PG Diploma vs Master's

[tiagofadsilva]

Hey everyone,

I am currently about to finish my Bachelor's in Software Engineering in Portugal with an average grade of 73%. My goal is to go to Canada next year to either take a Master's or a PG Diploma and start working there straight after.

I started by looking at Master's in Computer Science and Computer Engineering in universities such as University of Calgary, Alberta and British Columbia. The problem with those Master's programs is how strict and picky they are about entering students, and I am afraid my average won't be good enough to get in. I haven't done the IELTS test yet, but I think my english is fairly good, so I'm confident I'd be able to get a relatively high grade on that.

After that I started to take a look at PG Diplomas, mostly from the SAIT college in Calgary. They don't seem to have admission requirements nearly as strict as the universities and I've heard very good things about their diplomas from a friend that lives in Calgary and is studying at UofC.

I was wondering if anyone could help me out on what I should choose. I was more keen for the Master's as my Bachelor's was already extremely hands on and not very high on theory, which is mostly what PG Diplomas are about, and I wanted to experience the more theoretical and research-based side of the coin. But at the same time, the requirements for Master's programs in Canada are quite high, so I'm not sure if I'd even be able to get accepted anywhere. And I've also heard that if I take a Master's and I want to get a job after that, it may be more difficult, as I'll be overlyqualified without any kind of work experience.

 

[praguni]

Hey, i was also in the same situation as yours. Last year in december I applied to UBC, SFU and university of saskatchewan. By the way, my profile is 78% in btech CSE and IELTS 7 but I got offer from none of the universities. These days the competition is really very high. After that I applied to some colleges and got offer letter from those colleges.

So coming to u, I would suggest you that do apply to universities but at the same time, if you really want to study in canada, then, also apply to colleges. For instance, apply to 3 universities and 3 colleges. If incase you do not get any response from universities, you can have a college as a backup option. Hope it helps you a bit!

 

[jasz_blr]

My two cents for the fresh undergraduates or those who have less than 2 yrs of work exp after their Bachelor's.

Do your Master's from University and don't go for PG programs at colleges. You won't regret it after 10 yrs, when you aspire to rise up the corporate ladder to become Director, VP of certain business segment of any organization. Browse through the senior profiles on LinkedIn, you will find their study path after Bachelors towards MEng., MASc. PhD etc. You should think of long term and avoid short term distractions.

Moreover, if you have done Master's then you have the option of PhD open in near future. This not possible in case of some PG from college. You need to start all over again. If you have Master's, then the options of greener pastures across the border (USA) remains open to you.

Don't forget, the fees for PG and Master's is almost same.

Having zero work exp. should not be a problem. Building an excellent working prototype as part of final semester project is always rewarding.

Most popular Master's programs will witness high applications and higher cut off. Hence, you need to spend some time to find the program that is close enough to match your interest. It's fine if certain subjects/courses are not available under certain program. Many Uni. may have lower cut off around 60-65% for certain programs.

Don't forget that the average of last 2 years of under-graduation is considered for cut off and not the average of 4 yrs.

Canadian education system and job market is little different than US. You won't find much attraction for PG among US students and that is how it should be for better career path.

 

[praguni]

My two cents for the fresh undergraduates or those who have less than 2 yrs of work exp after their Bachelor's.

Do your Master's from University and don't go for PG programs at colleges. You won't regret it after 10 yrs, when you aspire to rise up the corporate ladder to become Director, VP of certain business segment of any organization. Browse through the senior profiles on LinkedIn, you will find their study path after Bachelors towards MEng., MASc. PhD etc. You should think of long term and avoid short term distractions.

Moreover, if you have done Master's then you have the option of PhD open in near future. This not possible in case of some PG from college. You need to start all over again. If you have Master's, then the options of greener pastures across the border (USA) remains open to you.

Don't forget, the fees for PG and Master's is almost same.

Having zero work exp. should not be a problem. Building an excellent working prototype as part of final semester project is always rewarding.

Most popular Master's programs will witness high applications and higher cut off. Hence, you need to spend some time to find the program that is close enough to match your interest. It's fine if certain subjects/courses are not available under certain program. Many Uni. may have lower cut off around 60-65% for certain programs.

Don't forget that the average of last 2 years of under-graduation is considered for cut off and not the average of 4 yrs.

Canadian education system and job market is little different than US. You won't find much attraction for PG among US students and that is how it should be for better career path.

In case of masters in computers bars are very high. Even I tried and wanted to go for masters, but my application was rejected. So i think keeping an option for pg diploma is not bad. Also as you're talking about rising up the ladder in corporate world, i think proficiency in work matters more than a degree but a person can also go for part time masters degree in future to enhance his/her profile.

 

[jasz_blr]

Also as you're talking about rising up the ladder in corporate world, i think proficiency in work matters more than a degree

Investors in the Wall St. does not care about your proficiency. A lot of things goes under the hood when a name has to be recommended that does not swing the stock movement in negative manner. PG is fine if you don't wish to shoot for a moon.

 

[tiagofadsilva]

My two cents for the fresh undergraduates or those who have less than 2 yrs of work exp after their Bachelor's.

Do your Master's from University and don't go for PG programs at colleges. You won't regret it after 10 yrs, when you aspire to rise up the corporate ladder to become Director, VP of certain business segment of any organization. Browse through the senior profiles on LinkedIn, you will find their study path after Bachelors towards MEng., MASc. PhD etc. You should think of long term and avoid short term distractions.

