I think folks need to know their desired industry before investing a bunch of cash into college. I did not know how to "work the college system" until after some years working in the software engineering industry. What I found out was that graduate degrees were just a "check off the box" item as far as qualifying you for higher positions and higher pay. Since I did not plan to get a PhD, I knew that all I had to do was pretty much get a M.S. Employers (at least the DC defense contractors) could care less about what your thesis was in...just that you HAD a graduate degree. That made me have the following plan for grad school:
1) Fewest amount of credits - I eliminated ALL schools with 33 or 36 credit programs
2) Online - So I can study at home
3) Cheapest cost with best "name".
4) Non-Thesis option
I picked University of Wisconsin. While it wasn't the cheapest, the particular program allowed you to TRANSFER IN 50% of the credits. That means that I could find 15 cheap graduate credits. I found me probably the lowest-ranked on the Cal-State schools (Cal-State Dominguez Hills) and snagged 9 credits (3 courses) which were (at that time) $450/course. Snagged 2 more courses from New Mexico State Univ. ($600/course). U-Wisconsin took ALL of them. The 5 U-Wisconsin courses costs (at the time) $7500 most of which was paid by my employers. I paid for the other 5 courses out of my pocket. At the end of the day, the degree said M.S. Engineering from U-Wisconsin.
I don't list the schools of my transfer graduate credits on my resume and employers don't even care. All they see is the M.S. and I get the higher salary/position slot.
Oh yeah, most of the courses I selected were "grad versions" of what I had as an undergrad. When I presented my "curriculum plan" to my dean/advisor, he looked at me shaking his head like "you punk ass mofo". I didn't care. I just wanted to check off the box.
1) Fewest amount of credits - I eliminated ALL schools with 33 or 36 credit programs
2) Online - So I can study at home
3) Cheapest cost with best "name".
4) Non-Thesis option
I picked University of Wisconsin. While it wasn't the cheapest, the particular program allowed you to TRANSFER IN 50% of the credits. That means that I could find 15 cheap graduate credits. I found me probably the lowest-ranked on the Cal-State schools (Cal-State Dominguez Hills) and snagged 9 credits (3 courses) which were (at that time) $450/course. Snagged 2 more courses from New Mexico State Univ. ($600/course). U-Wisconsin took ALL of them. The 5 U-Wisconsin courses costs (at the time) $7500 most of which was paid by my employers. I paid for the other 5 courses out of my pocket. At the end of the day, the degree said M.S. Engineering from U-Wisconsin.
I don't list the schools of my transfer graduate credits on my resume and employers don't even care. All they see is the M.S. and I get the higher salary/position slot.
Oh yeah, most of the courses I selected were "grad versions" of what I had as an undergrad. When I presented my "curriculum plan" to my dean/advisor, he looked at me shaking his head like "you punk ass mofo". I didn't care. I just wanted to check off the box.