Grad degree vs. Phd

[Lazy8s]

Ok, so I have been going about my happy way applying to programs that offer a M.S. in Computer Science. I talk to the graduate advisor today at the University of Florida program and he says "With your GPA and GRE score why aren't you applying to the Phd program?" I was instantly like "Wtf? Cause I don't have a masters yet." He says, "I know, you can apply directly for the Phd.


Ok so, I have alot of family members with Phds and it went B.S.->M.S.->Phd for ALL of them. Is this a bullcrap program to let me in like that? Just to check I went to UT Austin (ranked 9 in the nation) and you can do the same thing there!! Is this a legit practice now? Have any of you done it? Would you hire someone with a Phd but no masters?

I am kinda freaking out because the deadline for Phd apps is Monday. All my stuff is in but I would have to switch from M.S. to Phd. What has me worried was he said that 99% of financial aid goes to the Phd program and that almost no UF masters students in CS have financial support, that is huge since I would be looking at out of state tuition.

 

[Clocker]

First what do you want to ultimately do with your education? Become a professor, work for the government, work for Microsoft etc etc?

 

[Special K]

Typically you indicate on your application that you plan to pursue a PhD, regardless of whether or not you actually want one. Indicating on the application that you only want an MS is the same as saying "please don't consider me for funding".

FWIW, I applied to 10 PhD programs and will finish my MS next spring. I decided not to continue on for the PhD because I want to do design, not research. If you are doing a direct PhD they might just award you an MS in passing if you really want one after meeting the requirements.

I doubt any employer is going to care that you don't have an MS if you alredy have a PhD. They are 2 different lines of work, really. PhD = research/academia, while MS = design. Obviously there are exceptions, but this is how it is in EE, and I would guess most related fields.

 

[homercles337]

Wow, applying for grad degrees and you dont know that you can/should apply to phd programs?! Fsck, you are horribly uninformed. HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY uninformed. You never should have started this thread. Gawd, im just thinking, "wow, wtf?!"

edit: did you talk to/interact with any profs/grad students the whole time you were in school?

edit2: If i knew who you were i would contact the schools you are applying to and give bad recommendations using my credentials. I cant believe you dont know this ******. I was a postdoc at U Texas and that place is a machine for UGs, but for you to persue a grad degree and not know your options speaks VOLUMES!

 

[Lazy8s]

Yeah that is my major concern. I do not want to teach or research honestly but a Phd can't really hurt if I want to do design and stuff can it? I honestly see myself going more of the consultant/managerial route. I love CS but I love business as well and I can't just be a coder. I need the variety and the interpersonal contact. I really draw energy from others, huge people person....despite my post count.

 

[silverpig]

It's accepted practice. At my school you can be in the MS program and after a year if you have good enough grades you can apply to fast track to the PhD program.

 

[Clocker]

If you do not have work experience employers may not want to hire you as a person with a phd versus a person with just a masters. If you already have a lot of experience with whatever field you want to do then go get the phd and you will command a salary that is equivalent with the doctoral degree in your field.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Lazy8s
Yeah that is my major concern. I do not want to teach or research honestly but a Phd can't really hurt if I want to do design and stuff can it? I honestly see myself going more of the consultant/managerial route. I love CS but I love business as well and I can't just be a coder. I need the variety and the interpersonal contact. I really draw energy from others, huge people person....despite my post count.

Actually it could hurt you, based on my experience. I am in the field of CPU design. Last fall at our career fair, I spoke to reps from Intel, AMD, Nvidia, TI, Micron, and some others. All of them told me the same thing - if you want to do design, there is absolutely no advantage to having a PhD, unless your thesis work just so happens to align with one of their projects. Why should they pay a PhD more money to do the same job that an MS (or even BS) can do for less? After you complete your coursework as a PhD student, the rest of the time is spent researching some very narrow topic of interest.

About the consulting - also at our career fair I noticed Bain and McKinsey had special hiring presentations for PhD students, so if that is something that appeals to you, they might have a position for you.

Then again, you could always get the MS and just get an MBA later.

