
Announcing Online MS in Computer Science in Collaboration with Georgia Tech - rsanders
http://blog.udacity.com/2013/05/sebastian-thrun-announcing-online.html
======
recuter
<http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/faq/>

> How much does the degree program cost? We’re not yet ready to announce a
> specific program cost, but the plan is to offer the Georgia Tech OMS CS for
> a total cost of under $7,000—a fraction of the cost of Georgia Tech’s on-
> campus program and even less than that of comparable private universities.

> The total workload is the same as the residential program; the weekly or
> hourly workload depends on how quickly students wish to complete the
> program.

This is _revolutionary_.

Not only is it much cheaper, the incentives are now back in alignment. I know
plenty of people that could graduate much faster and get on with their lives -
The schools on the other hand, want them to stay longer (and thus pay more).

This removes the nickel and dime element and all kinds of backwards tedium.

~~~
eitally
Personal anecdote: I just finished an engineering MS from NC State via their
Engineering Online ( <http://engineeringonline.ncsu.edu>) program. The
per-3hr-course cost for EOL courses is roughly $900. For the on campus version
of the same thing, it's about $2200. For a 27 credit hour program, that came
out to about $8k, which I thought was entirely reasonable given I [as a
student local to the school] always had the option of taking advantage of
campus facilities/options (libraries/labs, office hours, study groups, etc),
too. An added perk was -- as the GT FAQ notes -- the ability to work at my
leisure. With a full time job and two toddlers, it took me almost four years
to complete the program, but I did and it was a fantastic experience.

<edit> To address a question below about GT's program, NC State's is
practically equivalent to their campus-based stuff. You apply, and are
admitted, following exactly the same process as everyone else. After
admission, you follow the same rules and processes as everyone else. The one
exception I've found -- besides making it easier to study part time and draw
out the total duration -- is that professors are usually much more lenient
with deadlines for their online students. They know a large percentage of
online students are doing it that way because they're working full time (or
are deployed military, or any of a plethora of other situations), and they
offer a lot of leeway. This helped me & my peers quite a lot.

~~~
_delirium
_To address a question below about GT's program, NC State's is practically
equivalent to their campus-based stuff._

Out of curiosity, how does this work with project-based courses where the
students design their own projects? Or do those not exist?

At least in the kinds of CS masters projects I'm familiar with, they tend to
require a lot of one-on-one meeting time, which seems like it would be hard to
scale up. It's certainly possible to do online, so online vs. physical isn't
really an issue. But if one of the goals of offering these programs online is
also to massively increase student:teacher ratio (as GT seems to be
indicating), that seems like it would present a problem for individualized
projects.

A typical arrangement is that students propose a project, possibly based on
some suggestions from the professor. In the ideal case it intersects students'
interests with something active going on in the research world or even the
professor's lab, so the students and professor might even co-write a
conference paper at the end of the course (for the best projects). They meet
with the professor a few times to refine the project idea and scope so it's
appropriate for the course, likely to be doable, etc. Then they meet a few
more times during the project to ensure they're on track, agree on what parts
could be cut if time doesn't allow them to be completed as originally
envisioned, etc. Finally they do an oral, conference-style presentation of
their work/results, and then hand in a report.

------
k2xl
Gt alum here. Gt is a great school, but who says that is a forecast of how
well an online class will be?

Online classes have been around for about a decade now. But i cant see how
taking a class online from Georgia Tech aint gonna be different than taking an
online class from another university.

The benefits of getting a CS degree at a university is gaining that physical
connection with the professors. There isn't going to be a single thing these
online classes will have that you wouldn't be able to find online yourself or
at another online course at another institution.

But what you miss is the personal interaction with the professors and students
- something you can't get from an online chat room. Especially at Masters
level - where your interaction with professors is much closer.

This is a step in the wrong direction. If this was for a BS, I could
understand. Especially because it gives access to those who don't have access
to that education. But the real benefit of higher education is the personal
connections IMO. There isn't really any additional "knowledge" CS pieces that
is taught at MIT and not at a normal university. what separates universities
is those personal connections with the faculty and the community.

