6 ms·

Harvard Online Master’s Degree

55 points by tianyicui 15y ago

naner 15y ago
More recent: http://blog.markwshead.com/911/harvard-online-masters-degree-in-software-engineering/ http://blog.markwshead.com/911/harvard-online-masters-degree... Thought this was posted here before but I couldn't find it.
petercooper 15y ago
Related topic, different country. I discovered last week you can take a MSc in Software Development with the Open University (a partially government-funded distance learning university in the UK): http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/qualification/f26.htm http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/qualification/f26.... The really interesting part is if you have enough experience, you don't need to have an undergraduate degree to get into the prerequisite diploma course. So you get on to the diploma course which takes two years part time, then do the Masters project for a year.. no degree to Masters in 3 years. An education hack, if ever there were one. Who cares if you have an undergraduate degree when you have a Masters? (Genuine question - if there is a reason, let us know.) The only downside, it's not cheap cheap. You're looking at about £1000 per unit and there are 8 units for the diploma. The Master's part is then £1900 ish. So that's about £10k ($16k) in all over 3 years. Still, only slightly more than a single year of undergraduate study in the UK from next year.. Note: Yes, this is really for people in the UK or Europe.
- nathansmith 15y ago
  "Who cares if you have an undergraduate degree when you have a masters?" I'd turn that around and ask: "Who cares if you have a masters, if you have requisite experience?" Ultimately, undergraduate and masters level degrees are just pieces of paper without the career track record to show for it. Personally, I'd hire the individual who's smart and can get stuff done, who spent a comparative amount of time building his/her skill-set, than someone who spent the same number of years in a classroom doing instructor-driven tasks. And, for what it's worth, I have both an undergraduate and masters degree (though neither in software or CS).
  - rudenoise 15y ago
    I'd like a master's degree because I enjoy learning and learning makes you better at the tasks you apply it to. I can earn good money with or without it, but taking the time to truly expand my CS knowledge (at an age where I can truly appreciate it, not the case when I got my degree) would be fulfilling. A course like this would suit me while I continue with a job that pays the mortgage. Edit: having read the course description it does seem geared towards career development. A more academic approach would appeal more.
- bhofmann 15y ago
  When I see CVs with masters degrees I can't help thinking "this person has been more interested in academic study than real world experience". I value the latter more. Some formal education is good to see, but I've seen too many masters students who can't cut it in a real world situation.
  - petercooper 15y ago
    Would someone who quit school at 16 with A-grade experience catch your eye more than a postgraduate with C-grade experience?
  - pgbovine 15y ago
    wow, i hope no Ph.D.'s apply for a job at your organization, or else their resume will probably be thrown directly into the trash bin ;)
  - StudyAnimal 15y ago
    Well these part time, distance learning postgraduate degrees are usually professional degrees, so intended for those wanting to use the knowledge in their work rather than academic degrees, for those wishing to study further. They actually require and are normally integrated with actual real world experience. My professional masters required me to actually do things at work, things that I wouldn't have done otherwise, and write about it, and turn it into a project etc. Sure academics with academic Masters degrees look down on them, but then there are a lot of people, like you, who recognize that academic achievement is not an indicator of being able to get things done. These professional masters are an ideal middle ground. To be honest though, if I could have gotten interesting real world experience in the field I was interested in, I probably would not have considered the degree, but it was a chicken and egg situation for me unfortunately. In order to get a job where I could get experience, I had to have experience. So I started the degree, then switched to a job that was half way towards the area I wanted, and because I needed to do a project my employers were more willing to let me take on some work in the interesting area I wanted to work in. By the end of it, I had both real world experience, and a degree recognizing that experience. Without starting that course I still don't see how I could have broken in to either area.