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Wow, applying for grad degrees and you dont know that you can/should apply to phd programs?! Fsck, you are horribly uninformed. HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY uninformed. You never should have started this thread. Gawd, im just thinking, "wow, wtf?!"

edit: did you talk to/interact with any profs/grad students the whole time you were in school?

wtf are you talking about? Before being a d!ck in someone's thread alt+f4 please. I never said I didn't know about phd programs I said I didn't know I could completely SKIP a masters degree and just get a Phd. I would bet a lot of college grads don't know you can just skip a master's degree. It's like a PBJ without the peanutbutter.

There are some programs that are "Phd" programs where you get a masters and then a Phd as well in a reduced ammount of time but that's not what this is. It's JUST a Phd no masters. After the Phd you can apply to the masters program and finish it up. I'm wondering how you can skip it all togeather.

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: Lazy8s
Yeah that is my major concern. I do not want to teach or research honestly but a Phd can't really hurt if I want to do design and stuff can it? I honestly see myself going more of the consultant/managerial route. I love CS but I love business as well and I can't just be a coder. I need the variety and the interpersonal contact. I really draw energy from others, huge people person....despite my post count.

Actually it could hurt you, based on my experience. I am in the field of CPU design. Last fall at our career fair, I spoke to reps from Intel, AMD, Nvidia, TI, Micron, and some others. All of them told me the same thing - if you want to do design, there is absolutely no advantage to having a PhD, unless your thesis work just so happens to align with one of their projects. Why should they pay a PhD more money to do the same job that an MS (or even BS) can do for less? After you complete your coursework as a PhD student, the rest of the time is spent researching some very narrow topic of interest.

About the consulting - also at our career fair I noticed Bain and McKinsey had special hiring presentations for PhD students, so if that is something that appeals to you, they might have a position for you.

Then again, you could always get the MS and just get an MBA later.

That's what my uncle said. He's an M.D. and he has some other degrees like anastesiologist as well. He said he got declined for alot of jobs because he just cost too much.



Clocker: I have 4 summers worth of intern experience at a major Pharmaceutical company. It's not a ton but I was asked back, was employee of the month once and I have amazing recommendations. I know I will be offered a job there when I graduate.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

MANY new phd programs do not require a masters first. OR, if they do require a masters, they only do it as a formality -- you get the masters while you are doing the phd.

 

[Clocker]

Then go for it OP!!! It seems like you have everything square away.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337
Wow, applying for grad degrees and you dont know that you can/should apply to phd programs?! Fsck, you are horribly uninformed. HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY uninformed. You never should have started this thread. Gawd, im just thinking, "wow, wtf?!"

edit: did you talk to/interact with any profs/grad students the whole time you were in school?

wtf are you talking about? Before being a d!ck in someone's thread alt+f4 please. I never said I didn't know about phd programs I said I didn't know I could completely SKIP a masters degree and just get a Phd. I would bet a lot of college grads don't know you can just skip a master's degree. It's like a PBJ without the peanutbutter.

There are some programs that are "Phd" programs where you get a masters and then a Phd as well in a reduced ammount of time but that's not what this is. It's JUST a Phd no masters. After the Phd you can apply to the masters program and finish it up. I'm wondering how you can skip it all togeather.

I know what you said you dope. And the fact that you are applying to grad programs and DONT KNOW YOUR OPTIONS speaks volumes to your uninformed, hap-hazard approach. If i saw your app to ANY grad program i would toss it in the trash. Take that as advice from a phd. I knew before looking at berkeley that my area of interest phd program had a masters filing along the way, but other areas of interest in the SAME program didnt. Were not European. Do your homework. Who did you work with at U Texas? You can PM this to me. If you didnt do any UG research your entire thread about "consider the phd track" is shens. Like i said i was a postdoc at U Texas and would like to contact folks you did research with.

 

[bobsmith1492]

I believe there isn't much of a distinction, actually; you study with the ultimate goal of a PhD. If you want to stop along the way, you can stop with a masters; sometimes they just hand you one at some point in your studies (according to one of my profs). I don't think you just SKIP it, though.

