Carnegie Mellon Online Masters - MSE-IT..opinions?

Question

I graduated with an undergrad in CS and have been working for two years. After switching jobs, my new employer has educational incentives and will pay 100%. I am interested in an online program due to my geographic location (Southern United States, no school nearby with a program) and the Carnegie Mellon MSE-IT looks appealing. I would like to do the MSE but I don't know 6 other people to do the program with me, so that's not an option.

I was wondering if anyone had experience with this program and opinion of the degree in general. The IT portion kind of scares me (I.e - Software Engineering "Lite"), I would rather have a full blown MSE degree, such as Auburn University's MSE program, but Carnegie Mellon is top rated.

Any opinions about the Carnegie Mellon program or any other online MSE program in general would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

I have almost completed a Masters of Engineering in Software Engineering at Arizona State University. The degree can be taken completely online or in person. My employer has also picked up 100% of the tab. I am not sure what you mean by you cannot do MSE because there are not 6 other people to take it with you.

I feel that my degree is pretty good from ASU. I know there are about a dozen quality schools offering online MSE degrees at this point. One thing to consider is that a MSE is considered a final degree. It does not transition easily into a doctorate. If you are interested in getting a doctorate later in life in a similar field then a better option would be a Master of Science. I find that MSE degrees are much more useful in the workforce as they are intended to teach more real world concepts and techniques as opposed to an emphasis on research that a MS degree has.

I personally have never heard of the MSE-IT but I agree carnegie mellon is a very good school. I would just be worried that it is too rare to be well known.