5 ms·

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 y

by 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-...
kirykl 10y ago
If there's any degree that's ideal to being completed online its CS
- ghaff 10y ago
  Having taken a number of MOOCs as well as having a traditional engineering masters (not CS), I'm inclined to agree. - Although not universally true, you tend not to need labs stocked with equipment that aren't practical for an individual to purchase. (Though, yes, CS degrees can be oriented around hardware.) - Automated grading of problem sets/tests seem to work better with software than just about any other topic of MOOCs I've seen. (Though that's probably not an issue for this sort of paid program as you can have paid TAs and professors directly involved.) - Remote "teams" can clearly collaborate effectively on projects etc. as demonstrated by the fact that they do in many companies and on many open source projects. That said, a big part of a masters degree is going to be individual work anyway. ADDED: As someone else mentioned, in-person mentoring would still be a concern of mine but that's probably a tractable issue.
nkozyra 10y ago
1. No distinction 2. Not unless they ask you And everyone who's been exposed to both says it's the same courses and rigor as the on-campus version. (Source: 2 classes from finishing)
- donjh 10y ago
  Being almost done with the program, would you recommend it?
- iak8god 10y ago
  > And everyone who's been exposed to both says it's the same courses and rigor as the on-campus version. I am curious: who in the world would do both? A more serious question, since you're going through it now: is there a thesis component to the online MS, or is it just coursework? If there's a thesis (either required or as an option for more research-oriented students), how does the thesis mentoring at a distance work?
  - nkozyra 10y ago
    > I am curious: who in the world would do both? Nobody, they're TAs now. ;)
    - iak8god 10y ago
      Ah, right, TAs! Got any info for the lazy on the existence of a thesis track?
      - nkozyra 10y ago
        No thesis option.
        iak8god 10y ago
        Good to know. Thanks!
  - 10y ago
greenpizza13 10y ago
1) Nope. Same degree and same diploma. 2) Only way to tell would be to infer from your location or ask you outright.
nether 10y ago
OMSCS students can also get GaTech student ID's for campus privileges (libraries, rec center etc.).
- reledi 10y ago
  How would you apply for this as a student? Could you get the ID mailed to you overseas for example?
  - nvarsj 10y ago
    No, you have to go to the campus to get one.
echelon 10y ago
I live in Atlanta and work with a bunch of Tech grads. Tech is one of the most prestigious engineering universities in the southeast (if not the most), and its degrees are tremendously valuable. AFAIK, this is Georgia Tech's second online masters degree course, which demonstrates that the university now stands behind their online degree program. One of my coworkers is currently enrolled in their other online masters program, and he speaks highly of it. If this is anything like their first online masters program, there is no distinction between the online and on-campus diploma. The degree is a full-fledged Georgia Tech degree. This is what makes it so attractive--employers and other educational institutes won't know you didn't physically attend the campus. I'd be happy to get more of my coworker's opinion on the program if you like. I'm interested in it myself...
jonmb 10y ago
A colleague is nearly complete with his online CS Masters from GT. He has spoken well of it, so much so that another colleague has already applied and been accepted. I considered it as well, but I'm tired of traditional school and don't see a need for the MS when a BS is doing me fine. Maybe some day. So based on what I've seen and read, I could recommend it.
natesholland 10y ago
While technically GA Tech makes no distinction between the two degrees, in practice employers can often tell. However this isn't always a bad thing. I'm a current student and I switched jobs about halfway through the program. I'm living in Austin so it came up in the interviews that this was an online program. I explained to people that I was doing the online degree in my spare time but taking it slower and that all the courses were the same as the on campus counterparts. Generally speaking the interviewers seemed to be impressed by this and said that it showed a strong work ethic. I can't give hard facts about the value of the program but given that it only costs between $7k and $10k to complete I think it will pay for itself very quickly and perhaps already has.

by piker 10y ago

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-...

kirykl 10y ago

If there's any degree that's ideal to being completed online its CS

ghaff 10y ago
Having taken a number of MOOCs as well as having a traditional engineering masters (not CS), I'm inclined to agree. - Although not universally true, you tend not to need labs stocked with equipment that aren't practical for an individual to purchase. (Though, yes, CS degrees can be oriented around hardware.) - Automated grading of problem sets/tests seem to work better with software than just about any other topic of MOOCs I've seen. (Though that's probably not an issue for this sort of paid program as you can have paid TAs and professors directly involved.) - Remote "teams" can clearly collaborate effectively on projects etc. as demonstrated by the fact that they do in many companies and on many open source projects. That said, a big part of a masters degree is going to be individual work anyway. ADDED: As someone else mentioned, in-person mentoring would still be a concern of mine but that's probably a tractable issue.

nkozyra 10y ago

1. No distinction 2. Not unless they ask you And everyone who's been exposed to both says it's the same courses and rigor as the on-campus version. (Source: 2 classes from finishing)

donjh 10y ago
Being almost done with the program, would you recommend it?
iak8god 10y ago
> And everyone who's been exposed to both says it's the same courses and rigor as the on-campus version. I am curious: who in the world would do both? A more serious question, since you're going through it now: is there a thesis component to the online MS, or is it just coursework? If there's a thesis (either required or as an option for more research-oriented students), how does the thesis mentoring at a distance work?
- nkozyra 10y ago
  > I am curious: who in the world would do both? Nobody, they're TAs now. ;)
  - iak8god 10y ago
    Ah, right, TAs! Got any info for the lazy on the existence of a thesis track?
    - nkozyra 10y ago
      No thesis option.
      - iak8god 10y ago
        Good to know. Thanks!
- 10y ago

greenpizza13 10y ago

1) Nope. Same degree and same diploma. 2) Only way to tell would be to infer from your location or ask you outright.

nether 10y ago

OMSCS students can also get GaTech student ID's for campus privileges (libraries, rec center etc.).

reledi 10y ago
How would you apply for this as a student? Could you get the ID mailed to you overseas for example?
- nvarsj 10y ago
  No, you have to go to the campus to get one.

echelon 10y ago

I live in Atlanta and work with a bunch of Tech grads. Tech is one of the most prestigious engineering universities in the southeast (if not the most), and its degrees are tremendously valuable. AFAIK, this is Georgia Tech's second online masters degree course, which demonstrates that the university now stands behind their online degree program. One of my coworkers is currently enrolled in their other online masters program, and he speaks highly of it. If this is anything like their first online masters program, there is no distinction between the online and on-campus diploma. The degree is a full-fledged Georgia Tech degree. This is what makes it so attractive--employers and other educational institutes won't know you didn't physically attend the campus. I'd be happy to get more of my coworker's opinion on the program if you like. I'm interested in it myself...

jonmb 10y ago

A colleague is nearly complete with his online CS Masters from GT. He has spoken well of it, so much so that another colleague has already applied and been accepted. I considered it as well, but I'm tired of traditional school and don't see a need for the MS when a BS is doing me fine. Maybe some day. So based on what I've seen and read, I could recommend it.

natesholland 10y ago

While technically GA Tech makes no distinction between the two degrees, in practice employers can often tell. However this isn't always a bad thing. I'm a current student and I switched jobs about halfway through the program. I'm living in Austin so it came up in the interviews that this was an online program. I explained to people that I was doing the online degree in my spare time but taking it slower and that all the courses were the same as the on campus counterparts. Generally speaking the interviewers seemed to be impressed by this and said that it showed a strong work ethic. I can't give hard facts about the value of the program but given that it only costs between $7k and $10k to complete I think it will pay for itself very quickly and perhaps already has.