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337
Wow, applying for grad degrees and you dont know that you can/should apply to phd programs?! Fsck, you are horribly uninformed. HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY uninformed. You never should have started this thread. Gawd, im just thinking, "wow, wtf?!"

edit: did you talk to/interact with any profs/grad students the whole time you were in school?

wtf are you talking about? Before being a d!ck in someone's thread alt+f4 please. I never said I didn't know about phd programs I said I didn't know I could completely SKIP a masters degree and just get a Phd. I would bet a lot of college grads don't know you can just skip a master's degree. It's like a PBJ without the peanutbutter.

There are some programs that are "Phd" programs where you get a masters and then a Phd as well in a reduced ammount of time but that's not what this is. It's JUST a Phd no masters. After the Phd you can apply to the masters program and finish it up. I'm wondering how you can skip it all togeather.

I know what you said you dope. And the fact that you are applying to grad programs and DONT KNOW YOUR OPTIONS speaks volumes to your uninformed, hap-hazard approach. If i saw your app to ANY grad program i would toss it in the trash. Take that as advice from a phd. I knew before looking at berkeley that my area of interest phd program had a masters filing along the way, but other areas of interest in the SAME program didnt. Were not European. Do your homework. Who did you work with at U Texas? You can PM this to me. If you didnt do any UG research your entire thread about "consider the phd track" is shens. Like i said i was a postdoc at U Texas and would like to contact folks you did research with.

Thank you for admitting you did not read what I said. You can come back when you have appologized.

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492
I believe there isn't much of a distinction, actually; you study with the ultimate goal of a PhD. If you want to stop along the way, you can stop with a masters; sometimes they just hand you one at some point in your studies (according to one of my profs). I don't think you just SKIP it, though.

Yeah that was my thinking. Go get a masters then decide if I want the research oriented career track. Both of my advisors agreed with me. At many schools you can say you want a Phd and you get a masters along the way but according to the UF CS website and the guy I talked to, this does not get you a masters degree, only a Phd hence my concern and question.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337
Wow, applying for grad degrees and you dont know that you can/should apply to phd programs?! Fsck, you are horribly uninformed. HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY uninformed. You never should have started this thread. Gawd, im just thinking, "wow, wtf?!"

edit: did you talk to/interact with any profs/grad students the whole time you were in school?

wtf are you talking about? Before being a d!ck in someone's thread alt+f4 please. I never said I didn't know about phd programs I said I didn't know I could completely SKIP a masters degree and just get a Phd. I would bet a lot of college grads don't know you can just skip a master's degree. It's like a PBJ without the peanutbutter.

There are some programs that are "Phd" programs where you get a masters and then a Phd as well in a reduced ammount of time but that's not what this is. It's JUST a Phd no masters. After the Phd you can apply to the masters program and finish it up. I'm wondering how you can skip it all togeather.

I know what you said you dope. And the fact that you are applying to grad programs and DONT KNOW YOUR OPTIONS speaks volumes to your uninformed, hap-hazard approach. If i saw your app to ANY grad program i would toss it in the trash. Take that as advice from a phd. I knew before looking at berkeley that my area of interest phd program had a masters filing along the way, but other areas of interest in the SAME program didnt. Were not European. Do your homework. Who did you work with at U Texas? You can PM this to me. If you didnt do any UG research your entire thread about "consider the phd track" is shens. Like i said i was a postdoc at U Texas and would like to contact folks you did research with.

Thank you for admitting you did not read what I said. You can come back when you have appologized.

This from your OP:

Just to check I went to UT Austin (ranked 9 in the nation) and you can do the same thing there!!

This sentence means you went to U Texas. If this is not what you meant, forget about a grad degree in CS and get a high school diploma in english.

