
Ask HN: Are there any online MS in CS programs comparable to Georgia Tech's? - bryanwb
I am aware that Arizona State, U of Illinois, and U Texas launched online MS in CS programs in the last 18 months. Anyone have firsthand experience in those programs and others that they care to share? I myself am in Georgia Tech&#x27;s OMSCS but am very curious what these other programs are like.
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SQueeeeeL
In my own opinion...

online programs will never be as good as in person. There is so much learned
by being in the same physical location and meeting classmates. Going to
physically talk to the professor during office hours. Physically reacting when
something doesn't make sense. Also, you just focus so much more; especially
with a masters program, you'll be learning so much that you really should be
treating it full time...

I feel like PhDs and Masters have been sorta bastardized over the years, they
aren't just a way to get promotions and raises, they are for you to MASTER the
material. Which takes a lot of time and effort

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artemisyna
I strictly disagree with you here.

Most of the content in a master's program can be found online (or otherwise in
the relevant textbooks) -- if you're paying to do it as a class, you're paying
for structure and the piece of paper, and that's about it.

PhDs are start-level research jobs. You'll probably learn things (equivalent
to a master's) during your first year or two, but you'll become an expert in
your field via a PhD because of the fact that no one else is working on the
topic to the same degree of depth that you will be.

(In fact, the fact that this comment conflates PhD with masters makes me
suggest that the poster doesn't actually interact enough with folk that have
either to have internalized the distinction.)

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artemisyna
To further my assertion here - most big tech companies that I know of (at
least, the ones I've had direct experience with myself) literally puts people
with undergraduate/master's degrees into the same hiring pool -- even if folk
think they'll get a leg up because they'll have the title of a "master's", it
functionally makes no difference at a lot of (top) companies.

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adchari
Are these online Master's programs with a thesis or solely based on
coursework?

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rafiki6
Mostly course work with a capstone project.

