JotCast | Prospective Graduate Student Chat, Nov 21, 2019

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Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:25

Ruhit, the only other way to list someone would be in your personal statement. And just because you list someone doesn't mean that they will review your application, but it also doesn't hurt. Here's an example - far more people list our Dean, Vijay Kumar, as a potential advisor, than he can potentially review. But all of the candidates will still be reviewed by our faculty review committees.

Nikhil

10:21

How many years has the past students taken to complete the MSE in DS course?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:26

Hi Nikhil. The majority of our students complete it in two years.

Mukesh

10:23

Hi Will, I am looking to apply for MCIT program but I am a structural engineer with 8+ years in structural engineering department. Now, I want to switch to CS/Data science. So, 1) am I eligible to apply. 2) Is there any minimum GPA requirement. 3) Do we have to convert 10 point scale CGPA to 4 point scale GPA while appyling. 4) Am I also eligible to apply in MS in data science program as well. 5) Can I apply in both program i.e MCIT and Data science

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:28

Mukesh, here are answers to your questions:
1) Yes, you are eligible. However, I would take a look at the program pages for each, as they do mention the specific backgrounds that applicants should have: https://gradadm.seas.upenn.edu/masters/computer-and-information-scienc..., https://gradadm.seas.upenn.edu/masters/data-science/.
2) There are no minimum GPA requiremnts, but you can find avg stats for admitted CIS students here: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/graduate/how-to-apply/admissions-statistics/
3) You can convert it, but you don't need to. You can also just indicate on your application that it is a 10 point scale.
4) Yes, you can apply to both programs. You must submit one application before you can begin the second.

Jing Lin Cui

10:24

Hello! Thank you for answering all these questions. I'm very interested in the MS program in Bioengineering, and was wondering where alumni have ended up after completing the program, and what percentage of applicants are admitted into the program?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:30

Jing Lin Cui, this past year we admitted approx 45% of applicants. As to where they end up, it's literally all over. You can find career information here: https://careerservices.upenn.edu/post-graduate-outcomes/, and scroll down towards the bottom. You can also check out our alumni blog for further information: https://news.seas.upenn.edu/category/blog-post/?tag=alumni

Farhan Javed

10:25

Good Morning,

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:31

Hi Farhan

Yaxin

10:26

Thank you for the very helpful information, Will!

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:31

You're welcome, Yaxin.

Farhan Javed

10:28

I will be apply for Masters in MEAM. I was wondering about the admission statistics. Can you tell me about the number of students who applied and received admit in the previous cycle?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:31

Sure thing, Farhan. We had 428 applicants last year and admitted approx 39% of them.

Nikhil

10:28

The program is designed for 1 to 1 1/2 years, why does it take 2 years for majority of the students and I understand that many of the students graduates only after 2 1/2 years

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:32

Nikhil, the program is not designed to be finished in 1 year. It is 10 courses and the vast majority of applicants take 3 courses most semesters, which ends up being 3-4 semesters to complete.

Farhan Javed

10:30

1)Can you tell me when the decision are rolled out for the admit/reject status for Masters in MEAM? 2) Are we assigned an advisor at the time of admission? 3) Is there any support from the university side to connect with current graduate students? I did email the graduate student council. But received no reply.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:34

Farhan, here are answers to your questions:
1)You can find all of the dates on our website here: https://gradadm.seas.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/
2) You are assigned an advisor after admission, but usually before school starts.
3) You can contact the MEAM master's program coordinator, Maryeileen Griffith, at mebg@seas.upenn.edu and she may be able to put you in touch with current students.
4) The usual graduation time is still 2 years for thesis vs exam for students.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:31

Have you submitted your application?

Yes (11.1% | 1 vote)

Started it, but haven't submitted it (44.4% | 4 votes)

Not yet (33.3% | 3 votes)

I'm weighing all of my educational options (11.1% | 1 vote)

Total Votes: 9

Farhan Javed

10:34

4) What is the typical graduation time for students who work on thesis vs those who only complete coursework?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:35

see above :)

Pranoti

10:35

Hi Will, I'm interested into Embedded Systems Program but seems like it's discontinued from this year. The website asks to apply to CIS or Ele course. May I know what will be the difference if I apply to either one of these courses in order to learn Emb Sys? Thanks!

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:36

Pranoti, it is no longer a standalone program. To your question, for the CIS program, you would need to have a CS/CIS undergraduate degree or a lot of industry experience. the EE program accepts a wider range of backgrounds. Both will offer the opportunity to do electives focused on Embedded Systems.

Nikhil

10:36

Will, is it practical to take 4 courses per semester, so that we can finish it in 1 1/2 year? or due to course contents it will not be practical to do 4 courses at a time in one sem?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:37

Nikhil, this is ultimately something that is decided upon by the student and their faculty advisor. It can certainly be done, it is just not done that often.

Farhan Javed

10:38

Thank you for your reply. As we will be assigned an advisor before the start of school, is it possible to swtich to an advisor in a sub field different from that stated in your applications? I know that this is not typical. But I would love to know if there is any flexibility in this matter.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:39

Farhan, you can definitely switch academic advisors, but this is a discussion you'd have with the advisor assigned, as well as possibly the Program Coordinator and/or other faculty. It can certainly be done, but is very much on an individual student basis.

Nikhil

10:41

How many percentage students gets employment almost immediate after MSE in DS from Upenn?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:42

Nikhil, to my knowledge the vast majority. However, we just graduated our first class this past may, so we don't have the 2019 graduate employment results yet. At least, not in a publishable form.

Guest

10:42

Thank you for your response. When you say you do not allow non-matriculated students to take courses in the Engineering school, are you referring to matriculation at the university or the engineering school specifically? Thank you.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:43

Guest, I mean that are not matriculated into the Engineering school, unless it is a course that is cross listed as an elective for another program. Then you would need to be in that program.

Farhan Javed

10:42

6) Are students pursuing masters able to secure research or teaching assitanship in the mechanical engineering department?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:44

Farhan, they are able to apply for either position, but they have to have completed at least one semester in good academic standing before they can apply.

Sara

10:42

If I have more questions later about the IPD programs who would be a good person to reach out to?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:44

Sara, I'd say the Program Coordinator, Maryeileen Griffith, at mebg@seas.upenn.edu. But you can also email us at gradstudies@seas.upenn.edu and we'll do our best to answer your questions.

Linghao

10:43

Hi Will, I submitted my application for MCIT in round 1, how can I apply to a new program? Create a new account?

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:46

Linghao, you can start a second application using the same account. Once you log into your application, you should click on the "Apply Online," option and it should enable you to start a new application.

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:43

Where would you live?

On campus (25% | 1 vote)

Off campus, but near UPenn (25% | 1 vote)

Off campus in West Philadelphia/University City (0% | 0 votes)

Off campus in Center City/Downtown (0% | 0 votes)

I have no idea, help! (50% | 2 votes)

Total Votes: 4

Abdul

10:44

Abdul

Will Fenton, Asst Dir

10:46

Hi Abdul.

Connecting…