phd after omsa

Georgia Tech OMS Analytics Review: [How It Really Went] 

• February 22, 2024

Georgia Tech’s online Masters in Analytics (OMSA) has been getting a lot of buzz lately (no pun intended).

In May of 2022, I graduated from Georgia Tech’s Online Analytics Program (OMSA) with a GPA of around 3.5.

Here’s me with my degree! (and my GT sweater)

In this blog post, I’ll share my real experiences with the program – both the good and the bad.

While there is a ton more below, the tdlr is that Georgia Tech’s Online Master’s of Analytics was career-changing and worth every penny I invested into that degree.

A Little About Me

I attended OMSA from 2020-2022, right after finishing my degree in industrial engineering from The University of Central Florida (I didn’t even take a break!!).

I applied while doing an internship program at a company called Lockheed Martin, where I was playing around with analytics and some coding.

I still remember getting that Georgia Tech acceptance email.

Read more about my background here .

Why I Went To Georgia Tech And Did A Masters In Analytics (OMSA)

There were three primary reasons I chose to attend Georgia Tech for my master’s in analytics.

Georgia Tech’s brand name carries a lot of weight in any STEM-related discipline, and data science and machine learning are no different.

When employers see that you’ve graduated from Georgia Tech, they know you’ve been rigorously trained by some of the best professors in the world.

Georgia Tech has strong industry and academic partnerships, and at the time of applying, I had yet to decide if I wanted to continue and get my Ph.D. (Spoiler: I decided not to get a Ph.D.).

Secondly, and this is probably one of the reasons you’re reading this, I had difficulty getting interviews for data science roles.

I had applied to HUNDREDS of jobs but wasn’t getting any bites.

I decided that a Masters’s degree would give me the extra boost I needed to stand out from the competition.

(I got an interview and job offer in my first semester at Georgia Tech).

Lastly, I only had a little money after graduating from college.

Georgia Tech’s relatively low tuition prices made it an affordable and obvious option for me.

My Experience At Georgia Tech Doing A Masters In Analytics

To break down my experiences, I’ll go over what I loved, what I thought could have been better, and what I didn’t like.

What I loved

The Freedom.

Seriously, with how the classes were set up, you could do your homework, tests, and lectures any time of the day.

Since everything is recorded and video-based, you do this masters when you want, on your time.

Being a night owl, this was great for me, as it allowed me to watch a couple of lectures before bed or take a test at 1:00 in the morning.

One of my biggest complaints during undergrad was attending a lecture (nobody wanted to participate in) at 8:00 AM!!

Secondly, you could pick multiple paths within the degree with different difficulty levels.

I did the computational data analytics path, which was known to be the hardest.

Finally, the school spirit and the pedigree of the other students.

There was just something inside Georgia Tech that was kind of… inspiring?

Being around some of the brightest minds motivated me every single day to be a bit better.

In nearly every lecture, professors spoke about how lucky everyone was to be here learning with some of the brightest minds in the world.

What Could Have Been Better

I often found the lecture materials to be outdated and not particularly helpful.

By the end of my degree, I relied heavily on YouTube for educational content.

It can be challenging to keep up with the latest trends in any field, but it would have been helpful if the lectures had been more current and less math-heavy.

Many lectures felt slightly dry and unengaging.

It would have helped if some of the classes were more code based instead of power points.

Overall, I wasn’t thrilled with the quality of the lecture materials and found myself turning to other sources for information most of the time.

What I Disliked

When I started at Georgia Tech, I was excited to learn about the different theories and concepts behind analytics and data science.

While they hammered those topics (to the ground), I quickly realized there needed more emphasis on practical applications .

For example, we spent a lot of time learning about algorithms and statistical applications but only a little time implementing them.

As a result, when working as a full-time data scientist , there needed to be more clarity between what I learned and what I was doing.

Also, I was surprised that there wasn’t more emphasis on MLOPS and data pipelines .

These are essential skills for many analytical jobs, but they were barely mentioned in my classes.

Overall, I loved learning at Georgia Tech, but I wish there had been more focus on practical applications and MLOPS (Machine Learning Operations).

Why I Picked OMSA over OMSCS at Georgia Tech

I picked OMSA over OMSCS (Online Masters of Computer Science) because…  I made the wrong choice.

While everything worked out, the analytics degree lacked computing fundamentals, which are the core of most higher-end data science and machine learning jobs.

The market agrees; OMSA’s graduation salary in 2021 was around $103,835 ( Source ), while OMSCS has a 2021 median salary of about $120,000+.

If I could go back, I’d choose OMSCS over OMSA, as my goal was to be a machine learning engineer emphasizing production infrastructure.

I just self-taught myself servers and MLOPS, and I’m doing fine today.

If my end goal was to work purely in statistics as a data scientist or data analyst, I think the analytics master’s would have been perfect.

Is Georgia Tech’s Online Masters In Analytics Worth Your Time And Money?

Georgia Techs Online Masters In Analytics Is worth every single penny I spent.

Not only did it give me a career change after just one semester, but it also elevated my career to new heights.

I did the program while working full-time, taking two classes a semester and finishing in two years.

The degree paid off way before graduation, and with a $10,000 price tag (that your employer will probably pay for), I wonder why everyone isn’t trying to get in.

Tips For Starting Georgia Techs Online Masters In Analytics

• Join the slack group.
• Go to office hours if you don’t understand concepts (or use YouTube).
• Code everything in Python and Javascript, ignoring other languages.
• Extend code from projects (like a web app) for pseudo work experience (put on resume).
• Don’t take simulation or the database class over the summer……
• Take two classes a semester. Yes, it’s a lot of work, and yes, it’s worth it.

My Stats When Applying To Georgia Tech Online Master in Analytics

• 3.5 Industrial Engineering GPA
• 2 Year Co-Op at Fortune 500 Company

Yeah, that’s it.

I was in my final semester of undergrad when I was applying, so all I had was my internship and my GPA.

Luckily, Georgia Tech decided to give me a chance, and I didn’t waste it.

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Analytics — Online Degree (MS)

About the online master's in analytics.

The Online Master of Science in Analytics program is a fully online degree program that provides the same world-class instruction in statistics, operations research, computing, and business as is offered on campus.

OMS Analytics is designed to be completed in one to two years and provides great flexibility for working professionals who wish to advance their skills without putting their career on hold.

On-Campus Degree

The one-year Master's of Science in Analytics is an interdisciplinary degree program that leverages the strengths of Georgia Tech in statistics, operations research, computing, and business. All classes are held on campus.

Analytics (MS)

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James Kerti

JamesKerti.com

Why I joined and left OMSCS at Georgia Tech

August 2, 2019 By James Kerti

Note added 2 August 2019

Two years ago I published this rather long post describing my experience in the OMSCS program at Georgia Tech. As I wrote it on my personal blog, which has few regular readers, I did not anticipate that one day this post would show up on the first page of Google searches for OMSCS.

I’m leaving this post up but I want to be clear that it reflects my personal experience in the program more than two years ago.

While I left due to OMSCS not being the right fit for me, I would in general recommend the program to someone looking to further their career and computer science education.

I spent the recent fall and spring semesters enrolled in the Online Master of Science, Computer Science (OMSCS) program at Georgia Tech . I decided near the end of the second semester that the program and I weren’t the right fit for one another.

I made the decision to withdraw.

I hope to provide some helpful information for anyone considering the program and wondering whether it fits their goals. Before I get into discussing that decision and the program in general, I want to share a little more about my background in this area.

I graduated from Villanova University in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I found employment at a few software jobs before and after graduation. For the last several years, I worked as a freelance web developer.

My interest and background in sports pushed me in the direction of research and analysis. Some exposure to the world of data science made me realize I had real interest in studying it.

After teaching myself some of the basics using books and online resources, I felt like a more formal education in the subject could be quite valuable — both as a tool for structured, accelerated learning and for the sake of having the credential.

During my research I came across the OMSCS program, which seemed like a dream come true.

Roughly $7,000 for a genuine Master’s degree.

Learn from the real professors and university resources at one of the top computer science schools in the country.

Get in on the cutting edge of something refreshing and forward-thinking in education.

So I applied. And I got in.

(One thing I want to reflect on real quick — when I enrolled in undergrad at Villanova, I was an 18-year-old who was doing what he thought he was supposed to do — go to college, get the piece of paper. The education part of it didn’t linger much in my mind. I reversed my priorities this time around. Learning mattered more to me than the credential.)

