Master's programs competitive in Hong Kong?

[13cyberphoenix]

I'm from America and received my BS from a school that is considered prestigious, but not ivy-league level. I was in a graduate program in a STEM field, but I am on a leave of absence now. To Americans, the prestige of this grad program is similar to my undergrad school. However, East Asians consider my undergrad school prestigious but are likely to have never have heard about my grad program (if you want specifics, I can PM you). For now, I don't intend on continuing because I need to spend at least 1 more year in it to get my MS and have to do a thesis project as well.

In the meantime, I am thinking about applying to Master's programs in Asia in English, so in particular I'm focusing on Hong Kong and maybe Singapore. After I graduate, I would like to find a job in Asia (likely in Taiwan, Japan, or Hong Kong) instead of the US. If I do an Applied Math MS program at a Hong Kong school, then I can finish it within 1 year and not have to do a thesis. So it would be easier than my existing grad program in America. In addition, if I can get admitted to HKU, HKUST, or Chinese University of Hong Kong, then I can get my MS from a school that is more prestigious to East Asians than my current school. The downside is that I get RA or TA support at my current school but not if I were to study in Hong Kong

Anyone know how difficult it is to be admitted to HKU, HKUST, or Chinese University of Hong Kong? Will they be willing to admit almost any foreigner because they have to pay for tuition? My current program is in the top 25 in my field.

I've also thought about enrolling in a Master's program at Germany, Sweden, or Norway. Any one know about the admissions process for the MS programs at these countries?

[gato]

Have you thought about what you want to do after school?

[13cyberphoenix]

Find work in Asia or Europe. Maybe IT related work. But if I get the MS degree , I'd be open to working in any industry

[gato]

Probably should target your Master's degree to the job you eventually want instead of just Applied Math in general.

[abcdefg]

My current program is in the top 25 in my field.

Seems a pity to discard the year you have already invested and start something new abroad just in hopes of achieving a better looking CV.

[gato]

The OP already considered dropping of the MS program last July and said at the time that he had another year to go. See this thread from last year.

http://www.chinese-f...bs/#comment-288632

Dropping out of grad program and finding technical jobs?

Maybe something happened and it will take another year. But in any case, it doesn't look like a rash decision. However, the OP should think more about specifically what kind of jobs s/he would like to do, and form a schooling (credentialling) plan accordingingly. In terms of education, 4 years of college education is enough for most jobs, particularly IT jobs. It's important to recognize that most learning is done through individual work and with lots of practice. School only provides you with some guidance. Look at Edward Snowden with his high-salary IT job, though he never finished high school.

[abcdefg]

I see. Had forgotten about that earlier thread. Seems more complicated than first met the eye.

[skylee]

So Edward Snowden is someone to look up to now?

[gato]

Not that this necessarily applies to OP, but too many people go to school as a way to figure out what to do in life (myself included). But schools are no longer as cheap as they used to be (if you don't have a scholarship), so it might be better to find out another way to figure out what to do with one's life.

[Cat Jones]

These schools won't admit you just because you are a foreigner. You will need to meet the admissions requirements, and there will be competition from many other foreigners for a place. The Admissions process for Master's courses are similar worldwide. You'll need to check their admissions criteria to make sure you meet them.

But agree with the others - not sure what benefit another MS degree will be to you. Employers want experience not countless qualifications.

[13cyberphoenix]

The OP already considered dropping of the MS program last July and said at the time that he had another year to go. See this thread from last year.

Maybe something happened and it will take another year. But in any case, it doesn't look like a rash decision.

If anyone wants to take the time to understand my situation, then I'll explain it below:

I'm currently on a leave of absence from my graduate program. I have actually spent the past 7 months in Korea working as a web developer because a family member helped me get the job and I wanted to try out web development since I had no prior web development experience

I was willing to give living in Korea a shot, though I wasn't terribly interested in Korea and do not intend to live here long term. I had my personal reasons for preferring to live in Japan or China over Korea. In addition, I have more interest in learning Japanese and Chinese than Korean

When I first started, I knew barely any Korean. Now, my Korean level has improved such that I can now understand maybe 30% of what people say in their normal talking speed. Yes, I know that I should've mastered the language before working

I am also worried about whether this job is helping my career because I've only worked on one small project so far and we are mostly using a language that is considered to have a much bleaker future than HTML/CSS/Javascript. I'm also considering quitting the job because I haven't gotten along well with some of my coworkers and I don't think this company has much of a future. However, I'm quite concerned about being perceived as a job-hopper if I could quit now

[13cyberphoenix]

Seems a pity to discard the year you have already invested and start something new abroad just in hopes of achieving a better looking CV.

