Online Master of Science in Computer Science

#1

Post by epenn » Tue, Jul 09, 2013, 6:50 PM UTC

Online Master of Science in Computer Science
udacity.com

Re: Online Master of Science in Computer Science

#2

Post by tylermac1 » Tue, Jul 09, 2013, 7:27 PM UTC

I'm really excited to see how this pans out. I'm finishing my BS in Computer Science this spring and am considering this for a Masters degree.

Re: Online Master of Science in Computer Science

#3

Post by NTDF » Tue, Jul 09, 2013, 7:58 PM UTC

I am a Georgia Tech alum. I had taken the Advanced OS class and High Performance Computer Architecture classes. My then roommate had taken the Networks class too.

I strongly recommend taking those classes, if you get the chance. The concepts they teach blew me away completely. These classes helped me make a conscious decision, to not be a regular programmer after I graduate. I wanted to be an engineer working on the hard stuff. For folks who have such motivation, these courses are amazing.

The professors are really great and love teaching. They will try to make the class fun (in nerdy ways). They are at the bleeding edge of research in their domains and know stuff inside out.

Beware:

- These classes are non-trivial. Most of these classes cannot be done without full focus. So, if you are employed full-time, please reconsider. You more than likely need to devote 3+ hours everyday to study.

- For example, Advanced OS class will require you to read 40+ research papers. You will actually have trick questions in mid-term and finals where you'll need to know intricate details of each paper to answer them correctly

- Adding to the above point, the HPC class will have intensive math homework. There were problems to calculate IPC of a fake machine which took me 3 WHITEBOARDS to figure out the level of parallelism. If you have never taken a Computer Architecture class before, please re-consider.

- Georgia Tech, notoriously, grades everyone equally. Meaning, you will not get any benefits for not being on campus. If they end up grading you with on-campus students, rest assured you are already behind. Not to mention, students taking these courses are mostly PhDs. They know the stuff inside out already.

- Urban dictionary actually is very true in its definition of what this school is: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=georgia%20tec...

- The grading system is ruthless. You will either get an A or B or C or D. There are no +ves and -ves. A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0. In short, it is unacceptable to get even a B in all classes

- These classes are not like a regular Udacity or Coursera classes. You will not learn any programming in them. They expect you to know programming cold. The students who take these courses want to know how computers work and are highly motivated. See the top answer by a Georgia tech student: https://www.quora.com/Computer-Science/How-do-computers-work...

All said, if you come out of this coursework unscathed, you'll have a new-found appreciation for life and computers. I do not regret doing my Masters there.