At the last developer meeting I mentioned my interest in returning to UMASS and getting a BS in Computer Science. Several people were also interested and so I’m posting what I’ve learned so far. UMASS is pretty big and their website covers a lot of material, but I think I have everything pretty well figured out. I went to the University Without Walls information session this afternoon and they answered some of my remaining questions. I’ll summarize the data I’ve gleaned below.

The most straightforward option is to enroll in the regular undergraduate Computer Science program as a part-time student. The Continuing Education program does not offer a Computer Science degree so regular day classes would be required anyway. The cost difference between regular day classes and these other programs appears to be negligible. Coursework from other colleges would be transferred over, if you’ve gone to another MA state school you are guaranteed to get credit for your courses. The Computer Science department appears to be willing to give you credit for work experience and private study. The regular undergraduate program requires a foreign language, the Continuing Education program does not.

The Continuing Education program only offers five undergraduate degrees, none of these is suitable for computer science coursework. They have two for hospitality and tourism, two for nursing, and one for “general studies.” For anything else, they refer you to the University Without Walls program.

Students enrolled in the University Without Walls program take courses through the Continuing Education program. What the UWW is offering is the ability to give you credit for life and work experience as well as various training and certificate programs. The Continuing Education program will not give you credit for these kinds of things. They will also let you create your own degree program. The regular undergraduate degree programs are not available through the UWW.

The UWW program is looking to give you credit so that you can scratch classes off your list and get a degree more quickly. In all likelihood you are currently working in the field you’d like to get a degree in, so the credit you’ll be getting will be for classes in your area of concentration. UWW probably won’t be able to give you credit for General Education requirements although they will try.

The BS that the UWW program will be giving you will not be the same BS in Computer Science that the undergraduate program provides. The UWW will let you pick and choose the classes that you want and they’ll give you a proper BS when you’ve completed your coursework. The UWW will assign a faculty advisor that will be responsible for helping you put together a sensible degree program and to ensure you take the important classes. When you finish the program you will have a BS from the UWW program at UMASS Amherst.

Personally, my feeling is that the BS in Computer Science can vary greatly in coursework from place to place. In terms of getting work, I suspect that there isn’t a great deal of difference between a BS through the UWW and the regular undergraduate Computer Science BS. All anyone will ever see on your resume is that you have a BS.

UWW graduates do well in graduate school, they have placed people all over (not only at UMASS). Some programs are a better fit than others, they specifically mention Engineering degrees from the UWW program not holding the same weight as the regular Engineering degree. They have been around since the beginning of the UWW movement in 1970 and are one of the longest running. Most UWW students graduate within 5 semesters.

In addition to regular coursework, the UWW program offers an Independent Study program that can be applied toward your degree program. They also will let you apply your regular work toward an “Internship” if you work in your field of study. With a part-time course load and an internship, you may find yourself earning the same credit toward your degree program as a full-time student.