Debating between Computer Science MS vs PhD & application questions!

Graduate School
1

Hi all,

I’m a final year undergrad in NTU, Singapore majoring in Computer Science. The area of study I’m interested in is Machine Learning and I’m currently debating between getting a Master’s or PhD. I’m very interested in research so even if I take a Master’s degree, I’ll choose something that is research based. The reason why I’m debating between the two is because I’m afraid I’ll have difficulty finding jobs upon graduation. Many have told me that I might be overqualified.

Next, pursuing graduate studies is not as widely talked about compared to undergrad, so I was hoping to get some information in one consolidated thread. I’m more interested in grad schools in NYC, since I have family there.

Some info:
I’ll be graduating with a ~3.4/4.0 cGPA and I’m on the accelerated track (I skipped two semesters but still graduate in 3.5 years because one semester of internship is required to graduate). Being from NTU, the curriculum is definitely RIGOROUS (I say that with all caps!). I’ll also have roughly 1 year of research experience. I also intend to take the GREs sometime this year.

My questions:

  1. Regarding LoRs: my university emphasises on self learning, so most students don’t actually go to class. I was wondering if I could email professors from classes I did well in (grade A/A+) to ask for a LoR even though I haven’t actually interacted with him/her before? Could I send a resume or cover letter to help him/her since they don’t know me?

  2. Any opinions on my debate of Masters VS PhD? What can I expect when finding jobs in the US for the two?

  3. Are there anything else I should take note of or should do to help with my chances of being admitted? (for both Masters and PhD). There is currently little or no opportunities for me to take on another research project so I’m not really sure what else to do.

A trivial question: Is NTU considered a good undergrad school for grad schools in the US? I know it has been rising up the ranks in the past years.

2

Note: there are some undergraduate courses that I have taken would actually count as graduate courses (depending on the grad school I apply to, I might not have to take it again after my grades are evaluated to the US scale)

3

  1. Yes, you can do that to get letters, although they probably won’t be as strong as other applicants’. Getting a letter from the professor who supervised your research experience is key.

  2. The question of whether you want to get an MS or a PhD will depend entirely on what you plan to do when you’re done. If you want to be a professor and/or a researcher at a university setting, you will need a PhD. If you want to lead research in industry, you will probably also need a PhD, particularly at top companies. But there are lots of industry research positions that will only ask for an MS, especially if you did a research-based MS and have research experience. And in some cases, even an MS holder can work their way up into leadership. Two of the four managers on my industry research team have master’s degrees, no PhD.

4

@juillet I was considering a direct PhD mainly because some of my undergraduate specialisation courses, like machine learning, etc, are considered to be graduate level courses in the US. I’ve crossed reference a few courses to check the curriculum and they do seem almost identical, just that those are being offered as graduate courses.

I know that the universities have some requirements on which courses you must fulfil before you can get your MS or PhD, but I’ve seen those requirements, and most, if not all I have already taken. Of course, I won’t know for sure if it is directly transferable until I get my transcripts evaluated, but I wouldn’t want to retake those courses again.

5

Do note that sometimes there are undergrad and grad versions of classes. Although the material may look the same on the course description and even on the syllabus, the graduate material is usually taught at a faster pace and/or a deeper level than the undergraduate version. Do you have independent confirmation that your undergrad classes are “equivalent” to a graduate course - someone like a professor from another institution or the departments to which you’re applying? It’s uncommon for undergrad courses to be counted as graduate courses.

That said, I still think that’s irrelevant. A graduate degree is about career preparation, and thus which degree you get is about need and not about which classes you’ve already taken. It’s about what you want to do with the degree, and whether or not you need a PhD to do that thing.