Hello All, Its been a while since I've posted and read any posts but I have been thinking about getting a second masters. I made a career change with an online MBA, and I work as a system administrator for an hospital EHR application in California for the last 7 years. I want to gain more practical/technical skills in IT/CS, and 'm looking at exploring my options. I don't plan on enrolling soon, and I'm just exploring/investigating for suitable programs. I have been looking at online Computer Science conversion course in the UK, and some have caught my eye. One is particular has been University of Essex Online, Msc in Computer Science conversion course. It seems like these conversion course are more aimed at those without a computing background. These programs also seem to be more vocational in nature since they give a broader CS curriculum than the more traditional in-depth CS curriculum with computational and discrete mathematics. Are conversion course in CS accepted or respected in the US? Is it worth the investment, or should I buckle down, and swallow it and pursue a traditional US CS BS or MS? I'm not super strong in mathematics so, I'm not sure if I would be cut out for a US CS BS or MS, or is an MSIT a better option? I'm looking to gain more technical skills and pursue a software development career. The conversion courses seem practical and cost effective for an Msc in CS. I don't want to pursue an accelerated program, just because it is difficult to balance my personal and professional life like my 8 week classes in my previous MBA program. What do you think? Below is the Uni of Essex Msc in Computer Science. https://online.essex.ac.uk/courses/msc-computer-science/#overview Thanks D
A similar recent thread: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/university-of-london-msc-in-computer-science-online.58217/
Personslly think your ROI with that program would not be as competitive as some alternatives. These programs fill a niche that is not well recognized in the US. With what you’ve stated you’re looking for, I’d be strongly looking at Georgia Tech’s very innovative and affordable master’s program. It will likely be more difficult and and have significantly more math though. Realistically, unless you’re a UK citizen or there are other factors, you have a number of cheaper and more effective options. Not saying the Essex program is bad.
@Vonnegut thank you for the input, I truly value if anyone has anything to say about this program. What makes this program alluring is that there is an opportunity to enrolling without of traditional prerequisites coursework for US-based Master of Computer Science online program. GT program is great, and I looked into it, a bit intimidating since its a top national uni, but I've been considering it. I looked a bit harder an GT's program doesn't have any mathematical preques, but has some CS prequest that can be take on edX, which sounds like a great option. Why do you or anyone else think why this or any other conversion would bring much value as a CS program compared to a traditional US-based online CS program?
Does anyone have any input on the value and utility of a UK CS conversion course in the US? Would someone get hired into a Programmer/Developer role at a tech company? I know the MSc can be a bit misleading because I think a conversion course is a broad overview and crash course in CS.
If you want a developer/programmer role in a US company, you don't necessarily need a degree in computer science. Not a master's nor a bachelor's. What matters is if you can actually program or not. A degree in anything (which I presume you have because you're looking at conversion courses) is good for showing that you have dedication and are able to learn. Beyond that, a strong portfolio will get you further than any degree ever will.
Not entirely true. You'll have hard time finding jobs if you don't have a computer science degree. My job was taken by a person in Malaysia. He holds a degree in Computer Science and I don't. The job was given to him... I had a much better portfolio but didn't make it. These days, anyone with a computer science degree is a better candidate.
I don't know that that single data point is really representative. About 75% of programmers in Stack Overflow's 2017 survey had a Bachelor's degree or higher, and of those, 50% had one in CS or Computer Engineering https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2017 If you add up the other related disciplines you get 74% with a related degree (so about 3 in 4) but that's 74% of the 75% who held a degree, so out of 100 programmers, only around 56 will have a Bachelor's degree in CS or a related field. A degree seems to help and is becoming more common, but I wouldn't count yourself out just because you lack one.
Ok, let's assume that you and another guy with CS bachelor have the same skill set. Then employer will obviously choose the guy with CS bachelor. That's the trend right now. Man, I was replaced by a guy in Malaysia. The guy in Malaysia has a US CS bachelor. Employer would trust that guy in Malaysia over me. I have proven job experience and I passed their coding exam and interview as well. CS Bachelor from top 300 universities is a gold right now.
Guy in Malaysia probably cost 1/2 what you do. If that. The cost of living in Malaysia is ridiculously cheap. Unless you're living in a big apartment in the center of a big city, IIRC you could live REALLY well on $30k USD per year. It's not always about the education. You'll get passed over for a variety of reasons.
