The whole world is your oyster

Dear Madam,

My daughter is studying Telecommunication Engineering (final year). Her CGPA is 9.5. She wants to pursue a Masters in Electronics at a foreign university. Please suggest the countries and universities she can apply. What are the tests to be taken? What should be the score? Is it advisable to work for a year or two and then pursue higher education or should she directly enrol for MS after she graduates? Kindly advice.

A parent

Dear Parent,

The world is her oyster and your daughter can choose to study in any country and university of her choice. Suggesting a foreign university is too broad a request. Her GPA is excellent. Ask her to take the GRE and English language test. Ideal scores for GRE is 327 and above, TOEFL is 100 and above and IELTS is 7 and above.

While choosing a country, let her first decide what is most important to her. Stay-back options, work visas, duration of the course, tuition fees and scholarship options, location, subjects offered and university ranking should be considered.

Working for a year or two is not going to benefit her in any way as far as MS courses are concerned. We suggest work experience only for students who wish to pursue their MBA. For your daughter, I would recommend she takes the tests I have suggested while she is in her final year and apply for admissions right away so she can join a good university in September 2020.

Dear madam,

I am in my third year of Mechanical Engineering. I want to pursue a career in Automobile Engineering. Please guide whether I should work and then do my Masters or do my Masters first. Please let me know some good universities in Germany and the criteria to get admission there.

Bipin

Dear Bipin,

University of Bayreuth, Technical University of Munich, Technical University of Berlin, RWTH Aachen, University of Stuttgart and Esslingen University of Applied Sciences are good for Automobile Engineering. You don’t need work experience to get admission to a Master’s programme. I would recommend you finish your studies first and then start working.

Universities look at your GPA, GRE and IELTS or TOEFL scores, your statement of purpose, your interest in research, internships, projects published etc. Knowledge of German Language would be an added advantage.

Dear Madam,

I am a Metallurgical Engineering graduate currently employed in the data analytics and data science industry. I am planning to pursue my masters in Statistics and Mathematics. However, I am finding it difficult to directly apply to such programmes because of few mathematics subjects in my bachelor’s degree. Hence, I have decided to go for a master’s programme which will allow me to obtain a major in Material Science and minor in Statistics or Mathematics. I am actually interested in pursuing courses which could potentially amalgamate my bachelors and my line of work and have found that Computational Material Science could be one such programme which fits my requirement. Do similar programmes exist? If so, then which universities offer them?

Harish

Dear Harish,

Keeping your interest in Mathematics and statistics, I would recommend courses like Computational Science, Math and Engineering program at the University of California San Diego, Biostatistics at the University of California Berkeley and Scientific Computing at the University of Pennsylvania. Mathematics and Statistics Masters offered at Virginia tech is open to students from any engineering background.

Computational Material Science is offered at Duke, Boston University, Northwestern and Penn State University.

You can certainly pursue your PhD after your Masters. Universities are generally happy to fund students who continue to progress to a doctorate programme after their masters.

Dear Madam,

My daughter is pursuing BSc in Medical Imaging Technology at Manipal College of Health Professions at Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Kindly let me know which universities abroad offer a master's programme in this discipline. How can she get a scholarship for the same?

P Rajshekhar

Dear Rajshekhar,

Universities I recommend for Masters in Medical Imaging Technology are Purdue and the University of Southern California in the US, University of Alberta in Canada; University of Aberdeen and University of Dundee in the UK, Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, University of Sydney in Australia and Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

She could apply for scholarships at each of these universities and also try for external scholarships.

Dear Madam,

My name is Pragnesh. I'm currently studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering and I'm in my 4th and final year. I wish to complete my masters in the US but I'm having trouble narrowing down the field of study that I want to pursue. I would like to know the different courses that I can take up for my masters after I obtain my degree in Electrical Engineering, preferably in the electronics field. I would also like to know the different ways I can improve my chances of obtaining a top tier university.

Pragnesh

Dear Pragnesh,

You can pursue your MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering. To get into the top tier universities you need a GRE score of 327 or above. Your internship at Bosch will certainly work to your advantage. Maintain a high GPA and try and publish some research work before you complete your BE.

I have compiled specialisations offered in your subject area in 10 top universities in the US. This will hopefully give you some clarity and help you decide on what to study and where.

University of California, Los Angeles: Electrical Engineering Department: Circuits and Embedded Systems, Physical and Wave Electronics, Signals and Systems.

University of California, San Diego: Electrical &Computer Engineering dept offers graduate programs leading to the MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering with specializations in each of the following areas: communication theory and systems; computer engineering; electronic circuits and systems; electronic devices and materials; intelligent systems, robotics and control; magnetic recording; photonics; radio and space science; and signal and image processing.

University of Southern California, Viterbi: Master's Degrees Master of Science in Computer Engineering, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Computer Networks), Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Electric Power), Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Multimedia & Creative Technologies), Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Telecommunications).

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (VLSI Design): Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (Wireless Health Technology), Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.

Carnegie Mellon University: M.S. in Engineering and Technology Innovation Management, M.S. in Information Technology - Embedded Software Engineering, M.S in Electrical & Computer Engineering, M.S in Information Networking.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor offers two master’s degrees in electrical engineering through the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering with five areas of specialization from which to choose: Circuits & Microsystems, Applied Electromagnetics & RF Circuits, Optics & Photonics, Solid State Electronics, and VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration). The MS in Electrical Engineering: Systems includes these areas of concentration: Communications, Control, Energy & Power, Signal Processing, and Robotics & Computer Vision.

University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign : The Department of Electrical & Computer Science offers just one Master of Science degree, however there are areas of specialization that hone in on concentrations relevant to electrical engineering.

Purdue University, West Lafayette: Purdue provides coursework in the design, development, and operation of electrical and electronic systems and their components, including software. The specialisation is offered in such areas as bioengineering, circuitry, control systems, materials, and electromagnetic fields.

Purdue's ECE graduate school awards three master's degrees: A master of science in electrical and computer engineering (MSECE), a master of science (MS), and a master of science in engineering (MSE).

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta: Specializations offered in: Bioengineering, Computer Systems and Software, Digital Signal Processing, Electrical Energy, Electromagnetics, Electronic Design & Applications, Microelectronics / Microsystems, Optics & Photonics, Systems & Controls, Telecommunications, VLSI Systems and Digital Design.

Cornell University The Masters in Electrical Engineering offers areas of specialization in energy systems; complex systems design; technology management; bio-electrical engineering; computer engineering & digital systems; solid-state devices, electronics & photonics; and space science & plasma physics.

Arizona State University, Tempe:

The Computer Engineering (CENG) degree is a synergy of resources from the School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering (CIDSE) and the School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering (ECEE). The design of this degree program will require students to determine the concentration area they are interested in pursuing at the time of application to the program. Concentration in Computer Systems Engineering (CIDSE)