Please evaluate my profile

[raghvendra9]

Hi all ,please evaluate my profile


Could you please tell me after looking at my credentials whether I am eligible to apply in for Master of Science Degree in Computer Science commencing fall 2008?

1) Btech in Mining Engineering from Institute of Technology – Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU) INDIA in May 2006

2) D.G.P.A : 7.53 /10 (Absolute grading system was followed)


3) GRE Score: 1300
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Quantitative: 800
Verbal: 500


4) I have been working with Infosys Technologies Ltd from past 18 month as a Software Engineer.

5)
MCAD.NET Certification
1) Exam 070-315: Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
2) Exam 070-320: Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and the Microsoft .NET
3) Exam 70–229: Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition

[CalmLogic]

UT Dallas is a possible option, but you would need to take some extra courses once you get there:

http://www.urch.com/forums/gre-compu...tml#post511187 (gre computer science)

You may want to consider MS degrees other than computer science per se. For example, an MS degree in Human-Computer Interaction would not require a CS background:

http://www.urch.com/forums/computer-...-students.html (Interested in HCI? Automatic partial funding for MS students.)

Some MS degrees in software engineering do not require a computer science background. However, funding is an issue. For example, CMU has an excellent software engineering MS degree, but the tuition is very expensive even with a partial discount waiver:

Carnegie Mellon University West Coast Campus - Masters Software Engineering and Management

[CalmLogic]

Some more examples of degrees that are not traditional, generic CS degrees:

MS Degrees
...Computing with a Graphics and Visualization specialization, Computing with a Information specialization, Computing with a Robotics specialization, Computing with a Computer Engineering specialization, and Computing with a Information Technology specialization.


U of U School of Computing - Graduate Admissions

Based on the University of Utah's website, I know for sure that the Information Specialization program has relatively minor prerequisite requirements. I would think the Information Technology degree may have even less prerequisites, if any.

[raghvendra9]

Hi CalmLogic
first of all let me thank you for your precious reply.

i think the options provided by you of studying fields related to Computer Science encourages me a lot,Could you please tell me the list of colleges in which funding can be possible in these courses according to my profile.

i would be really thankful to you

[CalmLogic]

Funding is bad enough for MS applicants, especially prior to the first semester. My guess is that your lack of an academic background in CS or IT topics would make it even more difficult for you get a TA or RA position for the first semester. On the positive side, one's chances dramatically increase for getting a TA position as each semester goes by.

The University of Utah seems significantly above average regarding funding for MS CS applicants with a formal CS academic background. However, for those without an academic background in CS topics applying for other MS degrees in computing, the funding situation may be more problematic.

Another option for funding may be a partial tuition waiver that would lower the cost of tuition to something like in-state tuition prices. But I don't know what schools offer this for non-CS degrees like Information Technology. I did find this, however:

Financial Aid - Graduate Program - School of Information Technology

Your best bet for funding may be getting a part-time job on campus, but there is relatively little money in that with a 20-hour maximum weekly work schedule and a wage of maybe $7.50 an hour. That's why I am attracted to this partially-funded HCI MS program:

http://www.urch.com/forums/computer-...-students.html (Interested in HCI? Automatic partial funding for MS students.)

However, I'm a US citizen, and jobs in HCI are usually not the jobs that companies use to sponsor H1B applicants.

Of course, getting an MS degree is not always worth the cost of tuition because of the opportunity costs of not gaining additional work experience in the interim. Maybe your co-workers at Infosys know of people who got H1B jobs without an MS degree?

[raghvendra9]

Hi CalmLogic,again thanks a lot for your valuable reply.Now i am more bit more clear by all the information provided by you in this thread,well i have concluded that though it is very difficult to get Funding but still i can try for the Admit,and also as i belong to the middle class background so i should be looking for those University where tuition fees is very low.
So i have searched only for those universities where tuition fees is very low.

1) Sacramento state : Sacramento State - Computer Science Department Admission Information
2)California State University: California State University, Long Beach
3)Texas tech: http://www.irs.ttu.edu/Tuition/TUITIONFY2007-08.pdf
4)University of Misisipi: http://www.bagley.msstate.edu/prospective_students/graduate/masterofengineering/
5)Lousianana: UL Lafayette: Bursar's Office: Schedule for Spring 2008


And also application deadlines for some of the universities dates for Fall 2008 has come so i should apply after next week.

