Seeking Master's in Computer Science (course/project based)

[abhishek_can]

Hello all,

I really need your help here. I have applied to several US universities (for an MS in Computer Science this Fall) but am keeping Canada as a backup option (in case my visa gets rejected due to the stringent system). For this, I want to apply for good MSc programs (non-thesis, as my credentials aren't that worthy) in Canadian universities. But I have limited copies of documents left (4 to be precise) as most of them went to the US univs.

Like most, I have it in mind to work in Canada after graduation and apply for PR eventually. My profile is as follows:-

Undergrad: B.Tech in CSE (62.1 %, 5 backlogs)
TOEFL - 111
GRE - 314
1+ years work experience as Web Developer

My questions:-

1)Apart from Memorial, Concordia and Winnipeg, which other universities offer good coursework/project/work-term based programs? Should I consider Victoria (seems very competitive/high ranked for me)?

2)With my profile, is it worth going for a 2-year PG certificate/diploma like the ones offered at Humber and Lambton? If so, please do suggest some worthwhile ones.

3)What documents do I need to provide as proof of financial support (if any different from US universities' requirements)?

4)Will my my US F-1 visa rejection affect my chances of getting Canadian visa?

If this Fall isn't possible, I'm ok with next Winter intake (2015). Anticipating your replies. Thanks and God bless...

 

[maximin]

If I were you I would not apply for Masters because chances to get in are negligible.
I think your best shot is Humber college. My friend did their program on DB stream and got a job offer in the 3d term.

 

[abhishek_can]

If I were you I would not apply for Masters because chances to get in are negligible.
I think your best shot is Humber college. My friend did their program on DB stream and got a job offer in the 3d term.

According to some consultants in India, doing a PG Diploma/Certificate is more profitable that pursuing a Masters because it's more skills-oriented and hence can fetch more jobs. Is this really true? This idea seems kind of fishy, given the fact that these consultants have tie-ups with Canadian colleges and wouldn't care less about the student's future.

Moreover, I feel that previous work experience is a major factor that determines whether one gets employment. For example, a person who has 5 years work experience in an MNC is more likely to get a job in Canada after doing even 1 yr PG dip. than someone with the same academic credentials, but having little or no experience in the industry.

Since I have only 1 year's experience as a Web Developer in an IT startup (which aren't great in India), I'm not quite sure of my chances. I felt that doing a Masters with a co-op term would strengthen my profile.

Hoping you'd shed some light on this.

 

[lovedeepsingh]

If I were you I would not apply for Masters because chances to get in are negligible.
I think your best shot is Humber college. My friend did their program on DB stream and got a job offer in the 3d term.

how can you say that chances are negligible?

 

[lovedeepsingh]

According to some consultants in India, doing a PG Diploma/Certificate is more profitable that pursuing a Masters because it's more skills-oriented and hence can fetch more jobs. Is this really true? This idea seems kind of fishy, given the fact that these consultants have tie-ups with Canadian colleges and wouldn't care less about the student's future.

Moreover, I feel that previous work experience is a major factor that determines whether one gets employment. For example, a person who has 5 years work experience in an MNC is more likely to get a job in Canada after doing even 1 yr PG dip. than someone with the same academic credentials, but having little or no experience in the industry.

Since I have only 1 year's experience as a Web Developer in an IT startup (which aren't great in India), I'm not quite sure of my chances. I felt that doing a Masters with a co-op term would strengthen my profile.

Hoping you'd shed some light on this.

Consultants of India push students toward colleges because they get their commision from the colleges.Howcome these agents know everything about each and every subjects including engineering,arts,humanities,nursing and many more.As you have courage to apply for US ,so you should apply for Cad univ also.But i think you are late for sept2014 intake but you may check univ of windsor.

 

[manpreet27]

Yes you are right, Consultants has tighs up to most SPP colleges and they get 2000 CAd dollars if ur admitted .

