Ask HN: Is am online Master's equal to a regular one?

vunderba · a year ago

Being bothered by something like this isn't going to help you - at best it'll make you seem petty and rather vain.

"advertise an online masters as a regular one" --> This makes no sense to me.

A friend of mine just got their masters of computer science from the online program at Georgia Tech and the diploma does not make a distinction between conventional on-site vs off-site.

If NYU is anything like Georgia Tech, the diploma is identical regardless of whether the student took the courses online.

Therefore, there is no "advertisement" that takes place. It is a regular master's diploma conferred by the academic institution. If you have problem with it, take it up with the registrar's office.

NYUTandonScam · a year ago

If that's the case, why not just state it? Why not be transparent with it and say that this was acquired fully online?

Also in NYU's case, how is an Offline Masters degree, that costs ~$70k to get and accepts ~20-50 students every year, the same and same quality with an Online Masters degree that costs ~$18k and accepts 5000 students per year? How could anyone say that these two are the same and of equal weight?

You can get an education and become a stellar engineer/professional whilst being self-taught. I've got no beef with the people getting degrees online, it's just that you can't equalize the two aforementioned degrees, cause they're just not the same. Like it or not.

And if it doesn't matter, like most of you say here, then why not just say it?

alan-hn · a year ago

Why does it matter to state it? You've made no distinction between the two on any relevant point. You keep repeating the statement that its not the same but you fail to explain why it isn't the same

aurizon · a year ago

A lot depends on the discipline. Hard sciences often have research theses based on actual experiments and also have you supervise higher year undergraduate lab sessions as well as instruction - all hard on line. Arts masters and documentary masters, like economics etc are more amenable to online Masters

NYUTandonScam · a year ago

NYU has the same content for their Cybersecurity Online Masters as the Offline one, but; 1. The offline accepts ~20-50 students per year, whereas the online accepts 5000. 2. The offline costs ~$70k, whereas the online costs ~$18k.

Are these two the same, would you say?

And if they're, why go as far as to lie about having acquired it online, when it doesn't even matter?

aurizon · a year ago

How are the students quantified? How are knowledge and skills tested? Online cheating on tests is rampant. In my years tested people were 6 feet in rows from each other and zero e-devices were around(1964) - crib sheets were it and were watched for. Now e-cribbing is a mature tech with diverse com methods. A faraday cage around a test hall is being done for group tests, but how do you invigilate online test candidates = of what value is their passing mark? How good is their MA?

anbardoi · a year ago

Depends on the institution. I’m sure that there are many actual scams advertising an online Masters degree you can earn that isn’t real, but a Masters degree earned from an accredited degree-granting institution, whether in-person or online, is in fact real. Accredited universities probably would not offer an online Masters degree(that costs tens of thousands of dollars in some cases, mind you) if it did not hold the same weight as an in-person Masters degree.

If you’re worried about the job competition impact, I would suggest focusing on your in-person/on-site achievements when building your resume.

cwdegidio · a year ago

Didn't you post almost this exact same gripe the other day? News flash... the world is online right now. I got my BSCS online, doing my MSCS online... neither say they are "online" and the sun still rises every morning. If others getting their online Masters is ruining your day, you may want to recalibrate.

alan-hn · a year ago

Why does it bother you? If its the same content and the same evaluation as in person why does it matter

NYUTandonScam · a year ago

Please see my reply above, but to answer your specific question regarding the content being the same;

If I watch the MOOC courses from the MIT's CS Masters for 2024, would that mean that I've got an Offline Masters in CS from MIT? Same content, as you put it.

And if it doesn't matter if it's offline or online, why not be transparent about it? Why go as far as to straight up lie about it being an offline masters degree, when it doesn't matter, as you put it?

alan-hn · a year ago

Watching lectures alone vs watching lectures and being evaluated on understanding are two different things

cwdegidio · a year ago

Gatekeeping... some folks just need a gate to feel superior.