Mountain State University?

[JD78]

Hello everyone,

Well I've been lurking these forums for a while now and figured I should sign up and see if anyone here has any experience with this specific school. I am currently 30 years old with two children and unable to attend a traditional college but I would really love to further my education.

As stated in the title, I am considering attending Mountain State University for the bachelor of science in Computer Science degree program. I have done some research and this school is regionally accredited, however, the CS-IT program is not accredited through the ABET which slightly concerns me. On the plus side, this program seems to offer a great deal of CS course work that other online schools do not.

My main concerns are that this school is small and private and being based out of West Virginia I am worried that after obtaining the degree there may be issues that lead me to have to sell my degree to potential employers since this school is most likely unheard of where I live. I do realize that it's up to me to know the material and show potential employers that I have the skill to do the specific job I am applying for but at the same time I am worried that the courses are not as in-depth as a traditional college due to the lack of accreditation through the ABET. I would rather not spend 40k and 4 years to find out that the degree I earned doesn't give a good return on my investment.

I have looked at other programs at various other online institutions and I am only interested in the computer science programs, not just the IT. However, I would love to hear any information concerning this school, even if it was a different program that you are currently taking or have completed. Also, I am willing to consider suggestions if anyone knows of a better computer science program offered online.

Thanks in advance.

[cklapka]

I would not let the lack of ABET accreditation be a deterrent to going the MSU. ABET is a great extra but many schools that have computer science programs are not ABET accredited. This is really only going to be a problem if you wish to get into a graduate program that requires an undergraduate degree from a ABET accredited school.

If you are concerned about selling the degree don't be. As you said, it is your knowledge you have to sell. To help with this I would suggest you create and maintain a portfolio of your work during the program to show off while interviewing. I would also suggest participating in an internship or co-op during your schooling to gather experience and enhance your resume.

MSU looks to have a good CS curriculum but I personally have no familiarity with the school. What are the other programs you have looked into? If I were starting my degree now, I would take a serious look at MSU's program.

[MSUCougar]

I received both my B.S. and masters degrees from MSU and I can honestly say I never encountered any problems during my time there. My wife is also a graduate and if you asked her she would probably second everything I've said.

My degrees are in criminal justice administration so I can't tell you anything about the CS or IT programs but I did take several IT classes taught by the head of the IT department (Jim Owston) and he was a great instructor. The good thing about MSU is that they offer over 250+ classes that can be taken through IS and I completed both my degrees completely at a distance.

As for the acceptability of a MSU degree I have had several great job offers based solely on my degree and I'm sure that I would not have any problem getting hired anywhere but right now I'm getting ready to start on my Ph.D.

I hope this has helped you out. Good luck in all your educational endeavors.

[scaredrain]

I received both my B.S. and masters degrees from MSU and I can honestly say I never encountered any problems during my time there. My wife is also a graduate and if you asked her she would probably second everything I've said.

My degrees are in criminal justice administration so I can't tell you anything about the CS or IT programs but I did take several IT classes taught by the head of the IT department (Jim Owston) and he was a great instructor. The good thing about MSU is that they offer over 250+ classes that can be taken through IS and I completed both my degrees completely at a distance.

As for the acceptability of a MSU degree I have had several great job offers based solely on my degree and I'm sure that I would not have any problem getting hired anywhere but right now I'm getting ready to start on my Ph.D.

I hope this has helped you out. Good luck in all your educational endeavors.

Hi, I was wondering where were you going to start your Ph.D. at?

[JD78]

Hey guys, sorry for the delayed response. Thank you for taking the time to address my concerns.

cklapka, I have looked into Franklin University (loan issues). Baker College, (which is one of the other institutions I have been strongly considering for the CS degree). Also California State University, Chico's CS program (they only accept students who have already completed their A.S. from my understanding). Thanks for the portfolio advice, I'll definitely do that.

I have done a bit more research and if I'm not mistaken it's more important for an engineer to make sure their program is accredited through the ABET since they will have to acquire a license. Since you do not need a license to practice computer science, I suppose the benefit of the ABET accreditation would show potential employers that the course work you did for your degree was up to par with current industry standards.

MSUCougar, thank you for your insight on MSU. I have looked around for previous student reviews but was only able to find a couple so I was unsure but that helps a lot. Good luck with your PH.D by the way.

[scaredrain]

Hey guys, sorry for the delayed response. Thank you for taking the time to address my concerns.

cklapka, I have looked into Franklin University (loan issues). Baker College, (which is one of the other institutions I have been strongly considering for the CS degree). Also California State University, Chico's CS program (they only accept students who have already completed their A.S. from my understanding). Thanks for the portfolio advice, I'll definitely do that.

I have done a bit more research and if I'm not mistaken it's more important for an engineer to make sure their program is accredited through the ABET since they will have to acquire a license. Since you do not need a license to practice computer science, I suppose the benefit of the ABET accreditation would show potential employers that the course work you did for your degree was up to par with current industry standards.

MSUCougar, thank you for your insight on MSU. I have looked around for previous student reviews but was only able to find a couple so I was unsure but that helps a lot. Good luck with your PH.D by the way.

If you are looking for some more online engineering programs, try NC State University, which is in my state of NC. UNC Charlotte also offers distance learning programs in engineering:

NC State Engineering programs:
http://engineeringonline.ncsu.edu/

UNC Charlotte Engineering programs:
http://www.distanceed.uncc.edu/programs/Engineering.aspx

[JD78]

Thanks, I'll take a look at those as well