I'm thinking of applying to OMSCS, which is a fully-online MS in Computer Science offered by Georgia Tech. It's also quite affordable, as the whole program costs around $7k (roughly RM30k).

I have a CS degree from local university. However, Georgia Tech requires that I have a degree equivalent to a US 4-year degree. As you know, Malaysia education system is similar to UK, so bachelors degree is usually only 3 years (so is mine). I contacted them, and they said that my degree will not be recognized as it's only 3 years.

Any ideas how to get my degree to be equivalent to a 4-year US degree? Take extra courses?

This post has been edited by imnotabot: Jun 19 2019, 02:01 PM

That's so strange that they don't see the UK system's 3 years equivalent to the US' 4 years! Thought they're usually pretty flexible hmmm.

Tried explaining the existence of Pre-U programs (e.g. STPM, A-Levels, foundation etc) which essentially add on to the degree? Tried explaining that most degrees in the region or system are 3 years because Pre-U is separate?

Not sure if taking extra standalone courses from somewhere would help, but no harm checking with their admissions!

2 years ago, I did some research into studying in the US specifically at UT (Uni of Texas) as they have the degree I want & my uncle lives there so, I could cover most of my necessities. However, their admissions are largely different from here and often do not accept a degree from Msia or otherwise. The viable choice they gave me was to do a 1 year A-level or equivalent then, proceed with the degree. Most of my friends who are studying there now did in fact do A-level/Foundation in Taylor's Uni then enrol in one of the "partner universities" in US. Plus, I do know students who studied in the UK were successful in getting a place at US universities. As for Msia local uni, maybe less likely(?)

Since you're applying for MS, chances are you need to provide all your qualifications/transcripts/course structure from your CS degree etc to admissions & your dept. head to evaluate your eligibility.

Extra classes were also mentioned in part of UT's admissions for those who have a prior education but does not equal the 4 years of degree there. You might need to study an extra year or something similar if it involves this.

Best to check the credentials of the university first before throwing in your money.

After some googling, it seems like this is a common issue even among students from UK, where their degree is 3 years. Example discussion: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4424192

If you are referring to Georgia Tech, they are pretty well known, and is currently number 8 graduate CS school in US.

Even some Malaysian bodies like BEM won't accept the UK's 3-year program. To be able to be recognised here, some UK Engineering graduates took an extra year in UK and come back with MEng.

Hi @imnotabot, I have been lurking around the Georgia Tech OMSCS website for at least half a year now but never gotten the courage to make the jump to register but have recently decided to try out for Fall 2020 admission.
Looking at this thread an another thread on Reddit's r/OMSCS, I have starting to have my doubts about Admission Criteria.
I have a 4-year engineering degree from UPM but I am not too sure if it is the equivalent of a US 4-year-degree. Did they give you any leeway on your case or advice on how to go around it if your degree is not recognizable?

This post has been edited by rachel13: Aug 25 2019, 06:00 PM

Good news is that I managed to get in even with a 3-year degree. My application was about to get rejected due to it being only 3 years, but I decided to appeal, saying that even though it's only 3 years, it's equivalent to a US 4-year degree because I had to take 1 year foundation. AFAIK, in US, once you graduated from high school, you can straight away get into college, while in Malaysia you have to take pre-university (form 6, matriculation, A-level, foundation, etc.). After about a month, the supervisor of the graduate admission decided to approve my application and I got in.

As for your case, I don't think you will have an issue because you have a 4-year degree, and it is from a well-established public university (my degree is from a crappy private college, and the degree has non-standard name instead of "BSc in Computer Science"). My advice is do give it a try! You will need to take TOEFL if you haven't done so, and score at least 100/120. You also have to fork out $195 for TOEFL and $85 for the application fee. You can pm me if you need more info.

This post has been edited by imnotabot: Sep 3 2019, 11:13 PM

Hi @iamnotabot, thank you for your advice, albeit a little too late. I have submitted my application for admission last month and I am waiting for results now.

All the best in your course!

for CS, certifications matter more than degree, why not try taking the Microsoft or Google/Oracle Certification kind of qualification? I had a friend who is a Chief Architect in Oracle now... he is local graduate, but earning RM50k-Rm60k a month in his line of job. My jaw dropped when i heard how much he was being paid.

Hi @acgerlok7, I did think of certifications before but I'm a self-taught software engineer and I wouldn't be able to complete such high profile certifications without a certain number of years of experience except for certifications in Android/iOS industry.

I see the the masters degree as a way to provide me two things:

1. An entry point into fullstack engineering and into a Solution Architect role in the future
2. A way to work in the US as the bar to be able to work in the US as an immigrant is at least a Master's degree for them to consider even our resume.

Thank you for the insight though.

This post has been edited by rachel13: Jan 28 2020, 11:08 AM

AH, i see! In that case, why don't you apply to directly go to USA for your Master Degree, chance of you getting a job there is much higher when you study there. Because you're considered an International student already, as compared to studying the degree here.

Hi. Well, that also crossed my mind but then I got myself a house loan and retiree parents to financially support. After some calculation, my family and I just decided that I couldn't afford to stop working for a few years as I have only been working for around 6 years and didn't save up enough to be able to support unemployment + studies for a year or two.

I suppose this is the best compromise I can get while being able to execute my plans to further study + path to overseas + house & family support.

Anyways, are you also looking to study Masters since you're on this thread?

I am looking to get some form of Professional Certification for Digital Marketing....I am not the coding type.