<p>I want to go to a decent computer science grad school (top 50) and I can get into perhaps University of Michigan or Georgia Tech, but most of these schools require that once you get into the masters program, you must maintain no lower than a B- in the grad classes or else you won’t graduate. I also heard masters classes are a lot harder than undergrad upper-level classes. Seriously? I just want to learn!</p>
<p>Please enlighten me on this matter</p>
<p>Also, my goal is to land a job at a good tech company near the coasts (Seattle, anywhere in California).</p>
<p>Presumably if you’re going to grad school in a topic, it’s a topic that you’re good at and that you shouldn’t be struggling to get B-'s in…</p>
<p>And yes of course grades matter for masters programs, otherwise why would they even have grades? </p>
<p>Honestly, I think you are getting ahead of yourself, you are in community college now, right? I think if you find that you do well in college and maintain some B or more average you can decide later to get the Master’s or not. You may or may not need one. You can go to work first and see. Yes grad classes are a lot harder. But if you ‘just want to learn’ you will find that you learn a lot of things on the job and will have more idea what direction to go in. Also there are a lot of free resources on the web for learning new cs concepts.</p>
<p>, you must maintain no lower than a B- in the grad classes or else you won’t graduate. I also heard masters classes are a lot harder than undergrad upper-level classes. Seriously? I just want to learn!</p>
<p>Both of those things are true. Why wouldn’t your graduate-level classes be more difficult than undergraduate-level classes? You have already taken senior-level classes in college, so you now need to advance to the next step.</p>
<p>Also, in most graduate programs you need to maintain at least a B- (in some places it’s a B, and in some places even too many Bs can get you talked to). But also understand that grading works differently in grad school. You’re expected to turn out A-level work, so if you do the work as expected of you, you usually get an A. If you do an okay but not as-expected job, A- or B+. If you don’t do what’s expected of you - you fall short in some way - you may get a B, and a B- for even more short. A C is a failing grade; it’s like getting an F in college. In my program two Cs and you’re out. So think of it like getting an A is kind of like getting a B in college, and getting a B is like getting a C or a high D in college.</p>
<p>Basically, it’s not difficult to maintain a B- average in grad school if you are doing what you’re supposed to be doing.</p>
<p>If you just “want to learn”, you do not have to pursue a master’s degree. You could enroll in a grad school as a non-degree candidate. Some schools offer this option.</p>
<p>If you want to earn a degree… a certification by the school saying that you met a certain academic standard in terms of course work, subject material and performance… well then, you have to worry about grades.</p>
<p>Since you do not want to worry about grades and just want to learn, it sounds like non-degree enrollment is right for you.</p>
<p>Also, if you “just want to learn,” there are also MOOCs and self-study guides you could use that cost much less than a $3000 university course. </p>