University of Maryland Global Campus Reviews of Bachelor's in Computer Science

UMGC was great for me as an active duty service member. It made it possible for me to earn a degree before I left the military and got me a job in the federal government/ several job offers after. I learned a lot through the computer science curriculum. You will get the breadth needed for any CS job. You will need to put in extra work to get depth and leetcode on your own to be successful in interviews. There admissions/financial/student first teams were very responsive and helped me with all my... Read More questions in a timeline manner. Their writing center and other tutoring services were also valuable for me. I recommend making use of all the resources available to you as a student here (free books, etc). I was also accepted into GATech's OMSCS after graduating. And because I am used to the online format the classes have been a smooth transition. Definitely recommend for any CS alums interested in continuing their education

You must take control of your personal learning at UMUC. I just graduated in May 2018. I received two job offers during my final week of class. This program is intended to help you "check a box" that you have a Computer Science degree. It's not going to help you pass a Google technical interview. I have a Bachelors and Masters degrees in teaching but wanted to get into Computer Science. This helped me accomplish that goal in just under 18 months. Most other 2nd bachelors programs would have taken... Read More me at least 3 years up to 6 years. With that said, nearly every topic is similar to other CS programs at any other university. The difference is the depth of the content studied. You will get the breadth of coverage here but the depth will need to be accomplished through self study. Study hard for those technical interviews and you will be fine and making great money soon.

I was after a second bachelors degree in Computer Science. Their website and catalog both outline their requirements: must have graduated from a previous bachelors program and have taken adequate math/IT courses to be prepared for the program. I supplied my undergraduate transcripts from my previously accomplished BS. I paid the application fee and got accepted. That's where the trouble began. The academic adviser wouldn't allow me to sign up for class. They kept saying I needed more prerequisites.... Read More I kept pointing out that their own catalog clearly stated that I had met all the requirements (I had math and programming classes that were beyond their requirements and properly recorded on the transcripts they had received). Once we got past that point the target moved! This time I was informed that although I had been accepted into the program (obviously implying that I had met admission requirements) I was told that I couldn't really be evaluated until UMUC had received all my undergraduate transcripts. I have gone to multiple schools on 3 continents and taken a small handful of cleps/dantes tests over the years they said they needed them all. I explained that many of these classes were irrelevant to my degree plan and not required by the university catalog. Please remember that they already had the undergraduate transcript from my initial undergraduate degree and transcripts from the other schools where I had taken IT/Programming classes. Eventually I was even told that they could not move forward without the transcript from my graduate degree. I tried to explain to the advisers that if they would stop obstructing my progress I would be earning credits and they would be earning $ but in the end bureaucracy was elevated over both commerce and common sense. Or more accurately, in attempt to get me to take as many classes as possible, at the highest possible cost to myself, UMUC lost this costumer. For an unranked school in a crowded marketplace, they are amazingly obstructionist. You can get equivalent education at a similar price point at other schools without the extra headache.

Pros: 1. They take your other undergrad credits and apply to general ed courses. I had a BS from another college, and they took ALL the credits. Relatively cheap compared to other online programs. 2. Subpar education. Professors don't pay attention, and the resource provided in course content/resources are subpar. I routinely find other (and much better) resources on my own on Youtube, etc. and regularly purchase textbooks to supplement your content. If it weren't for that, I'd learn very little.... Read More 3. Discussions are stupid. We all reply about similar topics--do I really have to write up a discussion, then comment on other peoples' discussion on the same topic? Like what am I to tell them? "Good job on doing your inane homework this week?"

