Need Easy and Quick Masters degree in IT, please guide me

I am so glad I discovered this forum.

I have a number of years experience in IT (2 Decades+), and I have a Bachelors degree in Sciences (Biology). And I have been out of touch with college education for a long time.

To move up in the organization I need a Masters in IT ASAP. Online is my best bet, because of time constraints.

Can someone please guide me which universities I should look at?

Are the online universities like Capella equal to other on-the-ground universities? If it says it is Accredited by HLC, is that good enough and comparable to an average on-the-ground university? Because after spending huge amount of time and money, I don't want someone to tell me that, 'oh your degree is from an online university, not good enough'.

Please guide me, I really appreciate it.

 

Being in IT, you have probably heard the old engineering adage, "good, quick, cheap, pick TWO".

What area of IT do you specialize in? Networks? Security? Software Development? Databases? The quickest masters will be one that plays to your strengths.

Another poster on this forum, ryoder, just completed an MBA in Computer Science (yes, you read that correctly) in 8 months at Northcentral University (online for-profit). Western Governors University (online, non-profit) has an MBA in Information Technology Management and a MS in Information Security & Assurance that can THEORETICALLY be completed in a year or less. I know that people have completed their MS in Info Sec there in a year or less, but I don't know about the MBA in ITM.

 

The best way to avoid possibility of that criticism, if it worries you, is to avoid online-only universities. There are probably dozens of "traditional" universities with campuses that offer online IT masters programs so unless the online-only school has some sort of particular advantage there's no need to consider them.

As mcjon77 asked, what particular field do you want to study?

Maybe start here ... GetEducated.com's list of online programs listed by price ... probably a bit out of date but good to start with:
Online Computer Science Masters - Best Affordable Online Degrees | Best Online Colleges | Best Online Universities | GetEducated.com

 

Spend a week or two reading this forum. Not just the IT part, but all of it. You'll discover that "easy and quick" means worthless. Pick a good school that you can afford and then get ready to work.

 

1. Unless you're going to an Ivy League school there's always some risk of some hiring douche saying your degree is not good enough.
2. HLC is regional accreditation which should be just fine as far as accreditation goes, if anyone cares about that in HR.
3. Stay away from UofPhoenix and Capella if you want value. There are state schools and Carnegie Mellon for decent IT degrees online.
4. It won't be fast or ASAP if you're going to a decent school. 2 years minimum.

So if you want a degree tomorrow I suggest a highly prestigious non-accredited institution that delivers your degree based on life experience..

(waits for the forum to explode..)

ITJD

 

Master of Science in Information Technology Management - Franklin Pierce University

 

I spent most of my day today just browing this forum, and there is a huge amount of info here. I guess I will be spending a good amount of my next 2 weeks here.

I specialize in Database design and programming, have a good idea about 3GL and 4GL programming. Some of that background might help me, but I do realize I will have to slog on other areas/courses. I prefer to avoid Networking, Algorithms etc. I love programming though. So, I don't have a preference really, and by 'easy and quick'' what I mean is:

• No GRE
• No Algebra/Math courses as Pre-Req. Better would be no Pre-Req courses at all.(My Bachelors is in Biology, I do have some Oracle/Microsoft Certifications)
• Should be able to start in couple of months after completing the Admission process.
• With the knowledge gained on this Forum so far, Capella, Phoenix etc are a No-No. I would like to go for a B&M Uni that offers 100% online programs.
• 18 Months TImeframe is what I have in mind.
• I am not looking for an Ivy League, and I am not looking for a serious learning also. Because most likely I will continue to work on Databases rest of my life. But I do need the degree, because if I don't do it now, I certainly can't after 5 years, even if I want to.

So what I need is a degree, It should sound good, it needs to be Accredited. Should I check the Accreditation at the University level, or should it be at the program level? That is, an MS in CS should be accredited too? I guess I will have to do some research.

