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Master’s Degree in Computer Science

evanp.me

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Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#201

Post by driscoll42 »

sthatipamala wrote: post #5
driscoll42 wrote: post #2

I'm personally in the Georgia Tech Online Master's in Computer Science (OMSCS) program right now and can't say enough good things about it. The coursework is rigorous, deep, and varied, you really do learn quite a bit through the program and more than just random learning on your own, you get a degree out of it. Plus you get the opportunity to do some research and publish papers.

I'm also a proud OMSCS alum! But "the opportunity to do some research and publish papers" is certainly not the default. Can you describe how you were able to do that?

So there are a few ways now! I do agree that it's not the default, I'd probably say 1. Courses -There are a number of courses now where you can create projects and publish papers. Again, not the default, but if you put in the effort it's doable. To name a few, Computing for Good, Big Data for Healthcare, Deep Learning, Educational Technology, Human-Computer Interaction and others.

2. VIPs! These I consider one of the "hidden" gems of OMSCS and what I personally did. You can see them here: https://www.vip.gatech.edu/ but basically instead of a class for a semester (but counts as a class for credit and graduation purposes) you work for a professor on a project with several other grads/undergrads. I did one this past semester and was asked to stay on as a research assistant over the summer doing work in NLP. Really excited for it actually and has been a fantastic opportunity. I put a lot more details here - https://redd.it/u6cj5z

3. Master's Project/Thesis - This is the option to do a Master's Project or thesis instead of just ten courses, but it does require more work from the student to find a professor and do that. There's many more details here https://redd.it/9t48b2 and frankly I wish I had done so, but too late now.

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#202

Post by Blackstrat »

I've never viewed degrees as vocational training. They were always something I did for myself. For example, I completed an MS and an MBA while in my 30s. Neither were particularly career enhancing beyond credentialism which seems pervasive here in the US. Hence, the success of the various certification programs, Microsoft, Java, et al., which as a former hiring manager, I didn't find that these certifications necessarily yielded better candidates. Both masters required an immense amount of autodidacticism to round out what was acquired in class. And many of these topics were covered on tests, i.e. if you didn't put in the time on your own, you weren't passing the class. Now that I'm retired, the question I haven't yet wrapped my arms around is whether I want to pursue another degree, e.g., math. No real application, just for fun.

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#203

Post by markus_zhang »

anonymousDan wrote: post #196
markus_zhang wrote: post #19

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/Master/2021-2022/parallel-and-di... This is the ONLY program I'd like to get into because so far it is the only program that I know deals a lot with hardcore malware analysis. There are probably more programs available but I didn't spend much time researching options. Unfortunately this program is NOT online, and I'm not in Europe. ALAS! If anyone knows a similar online program in NA pleas…

My advice to you - look at the top tier security conferences (CCS, IEEE S&P, USENIX Security and maybe NDSS). Find malware analysis papers that interest you. Look what universities the authors come from and see if they offer an online program. The university you link to above are research leaders in this area (H. Bos & C. Giuffrida), and in general this will usually be reflected in the quality of teaching available f…

Thanks man, that's a very good thought! I'll check the conferences.

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#204

Post by bdavis__ »

Did mine at 50. Two things:

#1. The fundamentals are the same, but a lot of things have changed in the past 30 years. The coursework, somewhat, brings you closer to up-to-date.

#2. Non-FAANG. Looking to be a director or a tech fellow? No formal education during your career is a bad signal. Of course there are exceptions, but it is expected that you have invested in yourself (MBA also meets this requirement).

My personal achievements:

#1. Greatly improved my writing skills.

#2. Understand deeply and can communicate technical concepts that previously I dealt with on the "gut feel" level.

#3. Able to identify ignorance and stupidity in my leadership directly, where previously I lacked enough context to be sure of them being wrong.

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#205

Post by hardware2win »

fn-mote wrote: post #192
hardware2win wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Safe environment to fail"? What??? It is incredibly stressful environment cuz if you fail then youll have to spend more time (so less vacations), maybe even pay some $$ or at worst have to take course again

Failure on a single assignment at university will not get you fired. Your team will not blackball you as incompetent. (Well, they might be upset but the next course you will probably be with other people.) There is time to learn that your habits need to be changed in order to be successful in the long-term. There is more support for investigating things that you think are worth investigating, and there can be positiv…

>There is more support for investigating things that you think are worth investigating,

In my world there was always lack of time cuz other courses wanted their important^tm projects too, so instead of deep dive into fancy topics that was just pass and move on and learn it yourself

In hs i liked math, in higher edu institution i had no time for it

But ive been working full time almost whole time

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#206

Post by driscoll42 »

donthellbanme wrote: post #13
driscoll42 wrote: post #2

I'm personally in the Georgia Tech Online Master's in Computer Science (OMSCS) program right now and can't say enough good things about it. The coursework is rigorous, deep, and varied, you really do learn quite a bit through the program and more than just random learning on your own, you get a degree out of it. Plus you get the opportunity to do some research and publish papers.

