There are many advantages to having a degree in the computer science program in the US. These programs not only offer international students access to cutting-edge technology but also U.S. employers.
The US Bureau of Labour Statistics forecasts that between 2016 and 2026 jobs for computer and information research scientists will significantly outpace the average growth rate for all occupations.
As per Council of Graduate Schools, the number of international graduate applications At U.S. universities grew by 6 percent in mathematics and computer sciences between fall 2017 and fall 2018. There are primarily three reasons why international students may want to consider earning a graduate degree in computer science at a U.S. university:
- Diverse disciplines.
- Summer internships.
- Career prospects.
Diverse Disciplines
There is a wide range of topics available to Prospective international students at US universities. Students should keep in mind that by studying in the U.S., they will be able to learn about topics ranging from machine learning to data mining, artificial intelligence to web security.
As per Zvi Galil, Dean of College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, "The best computer scientists – the people who are really on the cutting edge of building the future – work in American universities and companies”. College of Computing in Georgia Tech is known to have the second-biggest faculty in the U.S. teaching computer science and hence is able to offer almost a dozen specializations at the master's level.
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International students from around the world have opportunities to earn M.S. or doctoral degrees, taking advanced courses and publishing papers on their research in top journals and at conferences.
Most US universities offering doctoral programs in computer science have advanced research labs investigating a range of computer science areas such as machine learning, programming languages and data mining as well as cutting-edge topics in distributed systems, networking, software engineering, computer security, scientific computing, intelligent systems, human-centred computing and many more. Though most graduates choose to be part of multi-national companies while some also go the academic route and become successful professors or researchers at top US institutions.
Summer Internships or Curricular Practical Training
International students in the U.S. are eligible to apply for Curricular Practical Training, or CPT, to pursue summer internships after two semesters of full-time study. Curricular Practical Training is a type of work authorization approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that allows international students to participate in training with an off-campus employer. However, the work must be a necessary part of the student's degree program and has to be completed before graduation.
Being a computer science graduate degree at a U.S. university allows opens an array of opportunities for international students "to connect with American tech employers – and the U.S. tech sector is known to be the largest in the world. Most Master of Computer Science Students participate in summer internships at companies like Amazon, LinkedIn, Schlumberger and Tableau.
Career Prospects
According to the U.S. Bureau of labour Statistics, Jobs for computer and information research scientists are expected to grow 19 percent between 2016 and 2026 which is much faster than all other occupations having an average growth of 7 percent. Experts say career prospects in the computer science field are very favourable particularly in the US as it is home to major tech giants like Facebook, Cisco, Apple, and Oracle.
International students are eligible to gain work experience in the U.S. for up to 12 months under the Optional Practical Training Program scheme, or OPT. International students who earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math, popularly known as the STEM fields, can apply for the STEM OPT extension, which adds an additional 24 months, which adds up to a total of 36 months of work eligibility upon completion of a graduate degree.
A computer science graduate degree opens many new avenues of possible work for students in the industry. Most computer science graduates prefer to get a job within the industry, such as at Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and many others, while others go the academic route and become successful professors at top institutions. Some students may plan to stick with research, either with a competitive research position at an industry research lab or a U.S. government research program or in a faculty position at a U.S. university.
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