The whole thought process behind my idea of getting a degree is not to miss an opportunity of becoming CIO of a medium scale company sometime in future for lack of a degree.

 

A lot of it professionals who want to some day get into executive positions already have masters degrees in computer science and get into mba programs in order to move up. So you might consider an mba with an IT specialization. My mba consisted of some comp sci courses in order to help me reach the 18 credit bare minimum to teach. Northcentral will allow you to start your coursework this Monday if you are ready. That was huge for me. In stead of sitting on my hands for three or four months I got to work and completed my first class in 23 days. If you want prestige look elsewhere but a degree is all about what you put into it. I interviewed a guy with two masters and an mba from Duke and he was junior level at best. I assume you know your job as a dba so why not learn some business.

 

Good advice! If I were in the OPs position, I’d look at the MBA with Tech Mgmt/IT specialization – online from a nearby state university or respectable private, as my first choices.

 

One more thing. Most of the MBA programs require an undergraduate degree in business. The MBA is a Masters in Business Administration, so a business undergrad is a requirement. The requirement can be waived if students pay for and take "foundation classes" or show that they have taken all of the required prerequisite classes at the undergraduate level.
With this in mind, I would STRONGLY recommend CLEPing out of those undergraduate prerequisite classes.
These include macroeconomics, microeconomics, financial accounting, organizational behavior, statistics, business law, intro to mgmt, intro to marketing etc. These can all be tested out of. Visit your local book store and pick up the REA CLEP prep books and get going.
I have told coworkers about this time and time again and two of them did not heed my warnings and are now stuck in over 12 months of non-graduate level foundation courses.

Amazon.com: rea clep

 

"Online is the way to go! However, make sure that the school you choose to get your online graduate degree from is accredited by an agency that’s recognized by the Department of Education. Accreditation by any other agency is just eyewash, in my opinion.

Since you are on the lookout for schools, why don’t you take a look at Stevens-Henager College’s online degree programs? The school is accredited by the ACCSC and many of its programs are available on a flexible schedule, making early graduation a possibility."

 

What is your ultimate goal? Is it to only move up in your current organization? If so, you should talk to HR and/or managers to get an idea for what they are looking for and if an online degree will work.

For an online degree, you want a school that is regionally-acrredited, not nationally-accredited to be safe. Secondly, you should look for a B&M school that offers online programs in addition to normal B&M degrees.

Some good examples of programs for you may be the following:
Minot State MSIS
Capitol College's various Master's Degrees
WGU Master's Degrees

Here is a forum thread from TechExams.net on all B&M universities that offer online IT degrees:
Master list of B&M colleges offering online IT degrees

Best of luck!

 

:bs2:
Be careful of someone who just joined the forums yesterday and is telling you to go to a non-regionally accredited school.

 

Have you looked at Western Governors University? They have MS programs in Information Assurance and Network Administration. They also have a MBA in IT Administration.
WGU Online University | Online Degree Programs, Accredited Bachelor's and Master's
BTW - They are both Nationally and Regionally accredited. You pay a flat tuition (~3000) per semester, and you can do as many courses as you can. Their programs have Industry Certifications as an integral part, so if u do the certifications first, u can get credit for them. Don't think they are easy though.

Another option is American Public University.

 

Obviously, there are lot of school out there offers the Master you're looking for. Even though Columbia University offers Master of Science in Computer Science as well as Stanford University; however, how would you like to be in programming without liking algorithms and mathematics? Those are mandatory in the field.

 

Not easy, but based on industry certificates, which You might have - or want to.
IT Masters Degree - The University Masters for IT Professionals

 

This program is the exception to the above rule: Online MBA :: Welcome :: University of Memphis

 

Two options for you: UWF - Online Campus - Graduate Programs

AND

MSU - College of Business (may be completed in a little as two semesters!).

 

I agree pick a good school for you work for it... study will so even if they discover that you are from online degree and say that you're not good enough you can prove that they are wrong!!