They will never refer u to Universities, my Consultant asked me to choose any SPP college but thank god i chose University after taking advise from seniors and friends . I by myself got accepted in Concordia as my consultant said he dont have tie up withConcordia . Once i got LOA he revelaed truth by saying we get 2000 CAd dollars per student for SPP colleges referral .

So dont go by there words , its u have to decide where u need to go . There are experts on this forum who can definetely help u with right course selection .

Good Luck

 

[lovedeepsingh]

Yes you are right, Consultants has tighs up to most SPP colleges and they get 2000 CAd dollars if ur admitted .

They will never refer u to Universities, my Consultant asked me to choose any SPP college but thank god i chose University after taking advise from seniors and friends . I by myself got accepted in Concordia as my consultant said he dont have tie up withConcordia . Once i got LOA he revelaed truth by saying we get 2000 CAd dollars per student for SPP colleges referral .

So dont go by there words , its u have to decide where u need to go . There are experts on this forum who can definetely help u with right course selection .

Good Luck

agreed!
they told me that you cant get admission in univ and you have to apply for colleges.They also put pressure by saying that seats will get filled,apply asap,application fee weavier etc.
what i did was ,i went to about 3-4 consultants,got familiar with the process and later applied myself.No doubt its tedious process but once we apply to one univ then it seems easy enough.

 

[maximin]

@ abhishek_can,

While I was a Master student in CS, I was helping to assess applications to our program. The minimum required GPA was 80%. The average GPA of students who were accepted to course based option in 2013 in my university was 82%. The exception was made for one girl who had GPA of 74% but she voluntary provided two GRE Subject tests, Math and CS, with very high scores. The average for thesis option was 89%.

The majority of applicants are under impression that if they are willing to pay for Masters, then universities should not care about their undergrad marks. This is not true, at least for public universities. Universities want to be sure that you will be able to complete all requirements of the program in reasonable amount of time. One of the common graduate degree requirements is that the average by the end of the program should be at least 70-75% otherwise student will have to take extra courses in order to improve GPA. If an applicant wants to be accepted to Master program with quite low GPA then he/she needs to provide other proofs (GRE Subject tests, relevant job experience etc) of his/her knowledge.

Now let's assume that you got lucky, i.e. they accepted you. What do you think you will learn ? How to create a new programming language or how to build your own OS? No, nothing useful for regular IT job. What they will teach you, for example, is how to prove that one algorithm has slightly better complexity than the other one. You may think that it is great to learn about more efficient algorithms. Yes, but the problem is that these efficient algorithms are not easy to implement and that is why they are unpopular among practitioners and almost nobody teach them in undergrad level. Of course, there are courses which will require you to do some coding but again you will learn concepts which are mostly useful for research. Not to mention that for all CS graduate courses you will need to have deep knowledge of Math, Stats, Graph Theory etc. You should also take into account that not every IT job will be approved by CS department for Master coop term.

OK, now let's talk about what type of jobs requires MSc in CS. Well, these are usually positions in R&D departments of big companies or research institutions. Most of these jobs are well paid, interesting and ... extremely competitive. So after you will complete your Masters in non top university with no research experience, you will have to compete with Master graduates from UofT, Waterloo, UBC who have research and job experience in well known companies. Your alternative would be applying for regular IT jobs which requires at max Bachelor degree which you already have.

So I do not think that in the given circumstances course based Master program offered by non top CS university is a good investment for you.

If you still prefer university over college then I suggest apply for second Bachelor Degree to the universities listed above. You will get some credits for your first degree and be able to complete the program in 4-5 terms. It is expensive but this education will open a lot of doors for you.

This is my personal opinion and I might be wrong.
Anyway, I wish you best of luck with your future studies)

 

[maximin]

how can you say that chances are negligible?

You can see explanation in the first 2 paragraphs of the message above.

 

[busy925]

You can see explanation in the first 2 paragraphs of the message above.

Hi,

Do you have any information on what would be the salary range if you do R&D work after MS.

Thanks,