At GT (I received a BS in Computational Media), the real value came from the
people - individual connections that help pave your way through career choices
and research topics.

I mean come on, what's next? PhD in CS with 3000 other students? Defending
your thesis to a random professor thousands of miles away who you only have
email contact?

~~~
rayiner
> Gt alum here. Gt is a great school, but who says that is a forecast of how
> well an online class will be?

Also GT alum here... GT is a great school, but frankly the online classes
couldn't be worse than the in real life classes. I bet they'll even be taught
by professors, rather than severely English-challenged TA's...

~~~
beambot
I took a lot of grad classes (in CS and ECE). Not one was taught by a TA. Did
you take _grad_ classes, or were you and undergrad?

~~~
rayiner
I was an undergrad. The couple of grad classes I took were indeed taught by an
English-speaking professor, but the undergraduate classes were awful and left
a bad taste in my mouth.

------
fiatmoney
The fact that they qualify it as an "online master of science" makes it
significantly less attractive. It implies they're not willing to put their
name & reputation behind its equivalency (in terms of rigor & qualifications
of outgoing students) to an offline degree.

~~~
rsanders
Yeah, I find that a little wishy-washy, too. I guess that's part of the buying
decision you have to make -- are you willing to risk the lesser cachet for the
convenience and affordability?

I'd do it in a second, but then I'm probably the target audience (other than
not having completed my BS). I'm almost 40 years old, with a wife and child,
and the flexibility is crucial to me. This isn't an alternative to a
traditional MS program; the traditional MS just isn't even an option for me. I
see it as a way to get credit for the MOOC work I'm already doing for fun and
fulfillment.

~~~
otoburb
+1 to your points except the one about the "Online" in OMS being wishy-washy.
I propose that this was not just a way to appease administrators, but is a
pilot program that other institutions will be closely observing.

If institutions can persuade students to accept an Oxx designation (online
prefix), then administrations are modelling that they can not only increase
revenues based on free MOOC numbers, but simultaneously protect on-campus
degree branding.

I am guessing that many online/distance-learning degrees are conferred without
making it clear that the degree was earned in this way. Although this is great
for students, I'm sure this causes angst in administrations for fear of brand
dilution and obvious revenue threats.

The O-prefix would be a great experiment to see if it sticks. As rsanders
said, this _really_ appeals to a certain demographic (older, family/multiple
jobs, flexibility, striking distance of employee tuition assistance programs,
etc). I am part of that demographic and am sorely tempted to sign up.

One unintended benefit of reducing the cost of such degrees is that it will
become (much?) more common for people to hold multiple graduate degrees, which
may help offset the perceived 'weakness' of the O- designation.

~~~
techsupporter
> I am guessing that many online/distance-learning degrees are conferred
> without making it clear that the degree was earned in this way. Although
> this is great for students, I'm sure this causes angst in administrations
> for fear of brand dilution and obvious revenue threats.

It also opens opportunities for smaller universities with decent programs to
make a dent. My university recently did entirely away with the on-campus
format for the degree I received since most students signed up for the online
format (I did). My diploma does not say "Online" at all.

If the quality of instruction and coursework is alleged to be equivalent, why
not put the full standing of the University's name behind it? To me, adding
the caveat of "online" makes it seem like the school is admitting in advance
that the degree isn't equivalent to "not-online" MSc degrees.

