Micro-Masters

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Kizmet, Sep 22, 2016.

Loading...
  1. msganti

    msganti Active Member

    Look under the descriptions of these Micro-Masters again. Seems like some of these (SCM, Project Management for instance) can be transferred to a Master's degree.
     
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    hmmmmmmmm.
     
  3. AJ_Atlanta

    AJ_Atlanta New Member

    The Supply Chain Management is on campus, not distance learning, and I believe the RIT is as well
     
  4. msganti

    msganti Active Member

    From the RIT master's page: Project Management MS | RIT Online
    While it might not be a 100% online degree, if the majority of work can be done online, it might still be useful to some (considering the name value of the schools).
     
  5. AJ_Atlanta

    AJ_Atlanta New Member

    Still a missed opportunity to me. Having a low cost teaser product that doesn't feed into an upsell is a missed opportunity; especially the foreign schools on a predominantly US site

    Perhaps more will do so if the popularity increases
     
  6. Lagu88

    Lagu88 Member

    In general, fields like data science are multi disciplines, which involves computer science (machine learning), statistics, and domain knowledge (usu. Business for business analytics).

    Micro master from moocs usually will not touch on commercial softwares like SPSS Statistics and Modeler. They may touch more on open source technologies like R and Python, Apache Spark. SPSS and SAS should usually be covered in master degree, at least for mine.

    A specialized certificate in statistic is certainly not going to supersede someone with statistics master degree, likewise a micromaster cert in artificial intelligence is not going to win a person with machine learning master. But these certificates can help people who already have degrees in one field say machine learning to know more about another field like statistics. As such, the person is able to handle task involves statistics and discusses advanced data science challenge with another statistician to reduce communication barrier. If not why can't a micromaster transfer credits fully to get a full master degree without further study.

    In a master programme, because it is not an undergraduate degree, your classmates can already be working adults with years of experiences. if you are able to work with him in your course projects and passed out with a same master degree with him/her, I do not think you really lack too much skills. This may be the reason that some job requirement stated a bachelor degree with n years of experience or a master degree with n-2 years of experiences.
     
  7. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    For highly competitive positions this is true. A certificate/micro-masters may not sway the hiring manager at Google. But there are a large number of smaller and mid-size employers (and even divisions of larger companies) that don't attract people with a Masters in Machine Learning/AI or even CS. Sometimes they just cannot offer a competitive enough salary.

    For my own company we hired a data analytics manager. But our budget was significantly less than a company that has a more robust analytics program. Predictably, he stuck around for a little while and then bounced as soon as someone offered him more money. Different companies invest in different areas. We pour most of our money into software developers and engineers (as well as welders on the operations side). When the business decision comes up as to whether we pay data analytics folks more or hire an additional engineer or software developer it almost invariably ends with the latter choice.

    I say this because there is this conventional, and wrong, wisdom that a person with a Masters in discipline X is automatically further ahead in the hiring decision than the person with only a bachelors in discipline X. And, in this case, that a person without Masters in discipline X is irreparably impeded against a candidate with a Masters in discipline X.

    It simply isn't true in the bulk of U.S. corporate hiring. For many of these roles the skill, not the degree, is what is sought. If you can demonstrate that skill, very often through work history, without a degree you are going to be given a solid chance.

    If you have a BA in English and years of experience working in analytics at a respected firm no one is likely going to look at your resume and say "Pfft...I don't need an English major in this role." Work experience and demonstrable skill trump work credentials. That's why many people with diploma mill degrees tend to get away with it for so long.
     
  8. Pugbelly2

    Pugbelly2 Member

    This should be the motto of this forum and of every school of higher education in the world. So many "kids" are coming out of school today with expensive degrees, but they have no skill/experience at all, want big money to start somewhere, then complain when it doesn't happen. For the last 17 years I served as the top executive for my employer. When the owner retired I bought the organization and now serve as its owner and president When I look at resumes, I look for experience first, academic credentials second. Truthfully, the only reason I care about the academic credentials is because at least for today, I need them for inclusion on the organizational bio. As a related aside, I also utilize pre-employment screening to assess logic and reasoning skills, math, reading comprehension, general aptitude, etc. You'd be shocked at how many college grads can't pass the assessments.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 11, 2017
  9. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  11. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    It's interesting not only that other universities also accept it, but that MIT supports this.
     