Before I talk about my experience as a student, I want to say a couple things about my feelings toward the program in general after having left it:

• I really appreciate what they’re trying to do. The partnership with Udacity represents a step forward for education in general. Their effort to make the program affordable also goes a long way to opening up opportunities for people to learn and advance their careers.
• The professors are the real deal. I didn’t feel like there was any downgrade in instructor expertise compared to in-person classes.
• I feel grateful I enrolled. I performed well academically, “met” interesting people, and had a positive experience overall. More on this near the end.

I also want to make it clear that I can only share my personal experience here. I only enrolled for two semesters. Other courses might be different. Your mileage with the program may vary.

The basic structure works like this.

1) Udacity hosts the standard lecture videos for the class. Lectures often include (ungraded) quiz questions throughout to encourage you to pay attention and understand the material as you watch the lecture. (You can actually watch these lectures without enrolling. Go ahead and sample them yourself to get an idea of what to expect.)

2) Piazza serves as the online discussion board for the class. The students, TAs, and instructor use it as a primary tool for communication regarding questions and assignments.

3) T-Square hosts assignment instructions and other downloadable resources, usually PDFs. It also serves as a portal for submitting your work.

4) Exams are proctored using ProctorTrack. Basically you set up a webcam and microphone in a quiet space. You have a specified amount of time — 90 minutes, two hours, etc. — to complete the exam during what usually amounts to a three-day Friday through Sunday window. Any time during those three days, you can choose to sit down and take your exam. It’s like an in-person exam otherwise — don’t talk, don’t get up, don’t look around like you’re trying to cheat.

5) Most things happen on a weekly basis. Students have lectures to watch, material to read, homework to do each week. The exact days and times during the week they choose to do those things is up to them. Aside from scheduled optional office hours, there’s no need to be anywhere at a specific time. It works pretty well around your schedule.

That structure works fine. While some students occasionally shared problems they had with the software, I never had any issues.

(I’ll concede that experiencing software issues while trying to take an exam must be really stressful. There were some meltdowns and freakouts on the discussion board. I feel grateful to not have encountered any issues myself.)

While the software and basic structure worked pretty well, some challenges came up pretty consistently across the courses I took.

The pre-recorded nature of the lectures gives them the advantage of polish and convenient access for the students. No need to be in classroom at a particular day or time. Go through them at your own pace. Good things.

However, in the classes I took, the lectures were created by someone other than the current instructor. This disconnect brought a couple challenges.

The current instructor had his own perspective about what he wanted to cover in the course — and in what order to present. Instead of going through the lectures in the order in which they appeared in Udacity, students went through them in a different order that fit the current instructor’s plans for the curriculum.

Sometimes it caused confusion. It became more difficult to track our weekly schedule. Covering pre-recorded material in a different order than its creator intended left gaps in understanding.

One instructor created additional supplemental content which he posted on YouTube to cover things not in the original lectures. While this content provided extra value, it also obscured what we were expected to be watching and learning each week.

The situation also meant the current instructor lacked the level of intimate familiarity with the lectures (and included quizzes) that the original creator surely had.

It sometimes meant the instructor expected us to use a specific method or go about solving a problem in a particular way that differed from what the lecture creator presented. This disconnect caused confusion and miscommunications and created extra work for everyone involved.

Miscommmunication and confusion.

I felt like those two characteristics appeared among the most consistent themes of the program for me.

It felt like students frequently lost important information in translation on the online discussion board compared to what could have been more easily communicated and clarified in-person. The highly technical nature of the computer science material surely contributed.

Teaching assistants and instructors frequently answered student questions on the discussion board in ways that failed to provide the necessary amount of clarity.

Sometimes their responses even caused more confusion than previously existed.

I could share several stories, but one incident sticks with me most.

A student asked a question about a challenging homework problem we faced.

She wanted to know what level of detail the instructor expected us to go into in solving a problem. Did we have to do the entire thing by hand in great detail, or was using a shorter, known method we learned in the lecture sufficient?

This question represented a big deal because solving the problem by hand involved using fairly advanced calculus many students had not taken in years (or at all). Furthermore, this class did not list such calculus as a prerequisite.

(I’ll note at this point that this type of situation became very common in this class. Vaguely worded assignments left students guessing. The instructor, for reasons I did not understand, did not engage with students in addressing these concerns, instead opting to let students figure it out for themselves, docking points after the fact if students didn’t read the instructor’s mind.)

A TA responded that no, students could not use the shorter method and must use the calculus.

Meanwhile, the instructor himself remained silent.

Cue a panic as students started desperately trying to learn the necessary calculus while figuring out how to do the rest of the assignment.

The instructor then appeared in an office hours session three days later to say that no, in fact the rigorous method involving the calculus was not necessary, and the shorter version would be perfectly sufficient.

But then … oh no.

A few days later, in his weekly update on the discussion board, the instructor acknowledged the confusion and asserted that — yes — in fact the rigorous version involving the calculus would be necessary.

This 360-degree circle of confusion spread over an entire week spent trying to simply understand in what way to answer the first question, on whose solution the other five questions depended.

This story offers one of the more extreme but representative examples of the type of miscommunication that plagued the classes I took.

I often felt like I spent vastly more time trying to resolve these gaps in communication than actually learning the material. I found this balance to be incredibly frustrating at times.

Because I never had an experience like this one in my in-person undergraduate and graduate studies at Villanova, I can’t help but wonder if the frequency and magnitude of these challenges uniquely exists in an online program

Now I’ll repeat what I said earlier about my intention in joining OMSCS:

“I felt like a more formal education in the subject could be quite valuable, both as a tool for structured, accelerated learning and for the sake of having the credential.”

It seemed to me that I spent a fairly small portion of my weekly education time and energy on learning the content through the provided materials.

Instead, I spent the bulk of my time trying to:

1) Do extra learning on my own, hunting down other resources, to resolve gaps and incongruencies between the original created lecture material and the current instructor’s expectations. At times I watched several hours of video on YouTube and non-OMSCS MOOCs to clarify outstanding questions about four minutes of an OMSCS lecture I watched.

2) Resolve communication difficulties so I could make sure I learned the right things and completed assignments properly.

I felt like too much of a disappointing gap existed between the progress I made in learning the material and the speed at which I hoped to learn.

So I decided to leave the program because we weren’t the right fit for one another.

I’ve been continuing to do a lot of independent learning on my own. I feel like I’m learning more efficiently and effectively in this way.

As someone who’s already been working as a freelancer for several years, the credential doesn’t mean as much to me as it might to someone else.

The program probably is a good fit for someone who:

1) Feels more comfortable learning in an environment that provides a structured curriculum with an instructor.

2) Craves an introduction to interesting ideas and material in computer science to which they might not otherwise have an encounter.

3) Recognizes that earning the degree would bring a lot of extra value to their career.

I hope this post provides some value and guidance to someone exploring the program and wondering whether it is the right fit for him or her.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me .

Digital strategist and systems specialist, poet, former basketball scout, technically a politician.

Reader Interactions

November 22, 2018 at 7:10 am

Thanks for your post. It provides me with quite a lot information about this program.

I am living in China and graduated from Chinese top university with major in Mechanical Engineering. Despite my major, I have been working as a server software engineer for near three years at Tencent. I am trying to know more about this program, your post truly helps.

December 11, 2018 at 10:31 am

Hello James,

It sounds like the class you had difficulty with was Data Visualization and Analytics (DVA). I was in the class that same semester. It was easily the worst class I took in the program, and I ended up withdrawing from it. I am sorry you had to endure that.

I can assure you that the vast majority of the classes are handled much better than DVA (with some exceptions). I’m about to graduate this month, and I am very pleased with the quality of 9/10 of the courses that I completed.

December 11, 2018 at 12:05 pm

You are correct. No, it did not make for a good experience.

I’m glad to hear your experience on the whole was better. Congrats on being on the verge of graduating!

May 6, 2019 at 3:29 am

Great post James! Appreciate the time you have taken to write this!

July 4, 2019 at 7:56 pm

Thank you James Kreti. This post is a great help to me.

August 1, 2019 at 12:13 pm

Just a quick update two years on for anyone curious: this course was actually completely re-done from scratch not long after that semester, based in part on the feedback we received.

-David, person who works on the program 🙂

August 5, 2019 at 4:35 am

Prof. Jonyer, I really love how you take care of such details and try to answer all posta

and to share my experience I took 2 courses till now and they were very good (other than some small technical issues in the 2nd course)

overall I think such program gives us the chance to get a degree also learn the right way

so for me its better than MOOCs and Online courses ..etc (I also take alot of online courses) and i actually do think online courses are very good thing, but they are not as good as having someone in person to guide you

October 17, 2019 at 7:51 pm

Wow, I like your course for the Python!

October 11, 2019 at 8:00 pm

I am sorry to hear about your bad experience. Your feedback made the class better! So, thank you for the feedback!

