From Big Three Bachelor's to B&M Computer Science grad program?

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I posted here! I'm a working professinal and have been in the process of finishing my Bachelor's in Computer Science online for a few years now, trying to balance two goals: (1) finishing relatively soon and (2) leaving the door open to graduate study (Master's or possibly Ph.D.) in theoretical Computer Science.

I've tried several programs, and have found that most online CS bachelor's degrees either don't teach enough theory, or would basically require me to start my degree over from scratch to qualify (that is, of my 72 credits, less than 35 would be transferable into degree requirements rather than electives).

The closest program I've found to what I need is UMUC, which is now teaching some CS theory classes online, but their recent move to 8-week classes is making it hard for me to balance their program with my job.

So recently I've been thinking about the "Big 3." They are appealing in that I could take my Computer Science classes anywhere, including institutions like University of California at Berkeley that offer great online CS classes but don't confer bachelor's degrees online. They're also appealing that I could test out of some lower-level requirements, and transfer all my existing credits. TESC's BA in Computer Science is especially appealing in this regard.

But, I'm not sure how "Big 3" bachelor's degrees are perceived by graduate programs. My hope is to arrange my life so that, in a few years, I can attend a brick and mortar graduate program in theoretical Computer Science (as opposed to IT or Software Engineering--nothing wrong with those programs, but theory is where my interest lies).

So my question is: has anyone here successfully gone from a "Big 3" bachelor's degree to a Master's or Ph.D. program in Computer Science at a brick and mortar university? If so, was your degree an obstacle?

Thanks! I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you.
-Matt

 

Most of the graduate school admissions do not hold against you. Unless you do not meet the following criteria:

- Regional accredited undergraduate degree
- Minimum GPA
- Relate major (Computer Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, Information Assurance, Mathematics, and etc)
- GRE test score (Maybe Optional)
- Prerequisite courses (i.e: Calculus, Programming Languages, Algorithms, Data Structures, and etc).

 

I was accepted into University of Florida's MS in Pharmacy / Risk Management and California State University, Dominguez Hills MA in Humanities program. Although not computer science, they were more concerned with an RA bachelors and pre-reqs.

 

Thanks, TEKMAN and Randell. It's good to hear some first-hand accounts of academic life after a Big 3 degree, and it sounds like it wouldn't be too difficult a path. This certainly makes me want to look into the Big 3 further.

I still would love to hear other people's opinions.

 

Yeah, this is my big concern. I don't know of a single program that has all of the upper-level theory classes I think would be considered foundational: Theory of Computing, Analysis of Algorithms, Programming Languages, Compilers, Operating Systems, etc. My hope with one of the Big 3 is that I could cherry-pick these classes from other universities and combine them into my degree.

 

That was the reason why I was rejected to George Washington University's Ph.D in Engineering Management cohort program in Arlington, VA. The program requires Calculus I & II as prerequisites.

 

All of these courses can be taken online at HES or Old Dominion without matriculating into their CS program. My personal opinion however is to go with the best name possible if you intend to go into academia and research.

 

Could not agree more; however, maintaining higher GPA is important as well.

 

After getting an Excelsior BSCIS, I was accepted into the B&M masters program at U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2003. I wanted the online program, but apparently didn't enter the proper code on the application form. In any case, the mistake was corrected, but I was accepted into their B&M program.

I also wasn't sure how they would view the pretty non-traditional degree (lots of credits by exam), so I did do a few things to assuage any doubts they might have had:

1) Took a few CS courses at a local CC. I specifically targeted courses that the admission requirements asked for (such as discrete math).

2) Studied extensively for the General GRE. I knew I needed a high score.

3) Studied for and took the CS subject GRE. The subject test was optional for UIUC, but I thought by doing well on the subject test would show that I truly had undergraduate level CS knowledge, even if the degree was online and in CIS, rather than CS.

4) Wrote a good admissions letter. Like a good cover letter, the admissions letter can help explain why you are a good fit, even if it doesn't look like you are by traditional standards.

 

Thanks, Sauron. I've taken some CS (and other) classes at HES and like them a lot, but they'll only accept about half of my credits for their ALB program. Combined with their workload, which only allows me to take one class per semester along with my job, they seem like a long shot--maybe 8 years to finish. Certainly food for thought, though.

I didn't know about Old Dominion. I'll check them out.

 

Exactly! I love HES but trying to graduate in a timely manner would probably involve taking more classes at once than I can devote my full attention to.

 

Thanks, Jeff, for this story and the tips on being accepted. That gives me a lot of hope. As a side note, I'm impressed that you got through the GRE CS subject exam; I hear it's *really* difficult.

 

It was pretty brutal. I was originally a math major, before I dropped out of traditional college (some 10 years before going the non-traditional route), so I already had a certain level of "mathematical maturity". I also had a solid background in data structures already. There were some serious filling in of gaps, which I tried to fill by reading books on algorithms, compilers, database systems, etc. I also took the official sample exam, as well as bought the single (at the time - this still might be true) book on preparing for the test. I'm amazed anyone would take a subject (or general) GRE without at least minimal prep.

 

I agree, honors grades at a lower tier school are better than mediocre or average grades from a top tier.

 

Jeff,
I think that is great and also bunks my notion that you can't get into a top tier MS CSCI unless you go to a top tier CSCI undergrad. You went above and beyond by taking the CS GRE. Well done!

 

Mattk,
I am in a somewhat similar situation as you and I am currently working on admission to HES. I've planned what I need to take via HES and after my contract is over I would need to spend at least a year in Boston and beforehand take 3 semesters of HES classes, two classes per semester. I'm not sure how doable that is but I intend on finding out.

Wouldn't UMUC moving to an 8 week format be better for you? Another program I looked at is Regis which has 5 and 8 week format for classes.

 

That's great! I think you'll really like HES, and the Boston/Cambridge area is a great place to live. I think the number of classes that are doable at HES depends both on your job situation and on the concentration you select. One big difference with the Computer Science concentration is that all the CS classes are graduate-level classes, so they tend to have a higher workload than HES's undergrad classes. The undergrad classes really vary in their workload.

As far as UMUC's 8-week classes go, they're good in a lot of ways, but personally I find it hard to retain the knowledge from accelerated classes once I'm done (especially in intense subjects like Calculus). Also, the workload seems fairly high, despite what their advisors say. My wife is doing a second Bachelor's at UMUC full-time right now, and she only has time for two 8-week classes at once.

On the other hand, if I were to finish at TESC, I would probably take at least a few more classes from UMUC toward that degree.