  - 15y ago
- zinssmeister 15y ago
  Getting this master degree from the Open University would require you to fly to europe/uk to sit your exams. They let you study online but you must take the exams at one of their regional centers. They don't have one of those outside of europe
- alnayyir 15y ago
  Can you do this from the US as a non-EU/UK citizen/resident? This is quite fascinating.
- rayboyd 15y ago
  Another similar hack I discovered. You can get a full blown MSc with no attachments such as (open) from The University of Liverpool [1]. You can gain entry if you have enough experience to skip the prerequisites. Costs are similar. You could pull it off in 2 years if you worked like a champion. [1] http://www.liv.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught_courses/software-engineering-online-msc.htm http://www.liv.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught_courses/softw...
  - petercooper 15y ago
    Someone I follow on Twitter said they're doing this course and that it's OK but the quality of the other participants is a little meh ;-) On the (Open) suffix, I don't think there's any requirement to include that part. You've been conferred with that part of the title but I can't see any reason you have to use it - it's still an MSc. But perhaps someone with insider knowledge could correct me here ;-)
aothman 15y ago
As an elitist alum, I don't like these programs one bit. I can't help but feel that they are, in a small but meaningful way, watering down the value of my degree. And even though it's petty, I'm chagrined that my diploma features English rather than Latin text. Harvard's Extension School was designed to teach the greater Boston community, and I think it should be a vehicle to improve town-gown relations, by convincing locals to not perceive Harvard as "the other". I certainly don't think it should have as part of its mission handing out Masters degrees to people from Kansas over the Internet.
- ziadbc 15y ago
  Harvard educates the world, and you'd rather their mission be a way "improve town-gown relations, by convincing locals to not perceive Harvard as "the other" Seems completely unfounded, and yes, categorically elitist.
  - kcm11 15y ago
    There are much more effective ways of educating the world without charging thousands of dollars and handing out degrees (e.g. MIT's OCW program).
- jonmc12 15y ago
  Can you help me understand your statement 'watering down the value of my degree'? I'm curious, why do you feel that way?
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - Locke1689 15y ago
    Well, there's at least one thing that's missing from this degree program which is a core part of the Harvard traditional degree system -- strenuous admission requirements and filtering.
  - kcm11 15y ago
    Like it or not, part of the value of a Harvard degree is the signaling effect it carries. The signaling effect is, in large part, due to the selectivity of the school and the coursework. Put more directly... if the extension school has a 10x higher acceptance rate and has easier classes, then it is probably diluting the signaling effect a bit.
Killah911 15y ago
Well, the real question is, what "value" is derived from said degree? Better job right away? Most of the times that isn't the case. I can understand the "value" in actually being on campus and interacting with the next Gates or Zuckerburg etc. Would attaching the Harvard section to your resume really make things that much better? Anyone have some stats/studies on this beyond anecdotal cases? The author doesn't really go into much details about what came out of his Harvard degree.
- Nrsolis 15y ago
  Interesting fact: Two of the world's most famous billionaires attended Harvard and didn't stay long enough to finish a degree. Care to guess who they might be?
  - Killah911 15y ago
    Yup, just another reason I ask. Actually, I know a few Harvard Dropouts who've gone a similar path, while not Billionaires, they've done more than OK. Anyone know where the Future Harvard Dropout Cafe is, that might be the place to be? :-P
derrida 15y ago
There is an irony in people thinking that this degree awarded from Harvard is a lesser degree than the other types, when this degree is awarded purely on academic merit (since admission is based on you already completing some of the courses), whereas mainstream Harvard is based on the opinions of some admissions officers.