Can you give your advice after looking at all these above mentioned universities that where i should apply,and also if you have some more list that please give it to me,and also r one of my friend told me that you can look out for MIS courses in some universities as this course is for 1 year and since you have 2 years of work experience you will easily get through it,so can you please tell me should i also look for MIS ,and if yes then apart from MIS what are other courses i need to look so that i may get admit?

Looking farword for your reply

[CalmLogic]

1) Sacramento state : Sacramento State - Computer Science Department Admission Information
2)California State University: California State University, Long Beach
3)Texas tech: http://www.irs.ttu.edu/Tuition/TUITIONFY2007-08.pdf
4)University of Misisipi: http://www.bagley.msstate.edu/prospective_students/graduate/masterofengineering/ 5)Lousianana: UL Lafayette: Bursar's Office: Schedule for Spring 2008

This is an interesting list. Texas Tech stands out for me since they don't seem to require much for admission to their MS in Software Engineering. University of Mississippi is certainly interesting since you can customize whatever you want and transfer in up to 9 credits. However, their MS degree does not sound "resume friendly" since it is a generic engineering degree. (Many programs allow you to transfer in 6 credits. 9 credits is on the high end. One could take up to 9 credits via distance learning from another US university and then transfer those credits.)

my friend told me that you can look out for MIS courses in some universities as this course is for 1 year and since you have 2 years of work experience you will easily get through it

Definitely. In fact, it seems to me that many MIS courses do not seem challenging enough. On a related note, I looked at the grade statistics for Information Systems courses at Dakota State University and the majority of the students got As and the rest mostly got Bs.

An option that no one seems to discuss in this forum is distance learning. Personally, distance learning is attractive to me as a way to save money and as a way to be employed while taking courses part-time. As I mention later in this post, through distance learning one can get an MS in Information Systems from Dakota State University for only $8,100.

In your case, you could take courses online on a part-time basis while staying at your current job in India. Not only do you save on cost of living expenses (Can current grad students give cost of living numbers?), you are also gaining valuable work experience in the interim. Most of the distance learning programs listed below have low tuition rates:

http://web.archive.org/web/200608211...index.php?c=26

As mentioned at the link above, Florida State University has an MIS program which is available via distance learning. However, the tuition cost is over $1,000 per credit for non-Florida residents. According to their tuition page, they do offer partial tuition waivers to some students, which, I assume, could bring the cost down to basically in-state rates.

In contrast, an online MIS program with very low tuition costs for all students is the University of Illinois at Springfield:

Students pursuing our online MIS degree pay the same low tuition rate whether they live in Illinois or some other state.

UIS: MIS

According to the link below, the current cost of online tuition at UIS is only $251 per credit regardless of your location as long as you are a degree-seeking student:

Records and Registration - University of Illinois at Springfield

Each course is usually 4 credits, and a total of 44 credits are required. Even so, the cost of the entire online program is not much over $11k. I did not, however, add the Online Student Services fee, which seems to be $66 per semester for part-time online students.

Dakota State University may be less reputable, but they have 2 online MS programs, one in Information Systems and one in Information Assurance:
Dakota State University Graduate Prospective Students

DSU's online tuition rates seem to be the cheapest at about $270 per credit with 30 credits required for the MS in Information Systems. The total cost of that program is then $8,100.

Moving up in cost, the University of Mass. at Dartmouth offers 15-credit graduate certificates with each 3-credit course costing $1,230 plus a $30 registration fee for each semester:

Software Development and Design - UMassOnline.net
Computer Networks and Distributed Systems - UMassOnline.net

Either graduate certificate can be earned online. One can then complete the remaining credits in-person (and maybe partially online) to get an MS degree in computer science. However, a major hidden cost of getting the MS degree partially online from Dartmouth is that the in-person courses look very expensive at over $18k for 12-credits in one semester:

Annual Graduate Expenses, 12 Credits - Graduate Studies at UMass Dartmouth - University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Therefore, I am not interested in UMass at Dartmouth except possibly as a way to take 6-9 credits online and then transfer those credits to an MS program at a different university.

