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Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

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Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#21

Post by saghm »

Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but Penn actually has a master's degree program for computer science specifically geared towards students who didn't study CS in their undergrad. Students in it take a mix of classes covering parts of the undergrad curriculum (but only with other MCIT students, not undergrads) and classes from the core CS master's program.

(Disclaimer: I didn't attend this program, but while an undergrad at Penn, I TA'd for a couple of professors heavily involved in the program, and some of the other TA's were MCIT students. Everyone I talked to had great experiences with the program, and the students I interacted definitely demonstrated considerable skill in computer science despite not having studied it before)

https://onlinelearning.seas.upenn.edu/mcit/

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#22

Post by moate »

notus wrote: post #20

Check out the program through University of London, Goldsmiths on Coursera. I'm currently halfway through the first term. It was a little buggy at first but it is getting better. The teaching style is pretty engaging. It is about 3k USD per term and there are 2 terms per year and the program is 3 years total. UK CS programs are a little bit lighter on math than US programs but they still try to cover quite a bit. The…

3K in what currency?

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#23

Post by psychometry »

You don't need another bachelor's. That would involve ~4 years full-time work including general education requirements. Just take the math/CS prereqs you need and apply to whatever master's program you want. Lots of state schools allow adults to take undergrad classes for relatively cheaply. There are also online courses at Harvard Extension School and other universities that you could take remotely.

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#24

Post by esilver »

Funny you should ask, I’m actually in the process of applying to the online CS degree completion program at CSU Monterrey Bay at this very moment. To my knowledge it’s the only online CS bachelors offered in either the CSU/UC system. [0]

If you’re a resident of California qualifying should not be an issue. See “State-based admission limitations” on the admissions requirements page if you’re a resident of another state as you may not qualify. [1]

I recommend reaching out to Kayla Rolicheck, the program advisor, to see how you qualify or if you have questions about the program. She’s been with the program since its inception and is very knowledgeable. [2]

Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have other questions about the process. I’m by no means an expert but if I can be helpful I’m happy to answer any questions. I’ll leave a link to my email in my profile.

[0] https://csumb.edu/scd/cs-online-degree-completion-bs [1] https://csumb.edu/scd/admissions-requirements [2] tel: +1(831)582-3621; press 3 for the program

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#25

Post by ljm »

zxcvbn4038 wrote: post #18

Something you might not have considered is to forego the time and expense of the degree altogether. Particularly in IT most employers don't care if you have a degree or not - the ones that do can always use your existing degree to check the box. If you can pass the interview questions for development or systems engineering then more than likely you'll get hired. You might have to do temp to hire if you don't have a b…

Without putting a downer on the CS degree idea, I’ve been learning a lot myself just by going through the same texts (and a few others). It won’t at all compare and there’s no qualification but things like The Imposter’s Handbook are great to get a basic understanding of things.

I’d love to do the CS course myself but £18k’s a substantial investment considering what I’ve managed to earn without the degree.

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#27

Post by jki275 »

rayalez wrote: post #19
jki275 wrote: post #16

You don't absolutely have to have a BSCS to get into the OMSCS. However, without it (or something like it, or equivalent experience) you will be at a major disadvantage and will probably not be successful. So your desire is the correct one. -Regis University has a good BSCS online program. 8 week semesters, relatively inexpensive, ABET accredited. -Regional accreditation and ABET accreditation are the standard for a…

Thank you very much for your advice! Some people recommend WGU. From what I see, WGU "is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), a regional accreditation". Is having NWCCU instead of ABET accreditation an issue? Between Regis University and WGU, which one would you choose?

Regis, though I don't know much about WGU.

ABET is an engineering accreditation -- it is not the same as regional accreditation.

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#28

Post by TopRattata »

psychometry wrote: post #23

You don't need another bachelor's. That would involve ~4 years full-time work including general education requirements. Just take the math/CS prereqs you need and apply to whatever master's program you want. Lots of state schools allow adults to take undergrad classes for relatively cheaply. There are also online courses at Harvard Extension School and other universities that you could take remotely.

This is not necessarily true. Oregon State's CS postbac only requires in-major classes. I did mine in three years, mostly part-time, including eleven months off for internships (so more like two). My first bachelor's was completely unrelated to tech.

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#29

Post by wil421 »

jki275 wrote: post #17
tranced wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an associate's in CS and think this might be the best route for me since transferring for a BS/BA might be too much time commitment. You think this is possible without a bachelor's in hand? Any recommendations?

GA Tech will not entertain applications for their OMSCS if you do not have a BS. They don't require that it be in CS, but they are quite clear that you have to have a BS to get in. You may find other programs that have other requirements, but I'm not aware of any.

Is the OMSCS reputable? I’m actually local to GA Tech but the competition is pretty fierce for the in person programs. The online program is tempting but so is an MBA.

Re: Ask HN: I want to get a Bachelor's in CS online. What are some good programs?

#30

Post by [deleted] »

zxcvbn4038 wrote: post #18

Something you might not have considered is to forego the time and expense of the degree altogether. Particularly in IT most employers don't care if you have a degree or not - the ones that do can always use your existing degree to check the box. If you can pass the interview questions for development or systems engineering then more than likely you'll get hired. You might have to do temp to hire if you don't have a b…

[deleted]
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