Florida Atlantic University Professional PhD in Computer Science $34K

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by Dustin, Dec 13, 2021.

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  1. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    https://www.fau.edu/engineering/eecs/graduate/professional-programs/professional-phd/

    A classmate at Eastern is applying to this program. The degree is 72 credits but they give you 30 credits for your Masters, making it 42 remaining.

    "The Professional PhD in Computer Science program provides students with advanced technical expertise they need to be successful in research and technical leadership positions in the industry and the public sector. Typical paths include senior positions in computer science related fields, careers as research scientists at high-tech companies and research labs, and academic careers in higher education. Topics of study include software engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cryptography, machine learning and data analytics, spatial database and data mining, computer networking, cloud computing, Internet of Things and more."

    "Total Cost: $800 per credit-hour; total cost for 42 credit-hours is $33,600."
     
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  2. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    G0od find! :emoji_grinning:
     
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  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    This degree is clearly a professional doctorate, yet they award the PhD for it. It's a reminder that, while the distinctions between professional and scholarly doctorates--and their subsequent awards--are real, the lines can be blurred sometimes.

    I was looking at a DBA program at an RA school recently that can be done for under $US50K and completely online in 3 years. The literature was so clear, so distinct about it being a professional doctorate--so much so that you don't do a traditional dissertation. Instead, you do a series of practice-based projects during the course of your studies (instead of waiting until you finish the coursework portion). They were very clear about making distinctions from this approach vs. the scholarly PhD (which they also award in another, related field.)

    It's really important to pay attention to how the degree is structured and what the research requirement is, and whether that fits your goal(s) for doing the doctorate.
     
  4. Ditto. I went and looked. Post Masters, you take 18 credits (6 classes) of which 12 credits (4 classes) must be in Computer Science topics. I went and looked. The classes were all "Intro to this and Intro to that" - not what I would expect for a PhD program, not really what I'd like to see at a Masters program. The school does state the degree is for "leadership" preparation. Good luck with that.
     
  5. DrSchmoe

    DrSchmoe Member

    Great find!
     
  6. mcjon77

    mcjon77 Member

    Thanks, Dustin! That is a real interesting option. Also the price is low enough that my company's tuition reimbursement might cover most (but not all) of it. I will need to pick up the algorithms and calculus 2 courses that they require, but that is not too bad at all.

    It also looks like I can have a focus on analytics, which would flow rather nicely with the MS in Data Science. It is definitely on the list to check out next year.
     
    Dustin likes this.
  7. DrSchmoe

    DrSchmoe Member

    I think you may be able to get Calculus I and II through something like Study.com, Sophia, Straighterline etc. They're pretty cheap and all self-paced. I forgot which ones but I think some (or all of those options) are ACE transferable which means they're accepted at regionally-accredited schools, and therefore should be accepted at FAU. I'm not sure. You can call them. This is the third state school I know of that has a Computer Science Ph.D. program completely online with no required on-campus visits. FAU, MSU (Mississippi State), and UND. I say apply ASAP to get a first-mover advantage rather than wait until next year. They'll probably be willing to work with students who are borderline now than later when the program gets big and have to start rejecting qualified applicants.
     
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  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    In theory, but very, very often not in practice.
     
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  9. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    The 2021 catalogue includes a list of CLEP exams that transfer at the undergrad level but only mentions ACE in talking about military transfer credit. (https://www.fau.edu/academic/registrar/FAUcatalog/academics.php) My guess is that if FAU required those courses and wanted to admit someone lacking them they would require them to take those courses outside of the 42 credits for the doctorate, since they note "The admission committee may assign remedial courses on a case-by-case basis."

    Graduate programs in general (Masters and PhD) are very uncomfortable with transfer credit, testing out and similar. Even when you've taking a Data Structures course in one program and you're trying to get credit for an identically titled course at the same degree level in another program.
     
    Rich Douglas likes this.
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Credit recommendations for CLEP (and DANTES and AP) exams comes from ACE as well.
     
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  11. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    Yeah, but it seems like the people making the policies at variousschools either don't know (somehow) or choose to ignore this fact. Some schools appear to only accept CLEP/DANTES from military personnel, even. Regular students aren't allowed at all.

    Case in point: NAU. If you poke around on their site, you'll find things that say that they do, in fact, accept ACE credits. Great. This leads you to https://alternativecreditproject.nau.edu/ as their list of accepted ACE credits. Aaaaaaaaand most of those don't even exist these days! There's also a "credit acceptance" tool on the NAU site... somewhere (or there used to be). I didn't try entering every single CLEP exam, but I did try 5 or 6 of them and only 1 or 2 were accepted. They weren't even listed as being accepted as electives.
     
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  12. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Even Charter Oak State College only accepts alternative credit from approved providers. It's not just "ACE is the place" anymore. Granted, all the low cost options one would likely need are included, but still.
     
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  13. DrSchmoe

    DrSchmoe Member

    I have another document you can consider from their application site:
    https://www.fau.edu/graduate/programs/docs/phd_computer_science_professional.pdf
    The specialization of the program is "Data Science and Analytics", which I think is an area that isn't going away anytime soon. I called the department, and the degree is "Ph.D. in Computer Science". The "professional" part of the name is just the program name. So it is a bonafide Ph.D. in CS. I might apply for the Fall 2022 cohort as their GRE waiver is through the Fall 2022 start. I wouldn't be surprised if they extend the GRE waiver through Spring 2023 considering the advent of the Omicron variant. I'll keep y'all posted on the academic experience if I get in.
     
    Dustin likes this.
  14. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    I discovered something recently about FAU that is giving me pause. One of their business professors has been spreading COVID misinformation and the university has promoted his views: https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2020/08/14/fau-pushes-coronavirus-skeptic-as-rsquoexpertrsquo-even-as-scientists-pan-his-views/42209087/

    Here's the first few paragraphs:

     
  15. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

  16. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Man, this is a tough room! One crackpot plus one sympathetic person in the social media department isn't nearly enough to put me off of an entire major research university.
     
  17. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    But if it hasn't been nipped in the bud nor a press release put out saying that the university disavows any of the professor's views on covid, they're essentially sanctioning it and saying they're okay with what he's saying.
     
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  18. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Indeed they are. What is this - Trump University II? How near to Mar-a-Lago is this place, anyway? Sounds like an immediate Accreditation Review might solve the problem - one way or the other!
     
  19. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes, it is a tough room, Steve. (But you and I chose to work it - even though the money sucks. :rolleyes: ) And rightly tough in this case, methinks. It's NOT one sympathetic person - it's the whole place, that has condemned itself through its own inaction. They know the damage such crackpots cause - and by their hands-off policy, they implicitly and explicitly endorse this harmful nonsense. More nonsense - more damage.
     
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  20. DrSchmoe

    DrSchmoe Member

    Likewise, the University of Pennsylvania has condemned itself for the inaction towards Prof. Wax? :emoji_confused:

    https://news.yahoo.com/penn-under-pressure-fire-law-112028319.html

    Pressure is building on the University of Pennsylvania to take disciplinary action against law professor Amy Wax for saying the U.S. is "better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration."


    I mean it's been almost a month since she had done that interview in December.

    * In 2018, she falsely claimed that Black students seldom graduate high in their class.
    * Then in 2019, she said that the U.S. would be better off accepting white immigrants over immigrants of color.

    For the most recent interview in December, it says: "a petition signed by more than 2,470 individuals — including Penn staff, students and parents — requests that university officials launch an investigation into Wax"

    A "request"? Seriously? University officials shouldn't have to have their arms twisted to investigate this. Accreditation review to solve the problem... one way or the other. :emoji_thinking:
     

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