COMMENTS FROM OUR ONLINE GRADUATES

Read Comments from Our Online Graduates

Take a Look at what some of Our Online Master’s Graduates Have to Say About the Program:  Comments appearing here come from Online MSIS Graduate Exit Surveys and are published by permission from each individual graduate. Students’ identities are withheld to maintain confidentiality.

 “The program was an amazing journey of learning. The instructors were uniformly and perfectly matched to their particular courses. The students in my classes were largely career professionals and I found them to be engaging and bright. They brought with them a broad range of life experiences and a global perspective. Every class was exciting to me and relevant to my career. I took what I had learned in the real world and brought it into the online classroom…I took what I learned in the classroom into the real world.”

 “I changed jobs from General Motors to the USDA...My former title was Regional IT Manager and my new title is Chief of Technology. The degree helped add credibility during the selection process.”

 “It is not like... other distance programs.  UMBC follows the same schedule as the traditional classroom programs.  It is also very professionally run by instructors that teach in both situations (classroom and online).”

 “Nothing was glossed over. This was no 'diploma mill' program. I learned a great deal and I was able to immediately put into action at the office what I learned in class.”

 “I would tell future students that they need to be very disciplined to keep up with the level of work expected. Online courses are very challenging and if a student is undisciplined about keeping up with the reading and the assignments they won't be able to reap the full benefit of the information being presented.”

 “Flexibility of schedule enabled me to hold a full time job and start my own business and still work towards my Masters degree.”

“What I like most about the program is its accessibility. The way the Blackboard is designed made it very easy to communicate with professors/instructors and other students.”

 “The courses were a great mix of technical and high-level content. I feel I have gained an excellent base in IS with my new knowledge being current. The course was quite challenging!”

 “I feel this program is very well thought out and very organized. What I really like most is the syllabus structure of the individual classes. I thought it was very helpful to have assignments due early in the week and not on the weekends because I have the weekends to do my work since I am most tired during the week after a long day of work.”

 “I feel that the effort put into the program will reap benefits tenfold.  If the motivation is there, the student will learn many things and will benefit tremendously.  I was exposed to some areas in IS/IT that were fascinating and, as a result, have caused me to want to pursue them even after leaving this program.”

 “…Freedom to work from home or at work…instructors were very easy to communicate with and were well organized.”

 “The online aspect was most helpful as I do not live near any universities and my schedule is quite full. The ability to work independently...have the access to other students and faculty was a great way for me to learn.”

 “After taking a few classes, I started to see that I actually studied more and learned more from the online courses. I liked the pace.”

“I liked the self paced nature of the programs. The most attractive feature was the ability to study and participate when it was convenient for my schedule. I had several outstanding professors who really understood how to use the online environment to educate.”

 “…Excellent program…Interesting to participate in online group projects and collaborate on various assignments. Quite phenomenal and innovative. Very challenging and rewarding.”

 “The instructors were very willing to help me succeed... Extremely accessible... I found that it was a greatly rewarding program.”

 “Coming from the technical profession of programming, I found the management perspective to be very valuable—especially when applied to my daily work. I gained more insight into my work environment, and people noticed a positive change in my contributions.”

“What I really liked about the program was that the instructors treated me like a professional colleague.”

 “The online program requires a bit more discipline than a class room style course. You have to pay a great deal more attention to all of the communication methods in use. However, I found that it was a greatly rewarding program.”

 “I was not sure if I could handle it. Since I did handle the program successfully, it gave my self esteem significant boost that many have observed even before graduation.”

 “I like the ability to work from home or while on business travel. I enjoyed the self-paced flow of most of the classes because I could not free up the same time each week. The courses covered broad topics that I know would help me in my current IT job.”

 “I upgraded my knowledge of networking and IT security, which will give me a balanced set of skills that will make me more competitive as I apply for executive positions in IT. My writing skills were strong going in, but got much better through the program.”

 “Future students should come prepared to work hard and broaden their technical horizons in this program. The online format is convenient. The courses feature a balanced variety of technical projects, written assignments, quizzes, examinations, and discussions. If you apply yourself, you can get a lot out of this program.”

 “The online program offers the flexibility and self pace that the classroom setting does not offer.  I am usually up pretty late at night so I did much of my coursework during that time when it was quiet in the house. The instructors were very willing to help me succeed and would offer their time whether asked or not. I also met many of my fellow students online and still keep in touch with many of them. You really get to know someone when you work on a successful group project.”