Harvard Master's Degree - Reality
Some time ago I thought about getting a second higher education, because the first is not technical, and I want to have some kind of confirmation of my knowledge, and to get a good base.
I chose several domestic universities with evening programs, and I had already chosen Bauman Moscow State Technical University for my second alma mater, as I came across the Harvard Extension School website.
')
This school offers a number of curricula, including certificates for professionals - I first looked in that direction.
When passing several courses there, an interesting certificate is issued .
Out of curiosity, I decided to watch the workshop programs, and was pleasantly surprised. The main requirement for admission to this program is to show a good result (B) in the three courses available online, and after submitting the relevant application you participate in the workshop program.
There are quite a few courses available at school, and for enrollment in the program you must complete one of the required (theoretical) and any two specialties.
We are interested in the specialty Master of Liberal Arts in Information Technology and the specialty software engineering.
It is necessary to pass and pass not less than a theoretical course, one of:
Introduction to Cryptography
Theory of computation
Data science
Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science - Abstraction and Design in Computation
Data Structures and Algorithms
Programming languages
Machine learning
Economics and computation
In addition, a number of courses are available, and to complete the workshop program you must take one mandatory course from the categories:
Data Communication (courses in this category include Communication Protocols, Internet Video, Voice and Telepresence, Understanding and securing Cybernet Infrastructure)
Distributed Computing (Java for distributed computing, Cloud computing)
Systems Programming (Unix / Linux system programming)
Software Design (Software design: principles, models and patterns).
In addition, you need to choose 4 courses from the whole range of available ones, which are quite a few, but in my opinion there are few really interesting ones - you can see them here .
Courses begin in autumn and spring, different courses - at different times, but there are also those that go every semester. All courses must be completed in five years, and the courses for which you received less than B are not taken into account.
There are two options for obtaining a master's diploma - the first - passing nine courses and writing a final work (thesis), or passing 11 courses and another course by the team (developing the application) in order to gain experience in team development.
I'm more interested in the first path. After completing six courses, you need to approve the theme of your work (thesis). Approval of the topic can take more than six months, as they say on the school website. With this final work you are released and it is necessary to conduct a study worthy of masterful work in it, but the examples were not very impressive work - like dynamic websites, add-ons for GIS systems, etc.
This program also has a fly in the ointment. The first is that each course costs around $ 2,000, that is, to complete the course you will need a minimum of $ 18,000 (550 thousand rubles). You do not need to pay it in full, you pay for the courses that are going to take place this semester.
Another requirement is the passage of 1 course on the spot. At first it upset me, since it is almost impossible to break away from home and work for half a year. But there is a positive point - this course can be taken at Harvard Summer School in seven weeks.
Only two courses from the program are available there, but this can be taken into account when planning.
Such a course on the spot will cost you $ 2,770, plus the price of accommodation and tickets.
Of the formal requirements - the presence of a bachelor's degree (you will need to assure him), but not necessarily in the specialty. You will also need to pass one of the tests in English, but if you can master such subjects in English, I think it will not be a big obstacle. Moreover, all these documents must be submitted after the completion of three courses, i.e. if you decide to change your mind, you will not need to submit anything. No need to mess around with it in advance.
It is also recommended to complete a series of courses that do not count, but provide the foundations, among which are the foundations of computer science, discrete mathematics, data structures. This is optional.
It is also possible to receive a certificate in parallel - there are actually the same courses, plus one course of fundamentals. If you take a master's training, you can get this certificate along the way, it won't be superfluous. You do not have to pay extra for it.
A diploma that you get is no different from a similar diploma from Harvard University. The only difference is that Master of Liberal Arts in Information Technology will be written in your diploma, and Bachelor of Science in diplomas of basic school graduates. That is, it is understood that this program has less technical component, but the specialized component is the same. It is also a diploma not for Computer Science itself, but for Information Technology, so there are differences.
In practice, with the availability of experience and a diploma from Harvard, albeit from an extension school, this candidate is much more interesting for employers. Especially the one who works was able to pass and master the difficult training.
Another point worth considering is that of all those who take one or more courses at this school, only 3% receive a master’s degree.
From the positive moments - almost all subjects are conducted in parallel, and you will be taught by the same teachers as in the full-time department. Some subjects are conducted jointly, that is, full-time students sit and video is recorded or live broadcast is made for remote students. Tasks are given absolutely identical for all.
If you have the desire and opportunity to spend in the region of 800-900 thousand for your training for 3-4 years, then this is one of the best options.
Personally, I decided for myself that I would go through the CSCI E-50 Intensive Introduction to Computer Science course in the fall, and if I could pass it on A, then I would go through the master's program in the spring, i.e. I'll take two courses for the spring season.
