Trying to figure out a decision between Carnegie Mellon online (part-time) M.S Business Analytics Degree versus the University of Maryland onilne M.S Business Analytics degree.
The Carnegie Mellon degree is $692 per unit with 108 units required to graduate so $74736 - $12000 scholarship - $10400 company reimbursement which works out to $52336 out of pocket.
The University of Maryland on the other hand comes out to $25000 - $10400 company reimbursement which works out to $14600 out of pocket.
This is obviously a massive difference so want to see if the Carnegie Mellon degree is still worth it since it is higher ranked (will I get the ROI on it?) or if the UMD degree is worth it since it is significantly cheaper and still a really great school. Thoughts?
What are the career outcomes - usually this part time type of degree gets you a pat on the back at work. Both you have career outcomes to provide but I find it hard to believe the CMU degree would be worth it.
Perhaps there is difference in curriculums that may help direct you ? Can you afford both ?
The outcome is the same M.S degree one would get if they did it in-person. Unless I go around advertising that the degree was done online, all they will be able to see is that I have Master of Science from one of these schools.
To your point though, that is what I am struggling to find the value in as well in terms of the cost difference for these two schools. I can afford the CMU degree in the sense I would have to take a loan but I don’t forsee any issues paying it back, but it is still a loan for a considerable amount of money nonetheless. The UMD degree however would be much less impactful on finances and I wouldn’t stress too much about paying for it.
The CMU degree seems to have more coursework because they divide their semesters into “mini” semesters where fall has 2 mini semesters instead of one big fall semester. UMD is more traditional and just has simple fall, spring, summer so they have less courses, but both have a big focus on analytics, data, and statistics as one would expect out of an MSBA. CMU seems to be a bit more technical in nature due to it’s curriculum structure.
I meant outcome in - are you planning to get a new job because most jobs, you do your Masters, you get a pat on the back, and you continue on your current path.
Are you planning to leave and try and get more responsibility or money elsewhere?
If so, see if each school gives you career outcomes, etc.
A part time Masters is different than a full time - in person or not - because with a full time you are transitioning to a new job. With a part time, that’s far less likely.
I’m loan averse so in this case I’d lean UMD - but to each his own - if you feel the loan is ok and stress worth it, then you can make that call.
My thought is UMD though - especially because it’s part time - you asked for thoughts
Others may disagree but in the end, only you matter.
The only possible place where the CMU degree would matter is if you intend to stay with an organization and they actually care about university pedigree. Unlikely. You would have to make up that large difference in cost for it to be worth it
Plenty of people have changed fields lately by adding a part-time masters in data analytics and data science. I did at NJIT. I know of at least a dozen (?more) at my company alone. Sure, there are some going to GaTech or Penn but most are not, and we are all getting similar jobs regardless of where the degree was earned.
Makes sense. I was thinking along the same lines, the degree is over double the cost and I am struggling to see how it is giving me double the ROI. Thanks for the input!
I am pretty loan averse as well especially when theres a cheaper option right in front of me that achieves almost the same thing. Career outcomes is a good metric to look at though and I will certainly compare the two to see what the real differences are. Appreciate the input.
Are you looking at the Bus Analytics certificate? I didn’t see a masters at UMGC.
The current business analytics certificate program APPEARS to have the same four courses sequence as the MS in Data Analytics so it looks look like other programs that have a certificate and a masters that can work together. If so, you could do the cert then decide if you need/want to move up to the Masters. You should confirm.
Yeah seems the consensus in this thread is that for a part-time online program, the value proposition for CMU considering that it is significantly more expensive isn’t exactly there. I will be honest though, I am not sure how long I will stay with my current employer. I have no issues with them, but doing this degree would incline me to pursue other opportunities down the line and that is part of the reason I want to get the degree in the first place. Hopefully UMD will aid me in that path.
If switching employers is a likelihood, then contact any programs of interest (CMU & UMd) and ask about job placement assistance. However, the price difference is too great to justify without more information.
U Maryland is a well recognized university. Known for ACC & Big Ten membership.
correct - you may be better off going for a Masters after changing jobs if you want them to pay for it. If you are willing to start paying to enroll to get the next job then finish it there, well then it doesn’t matter.
Good suggestion on the free certificates. Both google and Microsoft have decent ones. Mostly free, for some things you need to pay for the credential or an exam.
