<p>How much different are M.S courses compared to undergrad courses? People have been telling me 3 M.S courses is the maximum load one should take per term (without research, working, TA-ship). What do you think?</p>
<p>Also, what makes M.S courses more time consuming, besides that the material is more difficult and there is less guidance? Are there TAs? Are there more problem sets? More reading?</p>
<p>How will grading be, since there will be fewer students, sometimes even in single digits?</p>
<p>What I also want to know is that are there slackers in M.S programs, in general. Like in undergrad, there's always at least 1/6 of the class that doesn't know what's going on (skip class, low aptitude, sleep in class, apathetic) which pulls down the mean. Will there be these kinds of people in the master's program in general?</p>
<p>It varies from school to school. Here, full time is 4 classes but at some places it’s only 3 classes.</p>
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<p>Not really. The up-side is that colleges know this so the class averages are higher (usually around a B+ or 3.3 which is usually 40-50% A’s, 40-50% B’s and 10% C’s)</p>
<p>I think most schools expect their students to enroll in 12 hours per semester. I suppose you could go with 15 if you dont have a TA.</p>
<p>I think there are less slackers in the MS program, in general, because they would have been weeded out in undergrad. I know my school requires a 3.0 to graduate, and you have to make at least a B.</p>
<p>What makes MS classes more time consuming is that the classes are more in depth than undergrad. The leap from undergrad to graduate school is a lot like the leap from highschool to college. Also, graduate education is more focused on preparing you to research.</p>
<p>Depends on your program. My courses were definitely more industry-oriented, except for my independent study course which was 100% research oriented (which was an option, not required).</p>
<p>If the undergraduate norm was 4 courses, would you recommend I should do 4 again per term for graduate (at same school). What about time set aside for the pre-lim exam?</p>
Yes … that’s part of the requirements of the M.S degree if taking the course path. I think one is required to pass a preselected portion of the PhD qualifying exam. I also think the graduate field advisor has input to the test … not sure how difficult it is … I’ve heard if you fail twice, you’re out of the program and the pass rate is ~50%.</p>
<p>In general, not many fail a graduate course. In most graduate program, it is required to have a 3.0 to graduate (undergrad is 2.0). Those who got accepted to the program are good enough to get 3.0. Professors also don’t give out lower grade than a B or a C at top schools. 3 courses would be a lot for a semester and most people just take 1 or 2 along with teachings + researching.</p>
<p>I just saw UCLA’s site about the prelim exams. That’s something I have yet to see elsewhere. For the places I looked at, it was usually just take your 10 courses and get your degree.</p>
My son is doing an MS right now. He took one undergrad and two grad level classes last quarter, he said that the undergrad class was more difficult than the grad level classes. He is taking 3 classes now, when he was an undergrad he always took 4 per quarter, so in that respect, he has less workload now than before he graduated.</p>
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My son is getting a lot of face time in with his graduate adviser, both for guidance and for help with problem sets. </p>
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His GPA is similar to what it was as an undergrad, so I don’t think the number of students has made any difference.</p>
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I doubt that many slackers apply to (or get accepted at) MS programs in engineering.</p>
<p>I found the masters classes to be easier than undergrad because the courses are much more specialized and focused on topics that truly interest me. The amount of course load you can possibly dump on your self really depends on the types of classes you take and the school/program you are in. I suggest that you sign up for however many classes that interest you, and then drop them and adjust your schedule as time passes by.</p>
<p>It is true that there are a lot less slackers in graduate school than in undergrad (the slackers procrastinated on completing their apps? I dunno) but if you are a slacker, then you will find that you can get away with excuses a lot easier. For one, the culture and the relationship between a student and a professor is different. In undergrad, they assume that you are young and commitment free, so they expect you to work hard, even if it means you have to do homework during weekends. Many graduate students have commitments (children, family, part time jobs, and other responsibilities) so the professors are much more lenient on giving you extensions on homework and projects, and rescheduling exams. Plus you are supposed to enjoy your vacation and your weekends. Many classes also do not have regular homework (homework is there only when the professor does not trust that you are keeping up with your weekly reading material anyway).</p>
<p>IMO, I believe the biggest change from undergrad to graduate is the expectation from your professors. There are instances that you might enroll in a class/subject that you are not familiar with but it does relate to your area of study. In the graduate course most professors expect you to know what you do not know and learn it on your own. </p>
<p>Many of the professors also do not assign mandatory homework, but they will recommend problems do practice. Again, the professor expects you to be an adult and to know what your strengths and weaknesses are.</p>
Many classes also do not have regular homework (homework is there only when the professor does not trust that you are keeping up with your weekly reading material anyway).</p>