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Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

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Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#91

Post by eitally »

recuter wrote: post #4

http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/faq/ > How much does the degree program cost? We’re not yet ready to announce a specific program cost, but the plan is to offer the Georgia Tech OMS CS for a total cost of under $7,000—a fraction of the cost of Georgia Tech’s on-campus program and even less than that of comparable private universities. > The total workload is the same as the residential program; the weekly or hourly worklo…

Personal anecdote: I just finished an engineering MS from NC State via their Engineering Online ( http://engineeringonline.ncsu.edu) program. The per-3hr-course cost for EOL courses is roughly $900. For the on campus version of the same thing, it's about $2200. For a 27 credit hour program, that came out to about $8k, which I thought was entirely reasonable given I [as a student local to the school] always had the option of taking advantage of campus facilities/options (libraries/labs, office hours, study groups, etc), too. An added perk was -- as the GT FAQ notes -- the ability to work at my leisure. With a full time job and two toddlers, it took me almost four years to complete the program, but I did and it was a fantastic experience.

To address a question below about GT's program, NC State's is practically equivalent to their campus-based stuff. You apply, and are admitted, following exactly the same process as everyone else. After admission, you follow the same rules and processes as everyone else. The one exception I've found -- besides making it easier to study part time and draw out the total duration -- is that professors are usually much more lenient with deadlines for their online students. They know a large percentage of online students are doing it that way because they're working full time (or are deployed military, or any of a plethora of other situations), and they offer a lot of leeway. This helped me & my peers quite a lot.

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#92

Post by voidlogic »

laughfactory wrote: post #74
voidlogic wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would worry about the legitimacy of any MS in CS program that did not make someone without a CS undergrad degree take significant remedial coursework.

In my experience, at least with average state schools, their MS in CS curriculum is--to a degree--a rehash of their undergraduate curriculum. Often times they'll just assign more work, or slightly harder work. I'm sure it depends on the program, but many programs seem to assume that even if a candidate comes into the program with a BS in CS, they'll have to have their memory "refreshed" to a significant degree. Also,…

That is interesting- My masters program in Software Engineering was not like this. I remember a guy with an electrical engineering BS complaining he had like 16-18 remedial C-S credits to take before he could enter the MSE program.

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#94

Post by cstejerean »

recuter wrote: post #4

http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/faq/ > How much does the degree program cost? We’re not yet ready to announce a specific program cost, but the plan is to offer the Georgia Tech OMS CS for a total cost of under $7,000—a fraction of the cost of Georgia Tech’s on-campus program and even less than that of comparable private universities. > The total workload is the same as the residential program; the weekly or hourly worklo…

The only thing left is to allow people to earn a BS in CS through Udacity as well (or dropping the requirement for a BS for this program, but that seems less likely).

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#95

Post by wilfra »

gee_totes wrote: post #62
aweb wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently you can try to apply with another kind of BS : "Formal admission into the OMS CS program will require a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from an accredited institution, or a related Bachelor of Science degree with a possible need to take and pass remedial courses"

I wonder if you can get in with just a BA.

I am starting an MS in CS program in the fall (not at GT) and I just have a BA. They let me in, however I have to take a full academic year of remedial courses first[1]. I would imagine they will do something like that.

[1]Calculus 1 and 2, Intro to Programming, Data Structures, Foundations of CS, Intro to Computer Systems, Intro to Computer Organization, Algorithms and Data Structures, Structures of Programming Languages, Introduction to Finite Automata, Introduction to Operating Systems.

P.S. Anybody know where I can learn any of the above online cheap or free? If I learn it elsewhere I can test out of the classes.

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#96

Post by sonoffett »

mbreese wrote: post #88
sonoffett wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you'll be surprised about what degrees are actually "accredited" and what ones are not. For example, UCSD, Princeton and Cal Tech do not have ABET accredited C{S,E} degrees.

Why would I care about ABET accreditation for a CS program? It's not like CS is a regulated field that requires a national standard. That would be like complaining that a schools History department isn't accredited. For things like medicine, professional engineering, legal, etc... I care that those degrees are from accredited programs, but not CS. What I do care about is that the school itself is accredited and legal…

I misread the FAQ, it's the institution and not the degree that they care is accredited.

> Why would I care about ABET accreditation for a CS program? I'm not sure why someone would care (some people do though). ABET does not offer accreditation to history departments (now there's a controversial idea). I found the fact that these institutions do not have them as an interesting curiosity.

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#97

Post by Hortinstein »

> We anticipate opening enrollment for matriculation during Fall 2014

My heart sank a little, I have been looking for something like this forever and was planning on applying today after I read the press release.

I joined the mailing list and may even contact the admissions office for the B&M College of Computing to see if there are any pilot programs I could apply to. I am currently in Tokyo for work and finding a decent place online to continue my education in computer science has been difficult. Just set aside $7,000 in a new checking account for the associated fees.

This is the most exciting thing I have seen on HN in a while, awesome time to be a Computer Scientist!

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#98

Post by kyllo »

rsanders wrote: post #5
dhawalhs wrote: post #2

Where do you see the price $7000?

If you chase the links you end up on the Georgia Tech site about it: http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/faq . We’re not yet ready to announce a specific program cost, but the plan is to offer the Georgia Tech OMS CS for a total cost of under $7,000—a fraction of the cost of Georgia Tech’s on-campus program and even less than that of comparable private universities. All the content will be free to everybody, but you have to…

All the content will be free to everybody, but you have to apply to Georgia Tech and pay if you want the actual degree.

Really?! Forget the degree then, I just want the content!

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#99

Post by Hortinstein »

laughfactory wrote: post #71

I'm going to apply as soon as they open the gates. I've been "attending" a different, more average, online MS in Computer Science but find the thought of imminently affordable tuition and Georgia Tech quality very appealing.

what program are you currently in?

Re: Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech

#100

Post by auctiontheory »

This is a great start, but it seems to me that in the current environment (at least in the US) an MS CS is pretty redundant for students who already have a BS CS. Traditionally the MS CS has been more popular with prospective software engineers who lack a formal CS credential. Let's see how flexible Georgia Tech is on its admissions requirement of a "related Bachelor of Science degree."

I expect this program will be a big hit with non-US students who want a US credential.

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