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Georgia Tech Offers Online Master of Science in Analytics Degree for Under $10K

533 points by dgritsko 10y ago

kafkaesq 10y ago
I'd definitely be wary of devoting 1+ year of my life full-time to "save" money on a program that costs "justs" $10K/year -- without looking at alternatives that might cost a bit more, but provide a much richer experience. (Yes, I have great deal of categorical skepticism about full-scale online degrees -- as opposed to occasional online courses -- in general). Because even if you're unemployed, your most valuable resource is your time.
- ethbro 10y ago
  > Because even if you're unemployed, your most valuable resource is your time. *Assuming there's enough in your savings account to cover expenses
  - kafkaesq 10y ago
    Believe me -- I've been there, and I get where you're coming from with that.
oneplane 10y ago
I'm not entirely sure how this is such big news. It costs the same as doing it on-campus here, including all hardware and books etc. you might need over a ~4-5 year span.
dil8 10y ago
Does anyone know of an online mathematics masters degree?
- notte 10y ago
  University of Washington offers online MS in applied math. However, it's pricey. Here's the link to it: https://www.appliedmathonline.uw.edu https://www.appliedmathonline.uw.edu
  - zump 10y ago
    What a joke...
alnitak 10y ago
The fact that the Masters in CS and presumably this degree both require having a traditional bachelor degree as a prerequisite seriously limits their usefulness and their reach. Are there any similar tracks that do not have this requirement?
mrmrcoleman 10y ago
This is not news in the U.K.
graycat 10y ago
Following the links on the program at the Georgia Tech Web site, the program looks like a fairly wide buffet from practical computing, current business applications, statistics, and operations research. Georgia Tech is especially strong in operations research. So, here data science is a new bottle of wine blended from some now quite well known old bottles of wine. And it is not nearly the first such blending since there have also been programs such as mathematical sciences and applied mathematics. Other blendings have included mathematical finance, financial engineering, and bio-statistics. Apparently the high current interest is because now the associated computing is much cheaper, more powerful, and easier to use. And there has been a lot of hype from some sources. However, I question if US mainline business is much interested: IMHO and my experience says that nearly any specialized technical material faces a serious obstacle since in the organization chart the highest ranking technical person (if not the CEO then necessarily a subordinate) has to report to a supervisor who knows from much less to nearly nothing about what that technical subordinate person is doing. MD doctors, CPA accountants, licensed engineers, and licensed lawyers have some crucial, serious professional status, processes, support, etc. that is missing with applied mathematicians, statisticians, data scientists, etc. For software developers, roughly, the solution is for the organization to have a CIO, all the developers are in the CIO's organization so report only to experienced developers, and only the CIO reports to, interfaces with, non-experts in computing. Computing is now so darned important that the rest of the C-suite has to swallow their pride and accept the CIO at the table. Net, I fear that data scientists will have too little professional or organizational protection from rain falling down the organization chart from the C-suite. Or, for the supervisor, most projects will be lose-lose: If the project fails, then the supervisor has a black mark from wasting money on a failed project. So, with a failed project, the supervisor loses. If the project is successful, then the supervisor and, maybe, everyone in the C-suite, maybe even including the CEO, can be afraid of the project leader now regarded as a 900 pound tiger and, thus, a loss for the C-suite. Here the organization chart from the project leader up to the CEO is engaging in classic goal subordination, that is, pursuing what is best for themselves personally while sacrificing what is good for the company. And for startups, what fraction of venture partners would be able to evaluate a proposal that makes heavy use of some of the more advanced applied math in that Georgia Tech program? Net, the venture partners don't know the technical material, either. Or, as I suggested, nearly all wine in the blend is now quite old, and it didn't achieve much traction in mainline business. My short summary view is that for such technical material, especially material more advanced than in the Georgia Tech program, and for a startup, the founder CEO needs to be both (A) the main expert in the technical material and (B) essentially a solo founder who can write the software, bring it to market, and get the coveted traction significantly high and growing rapidly -- at which time the founder may not be willing to accept equity funding and report to a BoD that does not understand the work, that is, be back in the situation of a technical subordinate reporting to a supervisor who does not understand the technical work and, with the low expenses of a one person company, just grow organically from revenue. Or, IMHO, the most promising career future of an applied mathematician, etc., in business is to be a solo founder of a startup.
syngrog66 10y ago
or... you just read, observe, learn, build, think, communicate, publish, for free, at your own pace, 24x7, etc.
toisanji 10y ago
How is this different from the Udacity Georgia Tech Masters program?
- skizm 10y ago
  Not saying it is fair (maybe it is, maybe not), but the name "Georgia Tech" carries more weight on a resume.
- camelNotation 10y ago
  It comes with the Georgia Tech brand name associated with it. College degrees are 20% content, 80% reputation and branding. For instance, if you want to earn $100k/yr, the way to do so with the least amount of effort is to attend a school with a great reputation. Reputation in academia has much more to do with faculty prestige and research, not actual academic rigor for students, but most companies find it far easier to trust the brand than build effective interview and recruiting processes. Ergo, brands matter.
  - orange_county 10y ago
    Agreed. But if GT keeps offering more and more Master degrees this way, I can see them cheapening their reputation. It's a quick way for universities to make money, but at a cost of reputation.
    - zerr 10y ago
      Why? Unless they degrade the quality of contents and exams of course.
    - camelNotation 10y ago
      Yes, to an extent, but as strange as it sounds, you can jeopardize your reputation with the companies that hire your graduates and still maintain your status as a prestigious research institution. I think the gamble GT is taking in this context is that this type of degree is terminal and largely self-directed, meaning the primary recipients will be self-educators who want it specifically for practical application. That means they are essentially just people who will learn and apply the material anyway, but they want the paper credentials to go with it. That reduces their risk.
basseq 10y ago
EDIT: The awarded degree is the same (M.S. Analytics) as the "residential" program. The below assertions are false, but I have left the original comment intact for posterity. ----- I laud continuing, online, and affordable education options, but this degree is still very much a second-class citizen. It is not the same degree that's awarded to "residential" students (that would be M.S. Analytics). It's unclear whether the granting institution is Georgia Tech itself, one of the "collaborating" colleges (i.e., Scheller College of Business, the College of Computing, or the College of Engineering), Georgia Tech Professional Education, or even EdX. All this affects the "value" of the credential.
- criley2 10y ago
  It may affect the "value" of the credential for the small set of resume readers who are up to speed and have a real opinion on it, but I would also think that the name "Georgia Tech", which has quite a legendary status in Georgia, affects that value more. A whole lot of people see "You have a degree from GT? That's what I like to see!" around here. I would argue as a Georgia Resident that a Georgia Tech OMS Analytics would be viewed in higher regard than a Kennesaw State University M.S. Analytics (if they offered it, I know they offer other similar competing programs)
  - dpeck 10y ago
