Who hasn't spent some money on investing in themselves, so of course you can buy it. However, the experience and returns of this type of online course vary from person to person. In fact, if you have similar needs and budget, applying for an online master's degree from a foreign university and enjoying its professional and thoughtful localized services may be more suitable for busy professionals. Now, let's analyze the characteristics and target audience of online course platforms and foreign universities offering independent online master's degrees.
First, let's look at Coursera.
As one of the largest online course platforms in the world, Coursera is known for its wide range of courses.
Today, I randomly searched on it and found 2605 results for free courses alone. It covers a wide range of disciplines: personal development/health and medicine/natural sciences/humanities/social sciences/engineering/business/art and design/education and teaching, you name it.
For example, during the pandemic, the local yoga studio closed, and I was overwhelmed by the countless yoga and meditation apps on the Apple Store, not knowing where to start.
So, I had a brilliant idea and searched for Yoga and Meditation on Coursera. It was easy for me to choose free courses based on ratings and the universities offering them: The Science of Well-Being from Yale University.
To supplement my yoga practice, I also chose Introduction to Yoga and Physiology from New York University. Although this is a paid course, skipping a few good meals for a month can save a few hundred dollars, not to mention the online "money-saving" assistance.
To put it simply, these are just for fun.
I don't need an application skill to level up in the company, nor do I need a fancy diploma to switch careers. So, following Coursera's videos to practice listening and speaking, learning from professionals at prestigious universities, deepening my understanding of yoga, is truly a rare experience.
However, Coursera has a significant problem, which is the poor local user experience.
This is because according to Chinese laws and regulations, overseas entities cannot directly operate higher education institutions targeting China. Therefore, platforms like Coursera cannot provide localized services and the user experience is not satisfactory.
Imagine this: after working hard in the workplace for a few years and saving some money, you eagerly spent thousands of dollars on a master's course on Coursera, thinking that you got a ticket to a prestigious university, how lucky you are.
But then you find out that the subtitles in the course are automatically generated; the discussion community is filled with students from all over the world, not only across time zones but also on completely different wavelengths; and the communication and feedback between professors and students are even more lacking...
And you, who are used to patient and enthusiastic teaching assistants in China, suddenly start to miss your alma mater with a familiar and friendly teaching and research team.
In summary, Coursera is suitable for two situations:
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Learning some scattered courses out of curiosity and thirst for knowledge, spending a few hundred dollars intermittently for a month, which is more expensive than attending certain book clubs or workshops, but the knowledge is more solid and systematic.
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For those with strong English and self-learning abilities, who can navigate the world of online courses on their own.
So, what about foreign universities offering online master's programs with thoughtful localized services?
Let's take an example of an online master's program:
The Computer Science Master's program from Stevens Institute of Technology, one of the top four engineering schools in the United States with a long history!
Although the program is called online, you can switch to full-time on-campus study with an F1 visa and get a 3-year STEM OPT to work in the United States. Moreover, the final degree certificate is exactly the same as the one obtained through full-time on-campus study, without any difference in online or part-time.
You can also obtain formal academic credentials such as The Hague Apostille, WES certification, and embassy certification. It is recognized for job applications in foreign companies or in the Hong Kong and Macau regions of China.
It also has the following features:
Ranked in the top 80 overall and top 10 in computer science in the United States
Tuition for the computer science master's program is under $120,000
The school is located near New York City, only a 10-minute drive to Manhattan
The median salary of graduates ranks 7th in the United States
The official website shows a tuition fee of about $56,000, which is equivalent to approximately 400,000 RMB when applying in the United States. However, by applying for the online master's program in the Chinese region, the tuition can be reduced to $16,500, which is less than $120,000, and there is no need to take the TOEFL, IELTS, or GRE exams.
This information gap, while few people in China know about it, can be quickly taken advantage of. After all, tuition fees at American universities increase every year, and those who are familiar with it are no longer surprised.
Nowadays, everything emphasizes cost-effectiveness. After all, whether you are looking for a cheap program or expecting a return on investment, the Stevens Institute of Technology is higher than top 100 universities in terms of both. In addition to cost-effectiveness, studying computer science also requires professional competence. The online master's program at Stevens Institute of Technology offers two directions in the field of computer science: Master of Computer Science (MSCS), which can be started from scratch, and Master of Data Science (MSDS), which is more math-oriented and includes more AI-related courses such as probability, statistical methods, data science optimization, machine learning, deep learning, generative AI, time series analysis, big data, network mining, and NLP. Depending on individual interests and career development directions, you can choose the corresponding program.
When we immerse ourselves in this environment with inclusive prices and more humane admission requirements, constantly communicate and provide positive feedback, and become part of this environment, congratulations, you are walking on a winding but bright path of self-realization with everyone else.
With such excellent alumni leading the way, other students can also join this program and alumni community more actively and confidently.
And there are more programs that can provide these services, not just the Stevens Institute of Technology. Northern Arizona University also offers a perfect and efficient online computer science master's program.
This American public university with a history of a hundred years is ranked among the top 500 in the world by Times Higher Education.
The program is self-paced and does not require exams.
The tuition for the Master of Computer Science program is over $80,000, and the Master of Computer Information Technology program is over $50,000.
Prominent alumni include Bill Gates, Vice President Kamala Harris, and "Oracle of Omaha" Warren Buffett, who have all given speeches at the university.
This university is Northern Arizona University (NAU), a well-known comprehensive public flagship university in the United States with a hundred years of history.
Although it is a fully online program, the final degree certificate is exactly the same as the one obtained through full-time on-campus study, without any difference in online or part-time.