  12. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

  13. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member


    I think Graduate level certificates are more advanced than undergraduate level certificates. And they carry a heavier weight.
    Number of edX MOOC MicroMasters certificates via edX can earn 25% of Masters degree. I just looked at one that is counted as 8 or 9 credits toward Masters degree from Cumberland University.
    For employment, if the level is more advanced I think it can be a plus.
    Cursera calls these Master Track certificates to contrast from professional or other certificates. Some professional certificates can be advanced level too.
    Highlighting Graduate level of the certificate can be a plus.
     
  14. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    They carry more weight with whom? HR people typically don't care. Neither do most hiring managers. I have never met a single hiring manager, in any of the myriad fields where I have worked in HR as a recruiter or business partner, who when presented with a certificate has asked "Oh, is that an undergrad, a graduate or a non-credit certificate?"

    It's fine to say that these things can be a plus. And, if brought up in an interview specifically by a candidate they can be excellent talking points. But very few people are scrutinizing formal education that much. That just isn't how people are hired beyond entry level positions. Period. Full stop.

    A PMP is going to trump a certificate, of any level, in Project Management. And years of project management experience can easily overcome the lack of a PMP. If that experience is more relatable to the position being interviewed for, it can absolutely help a candidate overcome a candidate with more certifications or academic degrees.

    It is very very unlikely that a candidates hiring would be shifted one way or the other by the level of a certificate program. The biggest thing they offer is a way to reconcile unrelated degrees. Need a degree in HR? What if I have a degree in management and a Masters certificate (blame Cornell for that one) in HR? Cool. Need a degree in CS? What about a degree in math with a certificate in CS? That's the bulk of it.

    Beyond that, if you are relying on your graduate certificate to trump another candidate's undergraduate certificate, you are probably not qualified for the job.
     
  15. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  16. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  17. Jahaza

    Jahaza Active Member

    The Statistics and Data Science Micro-masters credit option brings the Doane University MBA total cost down to $11,640. That's very close to the University of Texas-Permain Basin non-business undergraduate degree MBA cost of $11,342.94.

    However, though both are regionally accredited, UTPB also has AACSB accreditation, which Doane does not.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2018
  18. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    We've come along way since the first post- I believe I read that the first Supply Chain cohort from MIT already graduated. I've spent a lot of time following the progress and development of MOOCs that offer credit at the graduate level. edX has 30 right now, and all still follow the same basic principles as they did when the launch happened, but I interpret these to be a sort of hybrid option for traditional programs. Coursera (edX's competitor- exactly the same but edX was started by Harvard/MIT whereas Coursera is former Stanford faculty) has entered the arena a little differently than edX. edX has taken the verified certificate option and allows the user to opt out or pursue the degree by leaving the edX platform. Coursera has taken distance learning degrees that already existed and brought a % of the coursework into Coursera via MOOC. In other words, Coursera's platform allows you to enter the degree via MOOC and finish via distance learning at the college for 1 low price. edX keeps it separate.
    I think both are unique, and since Coursera's model is BRAND NEW, most master's degrees launching now 2018-2019 it's hard to say how this will fly. As an example that caught my eye, the University of Illinois MBA can be earned by enrolling through the Coursera platform for $22k all in. If you went through the university directly, you're $58k in-state and close to $90k oos. SAME DEGREE. I'm not smart enough to figure out how everyone is getting paid- but it's the student that benefits. And unlike earlier predictions, college enrollment hasn't (yet) taken a hit, but MOOC enrollment is off the charts.

    I forgot to add that the HUGE BENEFIT, in my opinion, is that you don't have the hoops of getting IN to graduate school OR consequences that come with washing out. It's a beautiful meritocracy.
     

Share This Page