I have 2 degrees here. The finance one was mostly a joke as far as receiving in the market skills. I went here because I was in the military, and it was the best available college for somebody who could not get college support. Their is a low graduation rate here 6% from what I understand, and the school seems to focus and put more resources into the intro classes. You will find the later classes, likely because there is less volume, are scarce, and you will get the feeling that your more and more... Read More on the outskirts as you move along. The school obviously does not understand that it is, in the end, represented by those who graduate, and those generally are just idiots who want to flaunt paper. You will have to schedule classes accordingly or have gaps in your education. Also if you are recently getting out of the military you will find that this is less vet friendly then advertised, and if you are not to far along, and have the time I would probably try a different institution, or put in the effort to find your own education while you go here, which you will be doing anyway, so as always it is what you put in. The low volume upper levels will cut into your GI bill as you will have gaps. They transitioned to 8 week classes some time ago, likely to get more volume and cheapen the standards for money. I have been going here for about 8 years because I've been busy with work ect. and now join the 6%, the odds are stacked against you. You will do more work then a normal brick and mortar school, because their are less and less face to face classes, and you will have to document all work done as opposed to a classroom and labs which often have a 'put in the time' grade. Also you will often have group projects and you are dealing with people who are in with no requirements. While I think requirements SATs ect. are over rated they do show that somebody can put in the effort. So, if you are here to get something beside a paper, you will find your peers are of low quality, and you will be carrying the weight and they will have little interest in improving themselves. Also the attitude of your peers will be similar to highschool where they are just putting in the time to get paper or because their parents are making them, and have no further interest of bettering themselves or working on a team. The pay for students that graduate here is generally higher then other colleges because most are already working in cush government jobs, and just need paper for promotion or whatever. Their is little support or teaching provided by the school, and often you are just given an assignment with no further assistance or tutoring help. There is some tutoring line you can schedule for 1 hour of assistance, but their is little in the way of tutoring labs or cohesive school type structure. While I graduated with 2 degrees and learned a lot sadly I cannot attribute it to anybody at the school, because they had a work for me attitude, not a I work for the student progression attitude, and what I learned was it is up to me to figure out what is marketable, and how to make money, and what the job market wants, which in the end is probably a good lesson, but when you pay money to an institution you expect them to provide the tools to succeed in some field, and this school sadly does not.

University of Maryland University College or UMUC is known for treating its students badly. Do not believe their advertisements. They are a for-profit school who take advantage of military students and veterans. They have the monopoly on military bases. They do not try to treat their students fairly. Their undergraduate Dean is the same person as their Provost and relies too heavily on his staff. UMUC's Dean just signs off on whatever his staff says and his only aim to protect them, which presents... Read More a conflict of interest when it comes to the rights of UMUC students. UMUC does this to lower overhead costs even though they make a ridiculous amount of money off the soldiers and vets. They only combined the position of Dean and Provost just so 1 person can justify getting paid more than he should even though he does a poor job. So if you ever have a disagreement with UMUC or are accused of cheating / have an issue with an instructor, UMUC will be against you first and foremost. They will not be fair and impartial.

I am currently attending this university and enrolled in their computer science program. I was truly surprised by the amount of 4 and 5 star reviews the school received on here for two reasons. First, the veteran "advisors" are terrible. I must attend a non-online course to receive full GI benefits and as such I have to speak with these advisors most semesters to coordinate the courses I am taking. Any time I have to call the advisors I usually have to call multiple times to get the correct information.... Read More Many times they are rather short with me and rarely give me a direct answer to my questions. That being said after those multiple calls and emails I will eventually find a good advisor to help me. The second reason is the teaching methods. You are given an electronic book and your homework. If you have any questions email the instructor. Otherwise your on your own..... i spend more time on Khan Academy and reading forums because they do a better job explaining course subjects. Have you ever read a math book? Its painful. One of my first classes was discrete math and to boot my instructors first language was not English. Sometimes the grammar was so bad in his posts that students had no clue what he was saying. I have had programming classes that didn't even have books and just linked students to websites that had programming tutorials. I am currently looking for schools in my area that offer CS degrees so I can switch and I would not recommend this school to others unless you just love reading electronic text books. I'm just glad my tuition is covered by GI bill. Otherwise, that would be another reason added to the list. UMUC is not a "bad" school. Its just not that great in my opinion. Plus sides are that the instructors are usually quick to respond to posts and emails. However, I am reminded of that discrete math instructor who failed to grade many assignments even after repeated emails to him. Another plus is I have not had to buy any class materials. Books are all online.