Florida Institute of Technology offers a completely online degree in Computer Information Systems that seems similar to a CS degree: Florida Institute of Technology. The tuition is $1,425 per 3-credit course regardless if the course is taken online or in person. (Since FIT is a private university, they don't charge extra for out-of-state students that take courses in person.) For the CIS degree, there are no prerequisites at all except having taken a math course beyond college algebra. Also, it seems up to 12 graduate credits related to CS or CIS can be transferred in:

If the courses are a logical part of a student’s program, up to a maximum of 12 semester hours of transfer credit from regionally accredited institutions may be transferred (for one master’s degree only). Individual conditions may apply.

Florida Institute of Technology

For me, this is significant because it means I could take cheaper online courses elsewhere and then transfer those in for credit.

A list of other MS degrees that FIT offers online, namely an MS in Information Technology: Florida Institute of Technology

Texas Tech, which you mention, also has online degrees, namely an MS in Software Engineering with apparently minimal prerequisites:
Texas Tech University :: Distance Learning Program

Harvard offers a mostly online degree called "Master of Liberal Arts in Information Technology." It seems that one is guaranteed to be admitted after taking 3 courses, but the tuition costs about $1700 to $1975 per course. So, just thinking quickly, it seems the total cost of the program is about $20k. There is also a requirement that one must take at least one course in person at Harvard.

For comparison, another online degree program costs $30k:

Welcome to University of Oregon's Applied Information Management Master's Degree Program (AIM)
Applied Information Management | Tuition and Fees

As you may know, H1B laws give preference to those who earned a master's degree or PhD from an accredited US institution, and this seems to also apply to such degrees earned via distance learning:

(5) The numerical limitations contained in paragraph (1)(A) shall not apply to any nonimmigrant alien issued a visa or otherwise provided status under section 1101 (a)(15)(H)(i)(b) of this title who— (A) is employed (or has received an offer of employment) at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 1001 (a) of title 20), or a related or affiliated nonprofit entity;
(B) is employed (or has received an offer of employment) at a nonprofit research organization or a governmental research organization; or
(C) has earned a master’s or higher degree from a United States institution of higher education (as defined in section 1001 (a) of title 20), until the number of aliens who are exempted from such numerical limitation during such year exceeds 20,000.

US CODE: Title 8,1184. Admission of nonimmigrants

I also have the confusion about it. I am doing my masters from IIT Chicago (http://www.iit.edu/departments/oia/d...ning/iao5.html) as a internet student from india. All the lectures, assignments, projects are same which are posted for on campus students with same deadlines. The degree that will be awarded at the time of course completion will also be same. But I don't know whether with this master's degree i can apply for H1B in 20k quota next yr. If anyone has any info abt this, then please reply.

Vinit.
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Yeap... As long as it from accredited institution. Even Duke have online MBA...

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As per what I read on the website of some online degree colleges, the masters program is accredited and is no different from a regular "in-campus" program. They also say that the transcripts itself will not say that it was earned through an online program (http://www.ctuonline.edu/about_campus/faq.aspx#ac3). If this is true, then it makes no difference to USCIS - if online degree is infact treated differently from regular degree.

All F1 visa,OPT, F1-H1, H1-F1 visa related posts here - Immigration Voice

If you are interested in distance learning, there is a discussion forum about online IT degrees:
IT and computer-related degrees - Distance Learning Discussion Forums

what are other courses i need to look so that i may get admit?

What are your career goals? For example, you may or may not be interested in the data mining track that is part of the statistics program at UCF:

Statistics & Actuarial Science | Graduate | Degrees | Data Mining Track

On the other hand, I don't know what jobs are most valuable for getting an HIB visa:

All h1b jobs | Indeed.com=

Certainly, there are a number schools offering an M.S. in Software Engineering. I'm sure a number of the less reputable ones don't require much in the way of prerequisites.

There are some schools that offer an M.S. in Networking. The University of Georgia offers an MS in Artificial Intelligence. So it is a lot easier to just search based on what your interests are or what your career goals are.

