General Questions

1. When should I come to Lowell?
   School starts one week after the registration i.e. 1st week of September (3rd Sept 2002). So you should come here at least 2 weeks before school starts. Preferably by August 2nd week or so.
2. Health Insurance?
   Health Insurance is compulsory for international students. University offers cheapest deal i.e. $650 per year. This health insurance does not cover dental and eye.
3. Is there a list of students who are currently in my Dept. doing M.S. or graduated out of my Dept.?
   Refer members' list @ this link
4. Can u send me the email addresses of students coming from my city?
   Though we don't have a complete list of students joining UMass Lowell this semester, we have put up a list at the following link: New Students joining in Fall 2001
5. What is the availability of on campus jobs?
   There are some jobs available on campus. But there is immense competition for them. So you need to keep your eyes open and prove yourself among others. Also early arrival may prove to be helpful.
6. What is the range of remuneration these on campus jobs pay?
   It varies from $6.00 to $15.00
7. Can I pay my tuition and manage my living expenses through TA/RA?
   - For Half / Full time assistantship you get ONLY $3300(approx) tuition waiver per semester.
   - Half time assistantship - you get $600 per month *
   - Full time assistantship - you get $1200 per month *
   - Please refer to website for monthly living expenses.
8. Can I pay my tuition and manage my living expenses through  internships and coops?
   - You can only start internship or co-op after 9 months of stay in US on F1 visa.
   - Range varies as follows :
   - Computer Science and ECE students : $20 - $27
   - All other branches  : $14 - $20 (its tough to get one today)
9. What utensils do I require to bring with me?
   Please refer web site for that.
10. How much money should I carry with me?
    $8000 - $11000 ( for details please refer to website)
11. What denominations of the money should I bring along?
    - $200 in cash ( 1 , 10 , 20 dollar bills ).
    - $500 in form of traveler checks.
    - $2500 (if RA/TA student) or $4000 as a check payable to University of Massachusetts Lowell.
    - All other money in the form of personal checks. or in form of TC
12. Any suggestions for my travel?
    Land directly in on Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts. Or if you land in any other city, you need to change terminal from international to domestic. Please try to land in Logan Airport on a weekend if you need to be picked from airport.
13. Will someone be there to pick me up?
    PLEASE
        Let us know in advance (min 2 weeks)
        Email us your complete detail including arrival/departure time , flight number & dates.
        Make sure you arrange your arrival on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays)
        Crosscheck your arrival time with your travel agent. And please be specific (Ex. Instead of
        12 o’clock, write 12 pm or 12 am )
14. What should be my course of action in case nobody turns up to pick me up?
    - Keep our telephone numbers handy. Buy a calling card of $5 or $10. Then use payphone on the
        airport to call us.
    - Wait for minimum 1 hour because we might be caught in traffic.
    - Try to listen to all the announcements on the airport.
    - Don't leave the airport & luggage.
    - Don't panic.
15. What should I do in the worst case (can't contact anybody from the airport)?
    - Contact the MassPort Information booth on the airport and try getting info about the following:
    - Explore these three options: - Take airport shuttle/taxi (called cab) to the Nearest Greyhound bus terminal and take a bus to Lowell.  From Lowell stop (it will stop at Lowell T(train)-station) take a cab to our address.
    - Take a shuttle to Lowell (may or may not be available-will cost you around $50), you can ask them to drop you at our address if private shuttle or at the Lowell T-station. Take a cab from T-station.
    - Take a cab to Lowell (our address)- will cost you around $80.
16. Should I have a haircut before I come there?
    Just kidding. But better to have it in Rs. 20 instead of $8. Because nobody likes to spend $8 in first week.
17. How can I get an apartment?
    Once you reach here, you can find your room mates and then hunt for apartment. Obviously we are here to help with apartment owners' details and other agents' details.
18. How do we share the apts? rent, telephone, gas, electricity etc.
    You have to talk to other students after coming here and fix your roommates. You may find a senior student to share the apartment. Generally roommates share the utilities (gas, electricity, telephone & grocery (If you are cooking together)).
19. Can I land anywhere? (is it compulsory that I should land on airport near my school?)
    No problem, go ahead. There is no such rule. You can land anywhere & come here afterwards.
20. What about immunization?
    Get all necessary injections. Fill all the other forms properly. Get all columns filled from your physician. Don't mail the forms. Bring those with you. However for any reason if you haven't taken and/or can't demonstrate that you have taken injections like tetanus, MMR etc. then don't worry much, you can take those for free after coming here. But it is better to take them in India itself; will save you a lot of trouble here.
21. When do I have to apply for my on-campus job?
    After coming here.
22. How do u people manage Indian food and other Indian groceries?
    You can prepare good Indian food at your place. There are many Indian grocery stores in Lowell. Don't worry. Make it a point to learn some good recipe before hand.
23. Any Indian restaurant?
    Yes. Two in Lowell and many more in the nearby areas.
24. I want to change my branch?
    From last year there is rule for graduate students, You can't change your branch for 1 semester. You have to take at least 9 credits in the department in which you are admitted. However you can take courses in other departments which can be part of your study. If you have any questions regarding this, we can discuss it after you arrive here. ECE students refer to the CE or EE faq.
25. What about pre-requisites?
    Each department has its own requirements and policies, hence you need to fulfill those. Department decision is final.
26. What is the best choice between on campus & off campus?
    On campus life is definitely a good experience, you get to know students from different community and country. But then you have to eat in the on-campus-dining. Also it is expensive than off campus living. In summer and in holidays you have to vacate the dorms. It’s your call. Regarding information about that call Office of Residential Life.
27. Should I bring an International Driving Permit?
    It will definitely help if you bring your international driving permit. It will be required for renting a car (which will be eventually required if you don't buy a car immediately : to have mobility) if you do not have a U.S. driving permit. The International driving permit is issued by the R.T.O in your area after you show proof of a valid visa and tickets for travel abroad.