    If anything GT is viewed better outside of the state than within it. Few realize that a significant part of the reason that Georgia (for all its problems) isn't Alabama/Mississippi/South Carolina is because of GT and Atlantas rise from regional prominence to national and international recognition in technology, business and culture the last 30 years. Never a prophet in your homeland and such.
- tabeth 10y ago
  >> It is not the same degree that's awarded... False. "How will this degree appear on my diploma and/or transcript? The name "Online Master of Science (OMS)" is an informal designation to help both Georgia Tech and prospective students distinguish the delivery method of the online program from our on-campus degree. The degree name in both cases is Master of Science in Analytics. The track designation does not appear on the diploma or transcript." [1] [1] https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs
piker 10y ago
Can anyone speak to the value of the general online CS Masters degree offered by Georgia Tech? I'd been considering it, as it allows you to keep working while you improve your resume. I'm curious if employers (1) can tell it was completed online and (2) distinguish between individuals getting the residential MA versus the online MA. Thanks in advance.
- pc86 10y ago
  They can certainly tell it's online if you completed it during a time when you were working somewhere other than Atlanta.
- tabeth 10y ago
  (1) No. (2) No. "Will the degree I receive from the OMS CS program be the same as the on-campus MS in Computer Science or will my degree say “Online”? Your diploma will read "Master of Science in Computer Science," exactly the same as those of on-campus graduates. There will be no "online" designation for the degrees of OMS CS graduates." https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/prospective-students/faq https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/prospective-students/faq --- An employer could simply notice that your location and your school are in different places. However, IMO it's more impressive to have been working a full time job and doing a degree than the opposite.
  - importantbrian 10y ago
    I did the MSCIS program through Boston University several years ago, and this has been my experience. Employer's will figure it out, but they actually tend to be more impressed once they find out I was working full time and going to school.
- Notre1 10y ago
  There is a good podcast/audio interview[1] with C Charles Isbell, Jr., Professor and Senior Associate Dean at GA Tech., on the TWiML podcast. He discusses how their first online master's program has worked, and I found it quite informative. 1. https://twimlai.com/twiml-talk-4-charles-isbell-interactive-ai-plus-improving-ml-education/ https://twimlai.com/twiml-talk-4-charles-isbell-interactive-...
tabeth 10y ago
This is great news. However, anyone who's used Piazza (the main "classroom" tool for OMSCS) knows that it's hardly ideal. I think a better collaboration/discussion tool is imperative to making the experience better for the "average" student. Sure the top students in the program are going to do well, by definition, but there are plenty of more "middling" people like myself that can only be brought up to the next level with proper discussion/interaction with classmates. From my experience even PHPbb would be a more effective tool than Piazza. --- Suggestions (if Piazza folks are reading): 1. Allow one to delete follow-ups. 2. Allow students to create private "study group"-like threads that aren't in the main feed. 3. Make it easier to upload pictures and other content. 4. Make things live. Normally this wouldn't be necessary, but anyone in the program knows many students post the same thing at the same time as a response to an event (like an email). By doing this you prevent redundant threads from being created. 5. Use some sort of up/down voting system that way the community can self-regulate. There are plenty more things I'd improve, but for the sake of brevity those are some I just came up with on the spot.
- Ar-Curunir 10y ago
  Piazza has been a pretty good tool IMO. I haven't used it in the context of the OMSCS, only in all my undergrad classes at Berkeley, but it's been a really helpful tool when there's good moderation from the Professors and TAs. Maybe this condition does not hold true for the OMSCS, but I think almost all your problems can be solved by a good moderation team.
- greenpizza13 10y ago
  I agree with you about Piazza. I was always very active during the OMSCS program on Piazza, but it didn't seem ideal for those "middling" folks. The biggest problem was important discussions and ideas getting buried. There just wasn't a good way to keep track of it all.
- Yhippa 10y ago
  When I first started doing Udacity they used Piazza which was okay. I believe OMSCS is going through Udacity also. We eventually switched over to Discourse I believe and it addresses most of your concerns. The search and duplicate checking before posting is great.
prodtorok 10y ago
Anyone have experience with FT online college courses? Would it be possible to both work FT and complete the courses? Or would it best to work PT for a year?
- stevenmays 10y ago
  I got my bachelors while working FT. I did well, and it was manageable. My only caveat is examine your other obligations outside of work and school: family, hobbies, etc. Your time will be severely limited. It's like running a side project that's actually used and not just for learning/experimentation.
- BorgHunter 10y ago
  I finished the OMSCS program while working full time. I think most can do it unless you regularly work significant overtime or otherwise have a significant lack of free time. Those with families, kids, etc. seem to do best taking one class per semester. Those with fewer such responsibilities can take two per semester. Also: Even at two classes per semester it takes two years. One class per semester, a bit over three years. It does take some determination to see it through to the end.
- sikim 10y ago
  As a current OMSCS student, it largely depends on your CS background, work hours, and which course/program. So far, it's been working pretty well for me as OMSCS has a lot of info about each course (check omscentral.com for course reviews), and I've been scheduling my future semesters based on course workload.
- jonkiddy 10y ago
  I'm currently seven classes into the OMSCS program (one class per semester since 2014), work full time, volunteer as a FIRST robotics mentor, and have three kids and a loving wife. I have no free time and life is good. However, if my wife wasn't onboard and encouraging me to go through the OMSCS program, I wouldn't be able to do so.
- jaymzcampbell 10y ago
  I am in my final year of a BSc in Mathematics with the Open University in the UK. I have been working full time throughout. The first couple of years it was fairly easy to stay on top of it but as the complexity increased it has definitely been a hard balancing act. However, if you have the motivation then it's certainly do-able. My work was fairly intense too so as long as you are comfortable with giving up your weekends and have supportive friends/partners then it works just fine in my opinion. You get used to studying as your "fun time" - eg when I commute I spend it reading course notes, I play next to no PS4 games these days and I watch very little TV. I did think about taking a work break to totally focus on the course but in the end I've not needed to and find I prefer the brain ping-pong. As someone who was in a relationship for 5½ years and is now single if you have a partner do talk it through with them. Be as supportive as you can of them on your journey. I'm pretty sure one of the reasons I lost her was the intensity of the last year or two. That was definitely exasperated by the workload and my general need to dedicate my weekends to exams/coursework/studying.
intheclouddan 10y ago
Is there anything similar to the Online Masters but a Bachelor's degree? Most of the online universities like WGU seem like a get a bunch of certificates then you graduate.
- ghufran_syed 10y ago
  http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/
- alawrence 10y ago
  I went to WGU and graduated with a Business Management degree. I did my homework before I went and the degree is fully accredited, with some students moving on to graduate programs. I only got one certificate during the entire experience and that was through CompTIA when one of their tests counted as the final exam.
- jazztoken 10y ago
  FSU and Arizona State both have online "ordinary" CS bachelor's.
  - weatherstorme 10y ago
