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Masters Degree Software Application Development

andrew79

I am about to complete my BS in Software Engineering for Computer Science and debating about getting a Masters in either software or cyber....is anyone taking this program or know someone who has taken it?

Was wondering if it would be really worth it, seems like if I can get 12 credits to transfer Id only need to take 24 credits worth which would be 4 terms so really could be done in a year.

TIA!

 

 

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  • Hi Andrew,

     

    It's hard to know. On the face of it I'd say any education can be worthwhile, and deciding to do a Masters or not is partially down to how you feel about it. I did a masters, and it initially only made a difference of about £500/$700USD to a starting salary so money-wise it is not initially worth it, given how much you will spend on the year that you're not working. And it was a lot lower-cost to study when I studied, this is regretful that nowadays the huge expense has to be factored into it.

     

    Having said that, maybe the year studying is worthwhile since you'll exit uni a bit more mature, and that could partially sway firms/recruiters who want experience, but may give you an edge over new graduates with one less year education than you. Personally I do not regret it nor think about it as a year lost to work, I enjoyed that year and it allowed me to apply my three earlier years to a more substantial project of my choosing, with real-world applications but still in an educational setting, and it probably partially helped with my first interviews (and I still apply some of the knowledge I gained in that year - Master's projects will make you a mini-expert in a field, although it might be narrow - depends on what you do!). Equally, those that worked immediately after a Bachelors degree are unlikely to regret their decision either, because there's so much learning to do throughout your career (provided you seek and take the opportunities) that one more year in uni could pale into insignificance perhaps.

     

    If you do it, then as for which topic you specialize in, I think that's less important, both software development and cyber-security is important. Personally I'd go with software development and then if I was interested in a cyber security job, I'd do the specialist courses paid by an employer, if I expressed interest to them in that area. But that's just me, I will have different interests than you.

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  • Hi Andrew,

     

    It's hard to know. On the face of it I'd say any education can be worthwhile, and deciding to do a Masters or not is partially down to how you feel about it. I did a masters, and it initially only made a difference of about £500/$700USD to a starting salary so money-wise it is not initially worth it, given how much you will spend on the year that you're not working. And it was a lot lower-cost to study when I studied, this is regretful that nowadays the huge expense has to be factored into it.

     

    Having said that, maybe the year studying is worthwhile since you'll exit uni a bit more mature, and that could partially sway firms/recruiters who want experience, but may give you an edge over new graduates with one less year education than you. Personally I do not regret it nor think about it as a year lost to work, I enjoyed that year and it allowed me to apply my three earlier years to a more substantial project of my choosing, with real-world applications but still in an educational setting, and it probably partially helped with my first interviews (and I still apply some of the knowledge I gained in that year - Master's projects will make you a mini-expert in a field, although it might be narrow - depends on what you do!). Equally, those that worked immediately after a Bachelors degree are unlikely to regret their decision either, because there's so much learning to do throughout your career (provided you seek and take the opportunities) that one more year in uni could pale into insignificance perhaps.

     

    If you do it, then as for which topic you specialize in, I think that's less important, both software development and cyber-security is important. Personally I'd go with software development and then if I was interested in a cyber security job, I'd do the specialist courses paid by an employer, if I expressed interest to them in that area. But that's just me, I will have different interests than you.

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