The online master’s degree being offered by the Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta, has earned praise from students enrolled in the Online Master of Science Computer Science (OMS
CS) program. And what’s not to love about a program at a highly respected
institution that requires no entrance exam and costs less than $7,000?
Some worry it may be too good to be true, but William
Fenton, contributing editor for PC Magazine, took a closer look and liked a lot of what he found. Now in its third year, the program offers four areas of
specialization, compared to 11 with the traditional master’s program, and is
still working on ancillary services such as career counseling.
However, Fenton was impressed by the program’s
accessibility. The OMS CS costs a third of the traditional program and its enrollment
standards only require undergraduates to earn a 3.0 grade point average or
higher in computer science at an accredited undergraduate institution.
Fenton still has concerns about the program’s corporate
sponsors, but admitted the Georgia Tech partnerships with Udacity and AT&T
work. The school shares revenue with Udacity for its platform, support, and
consistent styling, while AT&T provides investments and students.
The program does rely on teaching assistants to keep
pace with grading and enrollment hasn’t been as diverse as hoped. U.S. citizens
make up 80% of the online class, with more than 700 applicants already having
advanced degrees and more than 120 holding Ph.Ds.
“While
the OMS CS degree may not democratize higher education, it doesn’t cannibalize
it,” Fenton wrote. “In addition, all the buzz around Georgia Tech’s OMS CS
degree is driving interest in the university in general and in its computer
science programs in particular.”
