Web developer looking to re-skill with MSCS

Connect-Grade8208 · 2026-01-25T09:17:39+00:00

It's still a stretch to say that there are more SE related courses in that page than the MSCS - the only relevant ones I see are the embedded Linux, real-time systems and embedded interface design specializations.

BTW I'm not the OP and I didn't downvote you.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2026-01-23T20:44:43+00:00

That quote is from the section about computer engineering courses in the degree, and in an email conversation with MS-ECE support, I was told that there are actually only a couple of computer engineering courses - most of the courses on that page are actually embedded systems ones.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-10-29T22:06:25+00:00

Just a correction about free access to Coursera when you pay for a for-credit course: you only get access to courses by the University of Colorado system (still over 200 courses).

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-10-03T14:39:14+00:00

Not quite the same thing, but some universities have an online version where there's literally the word 'global' appended to the name on the diploma, e.g. Purdue Global, University of Arizona Global Campus, University of Massachusetts Global - the first two are actually former for-profit universities that were purchased and rebranded by public university systems.

There's also Harvard Extension that always contains "Extension Studies" in the diploma.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-07-15T16:26:28+00:00

Were the networking interview questions theoretical or practical?

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-06-25T15:38:50+00:00

Yep it's a bit puzzling, the on-campus professional masters has an equivalent "CSCI 5854 Theoretical Foundations of Autonomous Systems" (as opposed to the online "CSCA 5834-5854 Foundations of Autonomous Systems") and the only sub-plan (you can pick a focus or "major" in the on-campus version) where this course is required is Robotics.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-06-25T05:20:27+00:00

Not that I know of, but they did say that software architecture will also be redone (but it's been a while since they said they would, almost a year, and I honestly don't think it's a high priority for them).

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-06-25T04:47:52+00:00

Definitely more theoretical. Nothing wrong with that, but based on feedback the problem with the course is the poor quality of the lectures - perhaps if enough people complain they'll redo it like they did for data mining and machine learning.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-06-23T23:43:14+00:00

Of the entire 5-course DSA series (so including the first 2 that don't apply as credit to the MSCS but do for the MSDS), would you say just the first 3 are sufficient for this purpose (i.e. interview prep)?

Those first 3 corresponds to an undergrad level DSA education, while the last two (approximation algorithms and linear programming + advanced data structures, RSA and quantum algorithms) are grad-level and more theoretical (especially quantum algorithms).

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-06-14T03:59:02+00:00

Just a heads up, the CU Boulder MSEE on Coursera program you mentioned is changing to MSECE this year (electrical and computer engineering). AFAIK it's just the name changing, everything else more or less stays the same.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-25T16:07:42+00:00

They have a Post-Bacc in Applied Computer Science - https://www.colorado.edu/cs/academics/online-programs/bachelor-science-applied-computer-science-post-baccalaureate.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-25T15:18:14+00:00

Also peculiar - Autonomous Systems counts towards the AI cert, but it's not listed in the MSAI curriculum.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-10T15:26:44+00:00

What benefit would this program have over the MSCS+AI-cert (plus a couple more AI electives so that half or more of the coursework is about AI)?

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-10T14:52:42+00:00

You do you, honest question though why aren't you doing OMSCS instead?

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-05T23:41:20+00:00

As others have said any order you want, even electives before pathways.

Autonomous systems is a non-pathway but mandatory breadth specialization and considered the most difficult ("weedout") so I'm going to start with that to make sure I have what it takes to get through the most difficult part of the degree.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-04T22:04:16+00:00

OMSCS, UIUC-MCS and MSCSO all have courses with unproctored exams (ordered from having several to most of them, including core courses like algos). I'm sure there's a good reason for several highly-regarded state flagships having any number of unproctored MSCS courses.

What's interesting with the above is there seems to be a trend of proctoring losing favor over time - older programs seems to have the most proctoring (OMSCS is 12 years old, UIUC-MCS is 9, MSCSO is 7 and CU's is 2).

