I'm in Regis University's Online Computer Science Program. Questions?

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by amferny, Oct 19, 2013.

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  1. amferny

    amferny New Member

    I did a lot of reading on here before deciding on an online CS program. Thought it was time to give back.

    I'm about halfway through Regis' program. I transferred in a ton of credits. They're pretty generous with transfer credit. I also took the CLEP/DSST for College Algebra, Intro to Computer Science, and World Religions, and I plan on taking Calc I and Statistics.

    The price tag is a bit high, $460/CH, but don't let that scare you away. Through some extreme budgeting, I'm able to pay as I go for mine, and I make less than 35k/year.

    So far the CS courses have been great. But they're NOT easy. I think about half the class in my real programming course dropped it. One reason I chose Regis is because its program looked more rigorous than most. I've learned A LOT already though.

    On the other hand, the non-CS courses I've taken so far I'm not impressed with. The Discrete math course I just took was literally "read the book, do the problems, turn in the answers on a Word doc." Even the mid-term and final were out of the book. If you can, I suggest transferring or testing out of whatever non-CS courses you can.


    Questions?
     
  2. MichaelRea

    MichaelRea New Member

    To piggyback off of the OP, I'm in Regis' Computer Networking program. If anyone has questions, please ask!
     
  3. instant000

    instant000 Member

    What specific factors made you choose Regis over other schools?
     
  4. MichaelRea

    MichaelRea New Member

    I liked the ABET accreditation, along with being designated an NSA Center of Academic Excellence. I'm active duty military, so I qualify for the $250 per credit hour tuition. I liked that the curriculum had a good CS background, although I wasn't expecting the CS classes to be THIS hard. They're not easy; they're fast-paced, brutal, and the jump between CS361 and CS362 is huge.

    Regis is also a pretty reputable school as well; a good, nice, private Jesuit school. I probably won't go there for my Master's, as it doesn't seem "hands on" enough for me, so I'll go with Capitol College for my MSIA. Also, it's down the road from me as well, so I could go practice in their cyber lab.

    TL;DR: It's a good, all around school. Like any place, you'll have good and bad classes. I don't regret going there.
     
  5. amferny

    amferny New Member

    Michael your name sounds familiar. We must have had some classes together.

    Everyone has different requirements. Some of mine were brick and mortar school, regionally accredited, a true BS Comp Sci (some schools offer an "applied" CS degree), accelerated courses, and less than $350 per CH. Regis met all my criteria except for the price, so I sucked it up and enrolled. If you're military then the discount is wicked, like Michael said. I'm not so I'm paying full price.

    A lot of people will say ABET accreditation doesn't matter. That's probably true, but it is reassuring to know the program is rigorous enough to get the certification. And this program IS rigorous.
     
  6. RazielJD

    RazielJD New Member

    I recently enrolled in the Regis University Computer Science program. Which CS classes have you found to be the most rigorous so far and why? Any tips for making it through the more rigorous computer science courses? I'm registered to take Calculus I in the spring. What were your experiences in your Calculus I course?
     
  7. RazielJD

    RazielJD New Member

    I recently enrolled in the Regis University Computer Science program. I will be taking Calculus I in the Spring. Which CS courses have been most difficult so far and why? Can you give any tips on making it through some of the more difficult CS courses? Have you started taking Calculus yet? If so, any impressions so far?
     
  8. adrianl83

    adrianl83 New Member

    Question for you current Regis U. students: can you shed any light on the Undergraduate Transcripting Fee of $60/credit hour? My interpretation is that if I have 60 credits that I want to transfer into Regis from another college, it will cost me 60x60, or $3,600. I'm just wondering if I read that correctly. Thanks!

    ---
    I'm looking at their online B.S. in Computer Science.
     
  9. amferny

    amferny New Member

    None of them are terribly easy. Some are conceptually easy but require a lot of work. For example, I found the 3 introductory C++ programming courses (CS 361, 362, and 372 I think) to be pretty fun, but there was an atrocious amount of work required, most of them require an assignment to be turned in every week. On the other hand, the Assembly Language is pretty difficult to grasp, but the assignments are pretty easy.

    Most of the non-programming courses are based on the assigned textbook for that course. The upshot of that is most of the assignment and even the quiz questions are straight out of the book, so if you get an e-copy of the textbook, you can find the answers pretty easily by searching for keywords.
     
  10. amferny

    amferny New Member

    I didn't pay anything to transfer in any of my credits. Where did you see this?
     
  11. Evasive22

    Evasive22 New Member

    I recently applied to take Regis' online bachelors in CS, how do you guys think this fairs against other universities CS degrees? I hope I come away from the school feeling like I'm just as prepared as any other newly graduated CS student :)
     
  12. RobStand

    RobStand New Member

    It's listed on their fees. Regis - Cost of Attendance.
     
  13. drshep30

    drshep30 New Member

    Hey guys. I'm interested in maybe pursuing this program. One major question I have is how exam proctoring done. Is it it done through an online proctoring service? Do you take written exams and take them at a local testing center? Do some classes not have proctored exams?