I chose several domestic universities with evening programs, and I had already chosen Bauman Moscow State Technical University for my second alma mater, as I came across the Harvard Extension School website.
')
This school offers a number of curricula, including certificates for professionals - I first looked in that direction.
When passing several courses there, an interesting certificate is issued .
Out of curiosity, I decided to watch the workshop programs, and was pleasantly surprised. The main requirement for admission to this program is to show a good result (B) in the three courses available online, and after submitting the relevant application you participate in the workshop program.
There are quite a few courses available at school, and for enrollment in the program you must complete one of the required (theoretical) and any two specialties.
We are interested in the specialty Master of Liberal Arts in Information Technology and the specialty software engineering.
It is necessary to pass and pass not less than a theoretical course, one of:
Introduction to Cryptography
Theory of computation
Data science
Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science - Abstraction and Design in Computation
Data Structures and Algorithms
Programming languages
Machine learning
Economics and computation
In addition, a number of courses are available, and to complete the workshop program you must take one mandatory course from the categories:
Data Communication (courses in this category include Communication Protocols, Internet Video, Voice and Telepresence, Understanding and securing Cybernet Infrastructure)
Distributed Computing (Java for distributed computing, Cloud computing)
Systems Programming (Unix / Linux system programming)
Software Design (Software design: principles, models and patterns).
In addition, you need to choose 4 courses from the whole range of available ones, which are quite a few, but in my opinion there are few really interesting ones - you can see them here .
Courses begin in autumn and spring, different courses - at different times, but there are also those that go every semester. All courses must be completed in five years, and the courses for which you received less than B are not taken into account.
There are two options for obtaining a master's diploma - the first - passing nine courses and writing a final work (thesis), or passing 11 courses and another course by the team (developing the application) in order to gain experience in team development.
I'm more interested in the first path. After completing six courses, you need to approve the theme of your work (thesis). Approval of the topic can take more than six months, as they say on the school website. With this final work you are released and it is necessary to conduct a study worthy of masterful work in it, but the examples were not very impressive work - like dynamic websites, add-ons for GIS systems, etc.
This program also has a fly in the ointment. The first is that each course costs around $ 2,000, that is, to complete the course you will need a minimum of $ 18,000 (550 thousand rubles). You do not need to pay it in full, you pay for the courses that are going to take place this semester.
Another requirement is the passage of 1 course on the spot. At first it upset me, since it is almost impossible to break away from home and work for half a year. But there is a positive point - this course can be taken at Harvard Summer School in seven weeks.
Only two courses from the program are available there, but this can be taken into account when planning.
Such a course on the spot will cost you $ 2,770, plus the price of accommodation and tickets.
Of the formal requirements - the presence of a bachelor's degree (you will need to assure him), but not necessarily in the specialty. You will also need to pass one of the tests in English, but if you can master such subjects in English, I think it will not be a big obstacle. Moreover, all these documents must be submitted after the completion of three courses, i.e. if you decide to change your mind, you will not need to submit anything. No need to mess around with it in advance.
It is also recommended to complete a series of courses that do not count, but provide the foundations, among which are the foundations of computer science, discrete mathematics, data structures. This is optional.
It is also possible to receive a certificate in parallel - there are actually the same courses, plus one course of fundamentals. If you take a master's training, you can get this certificate along the way, it won't be superfluous. You do not have to pay extra for it.
A diploma that you get is no different from a similar diploma from Harvard University. The only difference is that Master of Liberal Arts in Information Technology will be written in your diploma, and Bachelor of Science in diplomas of basic school graduates. That is, it is understood that this program has less technical component, but the specialized component is the same. It is also a diploma not for Computer Science itself, but for Information Technology, so there are differences.
In practice, with the availability of experience and a diploma from Harvard, albeit from an extension school, this candidate is much more interesting for employers. Especially the one who works was able to pass and master the difficult training.
Another point worth considering is that of all those who take one or more courses at this school, only 3% receive a master’s degree.
From the positive moments - almost all subjects are conducted in parallel, and you will be taught by the same teachers as in the full-time department. Some subjects are conducted jointly, that is, full-time students sit and video is recorded or live broadcast is made for remote students. Tasks are given absolutely identical for all.
If you have the desire and opportunity to spend in the region of 800-900 thousand for your training for 3-4 years, then this is one of the best options.
Personally, I decided for myself that I would go through the CSCI E-50 Intensive Introduction to Computer Science course in the fall, and if I could pass it on A, then I would go through the master's program in the spring, i.e. I'll take two courses for the spring season.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/186724/
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