    I thought ASU was software engineering, and not CS. However, they are very similar.
- weston 10y ago
  Oregon State has a reputable online CS post-bach degree for those who've already finished undergrad but want to go back.
- srtjstjsj 10y ago
  What do you mean exactly? WGU is accredited to grant Bachelor's degrees (and certificates). http://www.wgu.edu/online_it_degrees/data_management_analytics_bachelor_degree http://www.wgu.edu/online_it_degrees/data_management_analyti...
phreenet 10y ago
For comparison: Master of Computer Science - Data Science (Univ: Illinois, Coursera). https://www.coursera.org/university-programs/masters-in-computer-data-science https://www.coursera.org/university-programs/masters-in-comp...
- tedmiston 10y ago
  UIUC has a great reputation especially for research. I haven't heard of their online MS yet, but their undergrad program is very well respected.
danalloway 10y ago
the price and convenience are hard to ignore, yes there are some unideal aspects of the program (like the software and collaboration/discussion tech) but all-in-all what a great opportunity.
simplegeek 10y ago
Are both CS and Analytics degrees (from Georgia Tech) available to people outside U.S?
- bitL 10y ago
  Yes, but you need to pass admission process (likely somewhat comparable education to US)
  - tedmiston 10y ago
    Anyone know if the GRE is still required for someone who's been enrolled in a traditional Master's in CS program before but with a GRE exemption?
    - bytecodes 10y ago
      GA Tech's CS program did not require the GRE, partly for the reason you state. There is still the usual admissions process with old GPAs and reference letters. Instead of GRE scores and very tough standards, students are conditionally accepted until passing 2 foundational courses within the first year. Hopefully the new program does the same, but it doesn't look like they've officially stated that yet.
    - jocro 10y ago
      Their FAQ states that the GRE is not required at all.
throwawayGT 10y ago
As someone who completed a (on-campus) CS masters at GT, I really wish I didn't. The classes were of very poor quality - it was clear that they were a low priority for most faculty. Andrew Ng's Coursera class on Machine Learning was the pedagogical highlight of my time at GT, and I did it on my own initiative (and it's free). I know people have many reasons to get a Masters. If your goal is to take some higher-level classes, you can do better than GT. If you are self-motivated enough to do an online degree, you can do it for free. Aside from free offerings from sites like Coursera, you can find whole courses up from many institutions - with syllabi, lecture slides, homework assignments, etc. If you're planning to do it for the salary, in my experience the degree ended up being worth a $95K to $115K bump in starting salary. Compare this with the 2 years of industry salary that I would have received, and the 2 years of experience (and raises that come with that). I know I wasn't paid better than the folks who had been with the company for 2 years more than me. If you're thinking about it for the sake of your resume, I do hiring screening / interviews now (for Data Science and Software Engineering positions) - and I really don't care if the applicant has an MS or not (or what classes they may have taken). Most folks I know that do hiring think similarly. My main signal from your resume is projects you've been on and how you contributed. From my point of view, this program is a losing proposition for any potential student.
- zardeh 10y ago
  [disclosure: GT CS alum] >Andrew Ng's Coursera class on Machine Learning was the pedagogical highlight of my time at GT, and I did it on my own initiative (and it's free). This is something I wanted to highlight from your post. I don't think this is surprising, nor do I think it is reasonable to state that a course (or a degree program) is poor quality because it didn't meet the standards of Ng's ML course. That is an exceedingly high bar. Its something I noticed, because I am a recent grad, so while I was in my mid-level courses, and had recently taken Tech's intro CS course, I was able to watch (Harvard's) CS50 and other courses. But on the other hand, I've seen some very bad online courses. The successful and large online courses are successful and large specifically because they are head and shoulders better than the rest. And there are a lot of decent online courses, so to measure against what are some of the absolute best online courses is to measure against courses that have more resources, more planning, and more feedback than most. (as an aside, they also have more incentive to be good, but that's a bit tangential to the point that they also have more opportunity to be good). You type in "Machine Learning" on coursera and you get over 1000 results (not all of which are relevant, but assuming even 10% are), its little wonder that one or two are going to be better than the even the best courses that you'll take during a bachelors or masters, because Coursera offers more Machine Learning courses than most people will take in their Bachelors or Masters. Combine that with these courses coming prefiltered (you've heard of the Stanford Course, but what about "Applied Text Mining in Python" from UMichigan, which for all I know might be great, but it doesn't come with the hundreds of recommendations that the Ng course does, so I don't know that it will be great) and you have a really great recipe for a bias against the in person courses.
ThomPete 10y ago
Sorry for getting off-topic but: Is there any business in creating a better "classroom" experience that what ex. Piazza is doing? It seems like an are which could be improved immensely design/ux wise but it also seems like it could be an area where that's not really going to make you successful because the distribution is already owned by someone else.
- falloutx 10y ago
  One place where Piazza really excels is in their Sales. They used their network to get the big schools, now getting the smaller schools is relatively easy. I can't imagine a startup/small business selling software to say for ex. Harvard, without knowing a few professors inside Harvard. You can definitely make a app that students use, but getting professors on the platform and getting the selling part right would be incredibly challenging.
- mixmastamyk 10y ago
  Someone else mentioned here that the reason the software is poor is that there is not enough money to make it better. Not sure if that is true though.
almostkorean 10y ago
I'm currently in the Master of Science in Analytics program at gatech, so if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. My experience so far has been excellent. I just started my second semester, and I can say that the curriculum covers exactly what I wanted to learn with the exception of one class. The program is extremely practical, it's only one year and is focused on getting the students jobs. The professors are great, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get into the field.
- rememberlenny 10y ago
  Can you share some of your syllabus content? I'm interested in the program and would like to know if the content is stuff I'm already familiar with.
- rememberlenny 10y ago
  Can you share some of your syllabus content? I'm interested in the program and would like to know if the content is stuff I'm already familiar with.
- codezero 10y ago
  How much statistics is involved? I'm asking because I have a friend who is interested in math and statistics but wants to go to grad school for something a bit more practical, while still having some challenge in terms of statistics.
  - almostkorean 10y ago
    I'd say it's very statistics heavy, but it depends on the individual. They offer three different tracks: computational, business, and analytical tools. If you pick the analytical tools track your classes will be more stats heavy. Most of the core classes (like machine learning) are more math based. In machine learning, it's done from a mathematical/theoretical approach. Another example is regression analysis, where you learn the math before doing the practical work in R. I have a weak math/stats background but a strong software background, which also aligns with my interests so I'm doing the computational track. As I mentioned before, most of the core curriculum is math heavy so I'm learning that aspect, but I'm also getting a ton of practical experience in machine learning and big data work.
ComputerGuru 10y ago
Can anyone recommend a great and respectable ML online masters (assume cost not an issue)?
- randcraw 10y ago
