Applying for PhD vs Masters (CS USA) Background: CS Undergraduate applying for Fall 2022 session. (MS/PhD CS USA)
Knowing (and for obvious reasons) that it is &quot;easier (higher chances)&quot; to get into a masters program than a PhD Program:
Question: Should I apply for a PhD program at a lower ranked school than apply to a higher ranked masters program?
Please Note:
I love research and will go for a PhD even after the masters. My main motive is research. I ask because I can apply only to only a handful of programs and want to know which path is better.
Actually, in the US, applying for a doctoral degree is almost always preferable to applying for a masters. The reason is that doctoral admission almost always comes with some sort of funding and masters admission seldom does.
The advice is to apply to several institutions that cover a fairly wide range of &quot;rankings&quot;. If you apply to only one or two programs you are unlikely to be successful because of the competition. If you want a PhD &quot;eventually&quot;, do that now.