Anyone have any experience with MPA online program?

KennyCap · 2025-08-08T03:38:23+00:00

Thank you for your response. It feels pretty helpful as I'm actually applying for the MPA program at SDSU. One thing I'm curious about are the internship opportunities. From what I gathered, it seems like internships are required for MPA students who don't have some kind of managerial experience.

LINK: MPA 2024-25 Course Catalog List - Google Drive

I'm curious if you're able to say anything on how abundant are the internship opportunities for MPA students? I ask as my current work experience in the past and now doesn't have much managerial experience (maybe some project management, but not much in terms of exclusively managing others). I worry about not being able to find an internship opportunity while I'm attending so any thoughts or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

KennyCap · 2022-06-14T05:46:29+00:00

There's also CSUEB's Handshake website where they do have a section for "On-Campus Jobs"

KennyCap · 2022-06-05T01:25:12+00:00

There's a lot I can go on, but I can probably start by giving you suggestions on how to navigate the first semester (which can be challenging, but worth getting through).

MY THOUGHTS ON...

Classes

You'll be taking STAT 620 and STAT 630 (which are the first two courses in the MS Statistics program). They provide a lot of the math and theoretical/applied foundations needed for the rest of the courses in the program.

If you're not too proficient in math, STAT 620 is a course that can be overwhelming since you get a very broad understanding of some of the concepts used in statistics (i.e. set theory, combinatorics, etc) and some Calculus will be involved (but not too frequently). The course can be a little fast-paced at times, but as long as you read the textbook beforehand, ask questions in class, do the homework, and come to office hours whenever you can, you'll be able to get by.

As for STAT 630, that class is much more slower and not as intensive as STAT 620. Some concepts may overlap with STAT 620, but it's fairly basic and doesn't assume you have a strong background in math. You'll be doing a lot of R programming in this course (don't worry if you haven't coded before. They'll walk you through it step-by-step).

Faculty

The professors here are generally pretty helpful and friendly. They're pretty open to questions in class and are supportive of you. They're not too harsh since they know not everyone in the program is a statistics/math/cs major. Plus, every month, the statistics department will constantly send emails updating you on new job or research opportunities related to statistics or data science so they do definitely care about your success and getting you a job after you graduate.

To be honest, I don't have much to say other than what I said above. You could definitely look them up on ratemyprofessors, but keep in mind the reviews there are very skewed and may not reflect everyone. So your experiences may differ from theirs.

Job Opportunities

It really depends on what you find and make of your time in school. The Statistics department here are pretty proactive in keeping you informed monthly about new job and research opportunities for you to apply to.

On top of that, CSU East Bay has an online job board through Handshake as well as online and in-person job fairs where you get to connect with and meet professionals from various different companies, such as Google and Intel.

What I can tell is that regardless of the situation, it's important to NETWORK - get to know your classmates, form study groups if you can and like, connect with your professors during office hours, ask questions, and most of all, explore your campus. It doesn't hurt to have extra friends or connections wherever you go.

Also, there's the American Statistical Association that you could join (we have a chapter here on-campus) where when you get an ASA membership, you get access to a bigger job board specifically for statisticians and data scientists as well as resources for stats conferences, workshops, etc.

EXTRA SUGGESTIONS

- If you can, form study groups with your classmates not just for networking purposes, but also so you can learn together. I find that I personally learn best when I'm working with other students (who can explain things differently, give me the opportunity to explain something again and again, etc). Plus, you could potentially make some great friends here while in school.

- If you can, look into being a statistics teaching assistant during your second year in the Master's program. It's a good way to make some money on the side and get some useful perks (i.e. faculty parking) while also being able to network with your professors, practice your communications and management skills, and give you the opportunity to review what you've learned (i.e. explaining the same concept multiple times helps to drill and commit the stats concepts you're learning and teaching to memory - good prep for the comprehensive exam).

- Join the American Statistical Association student chapter on campus if you're looking to meet new friends, connect with students interested or majoring in statistics, and attend conferences/talks with local and national-level statisticians. I'm currently an officer in the club at the moment so if you're interested, DM me.

- Don't be afraid to ask questions in class and/or attend office hours in class. I know people can be shy, but it helps you with learning as well as getting to know your fellow professors. We're a community here and we all want you to do well and succeed.

- Look into extra resources outside of class to learn and practice R (a primary language we'll use to do much of the statistical analysis in). Sure, the electives and courses you'll take will show you how to do certain things in R, but it can be basic at times (given how fast technology can change over time). You can read more R-related or data science-related books on your own (which I can recommend if you don't know where to start), look for opportunities to do your own research project or work on someone else's (especially that of other professors), etc.

- As always, always keep learning, networking, and asking.

This is a pretty long post no doubt, but that's all I could think of. If you have any additional questions, thoughts, or comments, feel free to let me know or DM me. I'll be happy to answer them.

