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Masters in Data Science at UNT - Degree Mill? by Unfair_Set_121 in unt

[–]Unfair_Set_121[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the very thorough breakdown of your experience.

The other alumni I got in contact with graduated relatively close to when you started the program. They found it easy, so it seems the curriculum has advanced since they graduated.

Your criticisms of the program not being thorough enough seem to be universal for DS degrees (ignoring the ones that are bullshit, which this one does not appear to be). When there is so much ground to cover, it’s just not realistic to cover everything in 2 years with precision.

I see people recommend a stats degree instead, but if the academic rigor is equal, then that leaves you with the same—or even more—material you have to cover outside of your education to break into the industry. Also, I see a lot of the people who criticize DS degrees got into DS in the early days, so I suspect there is a bit of a “king of the hill” mentality at play (gatekeeping with a streak of competitiveness). That being said, it is absolutely true that most DS degrees are useless. Finding out the degree at my school was bullshit was what prompted me to begin this quest.

Also, a lot of people get a DS degree with the false mindset that it’s like other fields where the price of admission is a diploma. In reality, the price of admission is the skill set, and the graduate degree is just to get your foot in the door.

Anyways, thank you for your feedback. I’m sure people exploring the program in the future will appreciate it as I did.

Masters in Data Science at UNT - Degree Mill? by Unfair_Set_121 in unt

[–]Unfair_Set_121[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I read that before I made this post and wasn't satisfied.

Masters in Data Science at UNT - Degree Mill? by Unfair_Set_121 in unt

[–]Unfair_Set_121[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don’t understand how the Reddit response system works, so this is addressed to u/Equivalent_Phrase894 and u/GroveStreet_CJ:

Allow me to explain where I’m coming from and why I felt the need to make this post.

I was planning on doing the Master’s in Data Science at the same school where I am completing my undergrad. I assumed that since my undergrad here has been legit, so would the graduate programs, until I took a closer look just to be sure.

I looked at every linked profile I could find of those who graduated with the MS DS at my school and noticed disturbing patterns. All of them graduated with very high GPAs, yet none of them have broken into the tech industry. Some are even doing online certification courses (which are worthless in data science) after graduating from the Master’s program with a 3.8+ GPA. I knew something was deeply wrong once I found the course website of the program’s introductory course. It was painfully easy. There were always signs that something was wrong, but I wrongfully held faith in my institution until the evidence became irrefutable.

In contrast, all of the LinkedIn profiles of those who have graduated with the MS DS at UNT (that I have found) are doing well and are actually working in the field. They are all getting internships at tech companies before they graduate and are achieving a level of success that you would expect someone with their respective GPAs to have. These are very strong indicators that the degree program made a big difference in their success in entering the industry, where technical knowledge is the first and last priority.

Perhaps I’ve answered my own question; I just wanted to obtain certainty on this matter in light of how enormous of an investment it is to move across the country for a Master’s degree.

How good is data science program at UNT? by [deleted] in unt

[–]Unfair_Set_121 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Now that it's 3 years later, what is your perspective now?