A new experiment at Georgia Tech could save students – at least some students who qualify – a bundle on a master’s degree in computer science.
America’s elite universities – of which Georgia Tech is certainly one – have often regarded online education with suspicion. They’ve toyed with so-called “MOOCs” or massive online courses, which have drawn large numbers of students but have seen high dropout rates and don’t provide actual credits toward a degree.
Online education tends to result in more price competition among schools – at least in the opinion of SuccessDegrees. The more traditional private colleges fear that they won’t be able to protect their $50,000. per year price tags if they dive into the online degree world. Many professors also express a view that online learning isn’t at the same quality level as classroom study.
Georgia Tech, apparently, has chosen to toss away both those notions. Although their computer science degree is officially referred to as an “OMS” for “online masters,” the school promotes this accredited degree as being essentially on a par with their campus-based degree in the same major. And on price – the school has taken a truly adventurous step. The online computer science degree from Georgia Tech is now being offered for a total of $7,000.
No, that’s not a typo. The degree costs $7,000. Naturally, it’s created excitement. About 4,000 students are now enrolled online, versus about 300 who are taking the computer science master’s on campus. The main issue, of course, is that Georgia Tech is a selective school, and you’ll need good college grades to get in.