Stanford's online programs: opinions?

Hi guys,

Longtime lurker. I love this forum - it's super insightful and has plenty of resources. I just have a quick question today that needs clarifying.

The Stanford page on the E&IC course "made me believe" that peer discussion would be a heavy part of the program. To my disappointment, there is little mentoring, no discussions and sparse interaction.

Is it a content-based learning type of program? It's my first Standford course. The eCornell ones were really geared towards peer discussion, so I was caught off guard.

On another note, has anyone found it useful? Does it hold any market value? I'm a recent graduate wanting to get a leg up, so I decided to enrol.

Thanks!

 

Can you provide a link to the program. I know that Stanford offers some non-credit certificate programs, but the only distance programs of their's that I pay attention to are their distance engineering masters degrees.

Regarding market value, I have never heard anything about them being particularly valuable in the job market. That doesn't mean they aren't valuable, just that I have not heard about it.

How expensive was the program?

 

My opinion is a mixed because of the brand name; however, in the IT industry I don't see any job require Stanford's certifcate. A master degree from Stanford would stand out, but certificate is useless.

I can see that CISSP, CISA, GREM, GXPN, GCIH, CCNP would surpass Stanford University's IT certificates. For example the Stanford's Advanced Computer Security Certificate costs $3,145.00; while CISSP costs less than $1,000.00 for self study.

So, I see that a Master degree from Stanford Online program is worth the efforts and money, but not the certificate.

 

If you pursue a graduate program in IA or Cyber Security, you should know far more than what is on a CISSP. There is a little of material covered in the domains covered in the CISSP, but a solid graduate program will go much more in depth. So if you were to complete a graduate program in IA or Cyber Security, with a little bit more study, you should be ready for the CISSP, as your coursework ideally would have covered what is on the CISSP.

You also need to have appropriate experience to take the CISSP, or else you may take it as an associate, but then you have 5 years (I believe) to obtain the required experience.

I am not sure how much value a six course graduate certificate would have. If you already have a relevant degree and experience, it might be nice little touch for the resume, but I would personally pursue a master's. It is totally an individual decision though.