BSCS or software engineering degree online?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by IrishChris, Feb 14, 2009.

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  1. IrishChris

    IrishChris New Member

    Hey Everyone,

    I apologize for any incoherence ahead of time its...well early now and I'm unable to sleep so here I am...

    I've been looking around but cant find an affordable computer science degree online so I thought I'd ask for some assistance :)
    I've looked at troy's program and sent them emails asking about their program and was told the program would prepare me for a help tech position...this is kind of..unsettling, costing upwards of 24k to get a job that people can attain with no degree what so ever...

    I would like to become a programmer/software developer either in a gaming/tools environment or writing programs for a financial field such as banking or accounting software(for this I considered an MIS degree?) any suggestions on where to get started with a computer science/software engineering degree?

    Your responses are greatly appreciated!
    Chris

    P.S.
    also any sort of accelerated program would also be amazing...just looking around the site I've learned about CLEP exams and they look awesome!
     
  2. ideafx

    ideafx New Member

    I've been researching the same thing and settled on Troy. The tuition is actually very reasonable at $200/credit if you compare it to other online schools. Plus, they're a not-for-profit public school, which I like.

    Honestly, I think you're expecting too much from the degree. There aren't many companies that hire software engineers right out of college unless you went to a school like Rutgers. It has become extremely competitive these days. Also, I assume you already know how to program in at least one or two languages. If not, don't expect to learn a programming language just by getting a degree. You might learn the basics and the rest is up to you.

    I actually have a relative who graduated with a CompSci degree in the mid-90s from one of the best schools in the Midwest. She graduated without even knowing how to program a "Hello World" message.

    Here's what I would do. Get an AS in CompSci and go to work for anyone. Let them know that you're pursuing a BS. Once you have the BS, it may open some doors. Keep in mind that both gaming and finance are probably the most competitive workplaces for programmers.

    As far as schools go, check out Franklin University in Cleveland Ohio, and Mountain State University in Beckley, WV. I would prefer Franklin over the two, but MSU's program is accelerated. I believe their courses last seven weeks. You can finish a BS in three years if you work hard enough. However, the tuition is higher than Troy (around $300/credit).
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 14, 2009
  3. tcmak

    tcmak New Member

    Depending on your academic and professional background...

    If you just finish school not long ago,
    My recommendation is to finish a Comp Sci degree first, and get a software engineering later on. This is to build up good theoretical foundations on the problem that you might need to deal with in the future. Software engineering practices are better learnt via real world practices. Taking an SE degree helps only when you have enough real world experience.

    If you have been in the software development industry for some time, taking either CS or SE degree helps. One fills in the theoretical background of the problems, while the later gives better understanding of the practices you might have been doing (or never thought about doing so).
     
  4. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

  5. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Franklin University in Cleveland, Ohio? Franklin University is in Columbus Ohio. Cleveland, Ohio is home to Chancellor University (fka Myers University, fka Dyke College). Which did you really mean? :confused:
     
  6. ideafx

    ideafx New Member

    Columbus. Sorry.
     
  7. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

  8. IrishChris

    IrishChris New Member

    hey guys thanks for all the replies!
    has anyone ever attended athens or Troy and gone through their CS programs? I'm not too crazy about online programs where I have to do group projects all the time, some community colleges I've looked at seem to be all about group discussion and not so much about the work

    not that I've found many options besides them, both programs seem fairly cheap but I just want to know as much as possible about them before I commit :) as for the learning the languages I've had some classes in C++ but I've grown rusty so I'm going to begin relearning in my own time for that...I was more concerned with an employer looking at my degree and seeing BS APPLIED computer science (as opposed to a person with a BSCS) then just tossing it out, Is this just paranoia? :confused:

    as for the post about my life experience and whatnot...I'm 24, currently unemployed and a stay at home dad so I'm in a position where I can devote quite a bit of time to my online schooling. I've attended some college part time in the past at a B&M community college and would have minimal credits to transfer from there in english1/2 and some C++ classes and Data structures class, but I suppose anything would help :)

    hrm I'm way off course now just thought I would give some of my background to see if it helped at all..lol

    regards,
    Chris
     
  9. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    I can't speak to the programs specifically but I can to the schools. Troy has far greater name recognition (including a nationally televised football team), many campuses, some very nice. Athens only recently became a university, prior to that they were a bachelors completion school. Small campus and attentive. Athens, is the oldest post secondary school in the state. I have friends who are professors at Troy (one's a dean the other teaches in the CS program), great guys and if you have them you will find yourself learning a lot. My brother graduated from Athens and has many good things to say about the school. He transferred an associates degree in and completed his bachelors in the evening on campus.
     
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    COMPUTER SCIENCE

    Acadia University www.acadiau.ca
    American Sentinel University www.americansentinel.edu
    University of Calicut http://www.collegeskerala.com/calicut_university
    California National University for Advanced Studies www.cnuas.edu
    California State University Chico www.csuchico.edu
    Charter Oak State College www.cosc.edu
    Florida State University www.fsu.edu
    Grantham University www.grantham.edu
    Kettering University www.kettering.edu
    Madurai Kamaraj University www.mkuniversity.org
    Mary Baldwin College www.mbc.edu
    Mercy College www.mercy.edu
    Murdoch University www.murdoch.edu.au
    University of New England www.une.edu.au
    Old Dominion University www.odu.edu
    University of Saskatchewan www.usask.ca
    University of South Africa www.unisa.ac.za
    Thomas Edison State College www.tesc.edu
    TUI University www.tuiu.edu
    Union Institute & University www.myunion.edu

    SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

    Champlain College www.champlain.edu
    Florida State University www.fsu.edu
    Grantham University www.grantham.edu
    Murdoch University www.murdoch.edu.au
    Southern Cross University www.scu.edu.au
     
  11. IrishChris

    IrishChris New Member

    Wow thanks for all the information! You guys rock!
    sorry I took so long to get back to this, I've had some things going on at the moment I've been looking into CLEP exams to help...accelerate the degree a bit...
    hrm so Troy is a good school..that is good to know :) maybe I'll go with them but I'm still looking around, still kind of nervous about the applied part of the program name lol..is this just me being ignorant/paranoid or what?

    Thanks again guys for all the input I'll sift through the schools and try to not ask too many retarded questions lol

    Chris
     

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