

Ask HN: Is a CS Master's Degree worth it? - tsmith14

I&#x27;m a junior CS major at an average 4-yr university. I&#x27;m trying to decide whether the advantages of a master&#x27;s degree outweigh the costs (time &amp; money). Right now, Georgia Tech would top my list b&#x2F;c its a top-tier CS school &amp; is a few hrs away from where I live. I have 3 options after I graduate:<p>1. Currently, I run an EdTech company that I co-founded 3 yrs ago. My partner &amp; I work ~25 hours&#x2F;wk on the company &amp; have a few employees. Our profits are growing &amp; we’re working on new products that should provide additional growth. As it stands, the company wouldn&#x27;t be able to support us full-time but we are hoping it’ll be able to when we graduate. With this option, I would work full-time for my company.<p>2. Given the company isn’t at a place where it can support us, I&#x27;d find a job in industry (ideally at a startup).<p>3. Attend grad school to get my MS in CS. This can be broken down into 2 types of schools:<p>a. My current school has an accelerated master’s program where in an extra yr (for little cost) I’d come out w&#x2F; my ME in CS. The school&#x27;s program is average (just inside Top100).<p>b. Attend a high-caliber school like GTech (Top10). This program would take 2 yrs &amp; cost ~$45k (if no scholarships or aid). However, it has a larger range of classes including ones focused on Web&#x2F;Mobile Dev, EdTech, data viz &amp; UI design (all interests of mine). I could also seek stronger internships in Atlanta than where I currently live.<p>After grad school, I’d work for my company or search for a job. Ultimately, my goal is to run my own business whether it&#x27;s my current one or one I start after gaining experience thru school&#x2F;work.<p>Would knowledge gained from a grad program be advantageous for building a startup and&#x2F;or working in industry? Is it worth the extra money&#x2F;time to go to a high-caliber school instead of an average one?<p>What are your thoughts&#x2F;experiences with this?
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MaysonL
Another option to consider is the Georgia Tech online masters program, just
introduced this past year. See:
[http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/announcement/](http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/announcement/)

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tsmith14
Yeah, I saw that when looking at their program. Do you think the program will
be recognized on an equivalent level with a standard master degree by hiring
businesses? My other concern with the online program is that the class
selection is somewhat limited currently, but I'm sure it will grow as the
program ages.

The cool thing about the online program is that the classes will be offered
for free to all (not for credit).
[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/education/masters-
degree-i...](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/education/masters-degree-is-
new-frontier-of-study-online.html)