I took the remade DVA by Dr. David Joyner and loved it. I learned the derivation of logistic regression. The calculus bit wasn’t too bad. I graduated from GT and had good experience with 1o of the classes I took (Most of the classes I took were related to ML/AI and Computational Perception).

I am happy you found a better learning method. I wish you all the best in your continuing learning!

February 22, 2020 at 4:24 am

I also quit the program. Before starting the program, I wrote a personal plan about what classes I would like to take. In my first semester, I got the class I wanted which was Computational Photography. In my second semester, NONE of the classes that I wanted were available. I started panicking: ALL the classes available were not in my plan. It had only “Advanced …”, or classes that I’ve never heard about before. I was waitlisted to one class that I would love to take and my position was #836 lol. End of story: I did not take this class. So, I took one class that I would be more familiar with… KBAI. I know it has the word AI, but not related to AI you saw in undergrad. I know It’s my fault, but when I’m not interested in something, I don’t put effort into it. I feel it’s a waste of time, energy, etc. I work fulltime and I really enjoy my job. Every time I was home, I was feeling very tired just to think of this class. So, I decided to quit.

March 20, 2020 at 12:14 pm

Like some here, I spent a lot of time doing extra learning on my own in order to complete homework and assignments because the course material was insufficient. Some courses were a normal graduate workload of about 3-4 hours per week per credit. Others were ridiculous 20-30 hours per week for 1 class. I couldn’t take it anymore and I quit the program after 5 of 10 courses. I have a full time job and kids who missed their mom. I gained 30 pounds from the stress and sitting still. I really wish I could have finished. It bothers me to not finish. I also experienced big problems getting the classes I wanted. KBAI was a total waste of time and was the straw that broke this camel’s back.

May 5, 2020 at 3:49 am

Fun. There are probably 4-5 courses in the program that are not available after you’ve taken 1 class. You either (a) missed your time ticket for registering, (b) cannot endure sitting some time on the wait list, (c) had severe misunderstanding about how the system works. Either way, it’s hard to blame the program for that. P.S. KBAI is a trash course though, I agree.

July 1, 2020 at 3:02 pm

I just finished my first semester at GT, and I was in the wait list. I din’t get in until 2 days before register end. OMG!! After finished my semester I was feel very tired want to take a break. A lot of work load but fun with my team work. I hope I able to get in to class that my list on my second semester.

June 4, 2020 at 6:53 am

James, Thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping this post up! While I have been battling the Georgia Tech administration for the past 20 months to be able to continue in OMSCS, it has been infinitely reassuring to see that there’s at least one other poor slob out there who couldn’t read the TA’s mind.

You were wise to get out after two semesters. I stayed in for 5 semesters, until they finally succeeded in kicking me out over an exam issue that was not my fault.

My blog is coming next. I don’t have the URL yet, but the title will be: “One Woman’s Nightmare in the Georgia Tech OMSCS Program” Please keep an eye out for it!

June 26, 2020 at 2:59 pm

Some TA’s are really good but some are mediocre and its really hard to get the problems regraded even though we gave them right answers. I chose and left the program only because of poor grading structure and huge class sizes becomes impossible for professors to respond in timely manner. If we lose a point , TA is clue less and there is no way to talk to professors or head TA. If we argue there is a way our work will be flagged and i feel this is a key aspect in grading assignments and will be left out at their mercy. I feel in general its ook but there needs lot of improvement on grading and providing efficient feedback .

June 30, 2020 at 9:12 am

I am into my second semester of CS and I am convinced OMS is just a money factory for GATech and little to no academic oversight.

James I will say that the professors or teachers so far are non existent.. On two classes by W Lee not once he has responded to students with anything meaningful. You many know or be an expert on a particular subject, but that does not make you a teacher or professor!

TA’s here are the “professors here, they run the class and bully everyone. The current CS-6262 is the worse class I have seen in my life. The projects are poorly written, have errors, omissions and TA’s (Muktar) response it to ask in Piazza. Why can the fix the damn documentation?

Being a networking class, it is heavily loaded into web development and it should not be the case. There is a world out there for network security and chasing a malware/bots is not something exotic or that I can use at work today.

I am a paying student and should not have to ask or beg to get the proper documentation, references and resources for a project.

Everyone has personal experiences and opinions so for me personally, I did not join GATech to buy a masters for $9K or needed to “fuel” my career and make more money.

I get paid pretty darn well and this degree will not make a dime of difference. Instead, I expected to learn something for myself and be treated professionally. I have to say I am really disappointed.

Anyone reading https://omscentral.com reviews?

I am giving it a try for one more semester, but if this continues I will drop too.

September 8, 2020 at 6:52 am

This was quite insightful. Really appreciate it! As a matter of fact I was thinking to enroll to this course nay program. One thing I am worried about is when people in the comments saying that they did not get their preferred course, is there anyway to prevent this?

November 20, 2020 at 7:06 pm

I’m with you there. Coming from WGU that was never an issue. I don’t want to take courses because I have no other choice aside from wasting time until I can take the ones that are of interest; or worse, that must be taken.

September 13, 2020 at 11:26 pm

Was Just accepted to the OMSCS. Slightly concerned reading these posts. I have a CS undergrad and engineering undergrad but have been away from programing and calculus for over 20 years. Worked in Energy Engineering (power plants) not programming. Starting in jan and I am considering taking a C or C++ online class in coursera or jetbrians now to at least prep for coding have not taken a C programming class in over 20 years. If I accept the offer definitely doing one class at a time to minimize the difficulties and challenges here. I work full time but flexible schedule have the 20 hours a week to dedicate. Any thoughts?

September 14, 2020 at 8:36 am

I wrote this post years ago. I wouldn’t suggest it’s currently an accurate assessment of what to expect in the program. That being said, trying one class to start with sounds prudent if you’re working full-time and want to get settled in.

February 2, 2021 at 2:51 pm

No it’s quite accurate. And I would say it’s gotten worst. The course are TA driven and the head instructor is a former graduate of OMCS. Yes, the “canned” course on Udacity are Professors, but courses are now heavily led by and polices are set by former OMCS graduates. Disorganization and poor communication are still true. But most troublesome is the hypervigilance on student’s cheating. It is so intense that students don’t even want to talk to each other about ANYTHING. And these OMCS graduate instructors make no bones about communicating that someone was “caught”. It is used to further intimidate. There is no way they are this vigilant to students on campus. This will most likely be my last semester.

January 24, 2021 at 5:38 pm

Most courses are in python. I had not done any python before I started. Learned along the way. You’ll be ok, especially if you can devote 20 hours a week. Would recommend doing only one course a semester. Good for your confidence and will get you into it. I’m working on my 9th course now.

September 19, 2020 at 7:03 am

Thanks for your candidness. Villanova grad here as well, mathematics. I wasn’t as successful as you careerwise with math having very little practical application to the working world. I’ve been trapped at the bottom of the world of administration in the finance industry, lacking whatever personality trait is needed to climb the corporate business ladder. In hopes of moving to the more technical side of things where I belong, I enrolled in the CIS/Data Analytics program at BU. I attend on campus and the structure is very similar to what you described here. The core classes have tests made by the university which are checked by a computer, the instructors have no idea what is on the test, they lecture material they would like you to learn, and the TA’s grade the homework and are the only people you can reach out to for help. This is not the case for some of the electives, but in some classes they pretty much throw a book at you to teach yourself. I’m wondering if this is the overall mentality for graduate school where you aren’t expected to be spoon fed, or just the format for bigger universities in general. I have tuition reimbursement and was looking to do the OMSCS or OMSA after my current program to keep my skills sharp, it’s good to know to expect more of the same.

February 2, 2021 at 2:53 pm

You probably will not find a OMSCS program for $10,000 any where. It’s dirt cheap. But if you can find a way to work for a company and have them pay for your studies, you are much better off w/ traditional campus program or a hybrid program.

May 1, 2021 at 8:54 am

I know this article is a few years old but I wanted to ask if students in the online program could pursue research opportunities/write a research thesis?

That’s one of my chief priorities in pursuing a Master’s degree, as I want to use it to obtain research experience that I could use to get into a PhD program, as I currently lack any.

May 19, 2021 at 5:36 am

I was an undergraduate in the College of Engineering studying computer engineering at Georgia Tech from Fall 2020 – Spring 2021. Prior to GT, I had been to 7 higher-education institutions prior to GT; I moved a lot for work. GT was the only school where I had the hardest time connecting to a community and resources on campus for academic and professional enrichment and opportunities. I transferred to Cornell University and start there this upcoming Fall.

I’m not sure that Cornell will be better. I thought about applying to OMSCS program at GT, but if all of you are having the same problems I did during my undergrad at GT I think I better look elsewhere.