  Stanford offers an online MS in CS using videos of the same courses that are offered on campus. So does Columbia, though their online course offerings seem to have decreased significantly in the past few years. Both programs cost about $5k/course. I think both schools offer a track that emphasizes AI/ML, though I'm not sure more than a couple of their available courses are in those topics.
- rripken 10y ago
  In the Georgia Tech OMSCS program you have to pick a specialization. Machine Learning is one of the options.
bk_geek 10y ago
Is taking the GRE a requirement for admissions? The program looks very interesting but I can't bear to take the GRE after nearly 20 years of work ex.
- jps359 10y ago
  It isn't required for the online MSCS at GT
- binarymax 10y ago
  It is not required, per the linked FAQ admissions section: https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs#OMSA%20Admissions https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs#... --EDIT-- On the admissions criteria page, it states the following: "5. Optional - Applicants may choose to submit standardized test scores, most commonly GRE or GMAT (but if appropriate, LSAT, MCAT, etc. scores may also be considered)." So that may help get you in. https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/application-information/admission-criteria https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/appli...
jackcosgrove 10y ago
I'm waiting for the online, low-cost undergraduate degree of comparable quality to the "real thing". Maybe it's already here. I recently checked up on tuition at my alma mater and almost barfed. With a kid on the way Mr. Market has 18 years to figure this out for me.
- ghufran_syed 10y ago
  The University of London external program has been around since 1858, so hopefully it will still be around 18 years from now :) http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ Three of my kids and I are are doing CS degrees from here right now, two of us while working full-time.
- teaearlgraycold 10y ago
  Or you have 18 years to move to another country.
jocro 10y ago
Anyone have experience with this program without an academic CS background? As someone with a BS in Materials Science & Engineering (at best a tangentially related field via sparse EE coursework) who does some level of programming at a tech job now, I'm curious what my prospects for admission would be. I'm confident I could handle the coursework, provided I could get my foot in the door. As a related question, they mention taking courses to fill holes - are they receptive to Coursera offerings?
- jsokol1 10y ago
  Yes, many of our students come in with either tangentially-related backgrounds or even unrelated backgrounds -- we look for students with outstanding analytics potential, regardless of background. And yes, online learning and/or self-taught learning is definitely fine as hole-fillers; we just want you to have the necessary background to succeed, and however you get that background is up to you.
  - jocro 10y ago
    Appreciate the feedback!
iblaine 10y ago
I'm not yet convinced that online learning is an equivalent replacement for a university degree. Exceptions do exist. For the most part, people graduate from these online universities without the skills needed for the jobs they want.
- nommm-nommm 10y ago
  From my experience people graduate from traditional universities without the skills needed for the jobs they want. For example, how on earth can you graduate with a degree in computer science but never used version control? But I've seen it from our new hires. Version control should be taught the first day of CS101, that's where I was first exposed to it.
  - iblaine 10y ago
    That's a strawman argument so I'll put it this way: I have never interviewed someone with an online degree and walked out of that interview with a positive experience. Online education needs to improve if it's going to be on par with traditional degrees.
    - nommm-nommm 10y ago
      Huhh? How's it a strawman? Strawman: an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument. I am not misrepresenting you, I m not really even arguing with you or disagreeing with you all that much. I agree, online degrees are not providing job skills. But neither are many (not all) traditional degrees. Just one example is people fresh out of school who have never used or even heard of version control. Then there's the "can't do fizzbuzz" example. This isn't even exclusive to CS degrees. The reason I choose my degree program is it advertised itself as career focused education. Either we should make education more career focused or accept that universities aren't primarily for job training and find alternatives.
  - mixmastamyk 10y ago
    Probably should learn it before that if you'd like to be a programmer.
reztip 10y ago
I'm currently enrolled in the OMSCS program, and so far I would call it so-so. I joined the program because I come from a non-CS background - undergrad in math, work in an unrelated field: consulting. I'm trying to pivot into a ML Engineer career. If you want to learn ML, you're better off going through the Ng Coursera course and from there pursuing some personal projects. The primary value of the program is the ability to get past recruiting coordinators simply due to the fact I'm enrolled in CS program. The two undergrad CS courses I took at Berkeley were more rigorous, and were superior from a skills development perspective. But at the price, the OMSCS program is definitely worth it for someone coming from a different background.
rajeshp1986 10y ago
I feel $10,000 for an online course is way too much. Just because it carries a label of university doesn't make it worth it. Almost all of the knowledge is available online for free. Although a university course gives a structure around a subject and provides learning resources & materials but universities have to realize that because of this many people will not take these MOOCs. Because education is a business, future generations will turn out to be illiterate.
- randcraw 10y ago
  It's $10K for the entire degree program -- 10 courses. That's $1k/course, almost certainly the cheapest college degree in America.
- learc83 10y ago
  >I feel $10,000 for an online course It's not just a course it's a degree. When you graduate you have a Masters degree that is identical on paper to an on campus degree.
- nameless912 10y ago
  ...have you looked at the price of comparable online CS programs? They're often much, much more than that.
merkleee 10y ago
I am skeptical that this program will be a good signal for hiring analysts. In my experience, there are two things you need to select for: (1) Understanding statistics. Hopefully this program will take care of this requirement, but it's not hard to find these people anyway. There is an infinite supply of science PhDs fleeing the academic job market. (2) Behavioural/personality. People who will do well at the actual job. Example: can you tell when a PM is asking you to answer the wrong question, and how do you handle it? You can easily find (1) with screening questions, (2) is the hard part. But, I guess if you think you have (2) as a future analyst, this program could be a good way of getting (1).
nether 10y ago
I just wonder what the job prospects will be like for this. This is basically data science, a field being crowded rapidly by PhD's fleeing academia. With 3-month data science bootcamps, people are now saying expect 3-6 months to find employment, often as an entry-level data analyst. I expect the outcomes of the GT OMSA to be much better given the breadth and rigor of coursework, but who knows by how much? Also, while $10k tuition is low, the cost of lost income from pursuing this fulltime for 12 months makes it cost more than the 3-month bootcamps whose tuition usually runs $15k. If most OMSA grads find jobs right out of the program, versus 3-6 months of job hunting for bootcamp grads, the OMSA becomes a much better deal. Edit: There is placement data for the on-campus program: http://www.analytics.gatech.edu/placement http://www.analytics.gatech.edu/placement. 95% within 3 months of graduation, cohort size 21 students, with the majority (40%) taking an "analyst" title, average salary $100,000 (61% going to Atlanta, so this could be a little depressed compared to west coast tech salaries).
- bb611 10y ago
  I would also be a bit hesitant about job prospects. My last job was at a large nonprofit in SF on their data team, and both my boss and my only non-contractor coworker were PhDs who fled academia. Salaries for the tech teams in general were 25-50% below market and overtime was high, and there were still PhDs taking these jobs.