I wonder if, since this is accredited, the body that certifies Georgia Tech's
offerings wouldn't agree to do it without an "online" tag. Though, if that
were the case, I wonder how my university was able to change its MSc offering
(not Computer Science, though) to entirely-online without adding that word
since both GATech and my college are covered by the same body.

~~~
otoburb
>>If the quality of instruction and coursework is alleged to be equivalent,
why not put the full standing of the University's name behind it?

The quality of the lecture instruction and coursework is alleged to be
equivalent, but maybe they are now trying to differentiate on other dimensions
such as physical access to on-campus facilities, easier/more direct access to
professors or more implied individual attention.

>>To me, adding the caveat of "online" makes it seem like the school is
admitting in advance that the degree isn't equivalent to "not-online" MSc
degrees.

That's exactly what they're stating in no uncertain terms -- the two degrees
are not equal. The preference for students and smaller universities is to go
with an undifferentiated designation, but GT is drawing a line in the sand
with this specific online offering. Note that GT offers other distance-
learning masters degrees without differentiation, but at much higher cost.

The reduced cost is their justification for the O- prefix.

>> I wonder how my university was able to change its MSc offering (not
Computer Science, though) to entirely-online without adding that word since
both GATech and my college are covered by the same body.

This is why I suggested that the O- prefix was a deliberate choice that other
major universities will push to protect the high fees of on-campus degrees.

------
jholman
What is AT&T allegedly bringing to the table? Are we assuming that there are
people who want to work there, who will view this certification as advancing
that goal, is that it?

I read the <http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/faq/> , and found only this hint:

 _Why is AT &T the corporate collaborator for this initiative?

As a premier global communications company and a champion for innovation in
education, AT&T will provide technology access, connectivity and products at
inception, as well as evolving service and platform support. The company will
serve on an advisory board and, where appropriate, offer corporate projects
for credit, be a source from which Georgia Tech draws curriculum content and
guest instructors and offer internship opportunities to select students. AT&T
will tap into the program to train its own employees and will recruit
graduates._

Technology access, connectivity, service and platform support? Aren't those
basically solved problems for Udacity?

Advisory board? Does GaTech have corporate sponsorship on the advisory board
of their other Master's programs, setting curriculum? (Maybe they should,
maybe they shouldn't, but I doubt they think they need to.)

~~~
rsanders
I think the real reason you have AT&T involved is that without that sort of
influence, this degree program wouldn't have happened until years later.
Universities, and boards of regents, are deeply conservative, risk-averse
institutions in some ways. There's also a lot of cost to startup a program
like this, and public universities aren't exactly rolling in money right now.

Beyond that, a lot of companies have some kind of tuition assistance for
graduate degrees, and a lot of companies are having trouble finding skilled
talent to begin with. So it's a way to save money and improve recruiting.

The business models of companies like Udacity and Coursera are probably going
to rely heavily on the hunger of companies the size of AT&T, Google, etc. for
a steady supply of trained workers. Somebody's got to pay the bills and make
the VCs rich.

I like to think of this as shifting part of the cost of the education from the
individual to the company that's ultimately benefitting from it. Of course,
one might worry about some unspecified negative influence from the corporate
sponsors, but in this incredibly transparent educational environment, such
influences would be pretty obvious and self-defeating.

------
fpp
This all sounds really great and is definitely a step into the direction to
make higher education more accessible - a few side notes (for those getting
too excited)

(1) There have been quite a few online learning (aka distance learning) degree
courses from reputable universities for some time. For MSc / Master degrees
until recently they all required at least some in-person workshops (normally 1
week long - for a MSc in the UK afak 6-8 sometimes 12 weeks over 2 years).
These workshops were there for the benefit of the students (networking, group
work / access to profs in person, socializing, campus feeling etc.) and
various other requirements (e.g. degree requirements). The outcome of these
degree programs was normally the _same degree_ that you would have received
for taking all courses on campus.

(2) All universities that have offered online degrees without in-person
workshops in the past differentiate / protect their higher priced and more
strongly access-limited on-campus degrees by providing _different degrees_ \-
GaTech does the same here - after successfully completing this course you will
receive an _OMS_ in CS from GaTech not a _MS_ in CS from GaTech. It is to be
seen if this will be received differently in the industry (as this was with
such degrees in the past) or we finally are getting to a change here.

(3) The course will start Fall 2014. I would be surprised if EdX and/or
Coursera will not soon announce something similar.