December 23, 2021 at 4:09 pm

I have completed 7 classes in the program. This is the OMSCS experience. It requires tons of self-learning and attention to detail. Almost all OMSCS classes offer high-level lectures and rigorous, graduate-level technical assignments. The real learning happens while grinding through the projects, which is consistent with Georgia Tech’s overall teaching philosophy.

At this scale, there’s definitely some overreliance on autograders and lack of grading flexibility. Minor issues with incorrect or ambiguous assignment instructions are, unfortunately, somewhat common. That’s the nature of school, especially online without synchronous opportunities to get clarifications. The good news is the unofficial online OMSCS communities have tons of information about the classes and literally hundreds of reviews, so you can easily avoid the problematic classes if you can’t tolerate some improvisation.

For posterity: a semester with 1 class currently costs $841, so a pace of 1 class per semester would be $8,410 total. The overall cost is slightly less for multiple classes in a semester.

June 1, 2022 at 1:27 am

I’ve earned two masters already.

Currently working on a doctorate degree.

I tried out the OMSCS to work toward a third master’s for one semester (a terrible idea and regrets for sure). They work as a business more or less than a Student’s self-interest to learn. There is no interface with the professor and seemed neglected, nor do they email you back. They do not promote interfacing with other students. You can easily get accused of false-positive or petty academic misconduct which can lead to an easy F or sanction from the OSI organization which is end-of-itself is very disorganized. I’ve read horror stories about these experiences. You will not be able to recover from this in graduate school. They do not replace grades but average them out.

Worst experience in my life after attending college for +10 years. I personally think it was a waste of time and money.

I don’t know how GT’s Computer Science is even ranked in the top tier. I believe it will get devalued over time due to the high quantity of MS CS degrees being handed out like candy at cheap prices. Plus the courses are self-taught by modules and typical exams that are proctored by a third party interface (they don’t want to do the work, but collect money like an education monopoly). Basically monopolizing off of their prestige and ranking. Not the greatest practice in my opinion. It felt like more of an undergraduate experience for me than anything else.

If I get asked if I would go back and attend GT OMSCS.

My answer is absolutely NOT.

To each their own experiences. And I expect professionalism and they did not offer that to me with basic standards.

August 3, 2022 at 12:58 pm

Some of these points are valid. Professor absenteeism happens in many classes. Thankfully, most of the TA teams have rock-solid leaders. The program does not provide direct professor interaction unless you seek out an independent project or research.

OSI violations are somewhat common but usually egregious. I say this as someone who has worked as a TA and talked to TAs from other classes. I haven’t heard any anecdotes of legitimate false-positive OSI violations. Unfortunately, aggressive plagiarism becomes a necessary evil when at least 1 cheating attempt is statistically inevitable in every class. The program has motivated a ton of plagiarism research at Georgia Tech.

“I don’t know how GT’s Computer Science is even ranked in the top tier. I believe it will get devalued over time due to the high quantity of MS CS degrees being handed out like candy at cheap prices.”

No evidence exists for this tired refrain based on foolish correlations: nobody is criticizing Berkeley with >1,300 CS graduates per year and nobody is praising University of Richmond’s >$200k CS degree. The US News ranking for the GT MSCS program has improved from #8 to #6 since OMSCS began.

OMSCS is a trailblazer, not a monopoly. UT Austin and UIUC host competing programs with similar objectives (fully online, discounted price, non-thesis). If you want something more exclusive and personalized, you could pay tens of thousands of dollars to the online programs at Johns Hopkins or Stanford for that privilege.

I understand you’re frustrated and the program wasn’t a good fit for you, but that doesn’t justify baseless accusations.

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Requirements for the Doctoral Degree

The Doctoral Degree Admission to Candidacy Comprehensive Exams Thesis Topic Time Limit for Degree Completion Dissertation Doctoral Examination Minor Field of Study Other Requirements Enrollment Requirements Additional Graduation Requirements Responsible Conduct for Research (RCR)

The Doctoral Degree

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy recognizes demonstrated proficiency and high achievement in research. After adequate preparation, the candidate must successfully complete both comprehensive examinations in their academic field and a searching and authoritative investigation of a special area in the chosen field, culminating in a written dissertation. The program of study for each doctoral degree program must include, at a minimum, 30 approved credit hours.

Admission to Candidacy

Doctoral students customarily apply for degree candidacy after completing at least three semesters of coursework beyond the bachelor's degree.

To qualify for candidacy, students must do the following:

• Complete the requirements for training in Responsible Conduct for Research (RCR) .
• Complete all course requirements (except the minor).
• Achieve a satisfactory scholastic record.
• Pass the comprehensive examination.
• Submit a formal statement naming the dissertation reading committee and delineating the research topic for approval to the school chair and Graduate Education (on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education).

Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements, the Office of Graduate Education will formally admit the applicant to candidacy for the degree on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development.

Comprehensive Exams

The comprehensive examination assesses both general knowledge of the degree area and specialized knowledge of the student's chosen research field. Each program is responsible for scheduling comprehensive examinations at least once a year and for providing students information regarding exam formats, rules, and scope. Exam retakes are to occur no later than the end of the student’s second full term (Fall, Spring, or Summer) in residence following the failed attempt.

Thesis Topic

Before a student becomes a candidate, they should present a formal statement for the approval of the school chair or college dean and Graduate Education that outlines the student's dissertation advisor, the topic selected for investigation, the objectives, and the steps by which the student proposes to achieve them. (Note that individual programs may have additional requirements for approving the dissertation prospectus or proposal before approval by the chair/dean and Graduate Education.) The dissertation topic must give promise of being either a genuine addition to the fundamental knowledge of the field or a new and better interpretation of facts already known.

Time Limit for Degree Completion

Students must complete all degree requirements within seven years from the end of the term in which they pass the comprehensive examination.

Dissertation

The dissertation must demonstrate that the candidate possesses powers of original thought, talent for research, and ability to organize and present findings. Resources such as the Thesis and Dissertation Manual, deadlines, checklist, and templates are found in the Thesis & Dissertation website . Dissertations must be submitted electronically via the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation link available on that resource site.

The format of the dissertation (in general appearance) must meet the criteria published in the Thesis and Dissertation Manual. For other format or style questions, students should refer to style manuals appropriate to their disciplines.

Doctoral Examination

If the dissertation advisory committee finds the dissertation satisfactory, it schedules the candidate for an oral examination on the subject matter of the dissertation and the field in which it lies. An examining committee approved by Graduate Studies on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education will conduct the examination. The candidate's academic unit should forward the announcement of the oral examination, including the names of the examining committee members, to Graduate Education at least 10 working days prior to the exam.

If a candidate should fail to pass the final oral examination, the examining committee may recommend permission for one additional examination. In the case of failure, the Registrar does not receive a report of the examination results.

Minor Field of Study

In addition to an adequate knowledge of the major field of intended research, the student must demonstrate mastery of another smaller body of knowledge—the minor field—preferably outside the student's school. The purpose of the minor is to encourage a wider interest on the part of the student and can include topics that will help them in their research or those that will allow them to explore and prepare for their future careers.

The minor will normally consist of at least six semester hours of work in related courses, selected by the student in consultation with a guidance committee and approved by the Graduate Education (on behalf of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education). These courses should be at the 6000 level or above, but the use of certain 4000 level courses may also be approved. The student must receive a letter grade of C or higher for a course to count towards the doctoral minor. (Courses that are taken as pass/fail are not eligible to count toward the doctoral minor). Courses taken at other institutions may be included in the minor. Once the student has satisfactorily completed the minor, the school chair will send a confirmation, accompanied by course grades, to Graduate Studies for final approval and recording.

Although the student need not complete the minor as a prerequisite to become a candidate, the minor must be completed and approved in order to be cleared for graduation.

Other Requirements

Enrollment requirements.

The matriculation requirements for doctoral students are similar to those outlined for the master's degree with the addition of the residency requirement: doctoral students should spend at least one full-time semester in residence at Georgia Tech and should conduct research for their dissertation while in residence. Under special circumstances, candidates may receive permission to pursue their research in absentia, provided the chair of the appropriate school approves and a Georgia Tech faculty member directs the project. Although doctoral students working full-time on thesis research should normally be registered for a full course load of 9000-level dissertation hours each semester, this requirement is at the discretion of the advisor and the department. No minimum number of 9000-level dissertation hours is required for the doctoral degree. Doctoral students must be registered in the semester of graduation.

If a student has completed all degree requirements and will no longer require any of the Institute's facilities or faculty time, the student may request an enrollment waiver available on the Thesis & Dissertation Forms website .