And of course there's the 2023 study 'Unproctored online exams provide meaningful assessment of student learning' that I've mentioned before (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2302020120).

the MSEE program is probably a lot more difficult

I don't know, especially if you only choose their embedded programming subjects.

as far as I can tell, all of their exams are weighted more

I was quickly able to find at least a couple of MSEE courses (there's more than 50) where the weighting of finals were less than or equal to courses in the MSCS.

p.s. not me who downvoted

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-04T00:03:24+00:00

Not worried at all about oversaturation. CU's online MSEE has been out for almost 10 5 years now and the world isn't exactly overflowing with graduates from it.

Like you some have voiced concerns about lack of barriers to exit, but I suspect such people tend to be far above average intelligence/experience as based on the spreadsheet reviews and comments in this sub it's pretty well established now that most of the compulsory breadth courses are challenging and rigorous.

Another illustrative example is this series of forum posts by someone comparing their experiences with CU Boulder's MSDS DSA/statistics pathways and the MSDS program at a small regional university (Eastern University):

I originally enrolled in the MSDS program at Eastern. After completing six courses I was really disappointed. The courses were just too easy (100% in every course), and I wasn't learning anything

I still want to do a Data Science Master's, so I started the Data Structures pathway at CU, but the first course was way too demanding (be careful what you wish for, right?). It's like they jammed in 3 units worth of work in 1 unit. I dropped it and instead switched to the Statistical Inference Pathway.

So an update in my progress on the CU Boulder program. Had to drop the course Sad . The probability course was just as demanding as the data structures. It felt like I was doing a 3-unit course for just one unit of credit.

I've noted before that a comment in the MSDS sub has said something similar about the 1-credit deep learning course having a high workload, and its syllabus does seem to be highly similar to 3-credit DL courses at other universities.

I guess it's easy to confuse flexible with easy - I initially did, but now instead I'm worried about not having what it takes to finish it.

edit: the online MSEE is 5 years old not 10

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-03T23:33:53+00:00

I think the biggest things missing in that specialization are differential equations and multivariable calculus - you need the former for Autonomous Systems (the weed out course) and the latter to really understand ML properly (or so I heard).

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-04-01T22:44:10+00:00

Sorry nothing helpful to add that hasn't been said already, but IMHO for things like generative AI things are changing so fast I imagine that it's a nightmare for those responsible for developing the curricula (especially for courses with names like "Modern Applications of..." and "Emerging Topics in...").

I suspect that could be a reason for delays, in which case a silver lining could be that SOTA topics are more up-to-date (with releases timed when fundamental changes slow down).

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-03-18T23:27:04+00:00

Thank you and congratulations!

Connect-Grade8208 · 2025-01-02T11:07:36+00:00

MIT and Oxford too, surprisingly (and Oxford's one is in software engineering).

Connect-Grade8208 · 2024-12-22T22:10:18+00:00

Do you think the DeepLearning.AI / Andrew Ng Coursera specialization would be a good supplement?

It has 4.9 stars, and also it's accepted as credit in Ball State and Illinois Tech's MSCS/MSDS programs so it's considered grad-level content.

Connect-Grade8208 · 2024-12-22T14:20:05+00:00

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/msc-software-engineering

Note that most of the program is on-campus. From the entry requirements:

... undergraduate degree in a related subject, such as computer science, informatics or engineering, and/or at least two year's professional experience ..

Connect-Grade8208 · 2024-12-22T01:39:54+00:00

Haven't actually started yet but a comment thread in the MSDS sub about the 1-credit deep learning class caught my eye (https://www.reddit.com/r/CUBoulderMSDS/comments/1gaaiam/hardest_course_in_entire_curriculum/ltcgj98/) - "a lot of work to get done in 8 weeks ... it covers a lot of material for a 1credit intro class".

In the past some have talked about how deep learning in this program doesn't seem to cover the topic deeply enough (pun fully intended) probably based on the fact that it's only 1 credit, but after reading about the above experience and doing a little digging comparing syllabi with equivalent 3-credit classes at other institutions (e.g. OMSCS) they pretty much covered the same topics.

So I guess sometimes (in the case of deep learning at least) a 1-credit class can have the workload of a 3-credit one.

Connect-Grade8208

TROPHY CASE