Post by mypassion on Feb 3, 2008 22:17:57 GMT 5.5
What is the difference between applying for an MS and applying for a
PhD?
A PhD
and and an MS are two very different things. Even though the eligibility
criteria (usually specified in terms of minimum GRE & TOEFL scores
and minimum GPA) are the same for the both, that’s where almost all
the similarity ends. Let me break down the differences that I think are
important:
• Research: The biggest difference is what you are actually expected
to contribute in terms of research.
A PhDor aDoctor of Philosophy was originally awarded to a learned
individualwho had achieved the approval of his peers and who had
demonstrated a long and productive career in the field of his/her
choice. It indicated that this individual had dedicated his life to
learning and to the acquisition and spread of knowledge. I can
safely argue that the expectations of a PhD aspirant are not very
different in today’s world. You are expected, as a PhD candidate, to
come up with an original idea in your field and carry out novel research
based on that idea. To this end, you are required to produce
and defend a thesis or a dissertation, that documents your idea,
all your experiments towards the exploration of that idea and the
conclusions that you reached. Remember that the keyword here is
original.
For an MS, the research contribution is usually substantially lower.
As an MS student, you might also be required to write an MS thesis
but that does not necessarily need to be inspired by original research.
You are allowed to, for example, take an already existing
idea and propose somemodifications or revisions to it.
• Qualifying examination: Another important difference, partially
related to the point I made above, is in the official requirements of
the degree. The coursework for an MS and a PhD is usually comparable,
but for a PhD, you need to pass a qualifying examination
that usually test your knowledge of your research area. Qualifiying
examinations or quals may be written or oral. The written examinations
are quite comprehensive and thorough. You are usually
given 2 chances to pass these examinations4. Oral examinations
usually take the form of Q&A session where you answer the questions
put to you by a committee.
On the other hand, for an MS, all you usually need to do is take the
prescribed amount of coursework and write a thesis5. As I said, the
amount of coursework involved in an MS might be comparable to
that for a PhD, depending on the program requirements.
• Admission Criteria: The eligibility criteria may be the same for
both the applications but an admissions committee will consider
different factors when choosing PhD students, as opposed to MS
students. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to say what these
factors may be in either case. All I can tell you is that when you are
applying for a PhD, your aptitude for research is the primary factor.
Indicators for this aptitude may include prior research experience,
technical publications and letters of recommendation from
faculty members at your undergraduate institution. Of course, the
same aptitude will be a factor when you apply for an MS but I believe
that it might not be the primary one. Other things such as
academic credentials, work experience and GRE scores might be
weighted higher in that case.
• Employment: I was once told my by advisor that the PhD degreeholders
are the ones that actually solve a problem and MS degreeholders
are the ones that implement that solution. I don’t quite
agree with such a black-and-white demarcation of responsibilities,
but I think it a decent approximation to the real world. If you graduate
with an MS, your primary responsibilities will include implementation
and development as opposed to solving problems or
coming up with new ideas. I think an example always illustrates
this distinction better. My former roommate graduated with an MS
in Computer Engineering and his research was in Computer Architecture.
He has now been at the AMD Design Validation & Verification
team for 2.5 years and works on verification of processor designs.
It does not entail a lot of original research but it is certainly
not just programming, either. He has to use concepts from VLSI
design, data structures and computer architecture and apply them
to his work. The actual processor design, however, was conceived
by a team of scientists whose members, most probably, hold PhDs
in their respective fields.
PhD?
A PhD
and and an MS are two very different things. Even though the eligibility
criteria (usually specified in terms of minimum GRE & TOEFL scores
and minimum GPA) are the same for the both, that’s where almost all
the similarity ends. Let me break down the differences that I think are
important:
• Research: The biggest difference is what you are actually expected
to contribute in terms of research.
A PhDor aDoctor of Philosophy was originally awarded to a learned
individualwho had achieved the approval of his peers and who had
demonstrated a long and productive career in the field of his/her
choice. It indicated that this individual had dedicated his life to
learning and to the acquisition and spread of knowledge. I can
safely argue that the expectations of a PhD aspirant are not very
different in today’s world. You are expected, as a PhD candidate, to
come up with an original idea in your field and carry out novel research
based on that idea. To this end, you are required to produce
and defend a thesis or a dissertation, that documents your idea,
all your experiments towards the exploration of that idea and the
conclusions that you reached. Remember that the keyword here is
original.
For an MS, the research contribution is usually substantially lower.
As an MS student, you might also be required to write an MS thesis
but that does not necessarily need to be inspired by original research.
You are allowed to, for example, take an already existing
idea and propose somemodifications or revisions to it.
• Qualifying examination: Another important difference, partially
related to the point I made above, is in the official requirements of
the degree. The coursework for an MS and a PhD is usually comparable,
but for a PhD, you need to pass a qualifying examination
that usually test your knowledge of your research area. Qualifiying
examinations or quals may be written or oral. The written examinations
are quite comprehensive and thorough. You are usually
given 2 chances to pass these examinations4. Oral examinations
usually take the form of Q&A session where you answer the questions
put to you by a committee.
On the other hand, for an MS, all you usually need to do is take the
prescribed amount of coursework and write a thesis5. As I said, the
amount of coursework involved in an MS might be comparable to
that for a PhD, depending on the program requirements.
• Admission Criteria: The eligibility criteria may be the same for
both the applications but an admissions committee will consider
different factors when choosing PhD students, as opposed to MS
students. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to say what these
factors may be in either case. All I can tell you is that when you are
applying for a PhD, your aptitude for research is the primary factor.
Indicators for this aptitude may include prior research experience,
technical publications and letters of recommendation from
faculty members at your undergraduate institution. Of course, the
same aptitude will be a factor when you apply for an MS but I believe
that it might not be the primary one. Other things such as
academic credentials, work experience and GRE scores might be
weighted higher in that case.
• Employment: I was once told my by advisor that the PhD degreeholders
are the ones that actually solve a problem and MS degreeholders
are the ones that implement that solution. I don’t quite
agree with such a black-and-white demarcation of responsibilities,
but I think it a decent approximation to the real world. If you graduate
with an MS, your primary responsibilities will include implementation
and development as opposed to solving problems or
coming up with new ideas. I think an example always illustrates
this distinction better. My former roommate graduated with an MS
in Computer Engineering and his research was in Computer Architecture.
He has now been at the AMD Design Validation & Verification
team for 2.5 years and works on verification of processor designs.
It does not entail a lot of original research but it is certainly
not just programming, either. He has to use concepts from VLSI
design, data structures and computer architecture and apply them
to his work. The actual processor design, however, was conceived
by a team of scientists whose members, most probably, hold PhDs
in their respective fields.