What are the advantages of going to graduate school?

Why Go to Graduate School in CS?

This presentation is based on materials developed by Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue University) and Ran Libeskind-Hadas (Harvey Mudd College). Please send comments to Ran Libeskind-Hadas at hadas@cs.hmc.edu.1OverviewWhat is graduate school all about?How to prepare for graduate schoolChoosing where to applyFellowshipsThe application process and procedures

What is graduate school all about?Increasing breadth and depth of knowledgePursuing your intellectual and professional interestsTransitioning from foundations of CS to current state-of-the-artEngaging in research and learning to work on open problems

Masters Degree (M.S.)Typically 1.5-2 yearsCoursework including the next level of CS foundations + advanced electivesResearch M.S. (includes masters thesis) versus professional M.S. (entirely coursework)Typically charges tuition (but some employers pay for their employees to attend a M.S. program part-time while working full-time)Career pathsTechnical and/or managerial positions in industryTeaching at community college or lecturer at some colleges/universitiesTest the waters for continuing on for a Ph.D.Doctorate (Ph.D.)Typically 5-6 years from the B.S. degree (3-4 from the masters degree) [There is variance here]Coursework like masters + some additional courses (varies by school) Generally, masters given along the way (e.g., year 2)Dissertation (aka doctoral thesis)Some oral and/or written exams (e.g., qualifying exams, research proposal, dissertation defense)Generally, tuition is waived and stipend (enough to live on) in the form of a teaching assistantship, research assistantship, or fellowshipCareer pathsAcademia Industrial, government, or other research labsEntrepreneur

Graduate School PathsSome PhD programs have no MS thesisChoose advisorQualifying examsThesis proposalSubmit papersWrite dissertationJob huntYear 1MS courseMS thesis project PhD-basedJob in industryJob in lab /academiacoursework to dissertationYear 2Year 5 or 6Foundational course-work in first yearWhat is the Grad School Experience like?Professional masters Program3-4 courses per term for 1.5 to 2 yearsResearch masters Program3-4 courses per term in first year1-2 courses/term + masters research and thesis in second yr.Possibly serving as a teaching assistant Ph.D.Similar to Research masters in first two yearsPrimarily research in remaining 3-5 years (probably attending some seminars as well)Possibly serving as a teaching assistant, but often for only a few terms (and research funding for the remainder)

What about going to work first and grad school later?AdvantagesWork may give you a clearer sense of what kind of research you want to do and/or what kinds of advanced courses youd like to takeGraduate schools generally value work experience; its generally not harder to get accepted after a few years of work and sometimes work experience can make up for a less-than-stellar academic recordSome employers will pay and even provide time off for a professional masters degree (e.g., one evening course per term at a local university)DisadvantagesOnce you have financial and/or family responsibilities, going back to graduate school can be more challengingWhat about going to graduate school part-time?Quite common for masters degrees! Some employers will cover tuition costs for their employees to go to a masters program part-time while working full-time. Typically, full-time masters will take two years while part-time will take around four years.Part-time Ph.D. is uncommon (and probably not very feasible)But, both masters and Ph.D. students often spend their summers working at internships. These often pay well and provide good learning experiences.Starting salaries with a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D

Salaries vary considerably! However, the following may give you some general sense of the delta for B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.:UIUC 2012-13 average starting salary data (cs.illinois.edu/about-us/cs-statistics):B.S. $84KM.S. $102KPh.D. $131KNational Association of Colleges and Employers (2012)B.S. $60KM.S. $80KPh.D. salaries in academia are somewhat lower than in industry (about $95K for 9 months) (CRA Taulbee Report 2012)How to prepare for graduate schoolTake challenging courses and get broad foundations (e.g., in theory and systems)Do well in your classes (performance in advanced courses is particularly important)Participate in research in your junior year (or earlier)Participate in a summer research experience (very important for Ph.D.)Try to get to know some of your professors (they are likely writers for letters of recommendation) through:ResearchIndependent studyServing as a course assistant

What are graduate schools looking for?Your prior research experience Your potential for being creative, hardworking, and productive Your potential for becoming a leader in a fieldYour grades and test scores