(4) From the FaQ it looks like ATT is sponsoring the course creation etc. with
US$2M.

~~~
vasyainv
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign had an online Master's in CS as far
back as 2001, I believe you had to drive down to campus for tests, though

~~~
rsanders
Georgia Tech already has a distance learning MS in CSE, but not a general MS
CS. And I believe the cost is rather higher than this.

<http://www.cseprograms.gatech.edu/distancelearning>

------
rayiner
I think Georgia Tech is just the right kind of partner for something like
this. Solid name recognition to give credibility to the degree, but not one
that's so steeped in exclusivity that it might be compromised by association
with the online format. And the pricing, $7,000, is spot-on for what this
offers.

------
johngalt
I'm surprised they started with a masters, but I guess it makes sense. They
are only targeting people who've already gone through an accredited degree
program. Makes the program more likely to be taken seriously.

Udacity already issues credit for a fewer lower level classes via SJSU. I
wonder how soon the gap will be closed and a whole online degree available.

~~~
sonoffett
I think you'll be surprised about what degrees are actually "accredited" and
what ones are not. For example, UCSD, Princeton and Cal Tech do not have ABET
accredited C{S,E} degrees.

~~~
mbreese
Why would I care about ABET accreditation for a CS program? It's not like CS
is a regulated field that requires a national standard. That would be like
complaining that a schools History department isn't accredited.

For things like medicine, professional engineering, legal, etc... I care that
_those_ degrees are from accredited programs, but not CS. What I do care about
is that the school itself is accredited and legally allowed to confer degrees.

For what it's worth: CalTech does have ABET accredited programs in Chemical,
Mechanical, and Electrical engineering. So, they must not feel that ABET
accreditation offers much for a CS program.

~~~
sonoffett
I misread the FAQ, it's the institution and not the degree that they care is
accredited.

> Why would I care about ABET accreditation for a CS program? I'm not sure why
> someone would care (some people do though). ABET does not offer
> accreditation to history departments (now there's a controversial idea). I
> found the fact that these institutions do not have them as an interesting
> curiosity.

------
jurassic
This is a huge step in the right direction, but I'd be lying if I didn't say
I'm disappointed about the BS in CS requirement. Plenty of people with BS
degrees in other technical fields probably could pass a fair placement/entry
examination given the chance.

~~~
aweb
Apparently you can try to apply with another kind of BS : "Formal admission
into the OMS CS program will require a Bachelor of Science degree in computer
science from an accredited institution, or a related Bachelor of Science
degree with a possible need to take and pass remedial courses"

~~~
gee_totes
I wonder if you can get in with just a BA.

~~~
wilfra
I am starting an MS in CS program in the fall (not at GT) and I just have a
BA. They let me in, however I have to take a full academic year of remedial
courses first[1]. I would imagine they will do something like that.

[1]Calculus 1 and 2, Intro to Programming, Data Structures, Foundations of CS,
Intro to Computer Systems, Intro to Computer Organization, Algorithms and Data
Structures, Structures of Programming Languages, Introduction to Finite
Automata, Introduction to Operating Systems.

P.S. Anybody know where I can learn any of the above online cheap or free? If
I learn it elsewhere I can test out of the classes.

~~~
pajop
try <http://class-central.com>

~~~
karpodiem
Thanks, great link.

------
rsanders
The cost of a similar master's degree at a university like Georgia Tech can
run $40,000.

It's not quite the same thing -- watch the video by Charles Isbell on the GT
site to hear their differentiation between the "on campus" and online degrees.
But it's an amazing value for people who can learn effectively in a MOOC
environment and aren't focused on the path into research and academia.

The video is also at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zihmiLx3Xlk>.

