Skip to main content

Gatech MSCS

Program Overview​

This program is nearly a well-rounded package. Its reputation is solid, tuition is cheap (if you become a TA/RA, tuition is waived and you get paid -- TA $1K/month, RA $2K/month), and it's located in Atlanta, which is a base for many tech companies, making job searching easier. The 23 Fall cohort reportedly had a very high landing rate.

Undergrads from Georgia Tech with sufficient GPA can directly continue into the master's program, so many in-school students simply stay rather than applying elsewhere (since very few programs are better than GT CS anyway). Course quality is hardcore -- see many review posts on 1point3acres for details.

CS ranking is high (ranked 4th on csrankings). The range of available specializations is very comprehensive -- NLP, CV, architecture... You can basically get into any course you want. If CS doesn't offer what you want, you can take courses from CSE, and you'll almost always find what you need in terms of easy or hardcore courses. MSCS has very high priority for CS course selection (same first-tier priority as CSE and CoC), so enrollment is very easy. Great for both job search and PhD pursuit. There have been cases of CSE students directly transferring to in-school PhD.

Admission Standards​

Perhaps the only unfriendly aspect is the admission threshold... This program is fairly strict on metrics. The official website explicitly states that verbal must be at least 153. Based on observations, everyone I know who was admitted scored 326+ total. Mainland China admits are basically all high-metric candidates (though undergraduate major is not restrictive -- for example, EE students can also apply and be admitted). US undergrads have it easier -- anyone from a top 100 school with a relatively high GPA can give it a shot. (Having a recommendation letter from a GT alumnus professor significantly increases your chances of admission. I have a friend who got into GT CS without any papers, relying on a GT professor's recommendation letter.)

Representative Admission Data Points​

Very few mainland China undergrads get direct admission (especially 24 Fall). Mainland China admits are basically all from Tsinghua, Peking, SJTU, and ZJU. Mainland China undergrad + dropping out of an overseas master's / doing a second overseas master's seems to be somewhat easier. US undergrads have it notably easier. The program welcomes career changers -- current students include Tsinghua undergrads and NTU undergrads who switched to CS.

  1. Peking University undergrad, NOI Gold Medal, phone manufacturer internship
  2. UESTC undergrad, GPA 3.9+, Tencent and Alibaba internships
  3. Canadian top 2 undergrad, slightly low GPA, five big company internships
  4. USC CS undergrad, GPA 3.8
  5. University of Rochester DS + Math undergrad, GPA 3.95

Tips for Getting into GT MSCS​

If you think getting into MSCS is too difficult, you can first apply to a less competitive GT CSE track, then transfer to MSCS after enrolling. All the friends I know who tried this successfully transferred.

Job Outcomes​

The 23 Fall cohort reportedly had a very high landing rate -- a breath of fresh air in this bleak economy. This program also offers co-op, giving you a second chance at fall recruiting since you can do a full-time internship during the semester, which is great. The co-op is global -- you can even go back to China or intern in Japan. If you're a US undergrad, you can even start a full-time internship in the first semester.

My personal observation is that GT has a solid landing rate. MSCS students I've observed all have good job outcomes. There are many who landed at Meta and Amazon (25 Summer). One GT student received a Meta offer 3 hours after their interview.

Sampling data points around me: Among the 24 Fall GT MSCS Chinese students I know, most were able to find a summer internship. At least 6 people got Meta SWE intern offers, at least 5 people got Amazon SDE intern offers, and Amazon is still sending out offers. (from cwy)

  1. Indian student, SAP + Oracle intern, landed at small company
  2. USC undergrad, had US small company internship, landed Amazon and returned
  3. University of Rochester DS + Math undergrad, had domestic small company experience, landed Tesla intern
  4. IIT undergrad, GPA 8.87/10, 3 years full-time work experience in India, landed Amazon new grad
  5. GT CS undergrad, GPA 4.0, landed AWS intern and returned
  6. Indian student, 2 years Oracle work experience, landed SLB new grad
  7. GT CS undergrad, GPA 3.89, landed Google
  8. Indian student, 1 year full-time work experience, landed AWS and returned
  9. IIT CS undergrad, landed Apple

TA Opportunities​

Georgia Tech hires a large number of TAs for online courses. But you need to start looking early. I initially thought it was hard to get, but later found out that some TAs who don't know much still managed to become TAs.