Where should I apply?The top few schools (e.g. MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, CMU) have extremely competitive admission standards for Ph.D. programs (much more competitive for Ph.D. than for undergraduate admissions)There are many schools that you might not have considered for undergraduate study that have very strong Ph.D. programsConsult with your adviser and/or other faculty members that you trust about where to applyLook at rankings (e.g., U.S. News), but with a grain of salt!Look at departmental websites to learn about research areas and facultyKeep in mind that some schools are very strong in certain sub-disciplines of CS and less so in others. If youre interested in subfield X (e.g., AI, robotics, graphics, theory) and a school is particularly strong in that field, dont worry about the overall ranking too much!

Recent RankingsUS News and World Report

+ more than 100 other Ph.D. granting departments!Take these rankings with a hefty grain of salt!14How many applications are normal?2 safe schools, 2 good matches, 2 slight stretches is a minimum! Most students are advised to apply to 8-10 schools, selected in conjunction with their adviser.Top few should be considered as stretches in almost every caseTalk to your adviser and other faculty with whom you feel comfortable.

What are typical acceptance rates?Acceptance rates for domestic students (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) are higher than for international studentsAcceptance rates for domestic students to Ph.D. programsTop 4: 5-10% Top 5-10: 15-20%Top 11-25: 30-45%Keep in mind that the applicant pool is more self-selected than for college admissions, so X% admissions at the graduate and undergraduate levels should not be equatedAcceptance rates to professional masters programs are much higher (and tuition is, commensurately, quite high)FellowshipsPrestigious, more money ($30K), fewer strings attachedNSF (Early November deadline)Hertz (late October deadline)NDSEG (Early January deadline)Homeland Security Fellowships (Early January deadline)Targeted fellowships (e.g., GEM Fellowship for students from under-represented groups)Some schools have their own fellowshipsApplyingPersonal statementLetters of recommendationGRETranscripts

Personal StatementDoDescribe your prior research experiencesDescribe your future research interests the more specific the betterDemonstrate that you have some ideas for interesting and important problems to studyPersonalize each statement with at least one paragraph about why this particular department is of interest to youHave at least one person (ideally a professor) read your drafts and give you feedbackDontWrite that youve been interested in CS since you were in the second grade (too many essays start this way)Write that you want to do research but dont have any ideas for which subfieldLetters of RecommendationThree or four letters are required.Ideally, you will have at least one letter from a faculty member with whom youve done research.A letter from a professor who can only say This student did well in class is not very useful (your transcripts will already reflect this).Its hard to find 3-4 CS professors who know you well. A few letters from faculty in related fields (e.g., EE, math, or other sciences) are useful too.A letter from a supervisor in a summer internship is fine, but its most useful if they can speak to your research potential and the writer has a Ph.D. How to ask for a letter of recommendationGive your prospective recommenders a way to say no easily, because a neutral letter is not helpful. Heres an example: Im applying to graduate school and Im wondering if youd feel comfortable writing letters for me? If so, Id be very grateful. If youre not able to do this for any reason, Ill certainly understand.If they answer yes, ask what materials they would like (e.g., statement of purpose, transcripts, etc.) and when they would like to receive them.

The GREGeneral exam (computer-based)Verbal reasoning (similar to SAT verbal)Quantitative reasoning (similar to SAT math)Analytical WritingWrite an essay defending an argumentEvaluate an argument for good logic and construction

The GREComputer Science Subject Exam (paper-based)40% Software Systems and Methodology15% Computer organization and architecture 40% Theory and Mathematical Background 5% Other topicsRegister in the summer before senior year and take the early fall exam

The GREComputer Science Subject Exam (paper-based)40% Software Systems and Methodology15% Computer organization and architecture 40% Theory and Mathematical Background 5% Other topicsRegister in the summer before senior year and take the early fall exam

The CS subject exam no longer exists!Want More? Check out Conquer!Conquer: A website specifically for undergraduate research and graduate school advice in CS: cra.org/conquer

Questions?