[raghvendra9]

Hi CalmLogic Thanks a lot for your valuable reply,my career goal is to persue MS in CS or CS realated field, actually after working for 2 years in software field i want to study Computer Science . Distance learning is nonthless a very good options but it i want to attend a regular class,so now i am left with three options

1) MS in CS related field like HCI or MIS or other CS related fields,now as i dont know much about the broder aspects of these courses means what will be the job prospects and will there be any issue on VISA after completing these courses and also are these courses in demand now a days or not.
So Could you please help me to find out those universities from where there is some probabilities of getting admit + low tuition fees +some financial aid(low priority) according to my profile


2)MS in CS only :Just help me to find out those universities where there is some chances of getting admit + low tuition fees +some financial aid(low priority) according to my profile

[raghvendra9]

Hi CalmLogic Thanks a lot for your valuable reply,my career goal is to persue MS in CS or CS realated field, actually after working for 2 years in software field i want to study Computer Science . Distance learning is nonthless a very good options but it i want to attend a regular class,so now i am left with three options

1) MS in CS related field like HCI or MIS or other CS related fields,now as i dont know much about the broder aspects of these courses means what will be the job prospects and will there be any issue on VISA after completing these courses and also are these courses in demand now a days or not.
So Could you please help me to find out those universities from where there is some probabilities of getting admit + low tuition fees +some financial aid(low priority) according to my profile


2)MS in CS only :Just help me to find out those universities where there is some chances of getting admit + low tuition fees +some financial aid(low priority) according to my profile

[CalmLogic]

...actually after working for 2 years in software field i want to study Computer Science .

By that answer, I assume you are getting bored of software development. Lots of people find it boring after a while. I know I do

MS in CS related field like HCI or MIS or other CS related fields,now as i dont know much about the broder aspects of these courses means what will be the job prospects and will there be any issue on VISA after completing these courses and also are these courses in demand now a days or not.

There are no job prospects in HCI that I know of for getting an H1B. Regarding the other degrees, there is certainly far more promise. A CIS, MIS, IS, or IT degree may be seen as equivalent to a CS degree for some jobs, e.g.:

All it h1b jobs | Indeed.com **
Job Opportunies **
All cis h1b jobs | Indeed.com
All h1b mis jobs | Indeed.com
Find .Net Training/Placement jobs at Dice.com

** An important point with the links above is that the companies, as I would expect, will see work experience as far more valuable than a degree. Some places may even see certifications as more valuable than an MS degree. More to the point, one job ad for an H1B sponsorship put it this way:

Masters, Bachelors, Associates degree in IT/CS OR 6-12 months of IT related experience.

St. Louis Job Details - Free training and placement with H1B sponsorship at Sharppath.Inc - WorkStLouis.com

This makes a lot of sense when you consider the value of hands-on experience in an enterprise environment with a variety of technologies vs. the limitations of textbooks and homework assignments.

An unusual exception, however, in favor of an MS degree:

BS degree with 5 years of exp or MS degree with 2 years in CS, MIS, IT, Science, Engineering.

Jobs

However, I know that for for most companies hiring American workers, an MS degree is, at best, seen as equivalent to 1-2 years of work experience.

For additional information, I would recommend finding an H1B job forum, H1B job sites, or other online resources on the Internet for such research.

2)MS in CS only :Just help me to find out those universities where there is some chances of getting admit + low tuition fees +some financial aid(low priority) according to my profile

Regarding MS CS programs that would accept your background, I don't know of any offhand that you or I haven't already mentioned.

Here is a link that may be helpful for finding schools with lower tuition, if you haven't used it already:

usnews.com: America's Best Graduate Schools 2008: Engineering School Search

From that search, Texas A&M shows a tuition of less than 10k per year, but they do not seem to want people without a formal CS background:

The best advice we can offer is that if your undergraduate education is equivalent to our undergraduate Computer Science or Computer Engineering degrees, then please do apply.

TAMU Computer Science :: FAQ Graduate Admissions

Texas A&M at Kingsville has a somewhat similar policy:

Prerequisite Course work for Graduate Study

Eighteen semester hours of undergraduate courses in the major subject area, including 12 advanced semester hours, are prerequisite for all graduate study. Each department has the right to examine an applicant's prerequisites and to accept certain equivalent hours or to require additional work if the graduate coordinator and the student's program chair feel it is necessary.

Office of Admissions - w w w . t a m u k . e d u

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