Going Back to School
Feb 19, 05:45 PM
I’ve been talking about going back to school for a long time now. Not just a long time, but more like a really long time. I think I may have mentioned going back to school every winter for the last five years. This year I have vowed to move forward on this goal and I’m trying to figure out the best way to get it done.
UMASS Amherst is my nearest college, in addition to regular day classes they also have a continuing education program and the University Without Walls. I’ve been trying to figure out which program is the best way to go. The UWW program has a couple of orientation sessions every month and I attended one this meeting. I’ve mentioned this to a couple people and everyone seemed interested so I’ll try to sum up what I’ve learned so far.
The most straightforward option is to enroll in the regular undergraduate Computer Science program as a part-time student. The Continuing Education program does not offer a Computer Science degree so regular day classes would be required anyway. The cost difference between regular day classes and these other programs appears to be negligible. Coursework from other colleges would be transferred over, if you’ve gone to another MA state school you are guaranteed to get credit for your courses. The Computer Science department appears to be willing to give you credit for work experience and private study. The regular undergraduate program requires a foreign language, the Continuing Education program does not.
The Continuing Education program only offers five undergraduate degrees, none of these is suitable for computer science coursework. They have two for hospitality and tourism, two for nursing, and one for “general studies.” For anything else, they refer you to the University Without Walls program.
Students enrolled in the University Without Walls program take courses through the Continuing Education program. What the UWW is offering is the ability to give you credit for life and work experience as well as various training and certificate programs. The Continuing Education program will not give you credit for these kinds of things. They will also let you create your own degree program. The regular undergraduate degree programs are not available through the UWW.
The UWW program is looking to give you credit so that you can scratch classes off your list and get a degree more quickly. In all likelihood you are currently working in the field you’d like to get a degree in, so the credit you’ll be getting will be for classes in your area of concentration. UWW probably won’t be able to give you credit for General Education requirements although they will try.
The BS that the UWW program will be giving you will not be the same BS in Computer Science that the undergraduate program provides. The UWW will let you pick and choose the classes that you want and they’ll give you a proper BS when you’ve completed your coursework. The UWW will assign a faculty advisor that will be responsible for helping you put together a sensible degree program and to ensure you take the important classes. When you finish the program you will have a BS from the UWW program at UMASS Amherst.
Personally, my feeling is that the BS in Computer Science can vary greatly in coursework from place to place. In terms of getting work, I suspect that there isn’t a great deal of difference between a BS through the UWW and the regular undergraduate Computer Science BS. All anyone will ever see on your resume is that you have a BS.
UWW graduates do well in graduate school, they have placed people all over (not only at UMASS). Some programs are a better fit than others, they specifically mention Engineering degrees from the UWW program not holding the same weight as the regular Engineering degree. They have been around since the beginning of the UWW movement in 1970 and are one of the longest running. Most UWW students graduate within 5 semesters.
In addition to regular coursework, the UWW program offers an Independent Study program that can be applied toward your degree program. They also will let you apply your regular work toward an “Internship” if you work in your field of study. With a part-time course load and an internship, you may find yourself earning the same credit toward your degree program as a full-time student.
3 Responses to "Going Back to School"
Feb 20, 02:24 PM Thanks for the update. I suspect you're right about at BS is a BS. Until recently I worked in the CS dept. at UMass. Let me know if you'd like to talk with someone there - I should be able to hook you up.
Feb 20, 02:38 PM Thanks Matthew, that'd be great! :) Once accepted to the UWW program I'll need to find someone in the department to be my "sponsor" for the degree.
Mar 6, 02:37 PM Familiar topic :) My 2 cents ...
The foreign language requirement for CS is part of your 120 credit total. This is a super easy 12 credits pass/fail, the alternative 12 credits in UWW is life credit or non-pass/fail courses.
The required UWW 370 also satisfies your junior year writing requirement. If you have already satisfied the writing requirement with CS transfer credits you are repeating a requirement. (and I am repeating the word requirement :)
Continuing ed. offers some gen.ed. and CS science requirements in their course catalog. This means you could take what continuing ed. offers towards a degree program without actually being enrolled in one. This allows you to take as little as one class, put off the degree decision and part-time status while still taking classes, provided classes you need are offered.
UWW has two strengths, credit for life experience and assembling disparate credits into a degree. Everything else that is possible with UWW is possible with other degree programs, independent study, credit for gen.ed. classes (they go through the same college) and would involve the same amount of BS (the other kind).
If you have a lot of transfer credits and are looking to take classes in a new field you may have to take more than 120 credits. By the time you are done with transfer credits, gen.ed. requirements, UWW requirements and UWW life credit you may find yourself close to 120.
I agree that by and large a BS is a BS, but I do think a CS degree carries a drop more weight. If your transfer credits would go directly towards a CS degree, it may be a lot less work than you think and possibly more satisfying in the end.
If you're looking to complete a degree efficiently really map out exactly what you need to get there and talk to a CS advisor about any possible credit. There may be a really small difference between UWW and CS.
Good luck!