Additional Graduation Requirements

In addition to the requirements listed elsewhere, the candidate is required to complete the following:

• Complete an Online Application for Graduation to petition for the degree to the Registrar's Office during the term preceding the anticipated final term of work.
• Have an overall GPA of at least 3.0.
• Register for a minimum of one hour of dissertation in the term of graduation. This reduction from the normal minimum course load of three hours may be used only once. If all requirements for graduation, including submission of the final approved dissertation, have been completed prior to the last day of registration and the student was registered for the preceding term, the student may apply for a waiver of the enrollmen t requirement, where the application is available on the Thesis & Dissertation Forms website .
• Submit the dissertation to the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation website, linked from the Thesis & Dissertation website , prior to the final submission of the completed dissertation to Graduate Education.

If both the dissertation and the examination are satisfactory, and the candidate has completed the requirements of residence, minor field, and any additional school requirements, Graduate Education will certify the candidate as qualified to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Responsible Conduct for Research (RCR)

All Georgia Tech doctoral students must complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) education, which includes an online training component and a doctoral-level RCR course. All master’s thesis students must also complete RCR education. For more information, see https://rcr.gatech.edu/academic-policies .

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Master of Science in Analytics

An interdisciplinary hybrid data science and analytics degree.

Reports & Statistics

2023 Student Body Statistics

• 101 students

Demographics

• 61 male (60%) and 40 female (40%)
• 55 US Citizens/PR (54%), 46 international (46%)

Academic Backgrounds

• 42% Engineering
• 24% Math/Statistics/OR
• 22% Computer Science
• 20% Business
• 18% Economics
• 11% Science/Medicine
• 10% Data Science/Analytics
• 6% Policy/Law/Government
• 6% Social Sciences/Religion
• 5% Languages
• 1% Fine/Performing Arts

Totaling more than 100% due to candidates in multiple categories.

Work Experience

• Mean 2 years work experience
• 56 have work experience (55%)
• 45 with no experience (except co-op/internship) (45%)

Academic History

• 17% have Master's/PhD

2022 Employment Statistics

Job-Seeking Graduates received full-time offers

Range in Base Salary      

Average Base Salary      

of job seeking MSA 2022s accepted offers in the US

• 112 students
• 76 male (68%) and 36 female (32%)
• 52 US Citizens/PR (46%), 60 international (54%) - from 19 non-US countries
• 49% Engineering
• 46% Business/Economics/Finance
• 33% Math/Statistics/OR/Data Science/Analytics
• 15% Computer Science
• 8% Social Sciences
• 3% Public Health/Policy
• 3% Education
• 3% Languages/Communication
• Median = 1.5 years
• 60 have work experience
• 52 with no work experience (except co-op/internship)
• 16 already have MS, MA, MBA or PhD

2021 Employment Statistics

Job-Seeking MSA 2021s accepted offers in the US

Accepted offers were data science functions

2021 Student Body Statistics

• 116 students
• 88 male (75%) and 28 female (25%)
• 57 US Citizens/PR (49%), 59 international (51%) - from 25 non-US countries
• 39% Engineering
• 38% Business/Economics/Finance
• 31% Math/Statistics/OR
• 13% Computer Science
• 9% Social Sciences
• 3% Languages/Writing
• 2% Professional (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, etc.)
• 70 have work experience
• 46 with no work experience (except co-op/internship)
• 20 already have MS, MA, MBA or PhD

2020 Employment Statistics

2020 Student Body Statistics

• 74 students
• 51 male (69%) and 23 female (31%)
• 42 US Citizens/PR (57%), 32 international (43%)
• 33% Engineering
• 20% Business/Economics/Finance
• 11% Math/Statistics/OR
• 4% Physical Sciences
• 4% Public Policy/International Affairs
• 1% Fine and Performing Arts
• Median = 1 years
• 38(51%) have work experience
• 36 (49%) no work experience (except co-op/internship)
• 27 already have MS, MA, MBA or PhD

MBA Dual Degree Programs

• Which MBA is Right for Me?
• What Qualifications Do You Need for MBA?
• How Hard is it to Earn an MBA?
• What is the Expected Salary Increase for MBAs?
• What Jobs Can You Get With an MBA?
• What Are the Highest Paid MBA Concentrations?

Tuition and Financing

• Career Development
• Student Experience
• Attend an Admissions Event
• Schedule a Consultation
• Connect With an Ambassador
• Career Advancement
• Gain Employer Support
• Leadership Development
• M.D./MBA Program
• MBA Electives Without Prerequisites
• Value of an MBA for Women
• Women Supporting Women
• Earning an MBA While Balancing Motherhood

What is an MBA Dual Degree?

An MBA dual degree program, also known as a double degree program, is an educational program that allows students to pursue two separate degrees simultaneously. In a dual degree program, students typically study two different academic disciplines and earn two distinct degrees, often a master’s degree or Ph.D. This way, students can gain expertise in multiple areas and apply certain credits to both degrees.

Our MBA dual degree option allows students to combine an M.S. or Ph.D. degree from the Georgia Tech Colleges of Engineering, Computing, Design, and Liberal Arts.

Pairing a Georgia Tech graduate degree with an MBA gives students a competitive advantage and a unique blend of skills to accelerate their career growth. By bringing together advanced curriculum across multiple disciplines, the MBA dual degree programs cultivate a new generation of business leader.

MBA dual degree programs allow students to count 15 credit hours from their M.S./Ph.D. courses toward their MBA elective requirements, reducing the time required to complete both degrees. Students can complete an MBA with 39 credit hours instead of 54 credit hours.

Program Structure

Students interested in pursuing an MBA in addition to another graduate degree within the Georgia Tech Colleges of Computing, Design, Engineering, and Liberal Arts have two program format options. Both options allow students to reduce the time and cost to complete their MBA.

Full-time MBA Dual Degree Option Students who plan to pursue an MBA concurrently with another graduate degree should apply to the Full-time MBA program . This is the only way to pursue an MBA through the dual degree option if a student will be pursuing an MBA while also completing another graduate degree.

Evening MBA Dual Degree Option Students who plan to complete an MBA after completing another graduate degree are eligible for the Evening MBA program . This structure is designed for those who will be working while completing an MBA. To be eligible for the reduced time and cost of the MBA dual-degree option, students must apply to the Evening MBA program before graduating from their other degree program and start the MBA program after completing their other degree program.

Students who have already graduated from another graduate program are eligible to apply to the Full-time and Evening MBA programs but are not eligible for the dual degree option.

M.D./MBA Option

The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business and Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) also have a partnership to offer an M.D./MBA program as a dual degree option. 

The M.D./MBA with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) program allows students to count 15 credit hours from their MSM M.D. degree courses toward their MBA elective requirements, reducing the cost and time required to complete the MBA degree.

Students interested in this option should read more on the M.D./MBA page . 

Dual Degree Eligibility

Students who have been admitted to an M.S. or Ph.D. program in the Georgia Tech Colleges of Computing, Design, Engineering, and Liberal Arts are eligible to pursue the dual degree option. This includes students in interdisciplinary programs between colleges, such as the M.S. Analytics and Quantitative & Computational Finance (QCF) programs.

Students should apply to the MBA program before graduating from their other graduate degree program. Students who have already graduated from another graduate program are eligible to apply to the Full-time and Evening MBA programs but are not eligible for the dual degree option.

It is recommended students complete most M.S./Ph.D. courses before starting the MBA program. However, students can complete the MBA requirements in other ways that best fit their schedules. Ph.D. / dual degree students will work with their MBA academic advisor to decide how to best complete the MBA with their other degree requirements.

If you are not a current Georgia Tech student, you will need to complete a separate application for each program. Only one application can be open at a time, so you will need to submit one before starting the other. In some cases, it may be beneficial to start the non-MBA degree program before applying to the MBA program.

Application and Admissions

Students who have been admitted to another Georgia Tech graduate degree program can reuse letters of recommendation from their application. The MBA program accepts either the GMAT or GRE. If Georgia Tech has already received a student's valid GRE score, they do not need to resubmit a test score.

Contact us to learn more about applying to the MBA program under the dual degree option, the GMAT and GRE test-optional policy, and an application fee waiver.

Full-time MBA Application Requirements

Applicants for the Full-time MBA program can apply by any of the application deadlines . However, applying by Round 1 guarantees a decision by the end of the calendar year. If admitted, students may begin taking select MBA electives  on a space available basis during the spring semester prior to officially beginning in the fall.

See Application Requirements

Evening MBA Application Requirements

Applicants for the Evening MBA program can apply by any of the application deadlines . Applicants are only eligible for the dual degree option if they apply to the Evening MBA program before completing their other graduate degree. However, they must start the Evening MBA program after completing their other graduate degree. Applicants who plan to complete the MBA concurrently with another graduate degree are only eligible for the Full-time MBA program.