55 points by tianyicui 15y ago

naner 15y ago

More recent: http://blog.markwshead.com/911/harvard-online-masters-degree-in-software-engineering/ http://blog.markwshead.com/911/harvard-online-masters-degree... Thought this was posted here before but I couldn't find it.

petercooper 15y ago

Related topic, different country. I discovered last week you can take a MSc in Software Development with the Open University (a partially government-funded distance learning university in the UK): http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/qualification/f26.htm http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/qualification/f26.... The really interesting part is if you have enough experience, you don't need to have an undergraduate degree to get into the prerequisite diploma course. So you get on to the diploma course which takes two years part time, then do the Masters project for a year.. no degree to Masters in 3 years. An education hack, if ever there were one. Who cares if you have an undergraduate degree when you have a Masters? (Genuine question - if there is a reason, let us know.) The only downside, it's not cheap cheap. You're looking at about £1000 per unit and there are 8 units for the diploma. The Master's part is then £1900 ish. So that's about £10k ($16k) in all over 3 years. Still, only slightly more than a single year of undergraduate study in the UK from next year.. Note: Yes, this is really for people in the UK or Europe.

nathansmith 15y ago
"Who cares if you have an undergraduate degree when you have a masters?" I'd turn that around and ask: "Who cares if you have a masters, if you have requisite experience?" Ultimately, undergraduate and masters level degrees are just pieces of paper without the career track record to show for it. Personally, I'd hire the individual who's smart and can get stuff done, who spent a comparative amount of time building his/her skill-set, than someone who spent the same number of years in a classroom doing instructor-driven tasks. And, for what it's worth, I have both an undergraduate and masters degree (though neither in software or CS).
- rudenoise 15y ago
  I'd like a master's degree because I enjoy learning and learning makes you better at the tasks you apply it to. I can earn good money with or without it, but taking the time to truly expand my CS knowledge (at an age where I can truly appreciate it, not the case when I got my degree) would be fulfilling. A course like this would suit me while I continue with a job that pays the mortgage. Edit: having read the course description it does seem geared towards career development. A more academic approach would appeal more.
bhofmann 15y ago
When I see CVs with masters degrees I can't help thinking "this person has been more interested in academic study than real world experience". I value the latter more. Some formal education is good to see, but I've seen too many masters students who can't cut it in a real world situation.
- petercooper 15y ago
  Would someone who quit school at 16 with A-grade experience catch your eye more than a postgraduate with C-grade experience?
- pgbovine 15y ago
  wow, i hope no Ph.D.'s apply for a job at your organization, or else their resume will probably be thrown directly into the trash bin ;)
- StudyAnimal 15y ago
  Well these part time, distance learning postgraduate degrees are usually professional degrees, so intended for those wanting to use the knowledge in their work rather than academic degrees, for those wishing to study further. They actually require and are normally integrated with actual real world experience. My professional masters required me to actually do things at work, things that I wouldn't have done otherwise, and write about it, and turn it into a project etc. Sure academics with academic Masters degrees look down on them, but then there are a lot of people, like you, who recognize that academic achievement is not an indicator of being able to get things done. These professional masters are an ideal middle ground. To be honest though, if I could have gotten interesting real world experience in the field I was interested in, I probably would not have considered the degree, but it was a chicken and egg situation for me unfortunately. In order to get a job where I could get experience, I had to have experience. So I started the degree, then switched to a job that was half way towards the area I wanted, and because I needed to do a project my employers were more willing to let me take on some work in the interesting area I wanted to work in. By the end of it, I had both real world experience, and a degree recognizing that experience. Without starting that course I still don't see how I could have broken in to either area.
- 15y ago
zinssmeister 15y ago
Getting this master degree from the Open University would require you to fly to europe/uk to sit your exams. They let you study online but you must take the exams at one of their regional centers. They don't have one of those outside of europe
alnayyir 15y ago
Can you do this from the US as a non-EU/UK citizen/resident? This is quite fascinating.
rayboyd 15y ago
Another similar hack I discovered. You can get a full blown MSc with no attachments such as (open) from The University of Liverpool [1]. You can gain entry if you have enough experience to skip the prerequisites. Costs are similar. You could pull it off in 2 years if you worked like a champion. [1] http://www.liv.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught_courses/software-engineering-online-msc.htm http://www.liv.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught_courses/softw...
- petercooper 15y ago
  Someone I follow on Twitter said they're doing this course and that it's OK but the quality of the other participants is a little meh ;-) On the (Open) suffix, I don't think there's any requirement to include that part. You've been conferred with that part of the title but I can't see any reason you have to use it - it's still an MSc. But perhaps someone with insider knowledge could correct me here ;-)

aothman 15y ago

As an elitist alum, I don't like these programs one bit. I can't help but feel that they are, in a small but meaningful way, watering down the value of my degree. And even though it's petty, I'm chagrined that my diploma features English rather than Latin text. Harvard's Extension School was designed to teach the greater Boston community, and I think it should be a vehicle to improve town-gown relations, by convincing locals to not perceive Harvard as "the other". I certainly don't think it should have as part of its mission handing out Masters degrees to people from Kansas over the Internet.

ziadbc 15y ago
Harvard educates the world, and you'd rather their mission be a way "improve town-gown relations, by convincing locals to not perceive Harvard as "the other" Seems completely unfounded, and yes, categorically elitist.
- kcm11 15y ago
  There are much more effective ways of educating the world without charging thousands of dollars and handing out degrees (e.g. MIT's OCW program).
jonmc12 15y ago
Can you help me understand your statement 'watering down the value of my degree'? I'm curious, why do you feel that way?
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- Locke1689 15y ago
  Well, there's at least one thing that's missing from this degree program which is a core part of the Harvard traditional degree system -- strenuous admission requirements and filtering.
- kcm11 15y ago
  Like it or not, part of the value of a Harvard degree is the signaling effect it carries. The signaling effect is, in large part, due to the selectivity of the school and the coursework. Put more directly... if the extension school has a 10x higher acceptance rate and has easier classes, then it is probably diluting the signaling effect a bit.

Killah911 15y ago

Well, the real question is, what "value" is derived from said degree? Better job right away? Most of the times that isn't the case. I can understand the "value" in actually being on campus and interacting with the next Gates or Zuckerburg etc. Would attaching the Harvard section to your resume really make things that much better? Anyone have some stats/studies on this beyond anecdotal cases? The author doesn't really go into much details about what came out of his Harvard degree.

Nrsolis 15y ago
Interesting fact: Two of the world's most famous billionaires attended Harvard and didn't stay long enough to finish a degree. Care to guess who they might be?
- Killah911 15y ago
  Yup, just another reason I ask. Actually, I know a few Harvard Dropouts who've gone a similar path, while not Billionaires, they've done more than OK. Anyone know where the Future Harvard Dropout Cafe is, that might be the place to be? :-P

derrida 15y ago

There is an irony in people thinking that this degree awarded from Harvard is a lesser degree than the other types, when this degree is awarded purely on academic merit (since admission is based on you already completing some of the courses), whereas mainstream Harvard is based on the opinions of some admissions officers.