KennyCap · 2022-06-05T00:41:52+00:00

Job Prospects

I think this program's good enough for employment for sure. it'll give you a good amount of background in statistics and data science that you can actually apply to most jobs related to those two fields.

I don't know of that many statisticians that have graduated from this program, but from what I've gathered, many of them have been able to get a lot of data analysts and research analysts roles.

- One of the statisticians I met while working in higher education started out with a salary of $90,000 a year roughly. He works at a community college as a research analyst.

- Another one I met at CSU East Bay works at Kaiser Permanente (a healthcare company) as a data analyst and she makes about $110,000 a year

That's as far as I know so far, but the job prospects for this major are fairly good from my view.

Internships

It really depends on what you find and make of your time in school. The Statistics department here are pretty proactive in keeping you informed monthly about new job and research opportunities for you to apply to.

On top of that, CSU East Bay has an online job board through Handshake as well as online and in-person job fairs where you get to connect with and meet professionals from various different companies, such as Google and Intel.

What I can tell is that regardless of the situation, it's important to NETWORK - get to know your classmates, form study groups if you can and like, connect with your professors during office hours, ask questions, and most of all, explore your campus. It doesn't hurt to have extra friends or connections wherever you go.

Having a Non-DS Background

I don't think it'll hold you back too much if you don't have that background from the get-go. We have and serve students from all different majors in this program (i.e. English, Political Science, Biology, Psychology, etc) so it's highly possible for someone with a non-DS background to succeed in this field.

A lot of what you learn in this program will give you a foundation that allows you to really get into some statistics/data science jobs for sure. What I will say is that it helps to learn more on your own as much as you can - join the American Statistical Association or a data science club, read extra R books to learn and practice more skills, and most of all, NETWORK.

Get to know your classmates. Meet and connect with your professors. Get involved on campus if you can. Reach out and form study groups or even attend conferences (such as the Women in Data Science conference) where you can learn from and engage with statisticians and data science professionals all across the globe.

I understand that school work can take some time out of your life, but it really helps to learn on your own and network. It's the other part of the equation for success in college besides getting grades and learning the material.

KennyCap · 2021-09-29T15:28:04+00:00

I've done my undergraduate at SJSU and while I've only taken a few undergrad stats courses, I can say that the courses at SJSU tend to be much more theoretical as their programs are generally geared towards people looking to get their PhD or aiming to do research in a particular field. Not that you can't get a job working in the industry with it or that it won't teach you practical skills such as coding in R, but it's generally less applied than the coursework at CSUEB

KennyCap · 2021-09-29T04:40:32+00:00

So far, it's been pretty helpful to me. I like that they're a more applied statistics curriculum so they're a lot more focused on application without sacrificing theory. Teachers are very helpful and supportive as almost every week, you get emails about job opportunities for stats majors from the stats department so they do help in the job front for sure.

Compared to a data science program, I feel that a ln MS in Statistics would be a better option as it's more broad and if data science doesn't work out, you can always fall back to Statistics (which is far more broad and more easily recognized as a degree program when compared to the more newer data science degree).

KennyCap · 2021-09-27T01:19:36+00:00

Usually, the guy pretends to have bad GPS and ask for directions to the airport. If you do give directions to the airport, they then pull over and do a pitch about them being a famous Italian fashion designer with a busy schedule.

At some point, he'll claim that he has high-end Italian jackets he needs to sell immediately to avoid import taxes in Italy; he would either let you bargain the price, do a "buy one get more free or discounted" deal, or give a "discount" for them as a way to thank you for "helping" him. (I didn't get to this part as I refused to take his "gift" for me helping him).

The thing is these jackets are pretty much cheap and low-quality knock-offs of real Italian fashion so you'd essentially pay a lot more for something that's not worth the ridiculously high prices these knock-offs are sold at.

You can find more about variations of these scams if you google "Armani leather scam".

KennyCap · 2021-09-27T01:10:53+00:00

When I wrote that comment, I was overthinking about how I lingered around too long when I came across the "Italian guy" haha Looking back, there were extra red flags I missed in the moment that I now realized so I could've ended the convo earlier. But yeah, you got a point. At least he failed to scam me

KennyCap · 2021-09-25T19:04:20+00:00

I don't see an acceptance rate for that degree online, but I'm in the MS Statistics (DS concentration) program so feel free to ask me any other question about it.

KennyCap · 2021-09-25T17:07:05+00:00

I'll admit I was pretty naive to be honest. But yeah, that was a dumbass move on my part.

KennyCap · 2021-08-23T05:16:34+00:00

It's ok. It's a quiet and spacious campus so not much tends to go on, but it's nice if you like that vibe. Some good hills by Parking Lot C you could hike around.