[edit: added link to video]

~~~
pitt1980
[http://www.bursar.gatech.edu/student/tuition/Fall_2013/Fall1...](http://www.bursar.gatech.edu/student/tuition/Fall_2013/Fall13-all_fees.pdf)

looks more like 60K depending on your in state/out of state status

------
timtamboy63
On one hand, I think it's ridiculously awesome that Tech's doing this. Our CoC
department is incredibly innovative, and one of the only administrative
departments that recognize the need for innovation.

However, I wonder if this would devalue a degree from Georgia Tech. You'd
obviously have a lot more people taking the course than you would if it wasn't
an MOOC. Thoughts?

~~~
wfunction
Same here, I think it's a really easy way to devalue their degree
unfortunately.

A Bachelor's would be easier to accept, but a Master's? I don't think people
are ready for that yet.

~~~
rsanders
I think the Masters degree is an excellent place to start. MOOC-style
education requires more of the student than traditional teaching formats. A
lot of people don't have the necessary skills leaving high school, but they
are likely to have developed them during the course of an undergraduate
degree.

~~~
Zombieball
+1 This mirrors my thoughts exactly.

------
kmfrk
That Udacity is behind this initiative makes this much, much more exciting to
me (I'm not big on the whole MOOC business, but Udacity is different; it's the
Khan Academy of MOOCs). I've found them to hold themselves to a very high
standard, and as someone who's been right in the middle of education-based
experiments gone wrong, this makes me feel a lot more optimistic about this
project.

Still, I'd recommend people at least let it run for a full one or two years
before giving it a shot. The second mouse gets the cheese and all that.

------
moistgorilla
As an undergraduate georgia tech cs student. I wish this was for undergrad
degrees also. At least I will be able to get a cheap masters degree.

~~~
rayiner
As a former undergraduate Georgia Tech student, I really would've appreciated
the opportunity to do my degree in this format. At the time I was faced with
the choice of dropping out and diving into my job at a startup full-time, or
staying in school and working only during the summers and losing the ability
to take a really important role in the company. The ability to keep working on
my degree online might have changed how I approached the choice.

~~~
moistgorilla
Honestly, while it sucks that I can't take advantage of what will probably
happen in the future (undergrad degrees in this format). I can't say i'm not
proud to be going there after hearing about this. I'm happy that this will be
an option for our future. Hopefully it's successful and affects all areas of
study.

------
ghc
This is a great development. I'm proud of my alma mater for doing this, and I
think Georgia Tech is just the right institution to pull it off (in
partnership with Udacity, of course).

------
manglav
I'm so happy to see this - it's a sign of progress of the education system,
and it gives me so much relief to see that _someone gets it_ at the top of the
education totem pole. I discussed this with a master's degree student a few
years ago, because the cost (especially for computer science, no labs) seemed
too low to ignore. I will sign up for this as soon as possible.

Also, having a master's in Comp Sci will really help me have a shot for all
these software eng. positions I keep applying to as a chemical engineer.

Can anyone tell me how Georgia Tech ranks/is thought of for Computer Science?
I know the article says "among the best", but I would rather ask HN.

~~~
Xcelerate
I too am happy about this. I received my BS in chemical engineering from
Georgia Tech last year. I had a few friends in CS, and I can say the program
is really top-notch and up-to-date. I really like chemical engineering, but I
also really like CS, so maybe after graduate school I'll sign up for this
program.

By the way, how is applying for software engineering positions as a chem eng.
working out for you? I'm getting my PhD in chem eng. now from UT, and I am
trying to find a job that when I graduate combines my love for both fields.

~~~
manglav
Heh, about as expected. I can get to the final interview no problem, but I
always fail when they ask the "basic" technical questions, such as "How does a
garbage collector work?" and "How would you populate a binary tree?". My one
formal class of C wasn't enough to cover those topics.

However, I am enrolled in App Academy, so I can start doing web dev. My advice
is to show you've taken at least an Algorithms/Data Structures course, that
plus the skills you've picked up from programming on the side should be enough
to get a junior dev position.

In terms of a job that combines both fields...the closest thing I know to a
software person in ChemE is an Aspen Troubleshooter for Exxon. Personally, I
want to do advanced controls and modeling/simulation. Can I shoot you an
email? I might have a lead for you with Tesla.

