MS Degree

[Ruralguy]

My point is that if all you wish to do is programming or stringing together processors with bailing wire, then a CS degree , which is much more than all of that, is not the way to go.

Also, similar to Hazelshade, my school will pay for retraining, but it has to be necessary, not just useful,
for teaching the courses you need to teach.

[Vid]

Great suggestions. I am already a good programmer (python, Java, C++, etc.), I thought getting one course per semester (max 3 credits) won't harm my TT progress. My research area is about (I can say) 60% programming 40% actual research (I do applied engineering research).

I agree that TT is a very busy time professionally and being a busy parent (1 my own+1 foster) maybe better to think about it after getting tenured!

I am grateful for your advice. 

[Ruralguy]

After tenure, if ever, for sure.

[pgher]

Great suggestions. I am already a good programmer (python, Java, C++, etc.), I thought getting one course per semester (max 3 credits) won't harm my TT progress. My research area is about (I can say) 60% programming 40% actual research (I do applied engineering research).

I agree that TT is a very busy time professionally and being a busy parent (1 my own+1 foster) maybe better to think about it after getting tenured!

I am grateful for your advice.

I am in a non-degree credentialing program (long story) in which the courses are effectively 1 credit. I take one per semester. It's surprisingly difficult from a time-management perspective. Seems like those classes always heat up at just the wrong time. And since it's "extra," I can't let my normal work suffer. FWIW, I'm a tenured full professor.

[mamselle]

I remember the (late, much-missed) Pry was taking accounting courses (don't recall if it was for a degree, or certification, in case she decided to bag English and teach accountancy, or start free-lancing as a CPA)...but she'd been tenured for a long time by then, I'm fairly sure.

N=1, anecdata, etc. all apply, of course.

M.

[Hibush]

Faculty have a need for "lifelong learning," just like many other professionals. We are more familiar than most with the academic degree program as a format for learning, so it is natural to look at that context, as the OP did. We also tend to have good access to undergrad or grad courses in various topics of interest. But that focus may be missing the real need.

Adult learners in general don't do well in the undergrad classroom situation, so alternative modes are available. It is good to see posts here about faculty who have found other methods to meet their professional development needs.

Who has an employer with a good mechanism for supporting professional development so that you can be more effective as a faculty member, either by keeping you up to date in your own field or widening you training to better cover your responsibilities?

We had access to everything at Lynda.com, but I don't know what happened after that resource was bought by LinkedIn. We also have access to EdX stuff. I have not gotten around to using either.

[polly_mer]

Who has an employer with a good mechanism for supporting professional development so that you can be more effective as a faculty member, either by keeping you up to date in your own field or widening you training to better cover your responsibilities?

We're not faculty, but as graduate degrees holders, we are strongly encouraged to take workshops and short courses.  Most weeks, at least one such opportunity is advertised.  Most quarters, a survey will come around from various internal departments to rank interest in possible on-site workshops.

We regularly have Software Carpentry and similar computational workshops because we have so many graduate degree holders who don't quite have the right needed skills.

For decades, I took teaching workshops through my professional societies and anything offered locally on a larger campus.  For example, the regional comprehensive where I was a teaching postdoc every year had a two-day teaching festival before the fall term started to share ideas.  Super Dinky paid for me to attend workshops on starting a learning assistant program (undergrad only so no TAs).  Everywhere I've been paid for the two AAPT regional conferences per year and at least one PhysTEC or similar one-off for chemistry or engineering.

I'm always taken aback by the idea that faculty wouldn't be doing regular professional development because how can you not?  Another full degree is overkill, but freeing up a couple days during a term around a conference or even a week in the summer every year is straightforward and an investment in yourself.

[lightning]

Seriously, there's a lot to be said for formal CS training, but I don't think most active scientists would need it unless its absolutely required to be formal credentialed.

CS isn't programming.

CS isn't learning how to use R or Python modules for data analysis.

CS is its own thing that can be very valuable, but it's not mostly using computers just like getting an English degree isn't mostly about using Word, Zotero, and library classification systems.

You're already an engineer. Acquiring data science and computational skills is a matter of attending workshops, working through self-paced tutorials, and expanding your discussion groups.  Taking a specific class or two may be worth your while.

An MS in CS is a misguided credentialism that won't serve you well, especially if you're thinking of a career change.

My current professional life is computational science.  No one has a CS degree.  We're all engineers, scientists, and mathematicians who picked it up along the way.

Harsh, but I can't argue with any of this.

[polly_mer]

There are great reasons for someone to get an MS in CS.  However, vid has not listed one of those reasons.

[Vid]

polly_mer= The first reason is my passion for CS (I had a dream to be a software engineer before getting my degrees in my current engineering subject). and another reason, there are a lot of joint faculty positions in my subject with the CS department in top ranked universities. If I have a (additional) grad degree in CS I would be in a better position to apply for those positions. Also NSF is investing a lot of $$$ in computing in my fields and in long run I want to be able to apply and get computing grants (I understand that I can have a Co-PI in CS and I collaborated with some CS folks before, but the way computing in my subject works is a little challenging and it's a mixed of my research area plus computing and sometimes it's hard for CS folks to understand my subject!!) 

Thank you again, guys.

[arcturus]

Just FYI, most of the faculty in the Computer Science department at my R1 have PhDs in fields other than CS. In my experience, an MS in CS will not increase your chance of a joint appointment. Indeed, given the sentiment expressed here, an MS earned after your PhD may decrease your chance, as it will indicate a lack of understanding of the importance of formal credentials in the field. Remember, a PhD means that you have demonstrated the ability to learn how to learn. As your research takes new directions, you will either develop the skills you need as you go along, or you will recruit graduate students who have/develop the skills needed for the project, or you will form collaborations with people (faculty/students) that can help further the project. As a faculty member, particularly at a research-intensive institution, you need to be able to oversee the project, make certain that deadlines are met, etc, but you are not necessarily the person who will complete the work.

[financeguy]

I have many colleagues who have incidentally needed to learn one or another aspect of CS including various programming languages, data science and analysis, advanced application of statistical modeling of real world events and other aspects. Almost all have said the amount of free content is really superb and up to date on the MOOC platforms while many degree programs are perpetually behind by 1-2 years in relevance. Consider doing this plus hiring a tutor who is a specialist in the specific area you're trying to address. One on one time with an expert is going to trump online class based instruction (especially largely text asynchronous based classes) for your needs.

[mamselle]

Rather than take courses, or go after a degree, pick an area of niche CS overlap with a field you already teach and/or research, and start presenting, writing, and publishing on that.

Puts two problems together to get a solution: 1) You need pubs for tenure, and 2) You'll demonstrate competency in a CS area that will be looked at favorably once you get the concepts, terminology, and dynamic analysis under your belt in your own field.

Q.E.D.

M.