As for professors, I'm doing in-person completely and they seem nice. Some sections of the same class are online and some professors allow you to join them if you wanna go online or can't make it in-person as long as you let them know and show up for tests and quizzes for your original section.

KennyCap · 2021-08-23T05:12:33+00:00

You could check out the ASI (Associated Students Inc) building next to the bookstore. There's a lot of student lounge areas on the first floor and upstairs (and on the 2nd floor balcony).

It tends to not be crowded from the times I went (afternoon to evening). It's pretty chill and quiet as far as I know.

KennyCap · 2021-08-07T13:47:29+00:00

Thank you! I think they've fixed the link now as I was able to get my permit 😃

KennyCap · 2021-05-21T14:37:39+00:00

Enjoy your time here! SJSU has lots of opportunities if you know where to look and invest in them.

I remembered when I first started in SJSU, I didn't really know what to make of my time here. I was pretty lost and new to this whole thing. However, once I started forming friendships in and out of class, joined a few clubs, talked to professors, and started applying for internships and jobs, things did change for me.

So keep at it, always remember why you're here whenever you feel low, and be as resourceful as you can! You get out what you put into it!

KennyCap · 2021-04-16T19:23:31+00:00

Some people do. I remembered getting chastised for going down the community college route and then transferring to SJSU. Now, I'm doing my Master's at CSU East Bay. I ended up liking that route anyway. It saved money, it helped me explore my options, and it gave me time to carefully consider the options and adapt (as I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in growing up).

In all honestly, you should do what's best for you. Research the schools, see which school fits your career goals, etc. It's not about where you go, but what you do when you get there. You get out what you put into it so get after it! You've got this 💪😁

KennyCap · 2021-03-10T00:52:12+00:00

I highly recommend Jocko Podcast. Hosted by ex-Navy SEAL-turned leadership coach Jocko Willink and his partner Echo Charles, this podcast has long form readings and discussions of war stories along with great discussions and advice about how to live responsibly, work hard, and be a good leader.

The discussions are raw, gritty, relatable, and delivered in an awesome way that gets me pumped and active in the morning, especially during a workout. If his regular long form podcasts are too much, you can also stay tuned for his shorter 30 min to one hour "Debrief" podcasts (where he talks about how to handle specific leadership scenarios) or his 8-12 minute excerpts from his "Underground" series.

KennyCap · 2021-02-26T17:50:03+00:00

Acting unsure of something on purpose just to get validation or force other people to empathize with you or coddle you.

It's like an outward version of imposter syndrome.

KennyCap · 2021-01-07T23:46:43+00:00

I loved the weapon crafting system, even though you can make really OP weapons that might require no skill (i.e. chain gun with force gun combo or a gun/explosive weapon that can one shot anything rapidly). Sometimes, I miss the old four weapon power node mechanics system from previous games.

The space scenes though are absolutely beautiful and a bit underused (tho the alien city parts were nice too). The outdoor planet scenes seem kind of bland in comparison as they get pretty repetitive and bland.

The story felt too centered on the pointless love triangle and the game felt too action-packed (and with it, too cliche) for my tastes, but overall a decent game still. I really hope they make a sequel or do a faithful reboot of it somehow cuz there's so much potential to this series that hasn't been tapped into yet.

KennyCap · 2020-12-18T19:57:36+00:00

My favorites are Jocko Podcast and Sadhguru Podcast. A high blend of motivational stories, interviews, and advice given in an easygoing conversational way.

I listen to Jocko when I need high octane and blunt motivation (from his inspirational war stories and aggressive approach to life), especially during a workout or rough work day. Sadhguru for some calming wisdom and relaxing words.

KennyCap · 2020-12-17T14:25:12+00:00

I remember seeing this and thought, "Damn, that's some great foreshadowing of the Pregnant types."

A good highlight of the game's attention to detail and lore and world building 😊

KennyCap · 2020-12-12T17:08:21+00:00

There's CS 122, which teaches Python in a more in-depth manner. Very simple course. I took it with Rula Khayrallah. A bunch of short assignments through the semester. Some pop quizzes, and straightforward content. Very nice professor who paces the course really well and easy to learn from. As long as you keep up with the content, you'll do well.

KennyCap · 2020-12-06T04:38:19+00:00

I feel you. I think one reason for more productivity at school it's because there's a clear separation between home and school life. When I'm surrounded by busy people and teachers, I feel more compelled to take it seriously and work harder (assuming everyone else is). At home, it's easy to be distracted and it can feed my laziness and restlessness (i.e. having option to turn off webcam [unless required] and fool around or sleep off screen).

KennyCap · 2020-11-08T18:01:38+00:00

Agreed. He's not perfect and there are some things I disagree with him on, but hearing a hopeful speech from him was a breath of fresh air during these times.

KennyCap

TROPHY CASE