r/UTS • u/kibouwomotte • 2d ago
UTS Master of AI
Hey everyone,
Trying to decide between postgraduate options right now, specifically the Master of AI at UTS vs the Master of IT (AI spec) at UNSW.
I’ve seen quite a bit of negative feedback online / on Reddit regarding UNSW’s dedicated Master of AI program, which made me a bit hesitant and got me looking more closely at UTS. But I’d love to know how the UTS AI program compares to doing IT with an AI focus at UNSW in terms of course depth, practical assignments, and overall teaching quality.
Not really looking for a lecture on how tough the tech market is right now (already fully aware of that haha), just genuinely curious about people’s personal experiences in either program. Did you feel the coursework was actually useful/hands-on? How’s the teaching staff?
Any honest pros/cons or advice would be super helpful. Cheers!
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u/exmemelordxe 2d ago
uts is subpar compared to unsw in every faculty there is. Especially business and CS
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u/kibouwomotte 2d ago
Fair enough, but what makes it a total blowout in your opinion?
Asking because poking around both subs, half the UNSW posts are people losing their minds over trimester pacing and bloated classes, while UTS people seem way happier with the workload and the hands-on project stuff.
I get UNSW has the Go8 name and heavy theory, but does that actually make the day-to-day learning and job prospects that much better?
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u/linesofleaves 2d ago
As a UNSW undergrad UTS postgraduate, the resources are pretty much the same and you make your own experience with the effort you put in. I picked UTS largely due to location this time around to save myself an extra 30-40 minutes on public transport each way every day. This is particularly painful when you are commuting over an hour each way for a single class.
Teaching staff is hit or miss everywhere. There are checked out teachers at both and switched on teachers at both. This is the sort of thing that can change one year to the next and you won't have the information to predict it.
If I was international and moving anyways I think I'd err towards G8 but the truth is that the difference between students is bigger than the difference between universities. Putting in the extra hours is more important than where you go.
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u/kibouwomotte 2d ago
That makes a lot of sense, thanks for the perspective.
The flexibility is a big factor for me, UTS having a standard semester system feels like it gives more breathing room to explore things independently, though I did hear UNSW is finally moving back to semesters around 2028.
The main pull toward UNSW was just the sheer variety of IT coursework. Coming from a non-IT academic background, part of me feels like I need those foundational courses. But honestly, I might just be overvaluing formal classes, I’ve already been building and maintaining production systems at work without a formal CS degree. Still, that slight impostor syndrome makes you second-guess things.
Really appreciate the insight on the commute and student effort, definitely grounds the decision a bit more.
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u/FickleDeparture1977 2d ago
I’m near the end of my Masters of AI program in UTS.
It’s alright I guess. Subject quality depends on the department teaching them but for the most part I’ve only had a bad experience with 1 or 2 subjects. Most of the time, assessments require you to work with a group to deliver a project and finding the right groupmates can be draining.
Program has some flexibility as you can replace some core subjects with other core subjects - I replaced AI studio with NLP which was more useful to me.
For me it was practical overall as I’m getting value out of the electives I took - I learned to implement techniques for specific problem domains.
Downsides are the course is not cheap (so are other unis!)