------
Hortinstein
> We anticipate opening enrollment for matriculation during Fall 2014

My heart sank a little, I have been looking for something like this forever
and was planning on applying today after I read the press release.

I joined the mailing list and may even contact the admissions office for the
B&M College of Computing to see if there are any pilot programs I could apply
to. I am currently in Tokyo for work and finding a decent place online to
continue my education in computer science has been difficult. Just set aside
$7,000 in a new checking account for the associated fees.

This is the most exciting thing I have seen on HN in a while, awesome time to
be a Computer Scientist!

------
axomhacker
From <http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/faq/>

> How will you guarantee academic honesty?

> All exams are proctored using national proctoring standards. We have access
> to 4,500 physical proctoring facilities and are working with online
> proctoring institutions.

Does this mean it won't be available outside the US ("national proctoring
standards")?

Or does this mean appearing at prometric-style centers for the tests? I for
one do not love taking tests in the alien environment of such centers
(especially computer-science related tests), from my experience with various
certifications.

------
throwaway1979
It's actually a dark day:

1) Until now, the majority of University-affiliated MOOCs have been free. This
just changed.

2) I find it immensely frustrating that as CS people, we are lowering the bar
for what it means to have a Masters degree in our field.

I'd be happy with this sort of activity if it was being done in all other
fields uniformly and/or we had unions representing CS workers. Unions, in
principal aren't bad ... they are possibly the only way to protect older
workers for example. I used to love the CS field because it always felt like a
truly meritocracy. As I get older, I realize it is not.

Let me make a third, controversial, and somewhat ungrounded statement:

3) MOOCs will kill CS research. Already CS research is in deep trouble.
Exceedingly few private companies fund basic CS research. Academia was the
last haven (if you can call it a haven - it was sad seeing the line of
professors quitting their jobs to work for Google, and getting a pay raise and
increase in respect for it). Govts exceedingly don't want to pay for basic
research these days. Undergrad teaching used to be the way academics supported
themselves. This is going the way of the dodo. But we are improving the lot of
the CS undergrad you say! True .. but tell me what the poor grad student (who
actually wants to get a PhD with the romantic notion of advancing the state of
the art) going to do to support him/herself financially?

~~~
rsanders
First off, the MOOCs associated with this degree will still be free. The
_degree_ is not. The change here is that a) an entire MS worth of course
material (and the systems to support it) from a respected institution are
being created, b) the actual (O)MS degree just became a great deal less
expensive.

It remains to be seen whether this lowers the bar or merely opens up more
opportunities. I don't think education is a zero sum game. And while there may
be a glut of PhDs, there is a shortage of employees with the advanced
knowledge and skills in demand now. That's why e.g. AT&T is pushing this
program.

While the union issue and age discrimination are interesting and important
topics, CS graduates don't have a lot to complain about economically. The
field has maintained high employment and excellent compensation during recent
times when many other professions suffered greatly. Now, at 40 I don't expect
to get funded by Y Combinator because I've almost certainly suffered crippling
age-related innovation dementia, but there are plenty of employers that don't
think that way.

There have been several articles posted here about the glut of PhDs versus
available faculty positions. And actual instruction is a pretty small part of
what full professors are expected to do. If you aren't pulling in research
grants, your career is on a weak trajectory. So the problem was already there,
and I don't think this seriously affects it one way or the other.

One might hope that making education available and practical to many more
people at much lower costs might actually help advance the field, both within
and without the ivory tower.

~~~
throwaway1979
You're right that many things about this experiment remain to be seen. You
make some very good, optimistic arguments and I hope we get to that future. I
fear we won't

I absolutely agree that education is not a zero sum game. I actually find it
sad that most education has become about job training or making money.
Whatever happened to curiosity and knowledge for its own sake? But let me not
get into that debate. Degrees and credentialing might be zero-sum, however.

< actual instruction is a pretty small part of what full professors are
expected to do.

