Hi guys,
My future goal is to get into a good computer science master’s program. Right now I’m deciding between Computer Science @ UMD, Computer Science @ Mich, and Computer Engineering @ UIUC. Based on costs, I’m heavily leaning towards UMD’s computer science program the most at the moment. However, does UMD have a good computer science master’s program? Is it possible to transfer to a top 5-7 computer science after I do my undergrad at UMD, and if so what are the odds?
If I do attend UIUC’s computer engineering program, is it possible to do a CS grad program at UIUC or transfer to a better CS grad program? Lastly, is it worth it to try to get a masters in CS after getting my undergraduate degree in CE?
Sorry for asking so many questions, any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you
Don’t tie grad school with undergrad the way you’re doing.
Are you an International or American? If American, I don’t see the point of getting a CS master’s.
When you apply to grad school, the admission decision won’t depend on whether or not your undergrad university has a grad program for that subject. It will depend on your undergraduate GPA, your GRE scores, your letters of recommendation, and any work or research experience you have that is related to the grad program you are applying for. Also, studying at a particular university for your undergrad won’t mean you are automatically admitted to grad school there. You will have to apply and you will be competing with people from lots of other places.
UMD has an excellent program for your major, and is your cheapest option. Go there.
Save some money. You will probably have to pay for an MS yourself.
Go Terps!
Perfect advice by @happymomof1 All 3 schools are great - just work hard in your undergrad and that will open doors for Grad school
@PurpleTitan Why, what’s wrong with getting cs master’s as an American?
@happymomof1 I understand that now. However, will the place I do undergrad at impact my opportunity to attend a top 5 grad program?
“Why, what’s wrong with getting cs master’s as an American?”
There’s no point unless there is a very niche specialty you want to concentrate in. Why would you want a master’s?
“I understand that now. However, will the place I do undergrad at impact my opportunity to attend a top 5 grad program?”
Not among your options. Only how well you do in undergrad.
^^^^ Among those options, grad admissions will not be tougher for you coming from UMD. It really, truly is OK for you to pick the cheap place.
PurpleTitan’s question about whether you are international or a US applicant is because the advice is different for international applicants who are hoping to find a permanent job in the US after graduation. Those students are much more likely to be able to eventually get an H1B (work) visa if they have an advanced degree.
If there is something that you want to be able to do that requires graduate studies, then certainly go ahead and pursue those studies after your bachelor degree. Since a master program will probably be something you need to pay for (a Ph.D. would probably be covered by a graduate fellowship and tuition waiver) it makes good sense to choose a less expensive undergrad program so you have some cash left over for a master degree.
All of the schools you listed are fine for graduate CS. When you’re looking for a graduate program, you figure out what particular area of computer science you’re interested in, and then look for graduate schools that are strong in that area.
For example, if you’re interested in cyber-security and cryptography, Maryland is supposed to be very good at that. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but Illinois used to be one of the best places to go if you were into supercomputing and computer graphics. The “best” school for you is the one where you can best pursue your area of interest.
Just jumping in here - the exact question is, with cost as a constraint, where should OP lean towards given the programs outline?
As many have others have pointed out, there might be some flaws in the original assumptions or goals, but, with that as that set up, I would second UMD’s CS program.
As a recent CS grad, Ik they bump out quality, fundamentally grounded engineers and the school’s rep proceeds itself. Also UIUC CE has a weird “little brother syndrome” to CS and my personal perception is Michigan CE > Michigan CS based on some of the hardware hacking that’s come out of there. All’s to say, UMD is cheaper and you’ll be a first-class citizen (figuratively).