Distant studies in Computer Science

[nst]

Hello there,

I couldn't find a more suitable section to place my question, which is as following:

is it possible for a person to study Computer Science in a distant course? I work for several years in computers, I make applications, administer servers and databases, but I lack the "paper" and I 'm willing to get it. Are you aware of any good universities that offer such an opportunity?

Thanks in advance for any reply.

 

[Adeptus]

There are some American universities that advertise on the net.
I don't know how good they are...
I think Phoenix is one?

 

[Bodisathva]

University of Maryland offers Distance Learning courses, in fact, I think they have a complete "electronic university".

Used to be that employers only wanted the paper, but I've noticed a trend toward favoring those who have actually been in class and on campus. You may want to consider that even though you'll get a degree, it may not garner you the prestige you think it will.

 

[Vassago]

Also, as far as computers are concerned, a lot of times today certificates can mean more than an actual degree. I suggest doing a little research on computer certifications by official groups, such as Comptia and Microsoft. Most of the time, you only have to pass a test, no college work to do, and there are plenty of study material online for free and cheap.

 

[MrsGorilla]

What Vass said is true, depending on where you live. Where I am though, every place I've worked that piece of paper has been very important. I spent a long time getting mine, and now I'm making nearly twice what I was pre-degree. Definitely worth it for me. I would check around in your area as to whether it would be advantageous to get a degree or to go the certification route. If you decide to go for the degree, you should be able to find an online program to accommodate you. If you're here in the states, I think University of Pheonix is one as someone mentioned, but it can be a tad on the pricey side. That's where my husband finished his degree, which, by the way, was worth it for him as well.

 

[nst]

Thanks for your replies.

I live in Greece and there is no way to do this here. Second, I am not so young, and I am already in business, but I want to expatriate, and find a job in Central or N. Europe (I would also relocate to overseas, but it is not an easy thing to be accepted).
I think a paper would strengthen my position on the labour market. What you say about the certificates maybe true, although most advertisements ask for a BA or MSc. I do not know how they would respond if you present them a certificate instead. As a matter of fact, that is why I am asking in the Forum to get opinions from people who live and work in those countries.

 

[Ron_dK]

Hello there,

I couldn't find a more suitable section to place my question, which is as following:

is it possible for a person to study Computer Science in a distant course? I work for several years in computers, I make applications, administer servers and databases, but I lack the "paper" and I 'm willing to get it. Are you aware of any good universities that offer such an opportunity?

Thanks in advance for any reply.

Here in the Netherlands, the most appropriate would be this :
http://www.cs.uu.nl/info/studie/master/

or :

http://www.cs.uu.nl/education/

This is from the University of Utrecht, known as one of the best in Europe.

If you want to know what today's market requirements are, go to monsterboard ( Greece) and type "database administrator". Most of the hits in various ( European ) countries will come up with SAP or Oracle, but at least it gives you an idea of what the minimum requirements would be.

Her's a link just for info :

http://jobsearch.monsterboard.nl/jobsearch.asp?brd=1&ct=eu&lid=&fn=660&q=&sort=rv&vw=d


Cheers, Ron

 

[Pauldohert]

This is THE UK distance learning university - all students are distance learning as far as I undertstand it. The degrees as useful as any degree is now days in the UK.

From the OU website "An OU qualification is highly regarded by UK employers. Seventy-Five per cent of the FTSE top 100 companies are sponsoring, or have sponsored their staff on OU courses and qualifications. That's a measure of how highly they think of us and how seriously they take our qualifications."


Picking out some of the relevent courses associated with your work experience may be more useful in the UK than doing the whole degree. If you have completed the relevent course with paperwork, and had the work experience and could say you were still studying towards the final degree (whether you ever did or not) would probably satisfy most employers.

Can study from Greece.

http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?A02&kwcampaign=GC_BRA&keywordid=UKGGL_the_open_university

 

[Bee]

The open university is the main one that offers distant courses in Britain I think. Some other universities do too. Even though distance learning is becoming more and more popular, I still prefer the traditional face to face learning as it 's quicker when you need to ask questions...etc. But, it's very important to find a university that provides flexible support when needed.