Plastics Engineering

1. Why 46 credits for plastics?
   16 Undergraduate prerequisites (this include the 2 courses in polymer materials and 2 courses in plastic processing) + 30 Graduate courses toward completion of MS. You have to take 46 credits. Thesis is compulsory
2. All grad or it includes undergrad?
   4 undergraduate classes: 2 in materials and 2 in processing. Four labs of 1 credit each
3. How do you distribute those credits?
   Minimum 9 credits have to take per semester. But 15 to 18 credits per semester are manageable. So that MS can be finished in three semesters.
4. What are different streams in plastics?
   Four concentrations : Processing, Design, Materials and General
5. Chances of funding, RA or TA (plastic specific)?
   Finding in the department is not that great, but students do manage to get RA in second semester; if concerned faculty has enough research money. TA’s are possible at the end of first year or sooner for 2-3 students. In the worst case it’s always safe to prepare for full expenses.
6. How much money should I bring?
   Bring around $ 13000 which include fees for the first semester (12 + credits) and expenses for the first semester.
7. Which books should I bring with me?
   There is no need to buy any books from India. If you have text books, the processing and the materials book MAY help you once in a while. If you can bring Dr. Deanin's Book you require it for his course. It costs $20 here, so think accordingly.
8. I would like to know what kind of computer awareness would help me there?
   Microsoft Office : Word, Excel and Power Point
9. What is the job scene?
   No problem so far. All students get the job with wait period from 1 month to 7 months (in worst case) after graduation. . Pay around $40000 - $60000 / annum
10. How much time it takes to finish MS?
    1 1/2 to2 Years.