The problem is when you have paid the tuition, and finished the degree, it's so hard to objectively rate it. I have a Bachelor's degree from a decent state school in California. At the time, I felt the courses were too easy, and my four years were a bit of a waste of time. I remember going to a graduation party, and you would think we graduated from med school. The graduates were carrying on like it was so rigrigrous…

Oh agreed, and and I'm definitely biased towards my degree. What I can say is that without the degree I find it extremely unlikely I would have gotten the job I have now working in Data. At the least it gave me the confidence to apply, but also without the structure of the program, I would never have studied ML the way I have.

However, I do completely agree there are other great programs out there. UIUC and UTexas have great online MSCS degrees that are comparable and well worth considering.

The coursework in OMSCS can vary. There are ways to get through the program taking fairly "easy" courses, and then there are much harder ones. I have certainly had a class or two that was less useful to take than others, but that was mostly so I could graduate in 10 semesters as opposed to taking longer.

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#207

Post by yCombLinks »

evanprodromou wrote: post #70
tenpies wrote: post #66

Slightly surprised that Harvard's School of Extension Studies didn't make the cut.

So, one of my criteria is a credentialed master's degree at the university, available 100% remote. I don't see a master's degree in CS or software engineering on their site. Also, it seems like the degrees they do give are from "Harvard Extension", which is also something I don't want.

Hi Evan, they do have a masters in software engineering through the extension school. I'm currently working on my degree there. It's not 100% remote. I'm very happy with the school though. Anyways, here's the link for the masters program : https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/programs/software-en...

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#208

Post by shazzdeeds »

markus_zhang wrote: post #19

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/Master/2021-2022/parallel-and-di... This is the ONLY program I'd like to get into because so far it is the only program that I know deals a lot with hardcore malware analysis. There are probably more programs available but I didn't spend much time researching options. Unfortunately this program is NOT online, and I'm not in Europe. ALAS! If anyone knows a similar online program in NA pleas…

Georgia Tech online masters looks like it does. I found this in the article author’s links when he breaks down the schools. Id really like to take this class too so it stood out to me.

https://omscs.gatech.edu/cs-6747-advanced-malware-analysis

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#209

Post by nvarsj »

wirthjason wrote: post #27
driscoll42 wrote: post #2

I'm personally in the Georgia Tech Online Master's in Computer Science (OMSCS) program right now and can't say enough good things about it. The coursework is rigorous, deep, and varied, you really do learn quite a bit through the program and more than just random learning on your own, you get a degree out of it. Plus you get the opportunity to do some research and publish papers.

I have a more mixed experience with the OMSCS. Overall it's a good program, and if the choice is between Udemy or OMSCS then it wins hands down. For me the central issue is online vs. in-person. Education is an interactive experience, the value of a good professor and classmates is helping to identify issues when you are stuck and nudge you just enough for you to connect the dots. As an undergraduate I liked attendin…

OMSCS alumni here. Almost all my classes had student organised study groups over video chat. But it does require you to seek them out and participate in class slack usually. Overall I had far more class related interaction than I did in my on campus undergrad.

Re: Master’s Degree in Computer Science

#210

Post by nvarsj »

el_benhameen wrote: post #94
driscoll42 wrote: post #2

I'm personally in the Georgia Tech Online Master's in Computer Science (OMSCS) program right now and can't say enough good things about it. The coursework is rigorous, deep, and varied, you really do learn quite a bit through the program and more than just random learning on your own, you get a degree out of it. Plus you get the opportunity to do some research and publish papers.

I’m curious whether anyone here is doing/has done OMSCS with a family in addition to a day job. I would love to do the program, but I’m not sure how realistic it is to take it on with young kids in the house. Does all of your non-work time end up being consumed by coursework?

OMSCS alumni here. OMSCS is no joke! I underestimated the program and did it in a similar situation. I completed it, but it certainly had a large cost to me personally. You will lose weekends and time with your family - whether it's a massive project you're trying to complete before the deadline, or a hard final exam you need to study for 50 hours to pass.

If you can accept those sacrifices, and your partner is willing to support you (mine wasn't, it turned out), then it's worth considering. I would also strongly suggest treating it like a marathon, not a sprint, and do the 2 courses a year option.

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