533 points by dgritsko 10y ago

I'd definitely be wary of devoting 1+ year of my life full-time to "save" money on a program that costs "justs" $10K/year -- without looking at alternatives that might cost a bit more, but provide a much richer experience. (Yes, I have great deal of categorical skepticism about full-scale online degrees -- as opposed to occasional online courses -- in general). Because even if you're unemployed, your most valuable resource is your time.

ethbro 10y ago
> Because even if you're unemployed, your most valuable resource is your time. *Assuming there's enough in your savings account to cover expenses
- kafkaesq 10y ago
  Believe me -- I've been there, and I get where you're coming from with that.

oneplane 10y ago

I'm not entirely sure how this is such big news. It costs the same as doing it on-campus here, including all hardware and books etc. you might need over a ~4-5 year span.

dil8 10y ago

Does anyone know of an online mathematics masters degree?

notte 10y ago
University of Washington offers online MS in applied math. However, it's pricey. Here's the link to it: https://www.appliedmathonline.uw.edu https://www.appliedmathonline.uw.edu
- zump 10y ago
  What a joke...

alnitak 10y ago

The fact that the Masters in CS and presumably this degree both require having a traditional bachelor degree as a prerequisite seriously limits their usefulness and their reach. Are there any similar tracks that do not have this requirement?

mrmrcoleman 10y ago

This is not news in the U.K.

graycat 10y ago

Following the links on the program at the Georgia Tech Web site, the program looks like a fairly wide buffet from practical computing, current business applications, statistics, and operations research. Georgia Tech is especially strong in operations research. So, here data science is a new bottle of wine blended from some now quite well known old bottles of wine. And it is not nearly the first such blending since there have also been programs such as mathematical sciences and applied mathematics. Other blendings have included mathematical finance, financial engineering, and bio-statistics. Apparently the high current interest is because now the associated computing is much cheaper, more powerful, and easier to use. And there has been a lot of hype from some sources. However, I question if US mainline business is much interested: IMHO and my experience says that nearly any specialized technical material faces a serious obstacle since in the organization chart the highest ranking technical person (if not the CEO then necessarily a subordinate) has to report to a supervisor who knows from much less to nearly nothing about what that technical subordinate person is doing. MD doctors, CPA accountants, licensed engineers, and licensed lawyers have some crucial, serious professional status, processes, support, etc. that is missing with applied mathematicians, statisticians, data scientists, etc. For software developers, roughly, the solution is for the organization to have a CIO, all the developers are in the CIO's organization so report only to experienced developers, and only the CIO reports to, interfaces with, non-experts in computing. Computing is now so darned important that the rest of the C-suite has to swallow their pride and accept the CIO at the table. Net, I fear that data scientists will have too little professional or organizational protection from rain falling down the organization chart from the C-suite. Or, for the supervisor, most projects will be lose-lose: If the project fails, then the supervisor has a black mark from wasting money on a failed project. So, with a failed project, the supervisor loses. If the project is successful, then the supervisor and, maybe, everyone in the C-suite, maybe even including the CEO, can be afraid of the project leader now regarded as a 900 pound tiger and, thus, a loss for the C-suite. Here the organization chart from the project leader up to the CEO is engaging in classic goal subordination, that is, pursuing what is best for themselves personally while sacrificing what is good for the company. And for startups, what fraction of venture partners would be able to evaluate a proposal that makes heavy use of some of the more advanced applied math in that Georgia Tech program? Net, the venture partners don't know the technical material, either. Or, as I suggested, nearly all wine in the blend is now quite old, and it didn't achieve much traction in mainline business. My short summary view is that for such technical material, especially material more advanced than in the Georgia Tech program, and for a startup, the founder CEO needs to be both (A) the main expert in the technical material and (B) essentially a solo founder who can write the software, bring it to market, and get the coveted traction significantly high and growing rapidly -- at which time the founder may not be willing to accept equity funding and report to a BoD that does not understand the work, that is, be back in the situation of a technical subordinate reporting to a supervisor who does not understand the technical work and, with the low expenses of a one person company, just grow organically from revenue. Or, IMHO, the most promising career future of an applied mathematician, etc., in business is to be a solo founder of a startup.

syngrog66 10y ago

or... you just read, observe, learn, build, think, communicate, publish, for free, at your own pace, 24x7, etc.

toisanji 10y ago

How is this different from the Udacity Georgia Tech Masters program?

skizm 10y ago
Not saying it is fair (maybe it is, maybe not), but the name "Georgia Tech" carries more weight on a resume.
camelNotation 10y ago
It comes with the Georgia Tech brand name associated with it. College degrees are 20% content, 80% reputation and branding. For instance, if you want to earn $100k/yr, the way to do so with the least amount of effort is to attend a school with a great reputation. Reputation in academia has much more to do with faculty prestige and research, not actual academic rigor for students, but most companies find it far easier to trust the brand than build effective interview and recruiting processes. Ergo, brands matter.
- orange_county 10y ago
  Agreed. But if GT keeps offering more and more Master degrees this way, I can see them cheapening their reputation. It's a quick way for universities to make money, but at a cost of reputation.
  - zerr 10y ago
    Why? Unless they degrade the quality of contents and exams of course.
  - camelNotation 10y ago
    Yes, to an extent, but as strange as it sounds, you can jeopardize your reputation with the companies that hire your graduates and still maintain your status as a prestigious research institution. I think the gamble GT is taking in this context is that this type of degree is terminal and largely self-directed, meaning the primary recipients will be self-educators who want it specifically for practical application. That means they are essentially just people who will learn and apply the material anyway, but they want the paper credentials to go with it. That reduces their risk.

basseq 10y ago

EDIT: The awarded degree is the same (M.S. Analytics) as the "residential" program. The below assertions are false, but I have left the original comment intact for posterity. ----- I laud continuing, online, and affordable education options, but this degree is still very much a second-class citizen. It is not the same degree that's awarded to "residential" students (that would be M.S. Analytics). It's unclear whether the granting institution is Georgia Tech itself, one of the "collaborating" colleges (i.e., Scheller College of Business, the College of Computing, or the College of Engineering), Georgia Tech Professional Education, or even EdX. All this affects the "value" of the credential.