MBA tuition is higher than the standard graduate tuition rate at Georgia Tech. The tuition amount above the standard graduate tuition rate is the "MBA differential.’" The total tuition for any semester that a dual degree student (without a graduate assistantship) is enrolled in the Full-time MBA program will be the standard graduate tuition rate plus the MBA differential.  The MBA differential will apply for a maximum of three semesters, even if the student requires more than three semesters to complete the MBA requirements. Dual degree students who are granted graduate assistantships from departments outside the Scheller College of Business will receive their tuition waivers from those departments and will be responsible for paying an adjusted MBA differential for semesters enrolled in the MBA program, for a maximum of four semesters. Students who have been granted these non-Scheller graduate assistantships should use these steps to view the tuition rate they will be charged during MBA program enrollment:

• Visit the  Bursar and Treasury Services website .
• Select the term of enrollment in the MBA program.
• Select the “Graduate Assistantship Rates” link.
• Your per semester tuition rate (the differential) is listed next to "Master in Business Administration (Dual Degree)."

Tuition rates can change each academic year, so you should check the website noted above to confirm tuition for each term of MBA program enrollment. Please check with your graduate assistantship supervisor to ensure you will be allowed to retain your graduate assistantship while enrolled as a dual degree student with the MBA program.

If you're completing an MBA after graduating from your other graduate degree, standard Full-time MBA or Evening MBA tuition will apply. You must apply to the MBA program prior to completing your other graduate degree in order to be eligible for the reduced credit hours through the dual degree option.

MBA/M.S. and MBA/Ph.D. Dual Degree FAQs

Program information, if you are unable to find the answer to a specific question or wish to speak with someone directly, feel free to contact us online or call 404.894.8722., who can pursue a dual degree.

The MBA dual degree option is offered to selected students enrolled in M.S. and Ph.D. programs in the Colleges of Computing, Design, Engineering, and Liberal Arts. More specifically, the dual degree may be attractive to M.S. and Ph.D. students who wish to pursue a technology management career outside of academia and help them progress eventually into senior management roles.

Is this a new degree?

No. The M.S., Ph.D., and MBA programs are all currently offered at Georgia Tech, and their degree requirements remain unchanged. The M.S./MBA and Ph.D./MBA dual degree simply allows students to count courses taken in other Colleges to their MBA degree.

Why does Georgia Tech have an M.S./MBA and Ph.D./MBA offering?

The world of business is being transformed by technology at an increasing rate. Innovations in the technology sector are transforming the global economy and technology companies have become the employers of choice for many of our graduates. Simultaneously, companies in traditional sectors such as consumer goods, finance, retail, and transportation are using technology in innovative ways to reach new customers and improve operational efficiency.

This new environment needs a new type of leader with deep technology knowledge, business acumen, and leadership, entrepreneurship, and communication skills. We believe Georgia Tech is uniquely positioned to develop such leaders, and the dual degree offering provides us the opportunity to do that.

If I drop out of my other graduate program, am I still eligible for a dual degree?

If you have been admitted to the MBA program and then drop out of your other graduate program, you will need to complete the 54 MBA credit hours for the MBA degree. You have to complete your other graduate degree to also receive an MBA at the reduced 39 credit hours. If you are not pursuing another graduate degree, you are not eligible for the reduced 39 MBA credit hours.

MBA Curriculum and Schedule

Which of my m.s./ph.d. courses are eligible to also count toward the mba dual degree.

For students who have been admitted to the MBA program for a dual degree, 15 credit hours from the student’s other degree will automatically be applied toward the MBA. 

I’ve already taken some MBA elective courses. Can I count these toward the MBA dual degree?

If you are NOT applying these MBA courses to your other graduate degree, yes, you can count up to nine credit hours toward your 18 credit hours of MBA electives. If you ARE applying these MBA courses to your other graduate degree, you can count them as the 15 credit hours that double count; you will still need to take 18 credit hours of additional MBA electives. Only 15 credit hours can count toward both degrees.

What MBA courses can I take if I have not yet been admitted to the MBA program?

View a list of MBA electives   that can be taken without core prerequisites. If you are not currently an MBA student, you will need to wait for any major restrictions to be removed toward the end of phase I registration or during the first week of classes.

Can I take MBA courses during the summer?

If you have been admitted and paid your deposit to the Full-time MBA program as a dual degree student, you can request to take MBA electives during the summer. However, current Evening MBA students have priority for summer courses. You will need to contact the MBA program office to request permits to take these courses. Full-time MBA students must take all core classes during the day with the Full-time MBA cohort.

If you are an Evening MBA dual degree student, you will NOT be able to take summer courses.

Can I take core MBA courses in the spring or summer?

Almost all Full-time MBA core courses are only taught in the fall; this is the only time they can be taken. Additionally, a select few MBA core courses are only taught in the spring. All of these core courses must be taken as part of the Full-time MBA cohort.

Can I take more MBA electives than the 18 hours required for a dual degree?

Yes, you can take more MBA electives than what is required for a dual degree.

Do I have to complete a summer internship?

The summer internship is not required, but it is recommended for MBA students because it helps them gain experience in a desired field before interviewing for full-time positions.

I want to register for an MBA elective, but it says there are major restrictions. What do I do?

If you are not currently an MBA student, you will need to wait for major restrictions to be removed toward the end of phase I registration or during the first week of classes. Major restrictions will only be removed for   select MBA electives  that do not have a prerequisite.

Admission Process

When during my other graduate degree should i apply to the mba program.

You should apply to the MBA program during the year before you plan to start MBA core classes the next fall. For most students, this will be during their final year of their other degree courses because the following year, they will focus on MBA courses. View the Full-time MBA application deadlines .

You may begin taking   MBA electives  that can be taken without core prerequisites in the spring after/while you apply, prior to starting MBA core classes in the fall. Tip: If you apply by the Round 1 deadline, you will be guaranteed a decision by the end of the calendar year. Then you will already know whether you have been admitted and want to move forward with taking MBA electives during the spring semester.

Do I need to tell my other program that I am also pursuing an MBA?

If you will be completing the MBA while still completing your other graduate degree, yes, your sponsor/advisor must give permission for you to also pursue an MBA. Students should also check with their funding agency regarding restrictions or conditions for funding.

If I’ve already completed my M.S./Ph.D., can I be considered for the dual degree option?

No, in order to be eligible for a dual degree, you must apply to the MBA program and be admitted BEFORE completing your other graduate degree. You can complete your M.S./Ph.D. before starting the MBA program, as long as you were admitted to the MBA program before you completed that degree.

Can I defer my MBA admission and start the program a little later?

You can defer your admission for one year after being admitted to MBA; this allows M.S./Ph.D. students to gain one additional year of work experience before beginning the MBA program. If you do plan to defer one year, please make this clear during the admission process.

How important is work experience?

For MBA admission, we recommend at least two years of professional post-undergraduate work experience. This is more important for M.S. students than for Ph.D. students for career placement because many companies recognize Ph.D.-level research as applicable work experience.

We realize many graduate students begin their program immediately after completing their undergraduate degree. If you do not have at least two years of professional work experience, you will need to show experience on your resume that can count as professional work experience. For example, co-op experience and graduate-level projects working with real companies may apply. Work experience will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. You may want to take advantage of the optional essay in the MBA application to give examples of professional work experience.

What is different about the dual degree admission process vs. the regular MBA admission process?

The admission process is generally the same. However, if you are already at Georgia Tech, we will have access to some of your required application materials. For example, if Georgia Tech already has your official GRE score, you do not need to resubmit this. Official transcripts should also already be on file and do not need to be submitted. In addition, you do not need any new letters of recommendation; we can use these letters from your previous application.

That being said, an additional professional reference can help you have a more competitive application, as many dual degree applicants only used academic references for their first application. 

Can I apply to the MBA program using my previous Georgia Tech application?

No, you will still need to complete the MBA application because there are different components than your previous application. However, if Georgia Tech already has your valid GRE score, you do not need to resubmit this. In addition, you do not need any new letters of recommendation; we can use these letters from your previous application.

Tuition and Funding

Are dual degree students eligible for mba funding opportunities.

If you do not have funding from another program, you will be eligible for merit-based MBA fellowship funding opportunities. You should apply by the Round 1 or Round 2 deadline for priority funding consideration.

How does MBA tuition work with my other graduate tuition?

MBA tuition is higher than the standard graduate tuition rate at Georgia Tech; we refer to this amount as the MBA differential. The MBA differential is assessed differently for Full-time and Evening MBA students. Full-time MBA differential is charged per semester, and Evening MBA differential is charged per credit hour.