If I returned to my current program, I would need to spend at least 2 more semesters taking coursework AND completing a thesis. But there are a few MS programs in Hong Kong that can be completed within 2 semesters and do NOT require a thesis.

I have interest in physics (my current field) and applied math. The problem with physics is that I don't think having a MS in it will help me find work that lets me travel easily. The reason why I think IT would be a good career for me is that I think it offers more location-flexibility than other fields of work, which is what I want

As for having a better-looking CV, I thought this was fairly important as I thought Asian employers care alot about the prestige of the school a job applicant graduates from. The schools in Hong Kong I'm considering are considered more prestigious to Asian employers than the school I'm currently enrolled in

[gato]

Good to know the further information. Sounds like an MS in computer science would be helpful in your case then and shouldn't be too difficult with your math background.

HKUST is probably a good choice given its good name recognition. HK also has a pretty liberal policy allowing foreign graduates of local university to stay for a job after graduation.

[abcdefg]

I don't know much about careers in IT, and had better butt out after just wishing you good luck in making a decision that works well for the long term.

[gato]

My answer above assume that staying in Asia is the top priority for you. (Different goals may conflict with each other, so it is important to prioritize.). If you don't mind moving back to the US for a few years, then going to a well-regarded US terminal degree MS program like the MS in Computer Science program at Stanford and working in Silicon Valley for a few years before moving to Asia might be a better choice, from a career perspective.

[13cyberphoenix]

Thanks for the replies

I may be willing to do a terminal degree MS programs like the MSCS program at Stanford, but I certainly do NOT want to work in the US for a few years.

In addition to Hong Kong, I'm also considering applying to English-speaking MS programs in China and Taiwan

Do the Chinese Master's programs only accept students with the same undergrad degree? Would the CS MS programs be willing to accept someone like me who did not major in CS and has only taken 1 CS undergrad course? I'm also considering applying to the computational science or physics (because my previous grad courses may transfer over, so I can graduate sooner) MS programs. Will my drop-out from the American school really hurt my chances? Anyone know how competitive the admissions for these programs are? Is it true that the English-speaking MS programs are less prestigious than the ones offered in Chinese? Are MS degrees taken by foreigners in China even recognized outside of china?

Is it also true that all the MS programs require a thesis and will take 3 years? I don't want to do a thesis because I don't want a career in academia. But if it's just one semester, then it shouldn't be a problem. I've heard that unlike American MS programs, Chinese MS programs heavily emphasis research and publications. Can anyone confirm this?

[gato]

Search for "grad school" as keyword on these forums, and you should be able to find several other discussions on this topic.

[13cyberphoenix]

I did a search on other discussion and found some of my questions answered. Sounds like they easily admit foreigners. But all the programs are 3 years and require a thesis.

Can anyone compare life in China vs Japan vs Taiwan? I'm interested in enrolling in a English-speaking MS program in CS in one of those countries. However, the fact that the programs in China usually take 3 years is a turn-off.

Can anyone comment on how reputable a degree from a university in those countries is to employers in other countries? For example, I'm not sure Chinese or Japanese employers would be impressed if a job applicant had a MS degree from NTU. And I'm not sure if Chinese or Taiwanese employers would be impressed with someone having an MS from a school in Japan. I ask about this because I am rather worried that if I enroll in a program in say Japan, then maybe I won't like it there and may want to look for jobs in Taiwan and China afterwards

[skylee]

Have you looked at the recent university rankings? Wouldn't that help? And have you googled "taught postgraduate program" together with the university name? (I think there are "taught" programmes that do not require dissertations.)

You want a shortest route, a prestigious degree favoured by employers, preferably allowing you to transfer your credits, yet without the need to write a thesis. This seems to me to be asking for a lot.