criley2 10y ago
It may affect the "value" of the credential for the small set of resume readers who are up to speed and have a real opinion on it, but I would also think that the name "Georgia Tech", which has quite a legendary status in Georgia, affects that value more. A whole lot of people see "You have a degree from GT? That's what I like to see!" around here. I would argue as a Georgia Resident that a Georgia Tech OMS Analytics would be viewed in higher regard than a Kennesaw State University M.S. Analytics (if they offered it, I know they offer other similar competing programs)
- dpeck 10y ago
  If anything GT is viewed better outside of the state than within it. Few realize that a significant part of the reason that Georgia (for all its problems) isn't Alabama/Mississippi/South Carolina is because of GT and Atlantas rise from regional prominence to national and international recognition in technology, business and culture the last 30 years. Never a prophet in your homeland and such.
tabeth 10y ago
>> It is not the same degree that's awarded... False. "How will this degree appear on my diploma and/or transcript? The name "Online Master of Science (OMS)" is an informal designation to help both Georgia Tech and prospective students distinguish the delivery method of the online program from our on-campus degree. The degree name in both cases is Master of Science in Analytics. The track designation does not appear on the diploma or transcript." [1] [1] https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs

piker 10y ago

Can anyone speak to the value of the general online CS Masters degree offered by Georgia Tech? I'd been considering it, as it allows you to keep working while you improve your resume. I'm curious if employers (1) can tell it was completed online and (2) distinguish between individuals getting the residential MA versus the online MA. Thanks in advance.

pc86 10y ago
They can certainly tell it's online if you completed it during a time when you were working somewhere other than Atlanta.
tabeth 10y ago
(1) No. (2) No. "Will the degree I receive from the OMS CS program be the same as the on-campus MS in Computer Science or will my degree say “Online”? Your diploma will read "Master of Science in Computer Science," exactly the same as those of on-campus graduates. There will be no "online" designation for the degrees of OMS CS graduates." https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/prospective-students/faq https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/prospective-students/faq --- An employer could simply notice that your location and your school are in different places. However, IMO it's more impressive to have been working a full time job and doing a degree than the opposite.
- importantbrian 10y ago
  I did the MSCIS program through Boston University several years ago, and this has been my experience. Employer's will figure it out, but they actually tend to be more impressed once they find out I was working full time and going to school.
Notre1 10y ago
There is a good podcast/audio interview[1] with C Charles Isbell, Jr., Professor and Senior Associate Dean at GA Tech., on the TWiML podcast. He discusses how their first online master's program has worked, and I found it quite informative. 1. https://twimlai.com/twiml-talk-4-charles-isbell-interactive-ai-plus-improving-ml-education/ https://twimlai.com/twiml-talk-4-charles-isbell-interactive-...

tabeth 10y ago

This is great news. However, anyone who's used Piazza (the main "classroom" tool for OMSCS) knows that it's hardly ideal. I think a better collaboration/discussion tool is imperative to making the experience better for the "average" student. Sure the top students in the program are going to do well, by definition, but there are plenty of more "middling" people like myself that can only be brought up to the next level with proper discussion/interaction with classmates. From my experience even PHPbb would be a more effective tool than Piazza. --- Suggestions (if Piazza folks are reading): 1. Allow one to delete follow-ups. 2. Allow students to create private "study group"-like threads that aren't in the main feed. 3. Make it easier to upload pictures and other content. 4. Make things live. Normally this wouldn't be necessary, but anyone in the program knows many students post the same thing at the same time as a response to an event (like an email). By doing this you prevent redundant threads from being created. 5. Use some sort of up/down voting system that way the community can self-regulate. There are plenty more things I'd improve, but for the sake of brevity those are some I just came up with on the spot.

Ar-Curunir 10y ago
Piazza has been a pretty good tool IMO. I haven't used it in the context of the OMSCS, only in all my undergrad classes at Berkeley, but it's been a really helpful tool when there's good moderation from the Professors and TAs. Maybe this condition does not hold true for the OMSCS, but I think almost all your problems can be solved by a good moderation team.
greenpizza13 10y ago
I agree with you about Piazza. I was always very active during the OMSCS program on Piazza, but it didn't seem ideal for those "middling" folks. The biggest problem was important discussions and ideas getting buried. There just wasn't a good way to keep track of it all.
Yhippa 10y ago
When I first started doing Udacity they used Piazza which was okay. I believe OMSCS is going through Udacity also. We eventually switched over to Discourse I believe and it addresses most of your concerns. The search and duplicate checking before posting is great.

prodtorok 10y ago

Anyone have experience with FT online college courses? Would it be possible to both work FT and complete the courses? Or would it best to work PT for a year?

stevenmays 10y ago
I got my bachelors while working FT. I did well, and it was manageable. My only caveat is examine your other obligations outside of work and school: family, hobbies, etc. Your time will be severely limited. It's like running a side project that's actually used and not just for learning/experimentation.
BorgHunter 10y ago
I finished the OMSCS program while working full time. I think most can do it unless you regularly work significant overtime or otherwise have a significant lack of free time. Those with families, kids, etc. seem to do best taking one class per semester. Those with fewer such responsibilities can take two per semester. Also: Even at two classes per semester it takes two years. One class per semester, a bit over three years. It does take some determination to see it through to the end.
sikim 10y ago
As a current OMSCS student, it largely depends on your CS background, work hours, and which course/program. So far, it's been working pretty well for me as OMSCS has a lot of info about each course (check omscentral.com for course reviews), and I've been scheduling my future semesters based on course workload.
jonkiddy 10y ago
I'm currently seven classes into the OMSCS program (one class per semester since 2014), work full time, volunteer as a FIRST robotics mentor, and have three kids and a loving wife. I have no free time and life is good. However, if my wife wasn't onboard and encouraging me to go through the OMSCS program, I wouldn't be able to do so.
jaymzcampbell 10y ago
I am in my final year of a BSc in Mathematics with the Open University in the UK. I have been working full time throughout. The first couple of years it was fairly easy to stay on top of it but as the complexity increased it has definitely been a hard balancing act. However, if you have the motivation then it's certainly do-able. My work was fairly intense too so as long as you are comfortable with giving up your weekends and have supportive friends/partners then it works just fine in my opinion. You get used to studying as your "fun time" - eg when I commute I spend it reading course notes, I play next to no PS4 games these days and I watch very little TV. I did think about taking a work break to totally focus on the course but in the end I've not needed to and find I prefer the brain ping-pong. As someone who was in a relationship for 5½ years and is now single if you have a partner do talk it through with them. Be as supportive as you can of them on your journey. I'm pretty sure one of the reasons I lost her was the intensity of the last year or two. That was definitely exasperated by the workload and my general need to dedicate my weekends to exams/coursework/studying.

intheclouddan 10y ago

Is there anything similar to the Online Masters but a Bachelor's degree? Most of the online universities like WGU seem like a get a bunch of certificates then you graduate.

