CS Master's Degrees - US vs. EU Programs? 124
Monty asks: "I'm currently exploring my options and I've been wondering, is it worthwhile to seek education overseas--specifically the EU? Edsgar Dijkstra was of the opinion, though controversial, that American and European CS programs were fundamentally different (see his later writings in the E.W. Dijkstra Archives). What makes the EU interesting, in that light, is that it seems to have more openly embraced things like functional programming. So, if I want to focus my study on something of a more functional nature, are schools in the EU a better choice? What are the implications of returning to North America for employment with a foreign degree? Do they have to be accredited as proof of validity or are they usually recognized by themselves here in the US?"
It is all name recognition after all (Score:5, Interesting)
Of course it never comes down to someone from one school, vs someone from another, there is history, communications ability, interviewing skills etc.
so in that sense it doesn't matter where you get your degree, it is what you learn, and what you can show to an interviewer
Depends on School/Project (Score:3, Interesting)
For example, if you come back to the States with a Doctorate in Computer Science from Oxford University, and contributed heavily to the SATA, USB2, and Firewire code in the Linux Kernel, your interviewer will drool at the opportunity to have you working for them. On the other hand, if you come back with a Doctorate in Computer Science from St. Etienne Community College, and contributed heavily to gwine [tuxfamily.org] (with no disrespect to Sylvain Daubert or his work), your potential employer might be asking you where St. Etienne is, and what gwine is ("is that related to the Wine is not an emulator project?").
if you have a choice (Score:4, Interesting)
If I didn't already have family, friends, and own a house here, I'd look into leaving. It just seems to me that the U.S. is on a slippery slope downhill. I think whatever your political viewpoint is, it's all downhill...
But that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.
A couple arguments (Score:2, Interesting)
2. From a pragmatic perspective, you're going to end up spending more money (tuition, exchange rates, visas, long distance, airfare) and at best get the same education you'd get here.
3. You need to consider what you're going to do with the degree. If you're shooting for a terminal MS (i.e., not going on to a PhD), then what you're basically doing is getting advanced job skills training -- IMHO, it's best to get that in the US so that you're on the same page as the rest of us.
If you're going to do a PhD, either in Europe or back here, then the argument is different... If you work with a prestegious research group or professor in Europe, and produce some results, then you may be more attractive to Doctoral programs in the US. Then again, unless you're shooting for a career in academe, you'll most likely get out faster if you do your MS and PhD at the same university in the US (where language and cultural bullshit won't be an issue).
Personally, I thank my lucky stars that I stuck it out and got an MS... I'm a much better engineer for the experience and it's gotten me more than one job. I tailored my graduate program in such a way that if I decided to continue on in a PhD program I'd be in good shape, but also such that if I bailed with an MS I'd still have a lot of useful content under my belt. I suggest that you do the same.
4. Another person suggested moving to Europe for good, given the job market here. That's not the choice I'd make, but it's a resaonable suggestion. If you think that you'll want to work in Europe or work at an international company doing business in Europe, then doing some graduate work over there, even if it's only for a semester or two, sounds like a great idea.
5. One last thing to consider is that two jobs after graduation, the school you went to, and even the type of degree you have (MSCSE, MSCS, MSCSEE, etc) doesn't really matter. The fact that you have an MS combined with your work experience will be what gets you the interview. If the MS is from a big-name CS department, that can't hurt either, but it won't be a deciding factor.
Don't choose based on continent! (Score:4, Interesting)
A few things to consider (Score:3, Interesting)
But before you go remember these things, unless you go to an english speaking area most programs are in the local language. How well do you speek it? To take a masters level class in Computer Science you will need to speek it quite well.
Costs, not just tuition, but also things like airfare back to the USA to visit people and so on.
Quility of Life, I have lived in the USA, England and now Israel, life is different, in some ways better in some ways worse but different, think about how it will affect your lifestyle.
Now if you decide that going outside the USA is for you, go for it, there are some very good universities in many places around the world (and some very bad ones)
Qualifications Assessor POV (Score:5, Interesting)
The main factor in deciding the quality of a particular country's qualifications is not the curriculum, facilities, or anything along those lines. It's the quality of the students, determined mostly by whether students gain their place at university through academic merit, or by buying a place. In the US you mostly buy a place, so consequently the value of degrees from the US suffers.
I would advise anyone trying to choose between the US and Europe for a degree of any kind to go to an English university. They don't hand out testamurs from Oxford to any sub-literate with a fat wallet.
Canadian Quals (Score:5, Interesting)
[Gets big 'C' book from shelf...]
Canada is seen as high quality, on par with UK / Australia, and ahead of the US by a year or so. The high school diplomas / matriculation certificates are highly regarded also. Further, the French and English institutions are considered on par with each other. Canada would be a good choice for postgraduate study.
why should a MIT guy be so clever? (Score:2, Interesting)
What have MIT done in the past 10 years in the field of, say, AI?? Functinal Languages [which I happen to hate]?
Why should someone from no-name-german-univ be worse than a guy that paid $xxxk just for a name?
my final question: are everyone with a XXX degree from high profile YYY university smart?
There is no "EU" Degree Standard... (Score:2, Interesting)
But no "high school" awards degree's of any type in the UK - only universities do that.
Most universities subscribe to the 3years==Batchelor's degree (BSc / BEng)
+1year == Masters
Some also do 4 year masters in engineering subjects (where you don't get a BEng, you go straight to the MEng after 4 years).
The top UK universities (eg. Cambridge) use a totally different system altogether...