I live in Cambridge and I am looking to further my education. I currently have a full-time job and most masters programs would require me to quit my job in order to study. I stumbled upon Harvard Extension School and it seems like a perfect fit. I could get a masters degree in software engineering and keep my job because the classes are at night. I would also get some awesome perks like access to Harvard libraries, museums, and lectures. All of which I could take full advantage of since I live about 15 minutes away from the Harvard campus. However, I guess this comes at a cost. While looking at the admissions requirements, I noticed that you need to complete 3 classes before you can even apply. And these classes cost $2,550 each. This means that I would have to spend over $7,500 before I can apply and even after I complete the three courses there is no guarantee that I will be admitted into the degree program. So, in theory, I could be flushing $7,500 down the drain. I already have student loans from my undergrad that I need to pay off and I am not looking to take on more student debt, especially when there is no guarantee that I will get a degree. My job is willing to pay for the tuition but they need an acceptance letter first. This honestly seems like a ripoff from a university with a $40 billion endowment. I mean, I thought $75 was an expensive application fee but this is absurd. Is there something that I’m missing here?
My problem is not the tuition in general since my job will be covering the cost, but the cost of the 3 classes you are required to take before being admitted since there is no guarantee that you will be admitted after taking those 3 classes.
Harvard Extension School’s tuition is much lower than Harvard’s. However, it is still costly considering the three required classes, as compscigrad says. Here is the page on tuition and total cost: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/tuition-enrollment
Harvard Extension does have financial aid (after those three classes), but that might not apply to you.
Of course, attending HES also includes living in or near one of the most expensive cities in the country.
Will your employer cover those three classes? Admission is approved if you get B’s on these classes. It is not as selective as Harvard University’s undergrad or grad programs that are not part of Extension. Chances are, you’ll get in.
But is it the best way to go?
Tufts does have a great program, with a lot of flexibility, and there are fellowships that pay tuition and involve teaching. If you are doing a part-time program, not sure if those are available to you though. In any case, your employer is paying…
I would also look at Northeastern, BU, Brandeis and UMass Boston.
Why are you getting a master’s in CS? Many in that field seem to continue with a BS only! Does your employer want you to do this? Are you aiming for a PhD and teaching? If so, a school with funding for teaching might be better.
I’m wondering about this too. FWIW: My son has a BS in psychology, yet works as a CS data analyst/project owner at a well-known tech company and is supervising other employees who have their masters and PhD’s in math and computer science. In the CS world, what seems to matter is being able to code, and the vision you have for a particular project, and not necessarily the degree you have hanging on your wall.
To be any good as a data scientist you need to know a lot about statistics, probability and coding. I think a degree could be very helpful to the OP . This is especially true if you want to go into ML or AI
@compmom@gibby@collegedad13 Thanks for the replies. The reason I want to get a masters is because I am looking to move up within my company and take on more of a management role and a graduate degree would make me more competitive (everyone with the management position I seek has at least a masters, they put too much weight on academic credentials in my opinion but they are the kind of company that only hires people who went to top 50 schools). I’m not sure if this is unusual but that is the way it is at my company. Like I said, I live in Cambridge so I am already paying outrageous rent My employer is willing to pay for the degree but the policy is that I must have an acceptance letter in order to process the request. If I get the management position, I will be making about 25% more than what I do now which will quickly cover the ~10K I will have to pay in order to be admitted. The thing that makes the Harvard program so appealing to me is that I will have access to some of the best libraries, museums, and guest lectures in the world (arguably). And I will be able to take full advantage of them since I only live 15 min away from the campus. However, I will definitely check out the competition.
You already have free access to Harvard museums as a Cambridge resident : ) I honestly don’t think HES is the best choice for a master’s in CS, but here are their majors Digital Media Design,
Information Management Systems ,Software Engineering
BU has an MS program in CS in both the CAS/GRS (BA, BA/MS, minor, MS, PhD) and the evening Metropolitan College MET (BS, accelerated degree completion program, UND Cert, MS, GRAD Certs)
@compmom I did some research and very few people with the position have business degrees. However, the large majority have a software engineering degree or something similar. I talked to a few people who are in the management position and all but one of them got their advanced degree online and they gave me a name of someone who used to work at my company who went to HES and got the management position. I plan to talk to him tomorrow and get some advice. But I will definitely check out the competition but I am not interested in getting an MS in CS (at least not anytime soon). I think they want someone with a more practical background as opposed to a theoretical background for the position. Which is why they hire people with an engineering type degree/experience for the position.
So would you do the software engineering at HES? Is it online? Sounds like you have some good people to talk to. If HES is best then I guess you are left with the problem of those three classes. Maybe the person who did HES resolved that with the company somehow Good luck!
My employer is willing to pay for the degree but the policy is that I must have an acceptance letter in order to process the request. If I get the management position, I will be making about 25% more than what I do now which will quickly cover the ~10K I will have to pay in order to be admitted. The thing that makes the Harvard program so appealing to me is that I will have access to some of the best libraries, museums, and guest lectures in the world (arguably). And I will be able to take full advantage of them since I only live 15 min away from the campus. However, I will definitely check out the competition.
Good luck!