Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 70 posts

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#41

Post by sthatipamala »

jaredtn wrote: post #3

I'm currently enrolled in Georgia Tech's OMSCS program - http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/ . 2-3 years of part-time work for $7000, and it's a fully accredited degree with no distinction from the on-campus degree. It's no pushover, a lot of work is required. But the opportunity to get a top-10 CS degree for under ten grand total is unparalleled.

I’m currently enrolled in this program.

Highly recommend it if you’re actually interested in going deep into the material. It’s a lot of work and I’m learning a lot even after several years of industry experience.

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#42

Post by throwaway3neu94 »

hello_moto wrote: post #38
tigerlily wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've got a colleague who is brushing up on his math before he takes on this very degree. I think he's going down to four days a week from next year, to accommodate his study.

Why is he brushing up on Math? Is he doing Data Science?

Because real CS degrees require a lot of it, and math exams are the main reason people wash out in the first 2 years. (There's some controversy around whether that should be but it is what it is.) And it's not a watered down version for CS students. In the universities I know, the first ~4 math courses are taken together by maths and CS students. I've heard "CS is applied math" a lot, and I agree with it. (If you want to become a programmer, you don't need to go to university.)

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#43

Post by michalc »

I’m currently enrolled on the Data Science, Technology and Innovation distance learning MSc at the University of Edinburgh.

So far, I like it: a variety of modules, and each I have taken so far has sparked potential dissertation ideas :-)

https://www.ed.ac.uk/bayes/about-us/our-work/education/data-...

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#44

Post by tdhoot »

Currently working on a Masters degree from Stanford through the Stanford Center for Professional Development [0].

I like it. It's a lot of work on top of your normal day job, but the instructors and community are unparalleled IMO. It is on the pricier side though, but at a lot of companies you can get reimbursement. I believe it takes longer than OMSCS (but not sure), most people take around 4-5 years. At any point, you can convert to a full-time on campus student and you can always go on campus for classes or exams if you're in the area.

[0]: http://scpd.stanford.edu/home

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#45

Post by mzarate06 »

tequila_shot wrote: post #30

Last semester OMSCS. One of the best Masters Program. Loved it. It's not easy, I had to spend 60 hour weeks sometimes while taking the harder classes. There are easy classes as well, where I spent between 3-5 hours every week. You can take a look at the courses here: https://omscentral.com/courses Bonus: My Employer pays for it and I work evenings.

I take it "60 hours weeks" comprised of a 40 hour per week job + course work; was that on 2 courses per semester then? And did you maintain 2 courses per semester throughout the program?

Are you willing to share a little about what made the difficult courses difficult? Heavy math component? Hard algorithms? Time consuming programming? I'm considering this program (and UT's), any additional information would be much appreciated.

Congrats on completing your last semester btw; no doubt a significant commitment and accomplishment.

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#46

Post by hobos_delight »

lozaning wrote: post #35
rootusrootus wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over on the OMSCS subreddit there is regular discussions of competing programs as well, like ASU, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, etc. Everyone is getting into the game, it seems, though I think that OMSCS still provides the best value. I'm on class #6 myself.

I've been toying with the idea of getting the OMSCS degree for a while. Just took a peek at the stanford offering based on your post. Holly wow, the cost of a single stanford course is almost expensive as the entire OMSCS course from GT. Curious if any stanford grads would argue stanford alumni status is worth the additional cost.

This is the exact same though process I went through when looking - I would love to experience Stanford courses - but the single course being nearly the entire cost of the GT one...

I'm on subject #7 of the course this term - overall it has been a pretty positive experience, though you need to research the subjects you're taking on - OMSCentral is critical here.

I've so far avoided any subjects that require group work, and I'm really hoping to keep it that way.

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#47

Post by cbush06 »

Just finished my MS IT Management with Western Governors University for around $11,000. I thought the best value was having a mentor who called me every week to keep me focused and on track. They also offer MS Cyber Security and Data Analytics degrees.

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#48

Post by davidwihl »

montenegrohugo wrote: post #23
montenegrohugo wrote: post #17

Harvard's Extension School offers a variety of Bachelor and Masters degrees, and whilst not fully online, you can fulfill most of the requirements without setting foot on campus.

Can't edit my comment on mobile, so I'm adding relevant info here: https://www.extension.harvard.edu/ It's not exactly cheap (tuition can cost ~50k$ for a bachelor's). Quality of tuition also varies, there's some fantastic courses and some less stellar ones. Still, I recommend taking a look if you are interested in completing your bachelor's/master's degree mostly online. For a CS oriented degree, I'd definitely reco…

And CS109 which I used to TF: https://www.extension.harvard.edu/course-catalog/courses/crn...

Not sure where you got the $50k? Mine was significantly less like $25k, which is a great value for many of same classes as the College.

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#49

Post by trilinearnz »

If you decide to grow your business knowledge to compliment your technical skills, Otago University in New Zealand has a highly-rated online MBA programme which I am currently undertaking. We have many international students who attend lectures via Zoom. Would recommend.

https://www.otago.ac.nz/mba/online/index.html

Re: Ask HN: What are good distance learning Bachelor's/Master's degrees one can do?

#50

Post by Sherl »

sthatipamala wrote: post #41
jaredtn wrote: post #3

I'm currently enrolled in Georgia Tech's OMSCS program - http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/ . 2-3 years of part-time work for $7000, and it's a fully accredited degree with no distinction from the on-campus degree. It's no pushover, a lot of work is required. But the opportunity to get a top-10 CS degree for under ten grand total is unparalleled.

I’m currently enrolled in this program. Highly recommend it if you’re actually interested in going deep into the material. It’s a lot of work and I’m learning a lot even after several years of industry experience.

What's the admission process for SCPD for a non CS major is like?
Post reply on HN