Computer Science

1. How do you distribute those credits?
   You can refer to computer science department web page. But generally everybody takes 9 credits (3 courses) per semester. But depending upon your capability you can take more. normally 3 credits = 1 course. There are 10 courses to be completed to get through with your Masters.
2. What are different streams ?
   Networking, Operating systems, Internet/Web development, Compilers, Database etc. However you can couple courses to change your concentration.
3. Chances of funding, RA or TA?
   Department offers few RAs & TAs and everybody prefer to complete MS as early as possible.
4. Which books should I bring with me?
   A minimal list (may need addition !).
5. What is the Internship/Co-op scene?
   Not as good. Many people did find internships but with difficulty. Mostly affected due to economy slowdown. But you need to complete 9 months of stay in US to be eligible to work off-campus..
6. What is the job scene?
   Same as above. Full time job seekers aren't happy at all.
7. How much time it takes to finish MS?
   From 1 year (can do but sort of tough) to 2 years.

Computer Engineering

1. How do you distribute those credits?
   30 credits are divided as 24 + 6(thesis) or 30 + 3(project). Three credits are extra for the Non-thesis option. normally guys take 9 credits in the 1st semester to start with. But it depends on one's potential. normally 3 credits = 1 course. You will need to complete 10 courses and a project or you can do 8 courses and thesis to get done with your Masters.
2. What are different streams?
   Networking, Operating systems, Internet/Web development, Compilers, Database etc. However you can couple courses to change your concentration and can also get into hardware if you want to.
3. Chances of funding, RA or TA?
   Department offers few RAs & TAs to only PHD students its new rule has come in dept.
4. Which books should I bring with me?
   A minimal list (may need addition !).
5. What is the Internship/Co-op scene?
   Not as good. Many people did find internships but with difficulty. Mostly affected due to economy slowdown. But you need to complete 9 months of stay in US to be eligible to work off-campus..
6. What is the job scene?
   Same as above. Full time job seekers aren't happy at all.
7. How much time it takes to finish MS?
   From 1 year (can do but sort of tough) to 2 years.
8. What about branch change from Electrical Engineering to Computer engineering?
   It is very much possible and legal to do so. But you can do that only after coming here.

Electrical Engineering

1. How do you distribute those credits?
   30 credits are divided as 24 + 6(thesis) or 30 + 3(project). Three credits are extra for the Non-thesis option.
2. What are different streams?
   Telecom, VLSI, Semiconductor, Solid state electronics etc. However you can change by taking few different classes.
3. Chances of funding, RA or TA?
   If u promise to do a thesis. TA or RA can also be available from a different department. However it may take more time than the one without thesis.
4. Which books should I bring with me?
   Some books on UNIX and C maybe. Or bring those books that will help you in your studies. Ex. If your major in Networking, then bring books on ATM, TCP/IP etc.
5. What is the Internship/Co-op scene?
   Very good. This year every student in the department got a decent internship. But you need to complete 9 months of stay for that.
6. What is the job scene?
   plenty of jobs in mass, depends on what u like.
7. How much time it takes to finish MS?
   Non-thesis can take 1 to 1^1/2 years. For Thesis option it takes at least 2 years.
8. What about branch change from Electrical Engineering to Computer engineering?
   It is very much possible and legal to do so. But you can do that only after coming here.

Chemical Engineering

1. How do you distribute those credits?
   totally there are 32 credits.2 for seminar.6 for thesis and the rest you distribute for the courses. If one takes project option instead of thesis then he/she would have to take one extra course of 3 credits.
2. What are different streams ?
   chemical has the following concentrations: 1.materials engineering(metals/polymers/ceramic) 2.bio-chemical engg 3.membrane science(surface engg) 4.nuclear engg 5.Simulation 6.Energy engg.
3. Chances of funding, RA or TA?
   fair.chances depend on projects availability., but cool.
4. Which books should I bring with me?
   no need to bring any books,just get material on numerical analysis and simulation and the basic books if at all you want.of course your college notes would be of help to you.
5. What is the Internship/Co-op scene?
   very nice., ample chances for the right candidate!
6. What is the job scene?
   Hmm., its good, it depends on how much you work in the semester. I mean to say if your resume reflects good amount of practical projects then getting a job is too easy. Only course completion is not enough though.
7. How much time it takes to finish MS?
   1 or 1.5 years.

