Online MSc Computer Science with Data Analytics at University of York

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a Masters CS that can be finished in ~1 year, and I've found these 3:
-Hertfordshire (some bad experiences in this thread)
-Sunderland (some bad reviews on WhatUni)
-Abertay (couldn't find anything about this)

Does anyone know about these programmes? How are they?
Sunderland and Abertay are associated with HEP, is this something of concern?

I have applied to the course and was admitted. It's true that the course is running for the first time although York is not a no-name university. Being part of the Russel Group is a good stamp of quality. The CS department seems to be well regarded and has a well-qualified teaching staff. I have researched almost every conversion MSc in CS around the world and couldn't find anything cheaper from a similarly ranked university (I'm Canadian). I know there's going to be downs as a first time running course, but I'm not looking to be handheld, I just want a programme that I'll use as a base to break-in computer science, be aware that in such a programme, you'll have to be independent and learn things on your own to succeed. The good thing is you have tons of resources available online to supplement your learning. What I really also like about the programme as opposed to others is that it's not a watered down version of an MSc CS, you study the real thing like Architecture, Algorithms & Data Structures, Advanced Programming, Machine Learning etc. York is actually delivering the course in partnership with a US company which has a long history of delivering online programmes for other institutions in the US. The online learning platform is Canvas LMS which is one of the best, not your *****y typical Blackboard or Moodle, to me, this makes a difference. The Bath programme looks very good as well but I don't think it's worth 5K more and Bath is not as well regarded as York. Some other online programmes I have looked at are Northumbria, Huddersfield, Liverpool, Staffordshire, and Aberdeen. I have done a ton of research before pulling the trigger on York, if you have any question let me know otherwise I hope to see you in the online induction
** I was looking at Research Excellence Framework results and York is on par with Manchester and Edinburgh for the quality of its research in CS.
https://results.ref.ac.uk/(S(fyjw2atnemz4rhyk1e1zytds))/Results/ByUoa/11

Hi, I contacted York by email and asked if the course was delivered and taught by the university or by a third party like Higher Ed Partners and they replied that there is no third party, that it is delivered by the university directly. How can they deny it?

Ok so let me explain everything wrong with this course after graduating in 2022, starting a PhD, completing a robotics MSc, teaching undergrads and starting an undergraduate degree to fill in the gaps of the trash can that was York.
The problem with York is that it misses very essential topics that are needed to succeed at PhD level and on other Computer Science MSc degrees. Firstly, York does not teach any discrete mathematics, discrete mathematics such as sets, proofs etc are essential for writing academic papers in AI and machine learning. They also don’t teach computational math such as differentiation, binary and decimal, calculus, series and sequences, (they teach a bit of graph theory and predicate logic). Good luck writing anything of publishable value without these skills.
Now on to AI and Machine learning. York’s AI coverage is ok, but what is criminal is that they teach absolutely no Bayesian statistics, no hidden markov theory, no Monte Carlo theory, without these topics, you can basically say goodbye to any real AI/ML at PhD level. Also they attempt to teach neural networks, yet there is absolutely zero mention of tensorflow or PyTorch, these are basically the industry standard skills in Machine learning engineering job. If you mention that you used WEKA or even just SKlearn then you should expect to be laughed out of the interview room at best, shot in the worst case.
The actual data science part is a joke, absolutely no SQL is taught, when I tried getting job interviews without SQL I basically got DISQLIFIED, seriously, a data science course that doesn’t teach SQL or any data science math is basically garbage and won’t get you anywhere.
The computer architecture is a joke, they don’t teach the fundamentals of digital logic like adders and multiplexer, they don’t even tell you basic stuff like how to design a digital logic circuit in circuitmaker, the module has zero value as it is just a husk of the topic. Also in such a module you should learn to code in assembly code and also you should be able to make a basic OS in C , this is the standard in most good undergrad courses…..
I could go on but I won’t bore you with the details, this is the gist of the problem, from what I can see Bath’s computer science MSc is only marginally better. Basically in CS there are no shortcuts, get an undergrad CS degree and then get an advanced computer science MSc, anything else is a waste of your time and money.ee
Hope this helps

