<p>This is a bit premature to think about, but I'm going to start my 1st year as an undergraduate at UCLA for CSE this Fall. I've been considering grad school, hopefully at a Top 4 CS school like Stanford. I was wondering what exactly do you learn in grad school that is different from undergrad, and would it be worth going to grad school for a major like Computer Science?</p>
<p>[The</a> illustrated guide to a Ph.D.](<a href=“Matt Might: Not found”>The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.)</p>
<p>Thanks haha</p>
<p>You don’t say if you are thinking Master’s or PhD. You are right it is too early to really say if it is for you or not. But know that at google, for one instance, they employ 1/3 with undergrad, 1/3 with Master’s, 1/3 with phD. So you can say the it is somewhat biased to those with the higher degrees. </p>
<p>For salary, initially is it likely that you be paid more with the master’s. But it might even out over time, depending on what you are doing and how good you are at it. In some companies and certainly some govt positions, you can’t get certain positions without the PhD and your pay will also be dependent on that. </p>
<p>For coursework, for Master’s, you are going to have just higher level coursework than given to undergrads. Some programs are coursework only and some have thesis or project components. In many programs, qualified senior’s can take some grad courses. For PhD’s you are going to have both depth and breadth requirements and you will be specializing in depth in one area. You will soon not be taking any courses at all, likely, and just doing research.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response brownparent!i honestly forgot about this thread haha and I’m interested in a masters degree at the moment but that could change in the next 4 years</p>
<p>My intent would be a focus on artificial intelligence but my concern is that most ms cs programs like Stanford are cash cows that aren’t worth it.</p>
<p>The thing is Stanford has always been my dream school but I’m not sure if a Masters Degree is worth it from Stanford if I do manage to get in.</p>
<p>Try to get on a research project with a professor, and take a grad class, if your school allows. Ask your professors for advice on how they got where they are now, and what they would do differently if they could. Try to get an internship in your field to get work experience, see what sorts of things you’d like to do for a career, and get a feel for whether or not getting a graduate degree would significantly boost your career options.</p>
<p>That may give you a better idea of what graduate school really entails and whether or not it’s right for you. It’s one of those things that you just have to try to see if it fits.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice baktrax. I’ll definitely talk with my professors about future prospects :)</p>