Is an EE Engineering MS sufficient for a research career without a PhD?

[Pristine]

Hi, I'm an undergraduate student from India pursuing my final year of Electronics and Communication Engg. I'm interested in applying to top 15-20 universities in US. I'm looking for research-oriented education but I don't think I stand a chance to join the PhD programs since I have no research experience-not published and a GPA of 8/10, but I have done a few projects during my undergrad. Could you inform me more about what I'll be missing if I went for an MS instead of PhD? The target universities are Northwestern, UM BC, University of Massachusetts, Penn State.

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

I presume you have some idea of what you'd like to do with a career in Electrical and Communications Engineering, perhaps some idea of what you'd like to research.

If you know this, then you can attempt to discover which universities are doing that sort of research and then pursue those options. For example, you might want to do research into millimeter wave communications systems. Not every university will be doing research in those areas. But if you find one, and discuss this with them, then you may find opportunities for Ph.D. study. Other areas of research might include adaptive antenna arrays, embedded solar cell inverter systems, Grid Power Stability research, and so forth.

On the other hand, if you just say "I want research" then your request is almost guaranteed to go into the "we'll get back to you later" pile.

Most of all, what do you want to do with your career? Where would you like be in five or ten years? What intellectual itches are you trying to scratch?

 

[Pristine]

@JakeBrodskyPE: Thank you for your reply. It certainly gave me a clear idea of how I should approach the process. It would be helpful if I also got to know if an MS could give me the flexibility of choosing a research career ahead in life i.e. prepare me for it, in case I'm not accepted for a PhD.