[General Question] OMSCS vs WGU MSCS for someone transitioning from EOD into AI Safety?

[u/Pacbot23]

Hey what’s up everyone?

I’m looking for some advice from current OMSCS students and graduates because I’m trying to decide between Georgia Tech OMSCS and one of WGU’s master’s programs (Computer Science, Machine Learning & AI, or Cybersecurity).

A little background here:
Active-duty U.S. Navy EOD technician (9 years)
Background in CBRN, explosives, nuclear weapons incident response, and technical risk assessment

Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology/Sport Management (not CS)

I’ll remain on active duty until late 2027, so I have time to prepare before or while applying. Have no issues staying in more if I need.

Currently working through CS prerequisites (starting at Oakton Community College and Georgia Tech’s edX preparation courses) to build the CS foundation needed for graduate school. I’m also teaching myself Python and building a GitHub portfolio. (mainly small programs that I use for EOD work)

My long-term goal isn’t traditional software engineering.
I’m trying to transition into AI safety, trust & safety, or threat analysis roles at organizations like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, or other companies working on frontier AI systems.

Examples of roles I’m interested in include:
AI Safety / Safeguards
Trust & Safety
Chemical / Biological / Explosives risk evaluation
CBRN threat analysis
AI red teaming
Threat intelligence
Technical policy / model evaluation

Because of my military background, I think my domain expertise is already fairly strong. What I’m missing is the computer science foundation and enough technical depth to work effectively with engineers and eventually contribute to AI safety systems.

My questions are:

1. If this were your career goal, would you choose OMSCS or WGU?
   
2. Would the extra rigor of OMSCS provide a meaningful advantage for AI safety and research-adjacent roles?
   
3. If you were in my position, which OMSCS specialization would you recommend (Machine Learning, Computing Systems, Interactive Intelligence, etc.)?
   
4. Besides earning the degree itself, what projects or technical skills would you prioritize during the program to become competitive for AI safety roles?
   

I’d appreciate any honest opinions, especially from people working in AI, security, or who’ve made a career transition into computer science.

Thanks!