I have a graduate certificate from GMU, which is only 4 classes and a 3 credit thesis away from a Masters. Do you think it would be worth going for the Masters? It seems like nobody at my work respects GMU. They went to Penn State, Boston University, etc. I don't know if it would make any difference when applying for a job.

GMU is a good, decent school. But, it is not in league with PSU and BU. If the people in charge of hiring/promoting/supervising you attended schools better than GMU, then I think you have your answer...you need to choose another school for graduate school. The good news is, if you performed well at GMU you should have no problem getting into a league or two up from GMU for your graduate work. You won't get into the Ivy League necessarily, but you could certainly improve your situation with good undergrad marks at GMU.

You have to be brassy. You have to be bold. You only get one shot in this life and you'd best make the most of it. Think about medium-term goals for yourself. What do you want to achieve? Can you achieve all of that with your current employer? If so, then schedule a meeting with HR, your boss and your boss' boss. The subject of the that meeting should be outlining what you want to achieve there and whether those people think a graduate degree from GMU will properly prepare you to accomplish that. If they say no, ask them where they would have you go for graduate studies to achieve those goals.

Of course...you could always use the GMU network of alums and change jobs to work for a company with a different outlook towards GMU. You've got choices here but, you need to decide on a course of action. Nobody is going to hand you anything in this world. Grab life by the pussy, bruh...

Huh??? Wrote:
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> GMU is a good, decent school. But, it is not in
> league with PSU and BU.

Depends on the program. Most of the MS programs in the Volgenau School of Engineering are better than BU.

In Northern VA a GMU degree is valid currency. A lot of people around here went there. It typically does not matter what university you went to as long as it's a reputable school which GMU is. What matters is that you have a master's degree so you can check that box on an application.

It depends and this probably isn't the right forum to ask this question.

I know GMU overall with employers in the DC area actually has a better rep then more established schools like Catholic and American do. And def alot better then places like Marymount, Howard etc.

It also depends on the program. On things like comp sci, engineering and economics GMU will win hands down compared to other other school in the DC area.

Their public policy school has a better reputation than Georgetown at a fraction of the cost.

The Volgenau school (engineering) is very good.


What program are you looking at?

Things may have changed since my day, but way back when there was no way PSU was anywhere near the same league as BU. But it's all a matter of perception I guess.

I'm looking at the MS in Geoinformatics and Geospatial Intelligence.

Yea I was applying for a job today and they had a check box for BS and Masters, so it made me wonder if my resume is even going to make it through their screening if I don't check Masters.

OP.. Wrote:
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> I'm looking at the MS in Geoinformatics and
> Geospatial Intelligence.

Get that and find a job at the National Geospatial Intelligence Center.

https://www.nga.mil/About/History/NGAinHistory/Pages/NCEOpens.aspx

You're so close it would be foolish not to get the MS. Mason is a good school and once you have 4-5 years experience in the field, it won't matter where you graduated from.

Mason grad Wrote:
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> You're so close it would be foolish not to get the
> MS. Mason is a good school and once you have 4-5
> years experience in the field, it won't matter
> where you graduated from.

Agree 100%. You are this close, get the Masters.

A lot of the Gov't contractors that do geospatial work have a lot of GMU grads. Some of the professors for those classes have worked for either Gov't, contractors, or both. I am a GMU grad but haven't gone back to grad school there. Have a handful of grad level classes under my belt though. There were some folks at work, and maybe still are, going through the professional GIS deal through Mason that is based out at the PWC Campus.

We have hired GMU grads for work in geospatial data field. It can be pretty lucrative salary-wise after a while, especially if you are willing to deploy as most of these positions will want if they are DOD related.

The Masters is the only way to go at this point. You're close and if you decide to move forward later you'll likely need to start from scratch. Even at GMU a certain number of semesters out will reset your catalog year and degree requirements may change.

Not if you are white.
If you are a minority, or identify as one, you will go far

Depends on your field.

Science No.

Education yes.

Engineering maybe.

Finish the Masters...whatever it is in...that with your experience can open doors...I have 2 Masters..one from PSU and one from Mason...the Mason one paid off in this area..

ub6yF Wrote:
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> I have a graduate certificate from GMU, which is
> only 4 classes and a 3 credit thesis away from a
> Masters. Do you think it would be worth going for
> the Masters? It seems like nobody at my work
> respects GMU. They went to Penn State, Boston
> University, etc. I don't know if it would make any
> difference when applying for a job.

Penn State.....lol

Even a PHD from MIT won't matter if you can't get the job done in a satisfactory manner.

Bill Gates only has a diploma and $80 Billion dollars. I know people with a degree from Strayer that make $120k - $150k annually. If you work with people who have a Graduate Degree and you are trying to be promoted, then work your ass off. If your foot is in the door already, chances are a Graduate Degree means zero if you aren't already worthy of being promoted. The cream rises to the top, every fucking time. Be the cream. BTW In many serious programs you can't just covert your cert. credits into a graduate degree. To keep the integrity of the program many schools require that you decide if you want a cert. or a degree before the place you with a cohort of peers. Check on that if you haven't already.

Since fishing is so popular and agricultural degrees are available, you could specialize in baiting. Get your masters degree in that speciality and you'll have a title that says something.

microsoft Wrote:
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> Bill Gates only has a diploma and $80 Billion
> dollars. I know people with a degree from Strayer
> that make $120k - $150k annually. If you work
> with people who have a Graduate Degree and you are
> trying to be promoted, then work your ass off. If
> your foot is in the door already, chances are a
> Graduate Degree means zero if you aren't already
> worthy of being promoted. The cream rises to the
> top, every fucking time. Be the cream. BTW In
> many serious programs you can't just covert your
> cert. credits into a graduate degree. To keep the
> integrity of the program many schools require that
> you decide if you want a cert. or a degree before
> the place you with a cohort of peers. Check on
> that if you haven't already.

TL;DR: There is something for everyone; you need to find a corporate culture that fits your type.

Based on years of experience hiring people a degree usually matters but it is not a guarantee that they will be a good hire. Ironically, the well-rounded applicant candidate who has done it all (class president, member of many clubs, part of several charities, plays three instruments) is usually a red flag candidate because they may not have the focus and dedication that is needed for the job. The person with an advanced degree and is an expert oboe player is usually the type of person that focuses deeply on fewer items and will commit to understanding and doing a good job.

The biggest factor is probably company culture. If you are a fast moving, risk taking company then you are probably looking for people who are doers with moxy more than people with certs and degrees. If you are a large, risk averse business that needs everyone on the same page in order to operate efficiently you want degrees and certs.

Figure out who you are and find companies that are a good fit. If you are anal and like to fully understand all facets before moving out, look for the large, successful company with a bureaucracy that matches. If you don’t have time for that non-sense look for a smaller company looking to move fast and take risks so they can grow quickly.

I heard that you can beat off in the GMU bathrooms, so there's that!