Masters Degree

I’m an international student at a Canadian university. I’m considering pursuing a master's degree and have a couple of questions about the programs in the US/Canada.

• As far as I know, in Canada, there are research-based and course-based programs, is it the same in the US?

• For more research-focused programs, how important is knowing a prof in the destination university?

• Should I first contact profs that I’m interested in working with, and then apply? Or apply first and then choose a prof?

• Obviously having a published paper is good, but how necessary is it? I have worked part-time with two of my profs, but none of these experiences resulted in a paper.

I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks