<p>I recently applied for a master's in computer science for next fall, and I made the decision to take stay where I'm completing my bachelor's. It's a respectable university for undergrad, though the CS department is fairly new and is just starting to expand its graduate program. I chose this school over other more "prestigious" universities for my master's for three primary reasons: a generous assistantship / tuition waiver, a personal environment where faculty already know me and are interested in my work, and a unique project starting up that promises both research and work opportunities in my area of interest.</p>
<p>Last week, the department surprised me by asking me to join the PhD program. A PhD was not in my original plans, but I'm definitely open to it; originally, I expected to apply at a more recognized school after my MS if I wanted to continue for my PhD. I'm trying to decide if I should accept this offer, and my main concern is the newness of the graduate program here. The professors are all very solid in their respective areas, but I don't know if I'll be "aiming low" by not applying to other programs. There are even more financial incentives to be part of the PhD program, of course, and I was told I can leave after 2 years if I want. From an ethical perspective, I'm not sure if I could take the extra dough and then check out, though.</p>
<p>This could be a really exciting opportunity to be part of something new, I'm just looking for some other opinions to help make my decision.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider - In certain fields, it’s frowned upon to earn all three degrees at the same institution. I don’t know if CS is one of them.</p>
<p>Please elaborate on why it would be frowned upon to earn 3 degrees at the same university. There are so many legitimate circumstances that would warrant such a decision I cannot understand this very well…</p>
<p>Student35 - I’ve heard that too (in reference to literature / history degrees), with the argument being professors like students to experience different methodologies and perspectives, or something. I’m not necessarily sure it applies to sciences, as I would think you would go where your specialization / interests are served most. The project starting up here is unique and I haven’t heard of any other university doing something similar. That’s just my thinking, so it would be nice to hear from anyone else who knows more about a perceived stigma on this issue.</p>
<p>js911, i think you are too ambiguous. im sure other CCers would be more helpful if you name your school, explain your interest, and perhaps talk about that sweet new project.</p>
<p>yes, it is a good idea to get exposed to different communities, even in science engineering. it is not hard to conclude that getting all your degrees from one school is not ideal. it’ll be proved to be helpful when looking for a job/post-doc position. however, that is very dependent on the field you are interested. and how respectable your university and department are.</p>
<p>Sorry about the ambiguity - I didn’t want to highlight the university (Univ Miami) because I’m fairly certain nobody would know anything about it. The CS department is also quite small, as I mentioned. I’m focused on computer graphics and artificial intelligence, with a bit of experience in game programming. Last summer I did some research/work with social robotics, resulting in a prototype system for use in health care. Working on innovative and cutting edge projects is the primary reason I’m headed for grad school. I was asked not to talk about the project I mentioned previously, though, so I can’t really expand on that.</p>
<p>To answer the original question regarding newness of the program, I would think that if they have the capability to offer the graduate programs, then it shouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>Looking at their alumni website, I see a few Ph.D grads listed, as well as many M.S. grads. Try and find out what they’re doing now. If and where they went on to a Ph.D, academia, industry, etc. Placement is usually a good indicator.</p>
<p>I would find out and make sure the program has been accredited.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about CS, but in psychology, the American Psychological Association visits psych MS and Ph.D. programs to grant them accreditation. </p>
<p>After being offered a nice deal at a good school with a new program that was NOT accredited, I had to turn down the offer…just because it would be a risk to get a Ph.D. from a program that has not been accredited and hope they do get it.</p>