Similarly, the majority of what students pay in tuition goes towards anything
other than the salaries and funding of professors. Also, there is a big
difference between top-10 schools which run based on a lot of grant money and
smaller teaching institutions.

Look, I think I'm on the losing side of the wider argument. I am all for free
access to knowledge. I'm just pointing out that we are likely shooting
ourselves in the foot in the long-term.

< One might hope that making education available and practical to many more
people at much lower costs might actually help advance the field, both within
and without the ivory tower.

This is the best sentence in your response (upvoted you btw). I really hope
so.

------
Omnipresent
This is truly revolutionary. I can't wait for this show to get on the road.
The FAQs don't mention a requirement of a GRE or other standardized exam for
formal admission. Does anyone know if that is likely to change in future (I
hope not)?

~~~
rsanders
Apparently the GRE will not be a requirement. From
[http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/14/georgia-
tech-a...](http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/14/georgia-tech-and-
udacity-roll-out-massive-new-low-cost-degree-program):

> The second type of student will be “prospective degree-seeking” students who
> will be admitted to the program tentatively because they will not have to
> take the GRE as other applicants do. If they do well in two core classes,
> Georgia Tech will put them on the degree track. The university expects to
> enroll 2,000 such students in the next three years.

------
petercooper
I'm taking an "online" (distance learning, really) MSc in software engineering
here in the UK and it'll cost about $11000 or so all in, so this is especially
great value given it's the US.

~~~
icewater
What school are you going through if you don't mind me asking.

Thanks.

------
rietta
Wow! As a Georgia Tech alumni with a MS from the College of Computing, I
approve of this development!

------
auctiontheory
This is a great start, but it seems to me that in the current environment (at
least in the US) an MS CS is pretty redundant for students who already have a
BS CS. Traditionally the MS CS has been more popular with prospective software
engineers who lack a formal CS credential. Let's see how flexible Georgia Tech
is on its admissions requirement of a "related Bachelor of Science degree."

I expect this program will be a big hit with non-US students who want a US
credential.

------
sivanmz
This is interesting, a lot to ponder. Will $7000 seem reasonable once hordes
of graduates hit the market and commoditize the profession?

Or is CS a good fit for only a limited number of people, regardless of price?

It's fascinating that this field, which is difficult because it requires
precision, lends itself so practically to automatic grading online.

As exciting as MOOCs are, will we be bound to use them in what's left of our
free time just to keep up?

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thorum
As an undergraduate student, this makes me wonder if I should just hold off on
getting a B.S. entirely until I can do it through Udacity.

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Sindrome
I take it this degree will be accredited by the same body that administers
Georgia Tech. Has anyone heard otherwise?

~~~
caw
From the FAQ: This program has been approved at every relevant level of the
University System of Georgia, up to and including the Board of Regents.

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deepGem
"Do applicants need to take the GRE? No." This is just great.

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callmeed
Does anyone know of decent online BS CS programs?

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karpodiem
I've been long for a long time, and have yet to find anything. I really hope
Udacity/another MOOC offers a BS in CS at some point.

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Inebas
I like this development. I went to GT for both bachelors and Masters but with
BME and ECE, respectively. However, I am doing web development at a startup. I
wonder how this OMS course would impact me and others in similar situations.

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laughfactory
I'm going to apply as soon as they open the gates. I've been "attending" a
different, more average, online MS in Computer Science but find the thought of
imminently affordable tuition and Georgia Tech quality very appealing.

~~~
Hortinstein
what program are you currently in?