Ok so let me explain everything wrong with this course after graduating in 2022, starting a PhD, completing a robotics MSc, teaching undergrads and starting an undergraduate degree to fill in the gaps of the trash can that was York.
The problem with York is that it misses very essential topics that are needed to succeed at PhD level and on other Computer Science MSc degrees. Firstly, York does not teach any discrete mathematics, discrete mathematics such as sets, proofs etc are essential for writing academic papers in AI and machine learning. They also don’t teach computational math such as differentiation, binary and decimal, calculus, series and sequences, (they teach a bit of graph theory and predicate logic). Good luck writing anything of publishable value without these skills.
Now on to AI and Machine learning. York’s AI coverage is ok, but what is criminal is that they teach absolutely no Bayesian statistics, no hidden markov theory, no Monte Carlo theory, without these topics, you can basically say goodbye to any real AI/ML at PhD level. Also they attempt to teach neural networks, yet there is absolutely zero mention of tensorflow or PyTorch, these are basically the industry standard skills in Machine learning engineering job. If you mention that you used WEKA or even just SKlearn then you should expect to be laughed out of the interview room at best, shot in the worst case.
The actual data science part is a joke, absolutely no SQL is taught, when I tried getting job interviews without SQL I basically got DISQLIFIED, seriously, a data science course that doesn’t teach SQL or any data science math is basically garbage and won’t get you anywhere.
The computer architecture is a joke, they don’t teach the fundamentals of digital logic like adders and multiplexer, they don’t even tell you basic stuff like how to design a digital logic circuit in circuitmaker, the module has zero value as it is just a husk of the topic. Also in such a module you should learn to code in assembly code and also you should be able to make a basic OS in C , this is the standard in most good undergrad courses…..
I could go on but I won’t bore you with the details, this is the gist of the problem, from what I can see Bath’s computer science MSc is only marginally better. Basically in CS there are no shortcuts, get an undergrad CS degree and then get an advanced computer science MSc, anything else is a waste of your time and money.ee
Hope this helps

Thank you for your detailed response here and apologies for rekindling an old thread. I am intrigued by your journey - I am a seasoned software senior leader / architect. My education has been from India and I have a BE in CSE and PG Dip. in IT. Lately out of mid-life crisis been thinking of doing a PhD, and it seems doing a Masters degree in the UK will improve my chances. Is my thinking right? Would York be of any help in that regards being a red-brick? Do you mind sharing where did you do your PhD from and which under-grad you took?

You probably won't find the York Msc much good, and you won't be able to study for this in the UK as its remote. In my opinion you would be better off applying for an on site taught Msc in the UK. I completed the Msc online in Computer Science with Cyber security and whilst it was fun during covid, its not a very well put together course and its pretty basic if coming from a programming job. I would recommend to avoid and look for a taught, more advanced course.

What's the public perception of these degrees? IMO, regardless of it being poorly taught, York is a good University and most people don't really look further than the piece of paper, having a masters in CS/AI looks pretty good to anyone, and if you study math on your own and can code (I can already code in a ton of languages) then who cares. Basically a cheatcode to getting a higher salary by not doing much.

Thank you for your detailed response here and apologies for rekindling an old thread. I am intrigued by your journey - I am a seasoned software senior leader / architect. My education has been from India and I have a BE in CSE and PG Dip. in IT. Lately out of mid-life crisis been thinking of doing a PhD, and it seems doing a Masters degree in the UK will improve my chances. Is my thinking right? Would York be of any help in that regards being a red-brick? Do you mind sharing where did you do your PhD from and which under-grad you took?

Hello, my PhD is at The University of East Anglia and my BA was in philosophy, politics and Economics, I also have a robotics MSc. In terms of doing an MSc from the UK, considering that you are international, you will be paying hefty tuition fees. My suggestion is that you go for the best course you can, try somewhere like imperial college or university college London (also oxbridge). York might be an option for you but if you just want a certificate from a high ranking uk university. However if you can go somewhere that will actually give you top level skills then do that. Also if you have a CS undergrad, imo a mathematics MSc or an advanced computer science MSc are better preparation for a PhD than a standard CS MSc like the one from York.

Hello, I am planning to pursue a MSc in Computer Science and Cybersecurity at University of York, I am coming from a non-technical educational background, the modules seem to be just as of my level to give me a push so I can pursue a PhD, am I wrong for that? Thank you in advance for your response.

I thought it was a conversion type master, no?