I am not a current Georgia Tech student. Can I apply for the dual degree program?

Yes. You will need to complete a separate application for each program. Only one application can be open at a time, so you will need to submit one before starting the other. In some cases, it may be beneficial to start the non-MBA degree program before applying to the MBA program.

Continue Your Dual MBA Path

Md/mba program, mba electives without prerequisite, request more info.

Thank you for requesting more information about our programs. In the meantime, access our online brochures filled with helpful information about our MBA programs.

Full-time MBA Brochure

Evening MBA Brochure

Executive MBA Brochure

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Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS)

College of computing.

So you’re ready to apply to Georgia Tech’s OMSCS program—terrific!

We now accept applications for Fall and Spring semesters. To find out about upcoming application dates and requirements, please visit our Deadlines, Decisions, Requirements, and Guidelines page .

By clicking the link below, you’ll be taken to Georgia Tech’s Graduate Studies website, where you’ll see a link to the Institute’s graduate application. Once you begin your application, simply select “MS in Computer Science—Online” as your chosen degree program.

If you have questions during the application process, check our Contact Us page.

FAQ-GBA-OMSA

Faq for the international enrichment program: explore hong kong & shenzhen, application.

Q: How do I apply to the program? A: Visit this link or scan the QR code included on the last page of the information session slides deck.

Q: Any chance this program will be open to OMSCS as well? A: At this point, it’s only available for OMSA students and alumni since it’s an analytics-based trip partnered with the Analytics program in Shenzhen.

Q: Are OMSA students based outside of the U.S. eligible? A: Certainly! All OMSA students in good academic standing and good disciplinary standing are eligible to apply.

Q: If we apply before the applications close and we meet the requirements of being in good academic standing and good disciplinary standing, can we expect to be accepted? A: Yes.

Q: Can I apply even though this is my first semester on the OMSA program and I do not have grades yet? A: Yes.

About the Program

Q: Will I be earning credits for participating in this program? A: No. This is an enrichment program designed to broaden the students’ experiences. There are no classroom instruction, homework, or exams on this program.

Q: If I am to participate in this program, can I still take an OMSA course during the summer? A: This program will not interfere with your progress towards the MSA degree. It does require you to take time off from work to travel to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, during which time you can still work on your OMSA course. There will be some free time after the field trip and/or cultural activity each day for you to do what is needed to keep up with your OMSA course.

Q: What will be the format of the field trips like? A: We will arrange for technical experts from the companies to meet us, showcase their companies’ work, discuss analytics applications in their line of business, and GT-Shenzhen faculty can help make connections to relevant contents in the analytics courses.

Q: Can we find reviews from the last program? A: This is the first trip in collaboration with OMSA and GT-Shenzhen, so we don’t have any reviews at this point. GT-Shenzhen has been hosting the Georgia Tech China Summer Program (an undergraduate study abroad program) and operating GT Masters’ degree programs for many years, and you can view student impressions from here .

Q: Can online students study abroad at the GT-Shenzhen campus? A: Yes. GT-Shenzhen has the MSA degree program, and you can apply to exchange to the GT-Shenzhen campus if you wish.

Family / Spouse / Partner

Q: If we are traveling with a spouse/partner, would they be able to attend any of the field trips and cultural trips? A: Yes. The spouse/partner can participate fully in this program by paying the $500 program fee. Each adult participant needs to complete a separate application. Please mention each other’s name on the online application form when answering the last question “tell us a bit about yourself”.

Q: Will my spouse / partner be considered as taking up one of the available spots on the program if they join the program? A: Yes.

Q: Can my child participate in the program activities? A: It will not be appropriate for children to join the field trips because we will be visiting large enterprises on the field trips. Children can join the cultural activities, and the parents will be responsibility for paying additional fees if their participation results in additional charges from the vendors (such as admission fees, extra ground transportation expenses, etc.).

Q: What payment method is expected for the deposit? A: After you apply, within one business day, you should receive instructions via email, your unique login to make the deposit payment to GTSI. You will need to use the Alipay App to execute the payment. Alipay is the payment method of choice for international visitors to China, so it is worth your effort to set up Alipay now. Please follow the instructions here to set up Alipay. It might be helpful if you watch some demos on Youtube, such as Demo 1 or Demo 2. .

Q: Are the hotel rates shown in the slide for a daily rate or for the whole duration? A: The lodging estimates shown are for 3 nights of lodging in Hong Kong and 6 nights of lodging in Shenzhen.

Q: Can we change our lodging preference after the application? A: Program participants will make their own lodging reservations. Some room rates allow for changes/cancellations whereas the lowest cost options may charge a fee for making changes.

Q: Will there be a chat group where I could find a person to share the hotel room for two? A: We will provide a Qualtrics survey link later to those who sign up on the program to name roommates. For those that need double occupancy lodging but do not know others on the program, the program will make roommate assignments.

Q: I live in Hong Kong. Can I commute to Shenzhen to join the program? A: Yes, you can, and it will save you some lodging expenses. You are responsible for making your own ground transportation arrangements to arrive at the program activity meeting point.

Q: Should I apply for a single-entry tourist visa for mainland China? A: For arriving in Hong Kong and crossing the border to Shenzhen, you will use up one entry on your Chinese visa. A single-entry Chinese visa is sufficient for this program. If you travel from Shenzhen to Hong Kong or Macau during the weekend and return to Shenzhen, you will need another entry on the Chinese visa. A double-entry Chinese visa is not necessary and costs ~$11 USD additional for citizens of most countries but can offer you some flexibility. The cost of the Chinese visa is the same regardless of the number of entries for U.S. citizens.

Q: If I need a visa to Hong Kong, should I apply for a single-entry visa or double-entry visa? A: Nationals of about 170 countries and territories may visit Hong Kong for 7 to 180 days visa-free; see the visa policy of Hong Kong . If you do need a visa to visit Hong Kong, you will use up one entry when first entering Hong Kong. At the end of the program, if your departure flight is out of Hong Kong, you will need another entry for Hong Kong. However, if you fly out of Shenzhen or another city in mainland China, you will not need the second entry on your Hong Kong visa.

Q: What happens if my Chinese visa application is denied? A: If you don’t have a visa to mainland China, you will be missing the majority part of the program. You should not participate in the program in that case. The program will refund you the $200 deposit minus any bank/credit card transaction fees if you provide proof of your visa denial.

Q: What happens if my Hong Kong visa application is denied? A: Nationals of about 170 countries and territories may visit Hong Kong without the need for a Hong Kong visa. You will need to first secure your visa to mainland China and then apply for a visa to Hong Kong (online). If you fail to secure a visa to Hong Kong, you can travel to Shenzhen directly and participate in the Shenzhen portion of the program. We will NOT prorate the $500 program fee; however, if you cannot participate in any portion of the program.

Q: For nationalities that require an invitation letter for the visa application, are we going to get one from the school? A: The Chinese L visa type does not require a visa invitation letter, but if the Chinese Embassy / Consulate or the visa service in your country informs you that a visa invitation letter is needed, we will provide one to assist your visa application.

Q: Will you supply an itinerary for the Chinese visa application? A: The visa application does not require you to supply an itinerary. You only need to list the mainland Chinese cities that you plan to visit on the trip. For this program, we will only visit Shenzhen in mainland China.

Travel & Transportation

Q: Does the program start in Hong Kong and end in Shenzhen? A: Yes.

Q: When should we arrive and depart? A: Please plan to arrive in Hong Kong by early evening on Sunday, June 23. You can depart any time on Tuesday, July 2 (or late evening of Monday, July 1 – some flights depart Hong Kong close to midnight).

Q: I have other plans for the last couple of days of the program. Can I leave the program early? A: Yes. You should make your own airfare and lodging arrangement accordingly, and the GT-Shenzhen staff will assist with ground transportation arrangements. The $500 program fee will NOT be prorated; however, if you leave the program early.

Q: If we find a return ticket from Hong Kong, will transportation be provided? A: The program fee covers ground transportation in conjunction with official program activities (such as the group transfer from Hong Kong to Shenzhen). Individuals may depart Shenzhen at different times after the conclusion of the program, and the program staff can assist with booking shuttle, ferry, or train tickets to Hong Kong or other cities in the region. The cost of those individual transportation tickets is the responsibility of the participant.

Q: What will be the transportation from Hong Kong to Shenzhen? A: We plan to charter a bus to move the group from Hong Kong to Shenzhen.

Miscellaneous

Q: What is the weather like in Shenzhen during this program period? A: In Shenzhen, during the month of June, the average daily low-temperature is 78.1°F (25.6°C); the average daily high-temperature is 88°F (31.1°C). Compare this with Atlanta, which has an average low-temperature of 67°F (19°C) and an average daily high temperature of 86°F (30°C).

