3 ms·

You have a point, but you are also missing the point. Quite a few people who could benefit from a formal Master's program in CS which is also from a competitiv

You have a point, but you are also missing the point. Quite a few people who could benefit from a formal Master's program in CS which is also from a competitive University, may not have the time due to career and family to attend classes full time. But this way they can still get their education

k2xl 13y ago
But that isn't what a masters degree is about. If you have a career and family to take care of and don't have time to go to classes, you probably don't have time to commit to a masters degree. And again there is no evidence that an online class from Georgia Tech would be any better than an online classes from anywhere else. Georgia Tech is reputable because of the faculty and research. How does that correlate to online classes?
- rsanders 13y ago
  I fit into that category, and I'm taking 1-2 significant MOOCs (compilers, ML, data science, etc.) at a time right now. I can just make it work, but I wouldn't if I had to show up for class. The fixed schedule format of Coursera adds a bit of pressure, but probably also a bit of motivation. I agree that online classes from GT aren't guaranteed to be better than online classes from other places. Perhaps one day we'll see an a la carte degree offered by Udacity, so you can pick the courses from the universities or instructors you prefer. That said, branding and standardization are important. Even if the classes are no better, the perceived value of the degree might be higher than one from Podunk State Online.
  - k2xl 13y ago
    That I guess is the 7000$ question. Is the perceived value of an online masters class worth it? Consider this question. How many employers do you know say, "Oh we hire Ga Tech grads all the time! They are great to work with" I hear that quite a lot around where I live. I think it is due to the culture that Georgia Tech has as well as the in person interaction.
    - rsanders 13y ago
      I attended GT a long time ago (early 90's), so I might be out of date, but I wouldn't go far as to call it "culture". I kid, I kid! :-) It's a notoriously demanding program. I hope they can adapt their "Take a look at the people to your left and right. One of you will not make it to graduation." scare speech/boast to the online format.

k2xl 13y ago

But that isn't what a masters degree is about. If you have a career and family to take care of and don't have time to go to classes, you probably don't have time to commit to a masters degree. And again there is no evidence that an online class from Georgia Tech would be any better than an online classes from anywhere else. Georgia Tech is reputable because of the faculty and research. How does that correlate to online classes?

rsanders 13y ago
I fit into that category, and I'm taking 1-2 significant MOOCs (compilers, ML, data science, etc.) at a time right now. I can just make it work, but I wouldn't if I had to show up for class. The fixed schedule format of Coursera adds a bit of pressure, but probably also a bit of motivation. I agree that online classes from GT aren't guaranteed to be better than online classes from other places. Perhaps one day we'll see an a la carte degree offered by Udacity, so you can pick the courses from the universities or instructors you prefer. That said, branding and standardization are important. Even if the classes are no better, the perceived value of the degree might be higher than one from Podunk State Online.
- k2xl 13y ago
  That I guess is the 7000$ question. Is the perceived value of an online masters class worth it? Consider this question. How many employers do you know say, "Oh we hire Ga Tech grads all the time! They are great to work with" I hear that quite a lot around where I live. I think it is due to the culture that Georgia Tech has as well as the in person interaction.
  - rsanders 13y ago
    I attended GT a long time ago (early 90's), so I might be out of date, but I wouldn't go far as to call it "culture". I kid, I kid! :-) It's a notoriously demanding program. I hope they can adapt their "Take a look at the people to your left and right. One of you will not make it to graduation." scare speech/boast to the online format.