Coursera Bachelor of Science in Computer Science for $4k!

[Tomas]

BITS Pilani is a very prestigious university in India. It is considered the private equivalent of the IITs.
It is a lot more prestigious than Amity.
This program is likely rigorous. It is a very good deal too.
Although the BSc in Data Science from IIT Madras is the most prestigious online degree in India, it has offline exams and there are no exam centres in the U.S.
The BSc in CS from BITS Pilani is a good alternative as it has online proctored exams.

BITS Pilani looks good indeed, also I have been seriously impressed by IIT Madras programme, after skimming the curriculum. Best online CS bachelor degree I've seen so far.
They seem to offer online proctored exams now, but there is very few learners who took them, there's list of countries and also contact on the website for prospective learners who don't have exam center in their country of residence.

[Jonathan Whatley]

When pricing or timing out this degree, note that the main offer is for a three academic year (non-honours) bachelor. Often three academic year Indian bachelors are not accepted for admission to masters in the U.S., U.K., etc. It looks like a four academic year honours bachelor is available, for additional cost and time.

[Tomas]

I've received an answer from IIT Madras:
"We have decided to take students from countries outside India where we do not have partnerships to conduct exams in person. We will be conducting the exams online for such students with live remote proctoring. There will be additional facilitation fees per subject for the exams - Rs 2000/3000(based on country) per subject."

[Tomas]

As stated I'm already in the industry as a junior, and with the intention of future-proofing and securing better jobs going forward, I think BSc in CompSci would be really beneficial (just the knowledge alone, but having it through an institution with structured learning and some investment to keep myself accountable is what helps the adherence). If anybody has some reasons why/why not to suggest to me, or to address some of these concerns, or to suggest alternative online bachelors degree programs in compsci, I would love to hear from you. Likewise, if/when I enter, I would like to contribute publicly about my experiences.

That online program from BITS Pilani only started now, first batch of applications was only closed very recently. Cost-wise be prepared 4th year might be most expensive, also it wasn't clear to me whether the online proctored exams are included in the price (they are extra in IIT Madras).

India in recent years showed huge support for online programs, on top government levels, so these are first fruits. IMHO there will be more such programs upcoming  (eg. IIT Madras just opened electronics degree and IIT Guwahati only recently appeared on Coursera).

Other options, apart from the US universities mentioned here often (WGU, TESU, or UMPI which shall have CS program upcoming), Universitat Oberta of Catalunya has sw engineering degree https://www.uoc.edu/en/studies/bachelors...and-prices  in similar price level.

There are even less expensive programs in India, but I didn't research those fully (eg. University of Chandigarh, Amrity University, Don Bosco University,....). There might be barriers (offline exams, higher prices for international students, ...) with some of the other ones.

[Pink_Bubble1]

For BITS Pilani, Is the 4th year even accessible online, is that known? From the coursera page:

"You’ll have the opportunity to convert your earned credits into a credential at regular intervals. You will have an option to exit with a diploma at the end of Year Two, a bachelor's degree at the end of Year Three or opt for an additional year to earn an honours degree at the end of Year Four."

From the brochure (pdf):

"You will have an option to exit with a diploma at the end of Year Two, a bachelor's degree at the end of Year Three or opt for an *additional year to earn an honours degree at the end of Year Four.

*To be confirmed. Subject to internal approvals from BITS Pilani academic council."

Note the asterix. So is the internal approval done on an individual basis (eg, your grades qualify you for the 4th year honours program) or is the availability of the 4th year online altogether up to internal approval (ie this is not available yet)? Anybody know?

[Tomas]

They definitely mean program approval, not individual approvals. The program is approved as 3 year degree, now they wish to extend it into 4 year BSc Hons but it's not approved yet - hence the upcoming internal approval from their academic council.

[bjcheung77]

@Pink_Bubble1, Welcome to the board, this program is alright/pretty good for the experience and price mix. I noticed you're 34 and in Canada, there are rarely any online programs at all in Canada. Which province are you in? Most programs I recommend are either in the UK (Bachelors top-ups) or US (max alternative credit transfer or CBE), have you looked at SNHU, TESU, WGU, and other offerings?

What's your end educational goal? I think for those who are younger, this program is recommended, for those who have lost of experience and are more mature, maybe a quick degree plus certs would be better, it really depends on the student and their individual assessment of what is required in their particular educational journey. Anyways, good luck, have fun, whatever you decide...

