MSCS/MSDS on performance based admissions programs

[mcmctalk]

Using planning template as it's well structured for discussion - I tried to bold the tl;dr sections relevant to my questions


Your Location: California
Your Age: 40s
What kind of degree do you want?: eventually MSCS/MSDS but willing to pick up BA/BS to get there if needed
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 30, > 10 yrs old
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: no
Any certifications or military experience?: no
Budget: n/a
Commitments: full time work, parent to young children
Dedicated time to study: 20 hr/ week
Timeline: 2-3 yrs
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: n/a, set aside funds to complete

Inspired by the thread How I got into OMSCS: TESU BACS by ItsNeverTheLionsYear and studied many paths to MS in Computer Science or MS in Data Science on this forum, would love some advise on paths forward.  

Background:  I attempted at TESU's Statistics.com BS program in DS a few years back but found the instructional quality to be poor and at the time unable to commit consistent time to study.  As my children are finally getting old enough to not require constant attention, I'm able to allocate 15-20 hrs a week in my life now to commit to studying again.  

I work in tech for a large company and manage technical teams - think user research, business rules, and program management.  I've always had interest in big data and working with engineers frequently has helped me gain a good view into life of SWE and DS - I enjoy the problem solving, autonomy, and ability to be an expert in domains.  I use Python, SQL in my work, nothing crazy but general fluency with the language for problem solving.  Ultimately goal would be to gain marketable technical skills and I believe a degree from reputable school will help me enter into more technical roles as individual contributor or manager (such as eng/staff manager). I.e. - as a mid-career professional, I have a lot of people and process management experiences but limited technical and I believe a strong classic CS/DS program will make me more marketable in my industry.

I've targeted performance based MSCS/MSDS programs since I lack a bachelor's degree and have limited RA credits. This approach minimizes wasted time on general education (GE) via testing or community college. My primary targets have been CU Boulder's MSCS/MSDS. Preparation includes LeetCode for Python, data structures, and basic math via Khan Academy. A drawback of the program based on reviews, is limited faculty support—these programs assume a BSCS or STEM background, dropping students straight into advanced coursework.  

As I research more options, career transition programs like Pitt's MSDS and NYU's CS Bridge seem appealing, but most require a bachelor's. This raises the question: Should I complete a BS first? If so, what’s the fastest, most efficient path while preparing me technically for MSCS? WGU's extensive GE requirements seems to take 6+ months, whereas UMPI's LS program with Sophia credits could be a better alternative but I'm less familiar. I want to maximize my 20-hour weekly study time on technical subjects, not GE.

Current plan: Keep grinding CS fundamentals until I'm MSCS-ready at CU Boulder. But I worry—what if the program is retired before I qualify? With nothing tangible to show yet, I'm second-guessing this path. Should I reconsider?

Anything else I should consider?

[bjcheung77]

In short, I would do the balanced mix/match trifecta of certs, degree, experience, to strengthen your application to any Masters. My suggestion is to quickly get the UMPI BLS with a minor of your choice, take all the Coursera, Sophia.org and Study.com classes that are CIS, CS, IT, programming related to get the bulk of that prerequisites down and use these credits and apply it towards the 60 electives for the BLS. Then apply to any MS Applied Computer Science program or any MOOC from Coursera, EdX, etc for your quick Bachelors/Masters combo. Sometimes going for a Masters right off the bat confuses academics and employers, they'll have questions asking, where or why you haven't done the Bachelors...

[davewill]

My first thought is that a CS bachelor's should be helpful to you all by itself. I'd probably tackle the TESU BACS, which you could likely do fairly quickly. Since most of your credits will be Sophia and Study.com, you should be able to minimize your study time.

At that point, virtually all MS paths become open to you.

[mcmctalk]

Thanks. I’ll have to take a look at the BLS program again and see how I can match certs. It’s a great idea.

Re: TESU, I had such a poor experience with statistics.com courses that I didn’t really look at TESU again, I’ll have to take a look. My concern is mostly the GE requirements may take up too much time, but there might be some way to more efficiently get through it.

[bjcheung77]

Basically, all the Coursera, Sophia.org, and Study.com classes you're going to take for TESU/UMPI will be pretty much identical, it's just that you're placing it into a different degree from an institution you decide on. UMPI BLS and then a Masters of your choice, if you need a degree promptly. TESU or UMPI BACS would be a slower option, if you want to have a comp sci degree, UMPI is coming out in the Fall, you'll need to get all the transfer credit anyways, so, I would get 90+ from the ACE credits I mentioned earlier...

[davewill]

Statistics.com is a completely different entity from TESU, so I would not use your experience there to predict how you will like TESU, Sophia, or Study.com courses. I would certainly expect GenEds from Sophia to go much quicker than the statistics.com courses.

[bjcheung77]

In addition to that, furthermore, Statistics.com is all upper level classes that go towards a degree at TESU. Without getting the prerequisites or basic requirements for year 1,2,3, these upper level classes are going to be stumping you left, right, and center. That's the reason you want to go with the Coursera, Sophia.org, Study.com combo to get the knowledge down pat, before you begin on Statistics.com and/or TESU classes. Statistics.com and TESU classes should be the last part of the journey when you've go the basics down.

[origamishuttle]

Have you considered the new MSCS at WGU? If it looks like a good degree for you, then a BLS to check the box is a pretty good option. There seems to be only one prerequisite course to get into the MSCS without a CS undergraduate degree: https://old.reddit.com/r/WGU_CompSci/com...ience_for/

[mcmctalk]

Have you considered the new MSCS at WGU? If it looks like a good degree for you, then a BLS to check the box is a pretty good option. There seems to be only one prerequisite course to get into the MSCS without a CS undergraduate degree: https://old.reddit.com/r/WGU_CompSci/com...ience_for/

I have not looked into it but fascinating for sure.  I’ll have to read up on their requirements and curriculum, thanks!

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In addition to that, furthermore, Statistics.com is all upper level classes that go towards a degree at TESU.  Without getting the prerequisites or basic requirements for year 1,2,3, these upper level classes are going to be stumping you left, right, and center.  That's the reason you want to go with the Coursera, Sophia.org, Study.com combo to get the knowledge down pat, before you begin on Statistics.com and/or TESU classes.  Statistics.com and TESU classes should be the last part of the journey when you've go the basics down.

Makes sense. I mostly found the lecture materials on the credit courses non engaging and text overly broad to teach stats concepts.  It could be just the 2 courses I took though but if it reflected the remainder of the degree, it wasn’t the right kind of learning for me.  Maximizing on Sophia, Coursera etc makes sense, probably what I should have done for the earlier stats classes.

[homeschoolmom1]

Mcmctalk, would you be willing to elaborate on your experience with the statistics.com courses. Our son is considering that degree at TESU, and it would be very helpful to know how those courses are.

Were they too difficult? Too easy? Was the material not relevant? Or not explained very well? Was it too short (4 weeks) to master the material?

Or what else did you think about it?

We would much appreciate it!