georgia tech online masters

[crowbird]

is there anyone who has experience with georgia tech online master in CS or cybersecurity i have a couple questions if you any of you guys can answer

1- what are the exams like in terms of proctored software(is it web based or works on every OS)

2- how much did you pay

3- does the degree say that its an online degree or just like any other degree

4- what are relationship with the professors like are they present or is it just like an online course? can you network and talk to other students mimicking an on campus relationship?

5- what are the acceptance rates like, ik they say GREs are not required but would they help ?

6- do they accept some transfer credit for electives or anything at all ?

last one is not a question but just a thought that i want to discuss, given how the IT world is, isnt cybersecurity degree quite useless given how much value IT recruiter just value certs and dont care about degrees, so whats the point of a cybersec degree?? is it to continue into academia ? what for cryptography, quantum computing wouldnt someone be better off doing masters in math or physics.

[bluebooger]

https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCyberSecurity/

https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/

https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSA/

[frankc]

1. Many of the OMSCS classes with proctored exams use a software called Honorlock.
2. $647 per course as of now. OMScyber is a little more expensive like around $310 per credit. (So around $950 per course I believe)
3. The degree is called the Master of Science in Computer Science, identical to the on campus one. It's actually pretty rare for universities to label their degrees as "online", I felt like maybe some school did that 20 or 30 years ago?
4. It really depends on the course. For example I had one professor rarely attended office hours and left most of the course to the TAs. On the other hand, I had another professor who was also the creator of the course 10 years ago, is still very active in the discussion boards and holds weekly office hours. So, it really depends on the professor.
5. The acceptance rate is relatively high. If you have a 3.0 GPA or higher and have taken a few relevant courses like Java, Python, and DSA, you  have a good chance of being accepted.
6. You can transfer up to 2 master's level courses, but it's uncommon since the OMSCS program is very affordable.

Yeah the degree itself won't guarantee a job, but it's very affordable and from one of the best schools in the US. I've working as a SWE for many years and I see it as an opportunity to further my education. It's actually quite rigorous, and I like that. I don't know much about the OMS Cybersecurity program, but if you're interested about the OMS cybersecurity Information Security track, you can acutally do the OMSCS computing systems track. Basically you can take most the same course, you can take a lot of cyber security classes with that one (such as CN, IIS, NetSec, Cryptography, AMA, ISP, SCS). It's also cheaper. But if you are dead set on cybersecurity, then go for it, although I woudlnt say cybersecurity is an entry level job, but it's still a good thing to learn more about it.

[bluebooger]

3. The degree is called the Master of Science in Computer Science,

https://pe.gatech.edu/degrees/cybersecurity


isn't it called
Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

[frankc]

3. The degree is called the Master of Science in Computer Science,

https://pe.gatech.edu/degrees/cybersecurity


isn't it called
Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity

Go down to the "FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS" and click on "What will my transcript and diploma say?"
"Online students receive the same degree as our on-campus Master of Science in Cybersecurity students. The diploma and transcript will say "Master of Science in Cybersecurity.""
They only use "online" to indicate that you're viewing the information of the online program

[ifomonay]

Yes, bluemucus is correct, it is MS in Cybersecurity. I did OMSCS, but I know the courses are structured the same way because OMSCS and OMSCY student's could take each other's courses as electives. 
1. Like Frankc said, it's web-based using Honorlock. It seems like lately many courses are not doing proctored exams anymore.
2. I did the CS program which is $647/course. CY courses are more. I think OMSCY is double at about $1,300 for the first course per semester (that includes some semester-only fees)
3. No, the diploma, degree, and transcript only say Master of Science. No "Online".
4. Like Frank said, it depends. In some courses, professors are very active in the discussion boards (Piazza). In other courses, the professor is a complete no-show. Among students there is a Discord, but it's mostly dead. There's Slack also, but there are only a handful of students there. Oddly, there are a lot of TA's especially in Cybersecurity on Slack chatting amongst themselves.
5. Like Frank said acceptance rate is high. No need to send GRE scores. Here's what you do. Hit the heartrate button on your Applewatch. When the number shows, and if greater than zero, take a pic and add it to your application. Congrats man, you're in.
6. Yeah, they transfer in 2 courses. I didn't do it because there were 10 courses that I wanted to take (I ended up taking 12).
7. The value of Master's in Cybersecurity: Everyone will have a different opinion. Here's my take. Because OMSCS and OMSCY have some courses which both sides can take, I had the opportunity to interact with Cybersecurity students. Sorry, but none of the cybersecurity students can code. But here is weird thing. In my last company we had a layoff, and the director told us to lay 10% of our software engineers. Cybersecurity guys were not to be touched, however. So apparently companies see them as very valuable. So I don't know what to make of it. The degree may or not be important, but the role is critical. It's not seen as glamorous as AI or ML, but job security is pretty high for cybersecurity roles.

[davewill]

Well, Cybersec is not in any way software development or computer engineering. It's more akin to the old systems analyst role. The job is about planning and auditing systems to be secure. They write the specs and designs that the CS and EE guys have to implement.

[bjcheung77]

@crowbird, focus on your Bachelors and getting the GPA, prerequisite classes completed, and have a well rounded - balanced mix/match of certs, degree, experience. GT and a slew of Coursera, EdX partners look at applications and will select the best suited candidates that can finish the program. It's what you bring to the table as a complete package, not just one thing - the degree.

[Kjnova]

What about this master's program?

https://pe.gatech.edu/degrees/analytics

I am considering the UIUC iMSM and wondering how this compares in terms of acceptance rate and structure. I notice it says it takes 2-3 years, but it also says it's self-paced. Do they define that in a UMPI sort of way where as soon as you finish one class, you can take another, or how does it work? Is 2-3 years truly realistic, or can a motivated student do it much faster?

Or, maybe I should start a separate thread if this thread is mainly about computer science and cybersecurity, I added it here because the thread title is broad. Thanks.

[fmsoa]

3- does the degree say that its an online degree or just like any other degree

As an OMSCS alum, let me tell you an open HR secret: EVERYONE knows your degree is ONLINE. Do not assume HR is stupid.
In fact, it is just simple math and common sense. There are currently >13,000 OMSCS but only ~400 in-person graduate students. And from taking a peek at your resume HR can figure out in 2 seconds you couldn't study in Atlanta while working in, let's say, New York, Seattle, Toronto, or Mumbai.
Above all what's wrong with an online degree?