Georgia Tech’s Computer Science Degree – for Less than $7,000

The Georgia Tech’s College of Computing recently announced a new course: an Online Master of Science computer science degree (OMS CS) through the massive open online course (MOOC) platform Udacity. According to a press release, Georgia Tech will offer this graduate degree for a low price — total tuition costs will be less than $7,000 for the two-year program.

The course is scheduled to begin in the next academic year, starting with a few hundred students and expanding in the next three years.

Georgia Tech will accept students who meet the necessary qualifications, including an undergraduate computer science degree or relevant work experience in the field. Students must also prove themselves to be committed learners by earning a minimum grade on their first two courses.

Students without the necessary qualifications can still take the courses for free on Udacity, although they will not receive credit or a degree. Georgia Tech plans to work with Udacity to eventually develop a credential for students who take the courses without formally enrolling in the program.

AT&T partnered with Georgia Tech to make the program a reality, providing the funding to cover part of the program’s startup costs. In a statement about the new master degree program, Georgia Tech’s executive vice president for academic affairs Rafael Bras declared his school’s goal — to set the example for tech research universities in the modern era. This program is the latest manifestation of Georgia Tech’s mission to improve humanity through advances in science and technology.

The MOOC platform allows for thousands of students to enroll in the program at the same time. Costs can be kept to a minimum because Georgia Tech will not have to hire nearly as many teachers as they do in traditional classroom settings.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan showed his support for the new program by saying it will push forward the national debate on the collaboration between higher education and technology. Duncan said it will help Americans have a discussion about innovative teaching methods in higher education that are relevant to the needs of modern employers. Sebastian Thrun, founder of the Udacity platform that Georgia Tech will be using, said that he hopes the new program will transform the teaching in higher education.

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