<p>The main reason I'm asking this is to decide whether to spend summers interning or doing research. Another option is to do co-op and do research over the summer. If I'm not mistaken, co-op means alternating work semesters and school semesters right? Then that would seem like the best option. However, I still wanted your guy's opinion. I would definitely do research if grad school was a good option, but I was wondering if I would be sacrificing critical work experience by not interning.</p>
<p>It just depends with grad degrees. It’s important to remember that an engineering Master’s is nothing more than a specialization degree. Therefore, if you choose to head into your specialization area, a Master’s will certainly make you more qualified against BS candidates straight out of school or with little experience. However, if you apply for jobs OUTSIDE of your specialization area you will be roughly on par with BS grads having 2-3 years of experience. That’s generally how it works in the private sector and the government.</p>
<p>As for internships vs. research… it depends on what your career goals are. If you plan on starting your working career after graduation (with a BS, or non-thesis MS), then I would recommend going the internships route. If you plan on going into teaching and/or research (with a thesis MS or PhD in mind), then I would get any research experience you can.</p>
<p>I really want to specialize in AI and work for a company like Google that uses AI. Therefore, I should just go for an AI specialization, right? Would I then need a thesis MS or a non-thesis MS? That should basically determine what I need to do. Also, if I worked for a company like Google that uses AI (or any company that uses AI, doesn’t really matter), would I be doing research more than, say, applying it to different kinds of products? If I would be doing research, should I then go for a thesis based MS and do research in undergrad?</p>
<p>A thesis MS is almost always the preferred degree… A non-thesis MS is fine as a working degree, but getting into any hardcore R&D positions will be difficult without some relevant research experience (and a thesis will give you this)… Of course there are exceptions, but this is a general rule. </p>
<p>If your goal is to do AI R&D, then I would absolutely go for the thesis MS. Any undergraduate experience you can get would be very useful as an “icebreaker” for your graduate work, so go for it.</p>
<p>Thanks man. That really clears things up. I really wanted one extracurricular to focus on during my college years so that I could get exceptional at that one activity instead of dabbling in many different activities. Would you say a co-op would still help me, or would the research suffice?</p>