ghufran_syed 10y ago
http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/
alawrence 10y ago
I went to WGU and graduated with a Business Management degree. I did my homework before I went and the degree is fully accredited, with some students moving on to graduate programs. I only got one certificate during the entire experience and that was through CompTIA when one of their tests counted as the final exam.
jazztoken 10y ago
FSU and Arizona State both have online "ordinary" CS bachelor's.
- weatherstorme 10y ago
  I thought ASU was software engineering, and not CS. However, they are very similar.
weston 10y ago
Oregon State has a reputable online CS post-bach degree for those who've already finished undergrad but want to go back.
srtjstjsj 10y ago
What do you mean exactly? WGU is accredited to grant Bachelor's degrees (and certificates). http://www.wgu.edu/online_it_degrees/data_management_analytics_bachelor_degree http://www.wgu.edu/online_it_degrees/data_management_analyti...

phreenet 10y ago

For comparison: Master of Computer Science - Data Science (Univ: Illinois, Coursera). https://www.coursera.org/university-programs/masters-in-computer-data-science https://www.coursera.org/university-programs/masters-in-comp...

tedmiston 10y ago
UIUC has a great reputation especially for research. I haven't heard of their online MS yet, but their undergrad program is very well respected.

danalloway 10y ago

the price and convenience are hard to ignore, yes there are some unideal aspects of the program (like the software and collaboration/discussion tech) but all-in-all what a great opportunity.

simplegeek 10y ago

Are both CS and Analytics degrees (from Georgia Tech) available to people outside U.S?

bitL 10y ago
Yes, but you need to pass admission process (likely somewhat comparable education to US)
- tedmiston 10y ago
  Anyone know if the GRE is still required for someone who's been enrolled in a traditional Master's in CS program before but with a GRE exemption?
  - bytecodes 10y ago
    GA Tech's CS program did not require the GRE, partly for the reason you state. There is still the usual admissions process with old GPAs and reference letters. Instead of GRE scores and very tough standards, students are conditionally accepted until passing 2 foundational courses within the first year. Hopefully the new program does the same, but it doesn't look like they've officially stated that yet.
  - jocro 10y ago
    Their FAQ states that the GRE is not required at all.

throwawayGT 10y ago

As someone who completed a (on-campus) CS masters at GT, I really wish I didn't. The classes were of very poor quality - it was clear that they were a low priority for most faculty. Andrew Ng's Coursera class on Machine Learning was the pedagogical highlight of my time at GT, and I did it on my own initiative (and it's free). I know people have many reasons to get a Masters. If your goal is to take some higher-level classes, you can do better than GT. If you are self-motivated enough to do an online degree, you can do it for free. Aside from free offerings from sites like Coursera, you can find whole courses up from many institutions - with syllabi, lecture slides, homework assignments, etc. If you're planning to do it for the salary, in my experience the degree ended up being worth a $95K to $115K bump in starting salary. Compare this with the 2 years of industry salary that I would have received, and the 2 years of experience (and raises that come with that). I know I wasn't paid better than the folks who had been with the company for 2 years more than me. If you're thinking about it for the sake of your resume, I do hiring screening / interviews now (for Data Science and Software Engineering positions) - and I really don't care if the applicant has an MS or not (or what classes they may have taken). Most folks I know that do hiring think similarly. My main signal from your resume is projects you've been on and how you contributed. From my point of view, this program is a losing proposition for any potential student.

zardeh 10y ago
[disclosure: GT CS alum] >Andrew Ng's Coursera class on Machine Learning was the pedagogical highlight of my time at GT, and I did it on my own initiative (and it's free). This is something I wanted to highlight from your post. I don't think this is surprising, nor do I think it is reasonable to state that a course (or a degree program) is poor quality because it didn't meet the standards of Ng's ML course. That is an exceedingly high bar. Its something I noticed, because I am a recent grad, so while I was in my mid-level courses, and had recently taken Tech's intro CS course, I was able to watch (Harvard's) CS50 and other courses. But on the other hand, I've seen some very bad online courses. The successful and large online courses are successful and large specifically because they are head and shoulders better than the rest. And there are a lot of decent online courses, so to measure against what are some of the absolute best online courses is to measure against courses that have more resources, more planning, and more feedback than most. (as an aside, they also have more incentive to be good, but that's a bit tangential to the point that they also have more opportunity to be good). You type in "Machine Learning" on coursera and you get over 1000 results (not all of which are relevant, but assuming even 10% are), its little wonder that one or two are going to be better than the even the best courses that you'll take during a bachelors or masters, because Coursera offers more Machine Learning courses than most people will take in their Bachelors or Masters. Combine that with these courses coming prefiltered (you've heard of the Stanford Course, but what about "Applied Text Mining in Python" from UMichigan, which for all I know might be great, but it doesn't come with the hundreds of recommendations that the Ng course does, so I don't know that it will be great) and you have a really great recipe for a bias against the in person courses.

ThomPete 10y ago

Sorry for getting off-topic but: Is there any business in creating a better "classroom" experience that what ex. Piazza is doing? It seems like an are which could be improved immensely design/ux wise but it also seems like it could be an area where that's not really going to make you successful because the distribution is already owned by someone else.

falloutx 10y ago
One place where Piazza really excels is in their Sales. They used their network to get the big schools, now getting the smaller schools is relatively easy. I can't imagine a startup/small business selling software to say for ex. Harvard, without knowing a few professors inside Harvard. You can definitely make a app that students use, but getting professors on the platform and getting the selling part right would be incredibly challenging.
mixmastamyk 10y ago
Someone else mentioned here that the reason the software is poor is that there is not enough money to make it better. Not sure if that is true though.

almostkorean 10y ago

I'm currently in the Master of Science in Analytics program at gatech, so if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. My experience so far has been excellent. I just started my second semester, and I can say that the curriculum covers exactly what I wanted to learn with the exception of one class. The program is extremely practical, it's only one year and is focused on getting the students jobs. The professors are great, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get into the field.

rememberlenny 10y ago
Can you share some of your syllabus content? I'm interested in the program and would like to know if the content is stuff I'm already familiar with.
rememberlenny 10y ago
Can you share some of your syllabus content? I'm interested in the program and would like to know if the content is stuff I'm already familiar with.
codezero 10y ago
How much statistics is involved? I'm asking because I have a friend who is interested in math and statistics but wants to go to grad school for something a bit more practical, while still having some challenge in terms of statistics.
- almostkorean 10y ago
  I'd say it's very statistics heavy, but it depends on the individual. They offer three different tracks: computational, business, and analytical tools. If you pick the analytical tools track your classes will be more stats heavy. Most of the core classes (like machine learning) are more math based. In machine learning, it's done from a mathematical/theoretical approach. Another example is regression analysis, where you learn the math before doing the practical work in R. I have a weak math/stats background but a strong software background, which also aligns with my interests so I'm doing the computational track. As I mentioned before, most of the core curriculum is math heavy so I'm learning that aspect, but I'm also getting a ton of practical experience in machine learning and big data work.

