Advice needed - looking to earn CS credits

[jonsnow]

Hello,

I am a prospective international applicant living outside the US with a background in economics. I have both BSc and MSc along with a few years of professional experience and I do not have a single college credit in Computer Science (CS).

I am looking to pivot into CS and Georgia Tech's OMSCS is my top choice currently for which I've already applied but my application will most likely be deferred to Spring 2021.
I need to take a handful of accredited core CS courses online to demonstrate objectively documented basic capability and knowledge in CS.

Below are the courses that I am looking to take:

C++ Programming (or Intro to CS in C++)
Java Programming
Data Structures & Algorithms
Design and Analysis of Algorithms
Databases

The list can be slightly different but I believe these are the most important courses.

What option is most suitable for me? I'd really appreciate your expertise and advice on how I can take these courses and earn CS credits quickly and affordably.

Thank you.

[TwinMom]

Hello,

I am a prospective international applicant living outside the US with a background in economics. I have both BSc and MSc along with a few years of professional experience and I do not have a single college credit in Computer Science (CS).

I am looking to pivot into CS and Georgia Tech's OMSCS is my top choice currently for which I've already applied but my application will most likely be deferred to Spring 2021.
I need to take a handful of accredited core CS courses online to demonstrate objectively documented basic capability and knowledge in CS.

Below are the courses that I am looking to take:

C++ Programming (or Intro to CS in C++)
Java Programming
Data Structures & Algorithms
Design and Analysis of Algorithms
Databases

The list can be slightly different but I believe these are the most important courses.

What option is most suitable for me? I'd really appreciate your expertise and advice on how I can take these courses and earn CS credits quickly and affordably.

Thank you.

All those courses can be taken through Study.com but you'd have to check with Georgia Tech to see how  or if they transfer. Also, whatever hoops you'd have jump through as an International student.

[Merlin]

All those courses can be taken through Study.com but you'd have to check with Georgia Tech to see how  or if they transfer. Also, whatever hoops you'd have jump through as an International student.

I'm pretty sure you'll need to have taken the core CS courses via an actual college or university to be considered for the OMSCS. While they don't specifically state non-ACE in their requirements, they will look at your transcript as part of the approval process and I suspect they will probably not consider ACE credit courses on the same level as university courses. They are trying to only invite candidates who they think will excel in their program, so they want people who have demonstrated high academic rigor.

I'm also considering the OMSCS program if I don't move on to a PhD program elsewhere, but if I decided to go that way, I'd probably go back to WGU to complete an undergrad CS degree first so I would have proper university CS credits on my transcript. My thoughts are that we know that GA Tech accepts WGU courses while we don't know that they will accept ACE. For an international student, WGU isn't an option, but there are other ways to get those credits from community colleges and other online schools.

[jonsnow]

All those courses can be taken through Study.com but you'd have to check with Georgia Tech to see how  or if they transfer. Also, whatever hoops you'd have jump through as an International student.

I'm pretty sure you'll need to have taken the core CS courses via an actual college or university to be considered for the OMSCS. While they don't specifically state non-ACE in their requirements, they will look at your transcript as part of the approval process and I suspect they will probably not consider ACE credit courses on the same level as university courses. They are trying to only invite candidates who they think will excel in their program, so they want people who have demonstrated high academic rigor.

I'm also considering the OMSCS program if I don't move on to a PhD program elsewhere, but if I decided to go that way, I'd probably go back to WGU to complete an undergrad CS degree first so I would have proper university CS credits on my transcript. My thoughts are that we know that GA Tech accepts WGU courses while we don't know that they will accept ACE. For an international student, WGU isn't an option, but there are other ways to get those credits from community colleges and other online schools.

Thanks for your feedback.

Do you think accredited courses from community colleges would be fine? I have been doing some research and most state universities charge a tuition rate over $350 per credit hour for out-of-state students. I think community colleges should on average charge a cheaper rate. Any thoughts? And do you know where I can find out more about community colleges offering CS credits for non-degree seeking students? There are too many out there and I'd like to narrow down the options.

[Old Guy]

Remember ACE credits have absolutely no academic value as a credential until a College or University plunks them on a transcript for a degree. ACE credits are looked upon as transfer credits so a transcript for less than a full degree isn't going to magically bring life to them.

[Merlin]

Do you think accredited courses from community colleges would be fine?

You can absolutely complete these at a Community College. As long as a college is a legitimate (regionally accredited) academic institution of higher learning, it doesn't matter where you earn the credits.

