3 ms·

It should be obvious that the recent deluge of (online) Master's programs from Harvard and other well known universities is a scam. I think most people here ar

It should be obvious that the recent deluge of (online) Master's programs from Harvard and other well known universities is a scam. I think most people here are technical and would pursue a degree in a technical field so here's my personal criteria of what does and does not constitute an actual worthwhile Master's degree in science / engineering: it requires heavy calculus and other advanced math. Programs that don't do that are generally decorated with "management" titles and/or implications, for example "Master's in Engineering Management" or "Master's in Cyber Security." An online IT degree is how I got my foot in the door. Then I saved up money and went to engineering school. Which do you guess made the biggest difference to my world outlook and career? Buyer beware.

JackFr 5y ago
What’s surprising to me is that these are not fly-by-night for profit scams. This is Columbia purely monetizing the name “Columbia”. I guess the feeling is as long as the undergraduate program is among the most competitive in the country and the PhD’s are high quality, it doesn’t really dilute the brand. But it feels kind of scummy. On another note I have a friend who was a professor of film studies at USC, who was truly very bothered by their masters program, that it was predicated on a lie, and that for god’s sake, you’re in LA already - if you want to work in movies, get a job working in movies. A USC masters degree won’t hurt you certainly, but it’s a hell of a lot of money to spend.
- hereforphone 5y ago
  Absolutely. But again my first degree came from an online program, and that was the only choice I had at the time (poor and deployed in Afghanistan much of that time). So they have a place. They're just not going to teach you to be an economist / engineer.
madengr 5y ago
Agreed. My MSEE was invaluable, and the math in my Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics course was pretty hairy.

JackFr 5y ago

What’s surprising to me is that these are not fly-by-night for profit scams. This is Columbia purely monetizing the name “Columbia”. I guess the feeling is as long as the undergraduate program is among the most competitive in the country and the PhD’s are high quality, it doesn’t really dilute the brand. But it feels kind of scummy. On another note I have a friend who was a professor of film studies at USC, who was truly very bothered by their masters program, that it was predicated on a lie, and that for god’s sake, you’re in LA already - if you want to work in movies, get a job working in movies. A USC masters degree won’t hurt you certainly, but it’s a hell of a lot of money to spend.

hereforphone 5y ago
Absolutely. But again my first degree came from an online program, and that was the only choice I had at the time (poor and deployed in Afghanistan much of that time). So they have a place. They're just not going to teach you to be an economist / engineer.

madengr 5y ago

Agreed. My MSEE was invaluable, and the math in my Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics course was pretty hairy.