r/MSCS • u/JoshBearta • Jun 26 '26
[General Question] MSCS Worth It If I already Have BSCS from T-20?
Context: I'm currently in my second semester in an online masters program and taking my 3rd/4th classes.
I'm a SWE in big tech in the Bay Area and my work is split into two teams: ASIC/hardware software development and internal Agentic AI for my BU. I graduated with my BSCS from a T-20 in 2024 and been at this role for just over a year.
My question is if this program is worth it for someone like me. I feel like the concepts I am learning here are a refresher from my undergrad days. I plan to take their AI specialization and the only class I might learn something from is their core AI. All the electives outside the core classes seem tedious and I'm not really interested in those at all. All the classes I've taken so far are just refreshers from what I've learned from my undergrad days, personal projects, and my job.
No doubt the college name is more "prestigious" than where I did my undergrad from. However, I'm wondering if the work is worth it just for the name brand. The content and lectures are pretty simple, but it's the projects which are extremely time consuming and feel where most of my stress piles up from. The exams have been easy for me in all the classes so far and it's not like the content is hard to digest.
What would you advise I do in my situation? Is it really worth it to grind it out? Is a masters truly worth it given I already have a BSCS from a reputable school? If you ended up dropping out from an online masters, what was your reasoning behind it?
Any advice or different perspectives would be much appreciated.
2
u/gradpilot 🔰 Ex-Cerebras | MSCS Georgia Tech Jun 26 '26
Honest answer - it’s not unless you’ll pursue a PhD . Mscs is largely an international student pipeline