The issue with earning credits via alternate education (ACE, etc.) is that those providers are not accredited educational institutions on their own. They just have arrangements through ACE where some colleges will accept their courses in lieu of traditional college courses for purposes of meeting degree requirements. The credits earned don't have any value in themselves, they are only valuable if the destination college accepts them. Whereas credits earned at a regionally accredited college have value no matter where you go. They won't always be accepted to meet degree requirements (that depends on the course and how it does, or does not, fit into a degree program at the destination school) but every school will recognize the credits.

And do you know where I can find out more about community colleges offering CS credits for non-degree seeking students? There are too many out there and I'd like to narrow down the options.

If it were me, I'd probably look at local community colleges. I don't know if there is anything similar for you.

As for online options, I know that Rio Salado College is pretty popular on the forum. I suspect people here will make other recommendations. There are a ton of options out there so you should also plan to do some research on your own to determine which one may be the best opportunity for you. You can start by checking the forum archives to look for online community colleges... particularly for those that offer self-paced courses.

Remember ACE credits have absolutely no academic value as a credential until a College or University plunks them on a transcript for a degree.  ACE credits are looked upon as transfer credits so a transcript for less than a full degree isn't going to magically bring life to them.

Technically, they still have no academic value outside of the college that accepted the ACE credits to meet the program requirement in question. Even if you earn a degree, any future college you attend will still want to see original transcripts from all sources of credit. If the destination college doesn't accept ACE, they won't accept those credits even if they were accepted in the past by another school. Yes, they will still recognize the degree (assuming it is an RA college degree) but that doesn't mean they will recognize the individual classes to meet their own entrance requirements, particularly at the graduate level.

[dfrecore]

Hello,

I am a prospective international applicant living outside the US with a background in economics. I have both BSc and MSc along with a few years of professional experience and I do not have a single college credit in Computer Science (CS).

I am looking to pivot into CS and Georgia Tech's OMSCS is my top choice currently for which I've already applied but my application will most likely be deferred to Spring 2021.
I need to take a handful of accredited core CS courses online to demonstrate objectively documented basic capability and knowledge in CS.

Below are the courses that I am looking to take:

C++ Programming (or Intro to CS in C++)
Java Programming
Data Structures & Algorithms
Design and Analysis of Algorithms
Databases

The list can be slightly different but I believe these are the most important courses.

What option is most suitable for me? I'd really appreciate your expertise and advice on how I can take these courses and earn CS credits quickly and affordably.

Thank you.

Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of inexpensive options for you.  Even CC's which are inexpensive to in-state students can be fairly expensive for out-of-state students.  Rio Salado is $250/cr for out-of-state. California CC's have a great search tool for online offerings at all 113 schools, but out-of-state and international tuition is on the high side ($278/cr at one school I checked, $311/cr at a second, and $321/cr at a third): https://cvc.edu/

I'm going to say that NMJC is the cheapest option I know of, but they have fairly limited options.  $69/cr for out-of-state.

Another option is to do START a compentency-based degree program like WGU and just do the courses you need (so you don't have to finish).  I'm just going to list ones that have computer-related degrees because I am not going to look up each one to see if they offer your specific courses:
APU Momentum BS in IT
Capella Flexpath BS in IT
U of Wisconsin Flex BS in IT
Northern Arizona Univeristy Personalized Learning BS in CIT
Brandman MyPath BS in IT

[AwardTour]

All those courses can be taken through Study.com but you'd have to check with Georgia Tech to see how  or if they transfer. Also, whatever hoops you'd have jump through as an International student.

I'm pretty sure you'll need to have taken the core CS courses via an actual college or university to be considered for the OMSCS. While they don't specifically state non-ACE in their requirements, they will look at your transcript as part of the approval process and I suspect they will probably not consider ACE credit courses on the same level as university courses. They are trying to only invite candidates who they think will excel in their program, so they want people who have demonstrated high academic rigor.

I'm also considering the OMSCS program if I don't move on to a PhD program elsewhere, but if I decided to go that way, I'd probably go back to WGU to complete an undergrad CS degree first so I would have proper university CS credits on my transcript. My thoughts are that we know that GA Tech accepts WGU courses while we don't know that they will accept ACE. For an international student, WGU isn't an option, but there are other ways to get those credits from community colleges and other online schools.