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codeonfire
"At present, around 160,000 master’s degrees are bestowed in the United States
every year in computer science and related subject disciplines"

Computer science is 7,426, so what are the other 152,574 degrees in?

~~~
laughfactory
Humanities? Now THOSE degrees are a waste of money.

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rsanders
I wish I'd had this article to post instead. It has some detailed information
about the cost of a traditional MS in CS (the online version is "one sixth the
cost"), revenue share with Udacity, admission requirements, and a lot more.

    
    
      http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/14/georgia-tech-and-udacity-roll-out-massive-new-low-cost-degree-program

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danielharan
Awesome.

Did anyone else wonder how much it would cost to live on beaches of South-East
Asia or some other cheap and sunny locale while doing this?

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izztmzzt
I have a BBA, and would have hoped the requirements for the Masters course
would have at least offered some way to let other majors apply. Limiting it to
only BS majors will limit the participation of a large group of their current
users.

I guess the next thing they need to add is a undergrad in CS or something else
to help bridge the gap.

~~~
karpodiem
We're in similar situations - I have a BA but would love to do a CS undergrad
degree online. Most of the community college/online programs out there consist
of IT courses with a few CS courses mixed in. Which is no where near the
curriculum of a traditional CS program.

I really hope that someone offers an undergraduate CS degree online at some
point.

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sidcool
How would this be valued by the Employers?

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jskonhovd
The following is the current admissions requirements from GT for there MSCS. I
wonder how well this is going to translate for the OMS.

<http://www.cc.gatech.edu/future/masters/mscs/admissions>

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pyvek
I'm so very happy about this. But I'm still wondering why they decided to
launch a masters course as opposed to bachelor? And I hope they provide an
option for people without bachelor degree take this course (perhaps with
entrance test of some kind?).

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waterlesscloud
The signs are telling me I should cash out my bitcoins and get an online MSCS!

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pradeep89
This would be more useful to US students than outside students. Although we
can get high quality education, in the end people need jobs, may be high
paying jobs and H1B is still big hurdle !

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nobrains
From the PR announcement: "Initial enrollment will be limited to a few hundred
students recruited from AT&T and Georgia Tech corporate affiliates."

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nsxwolf
I would only be interested in this if I knew how an MS would improve my
income, and I don't see how it would.

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fuzzythinker
I want to know if they allow transfer of graduate courses/units taken at
another university (hopefully yes).

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dhawalhs
Where do you see the price $7000?

~~~
rsanders
If you chase the links you end up on the Georgia Tech site about it:
<http://www.omscs.gatech.edu/faq>.

    
    
      We’re not yet ready to announce a specific program cost, 
      but the plan is to offer the Georgia Tech OMS CS for a 
      total cost of under $7,000—a fraction of the cost of 
      Georgia Tech’s on-campus program and even less than that 
      of comparable private universities.
    

All the content will be free to everybody, but you have to apply to Georgia
Tech and pay if you want the actual degree.

You also have to have a Bachelor's degree, which is a disappointment for me. I
left college before completing my BS in CS, and I'd love to be in this
program, but I wouldn't be admitted.

[disclosure: my wife works in the Georgia Tech Professional Education group,
which is how I heard about this]

~~~
totalrobe
Agreed - this is not really "Massively Open" IMO, because it still requires a
bachelor's in CS for admission. They do hint at it, but hopefully they will
allow an option B for admission.

That would somewhat validate their stated goal of increasing STEM education.

~~~
rsanders
The course materials and participation are MO, just not the Masters degree
itself.

At the next family-attending Georgia Tech Professional Education function I'm
going to petition everybody who'll stand still to allow people without a BS to
earn the degree. But I think I'll actually be preaching to the choir.

Anyway, it's a huge step for them to create this program as is. And once the
concerns about "degree devaluation" have passed, and enough demand has become
apparent, maybe they'll be ready for the next step.

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mikevm
Does anyone know Georgia Tech's CS MS curriculum?

~~~
rsanders
It's described here: <http://www.cc.gatech.edu/future/masters/mscs/program>

The OMS won't initially have all the same courses (or specializations?), but
the plan according to one of the GT videos is to reach approximate parity over
time.

~~~
mikevm
Thanks.

I can't wait to hear more on the admission process. Will they require a
certain GPA? Will they need recommendation letters (as they do now)?

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joezhou
Do i get a discount for being alum?

