Master's Thesis vs. Non-thesis

morfinx
Thu, 22 Jun 2006 05:14:57 +0000

Here’s my take on it:

If you are going on to a PhD, definitely do a thesis option. At my school, at least for ECE, one can do a thesis or a nonthesis (all coursework) MS. Both take the same amount of time to complete(1.5-2 yrs), both result in a MS ECE degree (thus I respectfully disagree with LAGator’s assertion on resume). While being a non-thesis MS has no bearing here to one’s eligibility to pursue a PhD according to departmental regulations, note that some profs will only take you as a PhD student IF you are a thesis MS.

If you want to go into the work force after your MS, then it could go either way. If you are interested in more than one focus areas and want to get decent amount of exposure for each, then coursework would probably be your best bet. However, if you know EXACTLY what topic you want to explore further, then thesis option will allow you to really get in depth about that particular area.

The above are purely my personal opinion, like fitz said, do what you are comfortable with and take anyone on here’s post (including mine) with a grain of salt ;)