online master degree in CS vs non-online

Question

Hi everyone,

Online degrees have been discussed before: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/530341/online-computer-science-degrees

But I have a very specific question: I'm pursuing MS at Depaul University (not top midwest school). The schedule and location is very good here and I'm able to physically attend the classes while working full-time. But I'm thinking about transferring to UIUC for their online program.

Do you think it is worth switching to online because of the school name?

I'll appreciate your opinion.

EDIT: reasons of studying for MS:
- learning CS, SE in systematic way.
- career growth.

I'm not planning to do Ph.D later on.

Answer 1

I'm enrolled at Kaplan Online University and for me it works great with my schedule and learning style. I do well with self study, and can work full time and fit online classes in between in any available time I have.

I don't think school name is enough of a reason to attend online, online or not is it's own question, but I will add that I think online learning is great, for the self motivated at least.

Answer 2

UIUC is very well respected in academia. If you are looking at possibly making a career move to join academia, such as going the PhD route, then I would make the switch. If you are getting the MS degree to simply help your software development career I think you should just stay in the Depaul program. You would not lose any hours with the transfer and you will still have something nice to put on your resume.

Answer 3

I think that, at this time, most employers who look at your resume will not consider an online degree to be equal to a traditional degree. If nothing else, it's just due the way most people think of the internet and how little time online education programs have had to prove themselves. That said, if you're transferring from a little-known university to a top online program, it may be to your advantage.

Given all this, I still wouldn't make the ranking of the school a top factor in choosing to pursue online education. There's something about being in a class that you don't get from sitting in front of your monitor, and unless you have a really good reason, I don't think going online is worth it.

Answer 4

It may be that UIUC's online master's degree is indistinguishable from their on-campus degree - that is, you list "Master of Science, CS, UIUC" on your resume, and it does not matter whether it was online or not.

That's the way it works with USC's distance education computer science masters degree (USC DEN); it is the same exact degree as if you received it on campus.

Answer 5

Choose based on the program content and your estimated ROI, not the name. You have experience, that is going to be the focus of most interviews.

Regarding the acceptance of distance ed, don't sweat it. You aren't talking about a bachelor's degree from a crackerjack box, you are talking about a masters from an very reputable source. They are not going to hold it against you, if anything it buys a few points for self discipline and desire. (That is if they ask, which they probably won't. Again, you have experience...that will be their focus.)

I've done both distance and campus - campus is much less painful (interaction, profs to avoid, group study, happy hour after exam, etc...) Obviously though, sometimes fun isn't the highest priority, so choose accordingly.

FYI - Either way, go for it if you can. You don't find many people with a masters who have buyers remorse. Good luck!

Answer 6

Based on your edit, I'd say that, no, you should not change schools just for the name. Think about what you said: "The schedule and location is very good here and I'm able to physically attend the classes while working full-time."

Let me put it in terms of a job interview: if you and I were on the opposite sides of a desk, I'd ask "was your Masters program coursework focused or thesis focused?" I assume that yours is primarily coursework and so we'd start having a conversation about the courses that you took, why they were interesting, what was hard, what were some of the projects that you worked on, why I think you did something wrong on one of your projects, etc., as we talk through the technical and interpersonal exploration that is a job interview.

At no point in that discussion would I care at all whether you were in Masters program X or Y. If you don't know your stuff, the conversation is going to be awkward no matter where you went to school.

If you were going into a Ph.D. program, you'd be competing with other students for a seat and / or financial aid. In that case, you might feel that you need to make a different decision.

Answer 7

I think there are other things you should look at besides the title.

In your current school you are meeting other people face to face. The chance that one of this person could recommend you once and help you getting an interesting job is pretty high. (At least here in Europe this is pretty common.)

And another thing: Programmers are often labeled as "introverted, non-social people". Doing an online course could give the impression that you are like this because you didn't like learning together with other people. (I am not saying it has to be like this. Just that some HR people could look at it like this.)