EDX-NEW! Online Master's from UC Berkeley

New! Master's
Degree Programs

Earn an Online Master's from UC Berkeley I School — Finish in 20 months or less.


Master of Information and Cybersecurity

No GMAT/GRE Required



Master of Information and Data Science

12-20 Months

 

i thought these were always on Berkeley's website?

anyway, it's 60k+ USD for the program.

 

From my quick research, it appears Berkeley joined up with EdX in 2012 but didn't offer any of their full masters degrees with them until recently. So, I don't think the degree program has changed much, and you're right they have been on their own website, but maybe the "new" is how it is delivered with EdX/2U.

 

It seems the programs come from the former 2U format. Therefore, the price tag structure cannot be less than $30K like edX (i.e: Boston University's MBA).

 

They also offer a similar program for Data Science, Master of Information and Data Science (https://ischoolonline.berkeley.edu/data-science/) but I really don't care for the odd degree titles. An MS in Data Science is a credential people understand. An MS in Cybersecurity is too. If you list a MIDS or a MICS on your resume, people will be confused, despite the Berkeley name. Is it petty of me? Maybe. But I already have one odd degree title on my resume (my Bachelor of Professional Arts) and I've seen how even that confuses potential employers, who have asked me if my degree was an applied art degree like a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Reminds me of APUS offering the DSI and University of Fairfax offering the DIA. Unless you knew the offerings from those schools specifically there's no way to know that those degree abbreviations mean "Doctor of Strategic Intelligence" and "Doctor of Information Assurance."

 

True! DBA used to be known as Database Administration in the workforce industry. But DBA is also a Doctor of Business Administration, some people list it as Ph.D. in LinkedIn.

 

Eh. Odd titles are not too bad. I’m earning my Master of Science in Quantitative Management. Different name for Business Analytics.

 

Is this really edX? Ever since 2U purchased edX, edX has been listing degrees it does not host. If the program has an edX page, then it's on the edX platform. If you have to go to the school page for information, then it appears to be a 2U program that is not hosted by edX.

https://www.edx.org/masters

 

True, people may be unfamiliar with that specific major. If you had to abbreviate it as MQM (Master of Quantitative Management) it might raise more eyebrows than "MS", though. I know this is less of an issue in Australia (and maybe the UK?) where degrees like Master of Blank are more common. When I still worked in the field, I knew someone with a Master of Suicidology from Griffith University who abbreviated it as a MSui.

 

Good point. This person included a copy of their parchment online which seems to confirm the title as "Master of Information and Data Science": https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E22AQGIyxFKrNEMqg/feedshare-shrink_800/0/1619568324490?e=1649894400&v=beta&t=YsreO0ud5waUaJVSKBZlDPZu9fFEHEaueB1wyyMJVzI

Unfortunately Google Image Search can find me that diploma but not the LinkedIn profile that goes with it. Here's another MIDS parchment: https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4E22AQH5bwrtJ7a2xw/feedshare-shrink_800/0/1568903761235?e=1649894400&v=beta&t=ox3p_DDzpJb18akkECOHHP_3XRNRZ01zNV_E_BYgEjw

 

@TEKMAN You work in cybersecurity right, would you say a Master's degree is valuable for someone entering the field? Or is it better for someone without experience to try and get their first cyber job first with their Bachelor's degree and certifications and then pursue the Master's later.

 

I've seen that, too. University of Florida is even crazier because many of their degree titles are long. Their forensic science programs are really a Master of Science in Pharmacy with a major in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a concentration in Forensic XX; the programs have little do with pharmacology. The forensic toxicology program is a Master of Science in Veterinary Medical Sciences with a concentration in Forensic Toxicology even though this program is focused on humans, except one course on mammals that covers humans and non-humans.

 

Fortunately for me, the degree I earn states on the parchment Master of Science in Quantitative Management. Why Duke and NYU opted to title their degree as such is something I do not know. I guess they wanted to differentiate from Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, and Georgetown since these other top unis have online Master of Science in Business Analytics programs.

Having said that, when you have a uni such as UC-Berkeley, I do not think many people would pay attention to the parchment degree titling versus the university that it came through. I could very well be wrong though.

 

The Master's degree in Cybersecurity does not worth the effort for someone to enter the field, even it is later in the field. I would highly recommend a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or IT field related and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification. CISSP requires a certain amount of years of experience in the field, but without experience can start out at an associate-level and gain experience to upgrade to full CISSP. A CISSP is outweigh a Master's degree in Cybersecurity, most of the time Master's degree is preferred, but CISSP is required. Here is my recommendation:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or IT relates
- Associated Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) or specific cybersecurity or information subfield (i.e Penetration Testing, Auditing, Risk Assessment, etc.)

Advanced career, at the point an individual is focusing on management.
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- CISSP and PMP
- GSE (if an individual want to be expertise)