Does completing a voluntary social justice program improve job prospects?

What are long-term career prospects in industry/academia after completing a professional master's program (such as the MCS program at UIUC or M.Eng. at Cornell ) at a top-notch CS school?

• I have admission offers from both the programs. While both the programs are well reputed and fetch very good job offers to graduates, I would like to know if having only an M.Eng. or an MCS degree would hinder a person from rising to senior-level technical or management positions within tech companies. Would candidates with a full CS MS or MBA degree be viewed more favorably for such positions ?

• Answer:

  Professional master's programs are shorter term quicker pathways to the job market. You will have the same job opportunities as students in the regular master's program. However, you will be discouraged often explicitly disallowed from holding research assistantship and/or teaching assistantship positions within your department. These positions will favor regular master's students. In effect, you are expected to pay your own way through university although you can hold some other part-time jobs.An MBA in the United States is quite different. It is not easy to start a business on an F-1 visa. Your question however, is about management positions within a tech company. In this case, the tech major definitely has an advantage. If you are talking about a company whose core competency is business, then an MBA-holder is viewed favorably.