Mscs Vanderbilt

[sanantone]

Appreciate the info; this is the perfect opportunity to discuss ROI. I can't think of a good reason to spend $40k for a CS degree at Vanderbilt. This is an important lesson people should learn. If you're looking for "prestigious" employment, then you should be looking for a high ranking in the specific field. The average person may not know that Vanderbilt is only ranked #58 in computer science, but the average person is not hiring you for a tech job. The top tech companies know which schools have the top computer science and engineering programs, and they will disproportionately hire from those schools. The same applies for the Big 4 accounting firms and other large accounting firms; that might be the most elitist industry outside of academia. UT-Austin being one of the main feeder schools to the big accounting firms is not due to location or coincidence; it's because it's ranked #1 in accounting. So, I'd go with Georgia Tech or UT-Austin over Vanderbilt any day for computer science because they're ranked in the top 10 for CS, and they're much cheaper.

If someone wants to spend $40k to impress people on the streets who aren't paying their salary, then I'd recommend personal finance and critical thinking classes.

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Vanderbilt is certainly regarded as more prestigious in general, but in the specific field, Tech is going to give you a leg up, at least if we were comparing traditional brick and mortar programs. The reputations of the online programs is up in there air, though at least for tech (and likely Vanderbilt), there's no on-paper distinction between online/B&M.

I agree. Tech definitely has a better reputation for comp sci and engineering.   I wouldnt choose Vande over Tech for the price difference, but some may. Who knows maybe Vande gives you better/ more  one on one for the price. Less students ? I haven’t looked that deeply into it, more professor time instead of ta ? My time frame for Roi is less than most. If I had 25 more work years left maybe. I’m looking for quality and cheap so to speak.

Vanderbilt charges a lot more because it's a prestigious private school that attracts people who can afford to flush money down the toilet, not because it offers a higher quality computer science education. You might as well enroll in University of Pennsylvania's online program that is about $25k. They're not ranked as high as UT or Georgia Tech, but they're ranked much higher than Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is the school to go to if you're wealthy and don't have the credentials to get into a better computer science program.

[Pats20]

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/vanderbilt-3535
14th overall and people are paying $55k per year for undergrad.

https://www.quora.com/Is-Vanderbilt-a-go...-undergrad
Looks like FAANG doesn’t care about their 42 rank in Comp sci according to this thread.

It’s out of my reach but People blow $30k on a lot less than overpaying for Vanderbilt. Which by the way isn’t A terrible price considering people are paying $60k for humanities at Chicago.

[sanantone]

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/vanderbilt-3535
14th overall and people are paying $55k per year for undergrad.

https://www.quora.com/Is-Vanderbilt-a-go...-undergrad
Looks like FAANG doesn’t care about their 42 rank in Comp sci according to this thread.

It’s out of my reach but People blow $30k on a lot less than overpaying for Vanderbilt. Which by the way isn’t A terrible price considering people are paying $60k for humanities at Chicago.

The overall ranking does not matter. Official numbers for people landing internships at top tech companies show that graduates and students of top-ranked CS programs are recruited more than those coming from low-ranked programs. It makes no sense to pay several times more for a degree that will lead to fewer opportunities. I'd trust official internship numbers over an 18-year-old on Quora saying that they saw FAANG companies at their school. Just because these companies set up a stand does not mean that a significant number of their interns will come from that school. 

Stanford and Vanderbilt have roughly the same number of undergraduate students, but Stanford is a top 5 feeder school to the major tech companies while Vanderbilt is not. 

https://www.internships.com/career-advic...terns-from

[Pats20]

I just put the thread out there because someone may be interested. I thought it was interesting that they were offering A $20000 scholarship to all That are admitted and enrolled. If somebody wants to spend $40k for a Vanderbilt masters degree so be it. I can think of a lot worse things to spend your money on. I really don’t care one way or the other. I’m not going there nor am I considering. I stated that earlier. Who are you to decide what makes sense for somebody else ? I’m sure Vanderbilt doesn’t graduate too many people who regret their decision although I don’t have facts or US News to confirm.

[sanantone]

I just put the thread out there because someone may be interested. I thought it was interesting that they were offering A $20000 scholarship to all That are admitted and enrolled. If somebody wants to spend $40k for a Vanderbilt masters degree so be it.  I can think of a lot worse things to spend your money on. I really don’t care one way or the other. I’m not going there nor am I considering. I stated that earlier. Who are you to decide what makes sense for somebody else ? I’m sure Vanderbilt doesn’t graduate too many people who regret their decision although I don’t have facts or US News to confirm.

I don't think anyone was taking issue with this information being posted. There are just explanations of why this wouldn't be smart financially. Of course, this isn't as bad as spending $60k on an MA in humanities or social science, but there are much better online CS options if you can gain acceptance. These types of conversations should be happening so that fewer people will end up in news stories about how they took on $50k in debt, and they can only find a job that pays $40k. Now, they want taxpayers to bail them out.

[Pats20]

No worries. The average starting salary for a Vanderbilt undergraduate is $62k. Nearly $98k for bscs. I don’t have figures for masters grads.

[sanantone]

No worries. The average starting salary for a Vanderbilt undergraduate is $62k. Nearly $98k for bscs. I don’t have figures for masters grads.

CS is definitely less risky because you can make a lot graduating from a Podunk State University. It's all a matter of how much savings you have or how much debt you're willing to stomach. 

I just got an idea for a series of threads on expected earnings.

[Pats20]

This is information is for bachelors , but I’d bet completing a masters would be in at least the same range.

https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/co...aid-grads/

[SteveFoerster]

Remember that these programs are selective. Part of it may be for people who want to go somewhere that's widely perceived as prestigious, but who don't get into GT, UT, or UIUC.

[sanantone]

This is information is for bachelors , but I’d bet completing a masters would be in at least the same range.

https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/co...aid-grads/

This list is based on undergraduate ROI. At the undergraduate level, prestigious, private universities have a lot of funding that leaves middle class students with little debt. Wealthy students can afford to pay out of pocket. There is little to no funding for online graduate students. Payscale has a list of highest paid undergraduate CS degrees, which would probably be better to look at since undergraduate financial aid is not factored into the ranking.