You need a 3.0 minimum to get into Georgia Tech's OMSCS. https://www.omscs.gatech.edu/program-inf...n-criteria  

WGU will give you an automatic 3.0 GPA after you graduate, right? Would it be faster to earn TESU's BA in Computer Science and get a higher GPA through TESU's capstone? I know this comes down to personal preference, but is TESU's BACS degree a possible way to get into Georgia Tech's OMSCS? I see your above post on ACE credits, is it really a roadblock at Georgia Tech? If my degree is in CS from a regionally accredited school and I have a GPA at 3.0 or higher then I am meeting their admissions criteria as it is stated publicly. I understand that admissions has discretion but is this a known roadblock with Georgia Tech for people who have a degree primarily made up of ACE transfer credits? I understand you say that it is something you suspect, but is there any way to confirm this or at least have a discussion with them before going back to WGU?

Arizona State University has an online masters in computer science, you don't have to have an undergrad in CS to get in. The problem, it is more than twice as much as Georgia Tech.

[Merlin]

WGU will give you an automatic 3.0 GPA after you graduate, right? Would it be faster to earn TESU's BA in Computer Science and get a higher GPA through TESU's capstone? I know this comes down to personal preference, but is TESU's BACS degree a possible way to get into Georgia Tech's OMSCS?

While GA Tech says 3.0 GPA, they don't specify what that means. Most schools will be looking at your transfer GPA (the blended GPA of the courses taken to date) and not your institutional GPA (the GPA that shows on your diploma). Each school calculates your transfer GPA in their own way, but for schools that have a specific degree requirement (CS in this case), this usually means the school requires a certain amount of graded credits in the core of the degree they are looking for. For schools that don't offer grades (WGU for example), they appear to support the school's GPA recommendation. For WGU students that each completed course is treated as being equivalent to a B. That is great since at some other schools, ungraded credits are often treated as a C (2.0) or ignored for purposes of GPA.

Assuming you have completed your degree, the balance of your GenEds and electives can come in as PASS/CR from ACE, but they are very likely planning to calculate your transfer GPA from your core CS courses, so you're going to want graded credits there at least.

I see your above post on ACE credits, is it really a roadblock at Georgia Tech? If my degree is in CS from a regionally accredited school and I have a GPA at 3.0 or higher then I am meeting their admissions criteria as it is stated publicly. I understand that admissions has discretion but is this a known roadblock with Georgia Tech for people who have a degree primarily made up of ACE transfer credits? I understand you say that it is something you suspect, but is there any way to confirm this or at least have a discussion with them before going back to WGU?

I don't know that anyone has gotten a definitive decline from GA Tech because their core CS courses were from ACE, but I expect it to happen. There is a thread on Reddit where people who apply to the OMSCS list their academic credentials are and the result of their application. According to that, people are denied on the basis of a lack of sufficient academic background on grounds less than ACE credits.

For example, some people have been declined because they completed the core courses via non-accredited sources (which includes places like Study.com as well as MOOC courses and workshops) or they graduated from an NA school rather than an RA school.

Arizona State University has an online masters in computer science, you don't have to have an undergrad in CS to get in. The problem, it is more than twice as much as Georgia Tech.

Technically you don't need an undergrad in CS to get into the OMSCS either, but you still need to have taken the requisite CS courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better. Those courses don't have to have been completed as part of your degree, they just need to have been completed at a RA school with a B or better.

If you just want an MCS degree, I'm sure there are cheaper places to get it, but they're not going to have the same reputation as GA Tech, or even ASU.

[bjcheung77]

Hey jonsnow, I replied to your previous post about affordable community college CS credits here,
I actually had more questions for you: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid306828

Basically, it's going to be hard for you to get into Georgia Tech OMSCS and I didn't know you even applied to the program already! 
Just wondering, do you have a budget/time frame for your second undergraduate area of study? 
Goodness, did you have any backup schools you wanted to attend if you don't get into GT?

There are so many ways to "try" and get into a program, but you just essentially need to hit all the requirements.
My recommendation is to get an undergrad in CS since you're going to be earning credits anyways.
You might even consider your local colleges/universities instead of one in the US (depending on your location).

Another option is the MOOC providers, you can try getting a Bachelors of Comp Sci from one of them and try laddering up.
I recall there are some Masters of Computer Science options for NON CS undergrads, that may also be an option for you.
It's decision making time, a last option could be a MicroMasters/Nanodegree in CS that can ladder into a Bachelors or Masters.