ComputerGuru 10y ago

Can anyone recommend a great and respectable ML online masters (assume cost not an issue)?

randcraw 10y ago
Stanford offers an online MS in CS using videos of the same courses that are offered on campus. So does Columbia, though their online course offerings seem to have decreased significantly in the past few years. Both programs cost about $5k/course. I think both schools offer a track that emphasizes AI/ML, though I'm not sure more than a couple of their available courses are in those topics.
rripken 10y ago
In the Georgia Tech OMSCS program you have to pick a specialization. Machine Learning is one of the options.

bk_geek 10y ago

Is taking the GRE a requirement for admissions? The program looks very interesting but I can't bear to take the GRE after nearly 20 years of work ex.

jps359 10y ago
It isn't required for the online MSCS at GT
binarymax 10y ago
It is not required, per the linked FAQ admissions section: https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs#OMSA%20Admissions https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/faqs#... --EDIT-- On the admissions criteria page, it states the following: "5. Optional - Applicants may choose to submit standardized test scores, most commonly GRE or GMAT (but if appropriate, LSAT, MCAT, etc. scores may also be considered)." So that may help get you in. https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/application-information/admission-criteria https://pe.gatech.edu/online-masters-degrees/analytics/appli...

jackcosgrove 10y ago

I'm waiting for the online, low-cost undergraduate degree of comparable quality to the "real thing". Maybe it's already here. I recently checked up on tuition at my alma mater and almost barfed. With a kid on the way Mr. Market has 18 years to figure this out for me.

ghufran_syed 10y ago
The University of London external program has been around since 1858, so hopefully it will still be around 18 years from now :) http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ Three of my kids and I are are doing CS degrees from here right now, two of us while working full-time.
teaearlgraycold 10y ago
Or you have 18 years to move to another country.

jocro 10y ago

Anyone have experience with this program without an academic CS background? As someone with a BS in Materials Science & Engineering (at best a tangentially related field via sparse EE coursework) who does some level of programming at a tech job now, I'm curious what my prospects for admission would be. I'm confident I could handle the coursework, provided I could get my foot in the door. As a related question, they mention taking courses to fill holes - are they receptive to Coursera offerings?

jsokol1 10y ago
Yes, many of our students come in with either tangentially-related backgrounds or even unrelated backgrounds -- we look for students with outstanding analytics potential, regardless of background. And yes, online learning and/or self-taught learning is definitely fine as hole-fillers; we just want you to have the necessary background to succeed, and however you get that background is up to you.
- jocro 10y ago
  Appreciate the feedback!

iblaine 10y ago

I'm not yet convinced that online learning is an equivalent replacement for a university degree. Exceptions do exist. For the most part, people graduate from these online universities without the skills needed for the jobs they want.

nommm-nommm 10y ago
From my experience people graduate from traditional universities without the skills needed for the jobs they want. For example, how on earth can you graduate with a degree in computer science but never used version control? But I've seen it from our new hires. Version control should be taught the first day of CS101, that's where I was first exposed to it.
- iblaine 10y ago
  That's a strawman argument so I'll put it this way: I have never interviewed someone with an online degree and walked out of that interview with a positive experience. Online education needs to improve if it's going to be on par with traditional degrees.
  - nommm-nommm 10y ago
    Huhh? How's it a strawman? Strawman: an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument. I am not misrepresenting you, I m not really even arguing with you or disagreeing with you all that much. I agree, online degrees are not providing job skills. But neither are many (not all) traditional degrees. Just one example is people fresh out of school who have never used or even heard of version control. Then there's the "can't do fizzbuzz" example. This isn't even exclusive to CS degrees. The reason I choose my degree program is it advertised itself as career focused education. Either we should make education more career focused or accept that universities aren't primarily for job training and find alternatives.
- mixmastamyk 10y ago
  Probably should learn it before that if you'd like to be a programmer.

reztip 10y ago

I'm currently enrolled in the OMSCS program, and so far I would call it so-so. I joined the program because I come from a non-CS background - undergrad in math, work in an unrelated field: consulting. I'm trying to pivot into a ML Engineer career. If you want to learn ML, you're better off going through the Ng Coursera course and from there pursuing some personal projects. The primary value of the program is the ability to get past recruiting coordinators simply due to the fact I'm enrolled in CS program. The two undergrad CS courses I took at Berkeley were more rigorous, and were superior from a skills development perspective. But at the price, the OMSCS program is definitely worth it for someone coming from a different background.

rajeshp1986 10y ago

I feel $10,000 for an online course is way too much. Just because it carries a label of university doesn't make it worth it. Almost all of the knowledge is available online for free. Although a university course gives a structure around a subject and provides learning resources & materials but universities have to realize that because of this many people will not take these MOOCs. Because education is a business, future generations will turn out to be illiterate.

randcraw 10y ago
It's $10K for the entire degree program -- 10 courses. That's $1k/course, almost certainly the cheapest college degree in America.
learc83 10y ago
>I feel $10,000 for an online course It's not just a course it's a degree. When you graduate you have a Masters degree that is identical on paper to an on campus degree.
nameless912 10y ago
...have you looked at the price of comparable online CS programs? They're often much, much more than that.

merkleee 10y ago

I am skeptical that this program will be a good signal for hiring analysts. In my experience, there are two things you need to select for: (1) Understanding statistics. Hopefully this program will take care of this requirement, but it's not hard to find these people anyway. There is an infinite supply of science PhDs fleeing the academic job market. (2) Behavioural/personality. People who will do well at the actual job. Example: can you tell when a PM is asking you to answer the wrong question, and how do you handle it? You can easily find (1) with screening questions, (2) is the hard part. But, I guess if you think you have (2) as a future analyst, this program could be a good way of getting (1).

nether 10y ago

I just wonder what the job prospects will be like for this. This is basically data science, a field being crowded rapidly by PhD's fleeing academia. With 3-month data science bootcamps, people are now saying expect 3-6 months to find employment, often as an entry-level data analyst. I expect the outcomes of the GT OMSA to be much better given the breadth and rigor of coursework, but who knows by how much? Also, while $10k tuition is low, the cost of lost income from pursuing this fulltime for 12 months makes it cost more than the 3-month bootcamps whose tuition usually runs $15k. If most OMSA grads find jobs right out of the program, versus 3-6 months of job hunting for bootcamp grads, the OMSA becomes a much better deal. Edit: There is placement data for the on-campus program: http://www.analytics.gatech.edu/placement http://www.analytics.gatech.edu/placement. 95% within 3 months of graduation, cohort size 21 students, with the majority (40%) taking an "analyst" title, average salary $100,000 (61% going to Atlanta, so this could be a little depressed compared to west coast tech salaries).

bb611 10y ago
I would also be a bit hesitant about job prospects. My last job was at a large nonprofit in SF on their data team, and both my boss and my only non-contractor coworker were PhDs who fled academia. Salaries for the tech teams in general were 25-50% below market and overtime was high, and there were still PhDs taking these jobs.