Georgia Tech OMSCS Review (non-CS undergrad's perspective)

I recently graduated from Georgia Tech's Online Master of Science in Computer Science program, and in this video I share my opinions on the program.
Clarification: At 3:30, I say "If you do one course per semester, it's around $7k". Here "it's" refers to the entire program, not a single course.
Here's a follow up video where I share how I prepared for OMSCS without a CS degree: • How to Prepare for Geo...

[@kevinkchdev2021]

Congratulations, thanks for the helpful content.

[@UncleJefff]

Congrats Sam! I am looking to apply and also come from a non-CS background, so I am interested in anything you would have say about the program and courses taken etc.

[@Yvghhnkoo]

Hello can i continue PHD with this ? I have heard somewhere its not like other MSc degrees

[@MegHardin-de2yc]

Thanks for the video! I'm looking to apply for Spring 2025 & this was helpful.

[@sam_cant_code]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Khanabrx]

Subscribed ❤

[@grandadmiralthrawn66]

Looking to graduate Spring 2025! Congrats!!

[@bork470]

Hey Sam thanks for sharing your experience, I am starting the program in August, was wondering how you can find out about in person meetups in major cities? I am dying to get into research as well, so your video had some helpful information.

[@sam_cant_code]

You can join the OMSCS Student Life group on Slack with your GT email, many large cities have their own channels

[@keysh2418]

Great video man. I’m followin a similar path as you coming from a non-CS background (finance/econ/math). Were you able to get your employer to cover the cost of those 4 community college courses? I am currently taking some CS courses and don’t think my employer covers tuition that is “non-degree seeking”
Thank you,
Keyshawn

[@sam_cant_code]

Hey Keyshawn! My employer did cover the cost of the CC classes, but since you have a math background you may not need many classes to get an Associate's in CS. Maybe then your employer would pay? I did an engineering undergrad and I think I only needed like 2 more CC classes to get my Associate's. I considered it but didn't end up going for it since I was going do OMSCS anyways

[@keysh2418]

@@sam_cant_code Thanks man, that’s a good idea. I think they’re unlikely to cover it given it has to be directly related to my role (currently on the business side hoping to transition to tech eventually) but definitely worth a shot. It’s nice to know there’s companies out there with a more liberal tuition reimbursement policies, thought they were all more or less the same.

[@SahilMishra27]

Hey Sam. Congrats on completing the program. I've a bachelors/masters in mech eng and roughly 4 years of exp as a SWE. Did your recommendation letters come from academia or work? If they did come from academia, how did they highlight your CS skills?

[@sam_cant_code]

Two from academia and one from work. I asked two engineering professors that taught classes with programming assignments, so while not strictly CS, they were able to speak to my ability to write software. If you don’t have that, you can do well in a few CS classes at a community college and professors are usually happy to write you a rec

[@SahilMishra27]

@@sam_cant_code Thanks, that's helpful

[@feathersmcgraw4650]

Congratulations! 🎉🎊🎈🍾 getting out is the hardest part of the program. What course did you enjoy most and least and why?

[@sam_cant_code]

Thanks! My favorite course was probably Graduate Algorithms and my least favorite Global Entrepreneurship

[@tahirm09]

Good

[@Ludwiggle]

Hey! Coming from a non-tech (CS Teacher) background in OMSCS. How are you finding the job market? I have been applying while in the program and it has been nearly impossible to find anything.

[@sam_cant_code]

I hear the job market still isn’t great but slowly improving. Pivoting within your current field is usually easiest, I guess for you that would be EdTech

[@utkarshgupta1379]

Thanks for the video mate. Can you please mention the prerequisites and what specific should a non CS grad mention in their SOP to increase their chances of getting admitted to this program.

[@sam_cant_code]

Here's a link to an official page on preparing for OMSCS: omscs.gatech.edu/preparing-yourself-omscs. Now they have official MOOCs to prep, but I took courses in computer architecture, OOP and web development
Edit: I ended up making this video talking about how I prepped for OMSCS: th-cam.com/video/KQ02DK8zXjg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=bUmExY4v_vLZPU2n

[@CyDETECT]

@@sam_cant_codewhere did you take these courses?

[@sam_cant_code]

@@CyDETECT OMSCS is online, so I did most of the program at home in California but also did some school work while traveling

[@mb-dev06]

Wait, I may have misunderstood, but doing 1 course a semester will cost 7k per semester? That seems quite expensive..

[@sam_cant_code]

Sorry if that was unclear, I meant that taking 1 course a semester costs about $700, so $7k for the whole program (10 courses). It’s cheaper if you take 2 or 3 courses since there’s a flat fee per semester. I went to look at the actual cost, it was $647 for 1 class and $1,187 for 2. It used to be $841 for 1 class but they dropped one of the flat fees. As an example, I did OMSCS in 7 semesters so the total cost was $6,149 (really $647 since both employers covered the cost except for the one semester where I switched jobs)

[@mb-dev06]

@@sam_cant_code Oh that makes more sense! Thanks for clearing that up! And congratz on graduating!!

[@VijayEde]

What is the specialization you took?

[@sam_cant_code]

Computing Systems