Grad School for CompSci and/or Software Engineering

Question

I'm looking for a graduate program to get a MS in either Computer Science or Software Engineering. My question is simply, what is the best way to search for and select a grad school for these two programs?

Can anyone give advice for selecting a grad school? Furthermore, can anyone point me to a good tech grad school in or around Chicago, IL. I intend to keep working while I attend a graduate program....

(Note: I've got several year experience. I'm not trying to jump from my undergraduate to a graduate program.)

Update: There are questions about what I'm interested in and what I'm wanting to get out of the program. At this time, I'm much more leaning toward software engineering. I'm interested in the process and concepts/theories behind software architecture and the product as a whole. However, I didn't want to rule out CompSci so I included it in my question here...

Thank you and Regards,
Frank V.

Answer 1

Computer Science and Software Engineering are vastly different fields - what do you want to study? A school is only as good as its faculty, and no school is at the top of everything.

Answer 2

Well, here's one important consideration: Some MS programs are course-centric and some require a bit of research. If you are still going to be working, you're probably better off with a course-based program, as research can consume all of your time. Also, some CS departments are very theoretical - this is probably not what you're looking for if you are also considering software engineering. So keep that in mind if you decide to do CS.

I'm a full time CS master's student (nowhere near Chicago), and I came straight from undergrad, so that's probably the limit of my relevant experience. But good luck!

Answer 3

I don't know that we need more Computer Scientists, but we certainly need more and better Software Engineers. I hope you choose to go that way.

Answer 4

The standard place to start for graduate programs is the National Research Council rankings. Unfortunately, the existing rankings are somewhat out of date at this point, and the new rankings are still in progress.

Answer 5

The best advice I can give you is to know what you want to concentrate on and find a school that has faculty that does research in that area. Faculty are primarily interested in their research. Going to a school that has no faculty doing research in your area of interest will make it harder for you to do your own research. This is less important for an MS, unless you must produce a thesis as part of the requirements, than the PhD, but I think it's still good to check. As a general rule, your professors will be a lot more interested in you if you and they are interested in the same topics.

This is in addition to all the regular rigamarole of looking at the faculty quality, number, level of support, reputation, etc. that you can find in the college search books.

EDIT: Obvious candidates in your area are Northwestern and the University of Chicago. Both are top-notch schools, though I don't think that their CS departments are their highest rated departments. You might also want to think about DePaul (or even NIU, if you live in the western suburbs). FWIW, I got my MCS at Iowa.

Answer 6

I'm in the MS in Computer Information Systems at Northwestern. In my opinion, it's a nice blend between technology and IT management skills. You can choose to take a more technical specialization, but also pick up some management skills along the way.

One great feature is that you can take courses at the Chicago (just north of downtown) and Loop (Clark & Adams) campuses. Almost all courses are at these locations are offered as evening and a couple Saturday morning classes. It's geared toward working professionals and is very convenient if you work anywhere near the city.

I'm in the capstone project course right now and it's definitely a huge computer science project along with lots of project management and software documentation included.

http://www.scs.northwestern.edu/grad/mscis/

EDIT: IIT also has a great CS program if you don't mind going to their campus on the south side (right off of the Red line).

Answer 7

My personal experience is that there is a "dirty secret" with grad schools: you should never tell them you (only) want a Masters degree. Find a Ph.D. program to your liking which grants a M.S. degree after two years; once you have your degree in hand, you can leave if you like.

The "problem" is this: the faculty doesn't want to invest much of their time in you if you're "only" going to be around for two years. Tell them you're going for your Ph.D. and they'll clean off a chair in their office for you.

Answer 8

Are you looking for a professional program (one that gives you better professional skills like an MBA) or a program where you do research? That's the most important thing to figure out.

In the US, there is a huge difference between the two. There are more Ph.D. programs (some of them starting with a masters), and fewer professional ones. Admissions are different, the process is different, etc. You have to be clear about your goals.

There are good professional ones in main tech areas: the MSE programs at Carnegie Mellon (also on the west coast), I think Stanford has one, University of Washington has one, etc. The best bet in Illinois would be to check if UIUC has one. I think Northwestern and University of Chicago may have something too.

Answer 9

Instead of going for by the degree name or the school, first figure out what you wanna study. Then check the schools you are interested in one by one and figure out which degree will allow you to take maximum of those. Figure if you really care about the "core" subjects offered in each degree. In case of a tie, do some research on the faculty teaching the courses you are interested in (Makes a big difference.).

I don't agree with Dan. I find that quite unethical, sadly people do do it. If you are good you can easily work your way up. (I was a MS student 2 years ago and had funding for two years). A Prof can be your lifelong mentor/friend.