Q: Will there be a dress code for dinners or field trips? A: Smart casual.

Q: How many meals are included during the program? A: The program fee covers two meals.

Future Program Offering

Q: Do we know what the prospective dates for December are? A: December 12 is the last day of final exams for the Fall 2024 semester. The December trip may occur between December 13 and December 22, but we want to wait until after the summer trip to make a decision on the December trip in case we need to make adjustments to the program. Please be sure to complete the Program Interest Survey for future semesters: Program Interest Survey so we can keep you posted on future developments of the program.

Is it Possible to Get My PhD After My MBA?

In academia, numerous accomplishments can be achieved. You can earn a dual degree and have expertise in multiple fields, or further your career potential by going back to school . But what about progressing from an MBA to a PhD? 

In regards to higher education, many consider earning a PhD, or doctorate degree, the pinnacle of success. Usually, due to passion for a particular industry or subject, a PhD candidate will spend years of rigorous research to unpack its intricacies and become a leading expert in the field.  At the end of their studies, they are able to finally see their work come to fruition when they receive their doctorate and join alongside other scholars. However, is it typical for an MBA graduate to move onto pursuing their PhD? And is there a specific purpose? Are there different types of PhD programs? What is the difference between a PhD and DBA?

To answer the budding question: yes, you can pursue your PhD after earning your MBA, and choosing to earn a doctorate is entirely up to you and your aspirations. To help you better understand if getting a PhD is the right choice, we look at the path an MBA graduate can take to earn their PhD, one of the higher purposes of a doctorate, and the different types of academic programs. 

What is a PhD, and What is it Used For? 

By definition, a PhD is a Doctor of Philosophy in a particular discipline, which is why it's also referred to as a doctorate. This focus is typically for individuals highly passionate about a specific subject matter, driven by the pursuit to understand it better through rigorous research. A majority of students seeking their PhD are eager researchers, although there are always exceptions, and each carries out years of highly intensive research to conclude their original thesis and earn their doctorate. 

In terms of translating your education into a career, a doctorate can be used in a plethora of fields, especially if one’s thesis is around a wider subject matter and can be a discipline applied to various industries (take organizational development, for example). For those who are passionate about a career in research, a doctoral degree is a perfect fit. Possibly the most popular field for those with a doctorate is a fruitful career in academia, teaching their subject matter to others interested in the same area. Many graduates become faculty members at business schools upon completing their PhD and provide their expertise to their students. Regardless of which industry you choose, you can be assured that a PhD will provide you with numerous opportunities. 

How Long Does it Take to Progress from an MBA to PhD?

The timeframe for earning your PhD can vary depending on program and location. Many countries have varying timelines of how long the completion of a doctoral program will take. In the United States, the average is around 4-5 years of completion after receiving your Master of Business Administration. 

Do You Need an MBA to Get a PhD?

To be accepted into a doctoral program, you must have a master’s degree. It does not have to be a Master of Business Administration, but it does need to be a master’s of some form. Depending on your area of specialization, it could be advantageous to earn your MBA in pursuit of a PhD if you are planning to embark on a career in business upon completion of your doctorate. Additionally, one important aspect to consider is the program itself. It is important to look into a program’s requirements before applying to meet the eligibility criteria. 

The Difference Between a DBA and a PhD 

For those specifically interested in a career in business, a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a highly beneficial doctoral program. A DBA focuses on a broader spectrum of business disciplines, dedicating research toward multiple corporate facets, and practical implementation. On the contrary, a PhD narrows into a specific area of discipline and research, emphasizing theory, and it’s potential implications. While both are heavily centered around research and implementation, a DBA sets business executives and leaders on a path to discover new possibilities for their organizations and businesses. In a way, it allows established business professionals to “trailblaze” the way for new and innovative ideas that can disrupt the market and set a precedent for the future of business.

Get Your MBA or DBA at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School

At Pepperdine Graziadio, we proudly offer degrees to accommodate business professionals at any stage of their lives and careers. Our full and part-time MBA programs are designed to prepare candidates for a successful career in values-based business leadership. All of our MBA programs offer a personalized learning approach executed by our world-class faculty. Each program is characterized by its top-ranked business curriculum that can be coupled with an academic concentration. 

Our Executive Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program has been carefully designed for the tenured business leader looking to drive groundbreaking innovations. This rigorous program allows candidates to gain in-depth knowledge and finetune their expertise through applied research. Also, executives enjoy learning alongside changemakers in various industries and participating in exclusive opportunities available only to DBA candidates.

Learn more about which programs fit your career aspirations and academic interests.

Learn more about how to achieve your career goals with a degree from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.

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More From Forbes

The schmidt science fellows for 2024 are announced.

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The 2024 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows.

Eric and Wendy Schmidt have announced the 2024 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows . As in years past, this year’s class of 32 fellows are all recent PhD’s who’ve been identified as some of the most outstanding early-career scientists in the world.

The Schmidt Science Fellows is supported by Schmidt Sciences , a philanthropic initiative co-founded in 2024 by former Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy, President of the Schmidt Family Foundation.

The current class is the seventh cohort in the program, which is delivered in a partnership with the Rhodes Trust. Since its inception, the Schmidt Science Fellows has supported 177 Fellows, nominated by 62 institutes across the globe.

Considered one of the most prestigious scientific postdoctoral awards in the world, Schmidt Science Fellows are awarded support for either one or two years in a field of study that represents a pivot from their Ph.D concentration.

An emphasis is placed on encouraging interdisciplinary research with the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

“Breaking down silos and harnessing the power of interdisciplinary science holds the key to tackling humanity's most pressing challenges, from global health and protecting our environment to ensuring we can develop new technologies that are both safe and foster societal good,” said Eric Schmidt, in a news release. “The 2024 Schmidt Science Fellows are exceptionally talented in their fields and with the Program’s support we hope to enhance the impact of their work.”

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In addition to an annual stipend of $110,000, the fellows receive individualized mentoring and participate in a year-long Science Leadership Program that helps them cultivate the skills, experience and networks to be expected from interdisciplinary science leaders.

Each year, the Schmidt Science Fellows program works with nearly 100 of the world’s leading science and engineering institutions to identify the most promising candidates for the fellowships. Nominated candidates are selected through a process that includes an academic review by leaders in their home disciplines and final interviews with panels of experts, including senior representatives from many scientific disciplines and different business sectors.

The 2024 cohort represents 17 nationalities nominated by 26 of the world’s leading institutions across North America, Europe and Asia. Four institutions had Fellows selected for the first time this year: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore; Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Max Planck, Germany; and the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Eighteen of the fellows were nominated by universities in the United States.

The full list of the 2024 Schmidt Science Fellows can be found here . Their areas of study span a wide range of topics in biology, neurosciences, engineering, cancer diagnosis and treatment, artificial intelligence, earth sciences and climate change. As examples:

• Ajinkya Dahake, nominated by Cornell University, will explore how mosquitoes distinguish between humans and other animals or plants, leading to the possible discovery of new strategies to control the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
• Bruna Martins Garcia, nominated by the Max Planck Institute, will be investigating metastasis — the ability of cancer cells to move to other organs — focusing on understanding organ-specific metastasis.
• Jacob Beckham, nominated by Rice University, will be studying the role that the gut microbiome, a digestive tract bacteria, plays in anxiety disorders.
• Elio Challita, nominated by the Georgia Institute of Technology, will be developing a microrobot that will mimic the ability of insects to monitor and analyze environmental conditions such as water contamination.
• Olivia Goldman, nominated by The Rockefeller University, will use a mouse model of headache to explore how viruses can induce headaches like those seen in people suffering from long-COVID.
• Erin Huiting, nominated by the University of California at San Francisco, will combine bioinformatics and genome engineering to learn how innate immune receptors help make plants resistant to certain pathogens. The research could have implications for more sustainable agriculture production and improved climate change mitigation.

About Schmidt Sciences

Schmidt Sciences is a philanthropic efforts that “aims to accelerate and deepen our understanding of the natural world and develop solutions to real-world challenges for public benefit.”

According to its website, an emphasis is placed on “identifying under-supported or unconventional areas of exploration and discovery with the potential for high impact.” It focuses on AI & Advanced Computing, Astrophysics and Space, Biosciences, Climate, and Cross-Science.

"It's at the edges of things—ecosystems, borders, disciplines—where the most interesting ideas are developed, solutions that don't arise from any single approach," said Wendy Schmidt. "We're excited to welcome the 2024 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows to approach these edges, look at problems anew, share insights with each other and the world and, we hope, go on to develop solutions to some of humanity's most pressing challenges."

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