Univ. of Wash. Professional Master's Program and PHDs

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone,
First-time poster here, stumbled upon the site looking for some advice. So, I am a double major in English Literature and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Colorado, 3.6 GPA with two internships and some research under my belt. I am graduating in May, and I have just received a really excellent job offer in Seattle. The company would like me to get a graduate degree at UW in Seattle while I am working. It will be in Electrical Engineering, of course, and I'd like to focus on DSP (Digital Signal Processing). However, the program I will be doing is what they call the PMP, or Professional Master's Program. It consists of night classes across a range of 2 or 3 concentration areas (DSP, Electromagnetics, Wireless, Controls). The degree grants the same MSEE as the daytime program.
At some point I would like to get my PhD in EE, but I am wondering how professional Master's programs are generally viewed by PhD programs. I.e., are Master's degrees from professional programs seen as less rigorous or not as research driven as full-time programs? If I am interested in pursuing a PhD, would it be more appropriate to do a full-time Master's program that lets me focus exclusively on DSP, which is my main research interest? Thank you for you advice, and sorry for a slightly long post!</p>

2

<p>I went through a similar program at Johns Hopkins to get my MSEE, and am now in a top-5 EE PhD program. In general, any kind of coursework-only masters will be considered less than a research-based degree, but it will still count for something - just how much varies from program to program. I would not personally recommend such a program if you could get a research-based masters instead - you learn a lot more in the deeper program and that helps you both in industry and academia.</p>

<p>If you are going to do this kind of program, I would recommend focusing on DSP if that is your area of interest for the PhD. It will provide you with a stronger preparation, and also help to show that you are serious in your commitment to that area.</p>