Moreover, if you have done Master's then you have the option of PhD open in near future. This not possible in case of some PG from college. You need to start all over again. If you have Master's, then the options of greener pastures across the border (USA) remains open to you.

Don't forget, the fees for PG and Master's is almost same.

Having zero work exp. should not be a problem. Building an excellent working prototype as part of final semester project is always rewarding.

Most popular Master's programs will witness high applications and higher cut off. Hence, you need to spend some time to find the program that is close enough to match your interest. It's fine if certain subjects/courses are not available under certain program. Many Uni. may have lower cut off around 60-65% for certain programs.

Don't forget that the average of last 2 years of under-graduation is considered for cut off and not the average of 4 yrs.

Canadian education system and job market is little different than US. You won't find much attraction for PG among US students and that is how it should be for better career path.

I am aware that Master's may be the best option but, like I said, I'm afraid my average won't be good enough for any university because of the competition. And @praguni is an example of that, and he has an average even higher. That's why I was considering the diploma, because it seems like a safer option to get into. And I wouldn't say the tuitions are exactly the same between colleges and universities. At least for SAIT, the total tuition is around $40 000 CAD while in universities like University of Calgary or Alberta, or even British Columbia, it amounts to a total of around $20 000 CAD, which is much cheaper. So given the higher merit and lower price of the Master's, I'd much prefer that, but if I can't even get in in the first place, then it doesn't even matter at all if it's better or not.

 

[praguni]

I am aware that Master's may be the best option but, like I said, I'm afraid my average won't be good enough for any university because of the competition. And @praguni is an example of that, and he has an average even higher. That's why I was considering the diploma, because it seems like a safer option to get into. And I wouldn't say the tuitions are exactly the same between colleges and universities. At least for SAIT, the total tuition is around $40 000 CAD while in universities like University of Calgary or Alberta, or even British Columbia, it amounts to a total of around $20 000 CAD, which is much cheaper. So given the higher merit and lower price of the Master's, I'd much prefer that, but if I can't even get in in the first place, then it doesn't even matter at all if it's better or not.

*she not he
Nd i would suggest you to always have a backup plan in your head. I agree that masters from a top university would bring a lot of opportunities. Do strive for it but keep in mind that they have less number of seats for international students. If you have published research papers, or worked on some major projects during your undergrad studies, u should definitely give it a shot. One of my friend has 90% in undergrad and applied for masters in univ of windsor and got rejected. They dont make any decision only on the basis of your academics, always remember. I have many seniors who did pg diploma and are working at reputable posts and some of them did part time masters and were promoted to AVP and VP's. Some of them started their own companies. At the same time, I've also seen some students who havent got jobs after masters. So acc to me, it totally depends upon an individual. One needs to have practical edge to survive in corporate environment.

 

[tiagofadsilva]

*she not he
Nd i would suggest you to always have a backup plan in your head. I agree that masters from a top university would bring a lot of opportunities. Do strive for it but keep in mind that they have less number of seats for international students. If you have published research papers, or worked on some major projects during your undergrad studies, u should definitely give it a shot. One of my friend has 90% in undergrad and applied for masters in univ of windsor and got rejected. They dont make any decision only on the basis of your academics, always remember. I have many seniors who did pg diploma and are working at reputable posts and some of them did part time masters and were promoted to AVP and VP's. Some of them started their own companies. At the same time, I've also seen some students who havent got jobs after masters. So acc to me, it totally depends upon an individual. One needs to have practical edge to survive in corporate environment.

Oops, sorry, I assumed you were a guy xD
Wow, how was he rejected with such a high average? The thing is I have no research papers published or anything like that at my universitiy. Like I said, my university is very hands on and not much focused on research and things like that like most are, so I didn't do any of that stuff. The only thing I'm doing right now is an end-of-bachelor's project for a company and then writing a report on it to have delivered and presented to a few judges. That's why I think my chances of getting in a Master's there are very slim. But the diplomas don't care much for that, as long as I'm averagely good, they take almost everyone in. And it's Canadian education, which companies value a lot.

I'm kind of curious. Where did you get your diploma and how much did you pay? Because I've only checked SAIT and NAIT, and they're $40 000 CAD and $32 000 CAD respectively, which is quite a bit compared to the Master's I've seen which are all around $20 000 CAD.

 

[praguni]

Oops, sorry, I assumed you were a guy xD
Wow, how was he rejected with such a high average? The thing is I have no research papers published or anything like that at my universitiy. Like I said, my university is very hands on and not much focused on research and things like that like most are, so I didn't do any of that stuff. The only thing I'm doing right now is an end-of-bachelor's project for a company and then writing a report on it to have delivered and presented to a few judges. That's why I think my chances of getting in a Master's there are very slim. But the diplomas don't care much for that, as long as I'm averagely good, they take almost everyone in. And it's Canadian education, which companies value a lot.

I'm kind of curious. Where did you get your diploma and how much did you pay? Because I've only checked SAIT and NAIT, and they're $40 000 CAD and $32 000 CAD respectively, which is quite a bit compared to the Master's I've seen which are all around $20 000 CAD.

Well m final year student, have applied for pg diploma in conestoga(for may intake) and lambton college(for jan intake). Got conditional offer letter from both colleges. All source of information, regarding colleges, i get from my high skool ex-seniors or current univ seniors who are experienced and have gone through a lot of struggles. Well, that gives sort of motivation to me.