Hint: I am graduating and am clueless to my options. I went to U Texas and i still dont grasp the english language.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337
Wow, applying for grad degrees and you dont know that you can/should apply to phd programs?! Fsck, you are horribly uninformed. HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY uninformed. You never should have started this thread. Gawd, im just thinking, "wow, wtf?!"

edit: did you talk to/interact with any profs/grad students the whole time you were in school?

wtf are you talking about? Before being a d!ck in someone's thread alt+f4 please. I never said I didn't know about phd programs I said I didn't know I could completely SKIP a masters degree and just get a Phd. I would bet a lot of college grads don't know you can just skip a master's degree. It's like a PBJ without the peanutbutter.

There are some programs that are "Phd" programs where you get a masters and then a Phd as well in a reduced ammount of time but that's not what this is. It's JUST a Phd no masters. After the Phd you can apply to the masters program and finish it up. I'm wondering how you can skip it all togeather.

I know what you said you dope. And the fact that you are applying to grad programs and DONT KNOW YOUR OPTIONS speaks volumes to your uninformed, hap-hazard approach. If i saw your app to ANY grad program i would toss it in the trash. Take that as advice from a phd. I knew before looking at berkeley that my area of interest phd program had a masters filing along the way, but other areas of interest in the SAME program didnt. Were not European. Do your homework. Who did you work with at U Texas? You can PM this to me. If you didnt do any UG research your entire thread about "consider the phd track" is shens. Like i said i was a postdoc at U Texas and would like to contact folks you did research with.

Thank you for admitting you did not read what I said. You can come back when you have appologized.

This from your OP:

Just to check I went to UT Austin (ranked 9 in the nation) and you can do the same thing there!!

This sentence means you went to U Texas. If this is not what you meant, forget about a grad degree in CS and get a high school diploma in english.

Hint: I am graduating and am clueless to my options. I went to U Texas and i still dont grasp the english language.

doesn't he mean that he checked UT austin to see if they had a similar program?

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Wow, applying for grad degrees and you dont know that you can/should apply to phd programs?! Fsck, you are horribly uninformed. HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY uninformed. You never should have started this thread. Gawd, im just thinking, "wow, wtf?!"

edit: did you talk to/interact with any profs/grad students the whole time you were in school?

edit2: If i knew who you were i would contact the schools you are applying to and give bad recommendations using my credentials. I cant believe you dont know this ******. I was a postdoc at U Texas and that place is a machine for UGs, but for you to persue a grad degree and not know your options speaks VOLUMES!

What's the big deal? He originally only wanted to apply for a masters, so that's all he cared about.

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: homercles337


This from your OP:

Just to check I went to UT Austin (ranked 9 in the nation) and you can do the same thing there!!

This sentence means you went to U Texas. If this is not what you meant, forget about a grad degree in CS and get a high school diploma in english.

Hint: I am graduating and am clueless to my options. I went to U Texas and i still dont grasp the english language.

First off, this will be my last response to you ever. People like you are what have helped ruin ATOT and why many of the true oldschool members have quit. It's ok that you came in with a chip on your shoulder for whatever reason, misread what I said and then continued to be a jerk about it after I called you on it. If you read that sentence it CLEARLY stated that I went to UT Austin to check if skipping a masters is legit and it turns out UT Austin allows it as well. You are the only person that has responded that misunderstood and that's ok. It's late, everyone's tired and you're obviously upset about something in your RL that does not pertain to this thread at all.

So to sum up incase that was unclear:
1) I did not go to UTexas
2) I DID go to their web page to see what they offer because it is a highly ranked and well respected school
3) You misunderstood
4) You acted like a jerk for no reason whatsoever
5) It's ok I hope whatever has you all upset works out fine in your RL and I won't harbor bad feelings towards you for this
6) I'm done

 

[jonessoda]

What I've been told by advisors is that a MS/MA is not a necessary step to a PhD; one can go directly from BS/BA to PhD without pursuing a Master's.

By the way, a PhD is a graduate degree. So is a JD, an LLM, an MD, an MA, an MS, a DO, a DDS, a DDiv, and all degrees one pursues after undergraduate.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337


This from your OP:

Just to check I went to UT Austin (ranked 9 in the nation) and you can do the same thing there!!

This sentence means you went to U Texas. If this is not what you meant, forget about a grad degree in CS and get a high school diploma in english.

