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Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

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Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#11

Post by cameronfraser »

UT Austin's program is also worth considering. It's newer but there is supposedly more consistent quality and rigor to the courses. Of course nobody has taken both so it is speculation from students at both schools, but that is the general consensus I could pick up from the respective subreddits for both programs. You also have to take the GRE for UT Austin.

As for your question about remaining hours, they are classes you choose. Anything not explicitly required or part of your specialization gets filled by electives of your choosing. You can also see rankings by students of all the courses here: https://omscentral.com/

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#12

Post by cweagans »

jangjorim wrote: post #9

Anyone complete or accepted to OMSCS without a background in Computer Science? Any recommended ways to fulfill their requirements for the basic CS without paying $$$ to take courses? Was denied for not having the CS background before joining a FAANG.

University of the People has a free-ish CS program. You might look into that. It's zero tuition, but you have to pay $100/exam (or at least that's what it was when I was looking at it).

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#13

Post by ceochronos »

cameronfraser wrote: post #11

UT Austin's program is also worth considering. It's newer but there is supposedly more consistent quality and rigor to the courses. Of course nobody has taken both so it is speculation from students at both schools, but that is the general consensus I could pick up from the respective subreddits for both programs. You also have to take the GRE for UT Austin. As for your question about remaining hours, they are classe…

Thank you for the information, I just quickly checked the page and I think it has less elective courses to choose from compared to the Georgia Tech program.

Another thing to take into consideration is that UT Austin's program is more expensive.

[MASTER OF COMPUTER SCIENCE ONLINE](https://www.cs.utexas.edu/graduate-program/masters-program/o...)

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#14

Post by ceochronos »

saeranv wrote: post #10

I'm in it right now, starting my third term in May. It's been very valuable for me. However, I think I'm like most of the students: coming from a math, engineering, or science background, transitioning into a more software development-oriented career. The value of the OMSCS degree is very clear for us: the degree as a qualification, and exposure to knowledge/skills we don't already have.I'm not sure if it would be as…

How many courses are you taking per term? Do you spend 10-30 hour/week with only one course?

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#16

Post by dlivingston »

jangjorim wrote: post #9

Anyone complete or accepted to OMSCS without a background in Computer Science? Any recommended ways to fulfill their requirements for the basic CS without paying $$$ to take courses? Was denied for not having the CS background before joining a FAANG.

I have a background in physics and am a first-semester OMSCS student. So no formal CS training, though my day job is computational geophysics.

The r/OMSCS subreddit has excellent threads where folks list their backgrounds and whether they were accepted. It’s a great way to get a rough estimate on your acceptance chances.

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#17

Post by nullsmack »

rrampage wrote: post #5

I completed my OMSCS last Spring, specializing in Machine Learning. My advice to you would be to not worry about any specialization as you can change it later on. Focus on taking courses that interest you. You need to complete 10 courses for completing the program. With 2-3 mandatory courses + 3 electives, you have room for at least 4 other courses not in your specialization. There are some interesting courses on the…

Any chance you could post a list of the textbooks you used?

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#18

Post by saeranv »

ceochronos wrote: post #14
saeranv wrote: post #10

I'm in it right now, starting my third term in May. It's been very valuable for me. However, I think I'm like most of the students: coming from a math, engineering, or science background, transitioning into a more software development-oriented career. The value of the OMSCS degree is very clear for us: the degree as a qualification, and exposure to knowledge/skills we don't already have.I'm not sure if it would be as…

How many courses are you taking per term? Do you spend 10-30 hour/week with only one course?

Yes, that's with one course. Huge variance in time per class, so you can do two courses for the same amount of time if you are strategic about your choices.

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#19

Post by rrampage »

nullsmack wrote: post #17
rrampage wrote: post #5

I completed my OMSCS last Spring, specializing in Machine Learning. My advice to you would be to not worry about any specialization as you can change it later on. Focus on taking courses that interest you. You need to complete 10 courses for completing the program. With 2-3 mandatory courses + 3 electives, you have room for at least 4 other courses not in your specialization. There are some interesting courses on the…

Any chance you could post a list of the textbooks you used?

Sure.

1. Introduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser and Introduction to Algorithms - CLRS (for the Algorithms course)

2. Machine Learning - Tom Mitchell

3. Artificial Intelligence - A Modern Approach - Russell and Norvig

4. Design of Everyday Things - Norman (for HCI)

5. Operating Systems in Three Easy Pieces [0]

Most of the courses had their own notes, slides and suggested research papers as primary reading and the textbooks were mostly used as a secondary reference.

[0] - http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/

Re: Ask HN: Master of Science in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

#20

Post by YPBS »

rrampage wrote: post #5

I completed my OMSCS last Spring, specializing in Machine Learning. My advice to you would be to not worry about any specialization as you can change it later on. Focus on taking courses that interest you. You need to complete 10 courses for completing the program. With 2-3 mandatory courses + 3 electives, you have room for at least 4 other courses not in your specialization. There are some interesting courses on the…

Hi, are the courses same as those freely available on Udacity, with only difference being in exercises ?
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