[sasank]

BITS Pilani is a very prestigious university in India. It is considered the private equivalent of the IITs.
It is a lot more prestigious than Amity.
This program is likely rigorous. It is a very good deal too.
Although the BSc in Data Science from IIT Madras is the most prestigious online degree in India, it has offline exams and there are no exam centres in the U.S.
The BSc in CS from BITS Pilani is a good alternative as it has online proctored exams.

BITS Pilani looks good indeed, also I have been seriously impressed by IIT Madras programme, after skimming the curriculum. Best online CS bachelor degree I've seen so far.
They seem to offer online proctored exams now, but there is very few learners who took them, there's list of countries and also contact on the website for prospective learners who don't have exam center in their country of residence.

IIT Madras' BS Data Science is now supporting learners from the U.S.
There is a 4 year degree option.
But the exams are completely computer based. There is no writing involved.
The questions are mostly problem based, there are some MCQs, some numerical answer questions, some multiple select questions.
BUT, it is quite a rigorous program. Passing it may be easy. But don't expect good grades without a thorough understanding of the subject.
You can check some of the question papers here to get an idea of the difficulty.
https://medium.com/@prathambhalla7/iit-m...fe7b909b04
Don't expect too much help from the TAs. There are around 20,000 people who are pursuing it currently. There is a Discord group too.

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I registered to reply to this thread.

I'm a Canadian (not from India) and really interested in this program. Not through lack of ability but bad luck, I wasn't able to get into computer science programs in Canada when I tried years ago. At age 34 now, I'm already in the industry to some extent (full stack web development), but would like to push my career forward with the knowledge that can be gained with the knowledge of a computer science degree.

I'm highly considering while I continue to work full-time, joining this program for the time flexibility and the accessibility of cost (6k USD for the full degree [or a little higher if doing Honours? to be recognized to complete a masters over here]), which I think is better than 5k/yr to study at a traditional university here within a rigid schedule.

Partially I have concern because I'm not familiar with BITS Pilani until I saw it on Coursera, but I see it's an established institution with notable alumni, and probably carries some recognition among people from that region, so I have a slight worry about having a university on my resume that doesn't have the same familiarity with employers here -- or that it will be devalued because it's an online degree. To some extent I think these are moot concerns because this is an industry that is understood internally as being very often autodidactic and demonstrable proficiency can sometimes be more valuable than a degree from a known university. As well, the medium through which you're learning (computers) is the field you're studying, so it's not that off-putting (unlike say, an online medical degree).

How long has this online program been out? Because I've seen the brochure, and the core and elective courses and tracks, and I'm mostly won over, but I wish I could preview the syllabuses of the courses and see testimonials from current/past students to understand the breadth (and quality) of the subjects.

As stated I'm already in the industry as a junior, and with the intention of future-proofing and securing better jobs going forward, I think BSc in CompSci would be really beneficial (just the knowledge alone, but having it through an institution with structured learning and some investment to keep myself accountable is what helps the adherence). If anybody has some reasons why/why not to suggest to me, or to address some of these concerns, or to suggest alternative online bachelors degree programs in compsci, I would love to hear from you. Likewise, if/when I enter, I would like to contribute publicly about my experiences. I'm also curious to know more about taking the 4 year track for the possibility of doing a masters program in North America -- does the fact that the Delivery Method being online affect consideration for admission?

BITS BSc is a good program. TAs are average. Teaching is okayish. Assignments are good and challenging.
This program has relative grading. It has online proctored pen and paper exams, and you need to upload your answers by scanning them.
Around 500 learners joined in the first year. So, it is not the runaway success (in terms of enrollment) that they hoped it would be.
So, they have still not confirmed the 4th year option, because they are not yet sure whether it will be viable.
The 1st batch has completed one semester, and you can talk to some of the students on the BITS BSc group on the Telegram app.

IIT Guwahati's program on Coursera does have a 4 year option. But it is not exactly Computer Science.

[nomaduser]

If you're in Canada, why bother with an Indian university?

Get Western Governors University's BS in Computer Science online degree instead!
It will cost you only $5k as well. Another guy in Quebec was able to complete his BS in CS for $5k.
https://miguelrochefort.com/blog/cs-degree/

The graduates of Western Governors University program got jobs at Amazon, Google, etc. Please check on LinkedIn alumni section.

[bjcheung77]

Competency based option, yes I would recommend WGU. Non Competency based and max transfer, TESU would be my choice, you can get it close to $5K with a flat rate tuition option (and a BSBA CIS included in the price if you wanted)... It really depends on the student and their needs, their study style, etc. SNHU has a BSCS as well, if you can complete it in a timely manner...