Hint: I am graduating and am clueless to my options. I went to U Texas and i still dont grasp the english language.

First off, this will be my last response to you ever. People like you are what have helped ruin ATOT and why many of the true oldschool members have quit. It's ok that you came in with a chip on your shoulder for whatever reason, misread what I said and then continued to be a jerk about it after I called you on it. If you read that sentence it CLEARLY stated that I went to UT Austin to check if skipping a masters is legit and it turns out UT Austin allows it as well. You are the only person that has responded that misunderstood and that's ok. It's late, everyone's tired and you're obviously upset about something in your RL that does not pertain to this thread at all.

So to sum up incase that was unclear:
1) I did not go to UTexas
2) I DID go to their web page to see what they offer because it is a highly ranked and well respected school
3) You misunderstood
4) You acted like a jerk for no reason whatsoever
5) It's ok I hope whatever has you all upset works out fine in your RL and I won't harbor bad feelings towards you for this
6) I'm done

In homer's defense, your statement in the OP was ambiguous.

 

[Lazy8s]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337


This from your OP:

Just to check I went to UT Austin (ranked 9 in the nation) and you can do the same thing there!!

This sentence means you went to U Texas. If this is not what you meant, forget about a grad degree in CS and get a high school diploma in english.

Hint: I am graduating and am clueless to my options. I went to U Texas and i still dont grasp the english language.

First off, this will be my last response to you ever. People like you are what have helped ruin ATOT and why many of the true oldschool members have quit. It's ok that you came in with a chip on your shoulder for whatever reason, misread what I said and then continued to be a jerk about it after I called you on it. If you read that sentence it CLEARLY stated that I went to UT Austin to check if skipping a masters is legit and it turns out UT Austin allows it as well. You are the only person that has responded that misunderstood and that's ok. It's late, everyone's tired and you're obviously upset about something in your RL that does not pertain to this thread at all.

So to sum up incase that was unclear:
1) I did not go to UTexas
2) I DID go to their web page to see what they offer because it is a highly ranked and well respected school
3) You misunderstood
4) You acted like a jerk for no reason whatsoever
5) It's ok I hope whatever has you all upset works out fine in your RL and I won't harbor bad feelings towards you for this
6) I'm done

In homer's defense, your statement in the OP was ambiguous.

Ambiguous enough to be a giant douche bag about it? It reads slightly ambiguous but I think it's plenty clear enough. Everyone else got it.

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Lazy8s

Originally posted by: homercles337


This from your OP:

Just to check I went to UT Austin (ranked 9 in the nation) and you can do the same thing there!!

This sentence means you went to U Texas. If this is not what you meant, forget about a grad degree in CS and get a high school diploma in english.

Hint: I am graduating and am clueless to my options. I went to U Texas and i still dont grasp the english language.

First off, this will be my last response to you ever. People like you are what have helped ruin ATOT and why many of the true oldschool members have quit. It's ok that you came in with a chip on your shoulder for whatever reason, misread what I said and then continued to be a jerk about it after I called you on it. If you read that sentence it CLEARLY stated that I went to UT Austin to check if skipping a masters is legit and it turns out UT Austin allows it as well. You are the only person that has responded that misunderstood and that's ok. It's late, everyone's tired and you're obviously upset about something in your RL that does not pertain to this thread at all.

So to sum up incase that was unclear:
1) I did not go to UTexas
2) I DID go to their web page to see what they offer because it is a highly ranked and well respected school
3) You misunderstood
4) You acted like a jerk for no reason whatsoever
5) It's ok I hope whatever has you all upset works out fine in your RL and I won't harbor bad feelings towards you for this
6) I'm done

In homer's defense, your statement in the OP was ambiguous.

he attended to UT for 4 years just to check up on their phd program? right...

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother

Originally posted by: BigJ

In homer's defense, your statement in the OP was ambiguous.

he attended to UT for 4 years just to check up on their phd program? right...

Or he could've gone to UT as an undergrad, and checked their Masters/Phd program to see.