Master of Computer Science in Data Science Illinois Review
Since launching in 2016, the University of Illinois online MCS-DS program has quickly become i of the top online data science chief's programs in the U.Southward.
That's non a large surprise. The class comes from the same faculty as the on-campus MCS plan, which is a summit v graduate informatics school, according to U.South. News and World Report. Plus, the programme – offered completely online through Coursera – can exist pursued part-fourth dimension, offering an platonic format for working data science professionals.
Today, we're taking a closer look at UIUC's MCS-DS program in order to get an overview of the program, admissions and academic requirements, and the perspective of a UIUC graduate, who at present works in the San Francisco Bay Area in information scientific discipline.
UIUC MCS-DS: At A Glance
- Cost: $21,440
- Time: ane-3 years (with upwardly to five years to complete the program)
- Acceptance Rate: xxx%
- Courses: 32 credit hours (ten-12 hours per week)
- Learning Platform: 100% Online, through Coursera and ProctorU
- Upcoming Deadlines: October 15 for Bound 2022 Cohort
Key Benefits of the UIUC Program
Hither are a few reasons why this is such a popular master'due south of data science program:
- Flexible Scheduling - Y'all tin enroll equally a full- or office-time educatee, and accept up to five years to complete the plan.
- Affordability - The plan costs virtually $670 per credit hour and students pay equally they become. It's much more than affordable than on-campus alternatives.
- 100% Online - Complete the grade online, and admission the class content on any device via Coursera.
1 potential drawback is the express course selection. The data science runway focuses in four areas: car learning, data mining, data visualization and cloud computing. If you're looking for in-depth courses on deep learning or computer vision, you might exist underwhelmed.
Non certain nearly a master'south? Check out our comparison of data scientific discipline bootcamps vs master's programs or Interview Query'south overview of primary'due south in data science salaries.
UIUC Master'southward of Data Scientific discipline: Program Overview
Course requirements include:
- I course in each of the programme areas (automobile learning, data mining, information visualization and deject computing)
- Three avant-garde courses (with offerings similar Advanced Bayesian Modeling and Theory and Practise of Data Cleaning)
- One additional grade (elective, avant-garde, or program area)
Students tin can pursue the caste full- or part-time. The program tin be completed in as little as one year, just students take upwards to five years to stop all coursework.
Admissions Requirements
Roughly 30% of applicants are admitted into the program, and the requirements are fairly standard for data science programs. You don't have to take the GRE for this programme (although information technology can help you earn admittance). To use, applicants must have:
- An eligible bachelor'south degree
- 3.2 GPA or meliorate (from the final two years of undergraduate coursework)
- A strong groundwork in object-oriented programming, data structures and algorithms. Note: If y'all don't have prerequisite coursework in these areas, merely accept professional person experience, there are accelerated computer science courses you can consummate.
How Are Courses Taught?
The UIUC program is 100% virtual, with courses based on the Coursera platform. Each course is made up of modules that feature video lectures, equally well as supplementary readings, video lectures, assignments and discussion forums. This isn't a cocky-paced class; rather, modules are unlocked throughout the semester.
There are also live classroom sessions and alive office hours. Exams are conducted through the ProctorU platform. Students are admitted into Slack groups to connect with their peers, and Zoom is likewise used for advice.
Interview with a UIUC MCS-DS Graduate
Nosotros talked with Apurva Hari, a San Francisco-based AI consultant currently working on the chatbot team for a large national depository financial institution. Apurva was a office of the beginning UIUC cohort in 2016, and graduated from the program in 2018.
What Was Your Background Before Starting the Program?
I graduated from a college in India with a caste in figurer science, and my first job was with a company chosen Franklin Templeton Investments. I was a part of the security and customer experience/networks teams. I was an analyst on that team. I moved to the Bay Expanse in 2015. I took up a certification course at UC Berkeley Extension, Big Data Assay, and took courses in Python programming and the fundamentals of machine learning. When I joined the master's program, I was working at Silicon Valley Depository financial institution as a lead data annotator on the data governance team.
What Made You Want to Pursue the MCS-DS program? How Did You Apply?
It was online and function-fourth dimension. I applied to a few on-campus programs before that and was admitted, but this program immune me to continue working while I studied.
When I applied, I had to take a GRE and TOEFL exam, since I'm not a U.S. citizen. I had applied to other programs, so I already had those credentials. I also had to submit a statement of purpose, transcripts, letters of recommendation and certificates.
Note: The GRE is no longer required for the UIUC program.
What Was the Pupil Experience Similar?
There were many ways to connect with professors, TAs and young man students. We had a Slack community, as at that place are students all over the world in the plan.
Our professors as well conducted live office hours. You could connect via video, but those sessions were as well recorded, which you could access later. The part hours were dandy. You lot could talk over concepts, get more than insight into concepts that weren't clear from the videos.
Like a typical master'southward program, there was flexibility. As long every bit y'all were communicating with your professors, they were usually happy to work with yous on deadlines.
What UIUC Courses Have Been Most Helpful in Your Career?
My coursework was primarily focused effectually statistics and data scientific discipline. I was taking courses in statistics at a basic level, avant-garde stats, Bayesian statistics, applied auto learning, data visualization, and information cleaning.
I course that is very shut to the piece of work that I do at present was Text Information Systems (run across a sample syllabus). This covered the basics of text mining, all the way to advanced concepts like edifice classifiers and text retrieval algorithms.
Another class that was helpful was Data Visualization. I do a lot of information visualization at work, and in this class, I learned how to connect databases with the D3 JavaScript library and besides worked with Tableau, which I had prior experience with. These concepts take been really, actually helpful. The course gave me a theoretical perspective on data visualization, as we covered things like building better dashboards, design fundamentals and colour theory.
How Did the Program Help with Your Career?
When I had completed nearly 75% of the program, I started applying for jobs. And I joined Wells Fargo, initially on the AI squad. I recollect part of why they hired me was this degree and my background in data science from the program.
Whatever Drawbacks to the Programme?
I really enjoyed the program, but if someone is going down this path, I'd say that it'due south a lot of work, especially if they're not from a technical background. Also, if y'all're working, you actually have to know how to manage your time well.
At the fourth dimension, at that place were some technical problems like with the videos and exams, but typically those were resolved.
Another drawback was that, at the fourth dimension, they didn't really take whatever location-based career services. As I was based in the Bay Expanse, I had to navigate the job marketplace myself.
I would also say that the class selection was limited. There'southward a lot of helpful machine learning content, but deep learning was only touched on in a few courses.
What Other Benefits Did You Enjoy from the Program?
I had all the typical benefits of an on-campus master's student, but they were all virtual. I had access to recorded seminars and, access to the e-library, and i great benefit was that I received discounts for conferences. I was able to attend several conferences in the Bay Area.
Would You Recommend the Plan to Others in the Field?
I would definitely recommend this programme. The degree has helped me successfully transition to a career in data scientific discipline. Plus, I got the opportunity to interact and acquire from a talented, motivated, and extremely supportive team of peers and staff (professors, TAs). And the most special reason: I graduated with advanced degree from one of the meridian universities for information science (which has been a dream) despite having a baby around that fourth dimension.
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