Go Degree offers a wide variety of information on different online courses including the subject of computer science. This is due to the field’s high demand in recent years. In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment will double within the next decade. This would translate into 3,200 projected job openings a year.

It is no surprise that this has led to the rise of online computer science degrees, but that does come with a few valid concerns. A major one is the competitiveness of such a degree and how it compares to its traditional counterparts. Read on to understand how we break them down.

Online Vs. Traditional

A comparison of an online degree with a traditional one requires a consideration of the differences between them. Comparisons of these degrees contribute greatly to the credibility of these degrees because they demonstrate how they differ fundamentally. 

Doing so provides insight into the development of the student and how this would translate into the workplace.

Pace

The pace at which a person earns their degree through an online course is largely dependent on the student. A traditional course would set studentsIndividuals enrolled in educational programs who are the primary beneficiaries of educational servic... on a track that is provided by the school, but for an online degree provides them with a lot more control and agency. 

Even so, there are still plenty of online courses that offer loose tracks for people to follow, but they are still not limited to the “operating hours” of a brick-and-mortar school. The freedom to set their own learning pace pose certain benefits. 

Consequently, the subjects can be absorbed much more organically. Even though it may seem obvious that understanding ideas at a comfortable pace is helpful, there are some other benefits that may not be as apparent.

The field of computer science is self-reinforcing. As a result, more complex concepts are built on top of the fundamentals. Failing to understand the simpler concepts and being railroaded into the more intermediate ones, as is so often the case in traditional courses, can be incredibly detrimental to the student’s progress.

Perception

The second thing to consider is the difference in perception that people, and especially employers, have of an online degree when compared to a traditional degree. A decade ago, one could argue that the two have a significant disparity in terms of respect. That is clearly no longer the case.

According to a study by the Online Learning Consortium, this gap has largely disappeared over recent years. They report that an average of 28% of students are taking at least one online course. Public institutions house more online students than ever, with 72.7% of undergraduate students and 38.7% of graduate students studying online–  a trend that employers have noticed as well.

Companies and institutions are aware of the growing popularity and quality of online computer science degrees. If there is something that will most likely catch the eye of the employer, then it would be the school that the degree was obtained from. 

Legitimacy

With many universities offering both traditional and online avenues for learning, the main concern becomes the quality of the institution rather than the medium of study. What will most likely affect the perception of these organizations is the degree’s accreditationThe process by which an institution or educational program is recognized as meeting certain predefin.... 

It hardly matters whether the degree was earned online or not if it was earned by an accredited and reputable university or program. There is even room to discuss that, in a few years, having an online degree might even be more appealing.

Quality

As the popularity of online courses grow, so does the quality of the education that they provide. This is even more true for computer science degrees. It is worth remembering that the field is deeply intertwined with technology. 

The popularity of online computer science degrees has grown due to their quality and demand. Both of these factors have contributed to the development of the field. Employers are aware of this rise in their competitiveness.

There’s a lot more to discuss about the ins and outs of an online computer science degree. If you’d like to learn more about them, then visit Go Degree’s blog and get a better grasp on what an online science degree looks like.