    Thanks!
     
  14. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

    The proctoring is done through a simulator. :saeek:

    A pic of how it is done:

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    If a proctored exam is necessary, it's likely that you'll need to find an approved proctor, which can often be a school librarian or teacher, check with the school to see what they accept for a proctor.

    I took some proctored exams at the testing center of UMass-Boston, which administers CLEP exams and will proctor any exams/tests for a fee. Many large schools have a similar test center where you can have exams proctored, it's worth some phone calls/emails.
     
  16. Eddied

    Eddied New Member

    Hi! I had some questions about the computer networking program at regis. Did you feel the program was of good quality? We're the classes well organized and did the professors assist when you needed help? Do you feel the program help progress your career?
     
  17. MattPaps

    MattPaps New Member

    I wanted to share my experience in Regis’ Computer Science Program after completing 12 courses (mostly all computer science).

    First is the transfer credits. They are not generous as others have pointed out. For example, I completed Calc 1 & 2 at the University of Minnesota yet Regis insisted that I take Algebra there, since I didn't have an Algebra class on my transcript.

    Second is the quality of the courses. The first course I took was something like Intro to Computer Science. The instructor didn't interact with the students one time during the 8 week course. He didn't grade any of our assignments until the after the final. Conveniently, everyone in the class got 100%. The content was awful. There were many questions in the homework and tests that weren't discussed in the "lectures". I say "lectures" because the only thing that Regis gives you is shitty, second rate power points that don't really explain concepts at all, have errors (errors are a big deal when it is the only content they provide) , and use programming language for examples that were never taught (Regis switched from C++ to Java, but most examples are still shown in C++). Not 1 of my 12 Regis courses offered any video or audio instruction, it was purely just reading poor quality PowerPoints and Word documents. To top it off, most courses didn't have a text book. That is good for your pocket book, but when something in the PowerPoint doesn't make sense, there is nothing to fall back on to gain a better understanding. Sure, there is the internet, but many times it is hard to find exactly what you are looking for (at least for Regis courses).

    You'll spend countless hours extremely frustrated on Google and Youtube trying to make sense of the content. Content that you spent a good deal of money on. Really, the money you spend at Regis is to grade your work (not timely), because they don't really teach you anything. And then you get to Data Structures, that will easily take 20 hours of your week since you have to write a major program implementing the data structure you learned that week... every week. And remember, Regis doesn't really teach you anything, so you have to figure it out all on your own before you start programming using supplementary (free) resources from the internet. And I felt the assignments were intentionally vague, just to make you even more frustrated.

    I wasn't alone. I talked to almost every person in my classes about my frustrations and every one agreed. Many people actually reached out to me for help, since most instructors were non-responsive and the content was so poor. I spoke at great length, many times with my adviser, the Computer Science chair, and the Dean about the education I was receiving. They always said it was a fluke... they were revamping that course and it would be better next time. They would even ask what courses I was taking next to make sure they were up to par. Spoiler --they never were and I would get the same speech again. In one of our final conversations the Dean said "it would cost too much to add videos" (pst... Youtube is free) and that "I would be crazy to continue to take classes there" (since they are such poor quality). I think they ended up giving me a refund for Algebra, but wouldn't refund me for other courses since they "could transfer to a different university".

    I wanted to tell the world how awful Regis was, but I was afraid the college I was transferring to would catch wind and wouldn't give me credit for the courses I completed. However, I graduated this Spring, so I am letting the cat out of the bag. I also read a ton before enrolling at Regis, and this forum was actually one of the reasons I enrolled. Please, save yourself a ton of sanity and money... enroll somewhere else. You will not be happy with your decision immediately after your first term. You will make the same mistake as me, thinking it will be better next term. It won't and then you'll feel committed so you will continue to take classes until you go absolutely insane.

    I transferred to a local state university. Luckily for me, after tons of appeals, almost all the classes I took at Regis transferred. Some of my courses at the new University were online. Guess what guys - they had videos!! I even had videos for classes that were in person!! All of the professors were highly engaged and all of that cost me pennies on the dollar compared to Regis' cost.

    You may think that I wasn't smart, dedicate, or able to handle online classes, but you are wrong. I left Regis with ~3.7 GPA, but I busted my ass off, teaching myself everything from free content on the internet. I graduated from University of WI - Green Bay with a 3.9 GPA, with an A in every online course I took there.

    If you ignore my warning, I feel for you. There are not many CS programs online. But, when you hate your life and you can't believe the money you are spending to rely on free content to learn, just remember you heard it here first.

    I'd recommend other options. If you are working full time, like I was, talk to your employer. Mine gave me a flex schedule so that I was able to complete my degree at the local college (that did not offer night classes). I can definitely tell you, it was worth it for me. I was offered a new position within a month after graduating and a substantial raise.
     
  18. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the review.

    Sorry to see the suck part of the story but glad you came out on top.
     

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