Civil Engineering

1. How do you distribute those credits?
   For pursing MS degree in Civil/Environmental Eng., you have to complete 30 credit hours. If you want to take thesis option (means you are interested in doing thesis), you have to take 24 credit hours towards regular course work and 6 credit hours for thesis.
2. What are different streams in Civil?
   In UMass Lowell there are five streams under the head Civil Eng. These are Structural, Geotechnical, Transportation, Geo-environmental, and Environmental.
3. Chances of funding, RA or TA & how much money should I bring?
   Ans:- Chances of funding depends on your academic and scores. There are funding available in Geotechnical and Environmental but it's not easy. Department offers six teaching positions every year. And there are several research assistance ships in Geotechnical and Environmental. But don't hope anything from structural and Transportation (except Teaching assistance ship).
   See first of all you should understand the types of funding. If you are getting half funding from department it means you will be getting instate tuition and around 600$/ month. If you are getting full funding dept will pay you in- state tuition and around 1200$/ month.
   The chances of getting assistance ship are very rare in first semester. Because individual professors first examine your work and capability then they offer assistantship. But the chances are fair. So you have to bring the tuition and living expenses for one semester. Now even if you get assistantship from second semester you have to pay difference of in-state tuition and out-state tuition that is around 2200$/ semester. So while living expenses can be managed one should be prepared to bear half of the tuition expenses in case of half-assistantship. In case you get full assistantship, you can manage all your expenses provided you spend cautiously
4. Which books should I bring with me?
   It's depends on your stream. But at least bring the elementary books from the stream in which you are planning to pursue your degree.
5. I would like to know what kind of computer awareness would help me there?
   You should have at least basic computer literacy(making reports and stuff..). Beside this you should know Microsoft Office. And if you know typing that will be very helpful. Basically, in this age of information the more u know the better.
6. What is the job scene?
   Jobs are available in Civil Eng. But it is not very easy to find, and less paying (compared to computers). The pay scales are approximately $30000-40000 per annum.
7. How much time it takes to finish MS?
   for MS in Civil Engg. It generally takes 18 months to finish. But it really depends on your Thesis topic, your advisor and many other factors.

Environmental Engineering

1. How do you distribute those credits?
   you can do thesis credits - 6
   and course credits - 24 (8 courses)
   OR
   you can go for all 30 course credits(10 courses)
   they also have some 3 to 6 credits for industrial experience while doing masters...that's about it....
2. What are different streams ?
   Five different options:(environmental and civil are same department)
   Environmental Engineering
   Geoenvironmental Engineering
   Geotechnical Engineering
   Transportation
   Structural
3. Chances of funding, RA or TA?
   nowadays very less odds of getting an RA or TA.But other funding available on hourly basis...
4. Which books should I bring with me?
   Water and wastewater pollution prevention and control - "metcalf and eddy".
   Air pollution - wark and warner
   and other stuff you may want to for better understanding the subject (bring in books that are basic to the area u want to be in ....)
5. What is the Internship/Co-op scene?
   you can get internship but you have to plan long way back before you want to go for the same..
6. What is the job scene?
   Jobs are available. with some experience (2 TO 4 YRS), it would any great. with no experience, initially pay level would be from 35000 to 40000. Again same as the internship, you have to try for that before long time back(3 months minimum)
7. How much time it takes to finish MS?
   if you can do it fast you can complete it within one year...... if with some clearance for other activities, then 1.5 years ....... and at last you can finish it within any time after that depending upon your willingness to finish it.......(kidding)

Note:
Right now this FAQ is incomplete, we are in process of updating.
If you have any questions other than these, please send them to ISA

Disclaimer:
Information provided in this web page that displays only personal views. We want new students to get feel of life over here. There is no other intention.

Last Updated on 24th June 2004