ten, twenty or thirty years or just study on their own. Kids that don't think that they're interested in math and theory may find out that they love it once they go through it. There's a moderate amount of stuff that's elegant and fun.</p>
<p>BCEagle91--I'm hoping that son finds that interest in the theoretical stuff. He's really enjoying a college math course he's taking this summer (to prep for AP Calc in the fall) & math has always been pretty 'natural' for him. Like you said, once you explore things, sometimes unexpected areas might turn out to be fun</p>
<p>
[quote]
What exactly do you know about the 5 yr Masters program in CS at UMD? I know my son would be very interested in that.
[/quote]
I don't know about UMD but a number of colleges will offer the option as long as one has a certain GPA. This GPA can be pretty high though when the average CS GPA at some of the colleges is a 2.7 or so. I think the MS in 5 years is fine to consider but your student won't know if they qualify until they get almost done with their BS. It's actually quite selective at some colleges and this is at those where it was already selective just to make it into the CS program in the first place. </p>
<p>Also keep in mind that a lot of CS majors don't graduate in 4 years - they could go to 4.5 or 5 years (or sometimes even longer). For example, my D decided to get a chemistry minor (with emphasis in O-Chem) along with a CS degree and that adds time to the schedule since they're both fairly tough subjects that require a lot of work. </p>
<p>The student will need to understand what their options are and decide as they approach the decision points - they don't need to decide now when they really don't know what they'll feel like down the road -
- Get the BSCS and head into the job market
- Get the BSCS then do the MSCS in the extra year (at colleges that offer it) realizing that they'll probably need a certain minimum GPA that is likely to be quite high and selective
- Get the BSCS and head into the job market and get their employer to pay for them to get the MSCS degree or get one themselves when they feel ready for it
- Forget the MSCS and get a PHD and become a professor or more highly paid consultant</p>
<p>The lost income from the 1-2 years of pursuing the MS degree, along with the extra year or two of real experience of the BS versus the MS person, along with the fact that a lot of employers care more about demonstrable practical experience rather than the MS level of degree, need to be considered by anyone deciding whether to pursue the MS.
OTOH (there I go again), some students are just interested in a lot of the grad level courses and want to stick around and take them regardless of the above. This is fine too.</p>
<p>One more point - in the CS field the learning never stops. There are endless new technologies, languages, techniques, fields, etc, to learn. The majority of the time one is working on a project they're actually learning a lot of new items. This is what makes it interesting and not rote.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info and opinions. Our s starts UMCP with 58 credits, almost a junior. He's planning on a Math/CS double major. A MS fifth year might just be the ticket.</p>
<p>One more thing---the CS advisor at UMD said that it's easier to get into a 'fifth year' grad prgm at your undergraduate ("they all know you & your work") than it is to try & get into a completely different grad school (apparently, even a 3.7 gpa is not competitive for grad school). She added that, it might be different if you want to go on to your doctorate. For those people, the prestige/variety of a completely different masters program (from undergrad) would be more in their interest.</p>
<p>Maximus -- Good to see you back. Thought your S was going elsewhere! When we went to the late September program, one of the student speakers in the math dept. said she was graduating with a double math/CS major in 3.5 years. If one is a math major and takes CS for the three-course physical sciences reqirement, there is not much left to finishing a double major. He might even be able to do the MS in four years.</p>
<p>I have the name of a terrific advisor your S should speak to, if he hasn't already -- PM me.</p>