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EsEsMinnowjohnson t1_j6hrhaq wrote

Yes for MS with a bunch of schools that are dedicated to building online platforms (eg Oregon State) but really hard to find online PhD programs. Looks like NDSU offers one in CS, if you’re not too picky about prestige (go bison!).

I’m currently in Oregon State’s MS in Environmental Sciences program doing research on remote sensing and tree physiology (obviously not CS, but a useful enough anecdote). Here are the main things on an online program of this nature:

  • you pretty much have to be self funded. Research and teaching assistantships aren’t unheard of but you’d likely be waiting a while (years) for an opportunity to open up.
  • some institutions offer a choice between coursework only or a full thesis/dissertation. The former is easier and often doesn’t require a major advisor. The latter always does.
  • one of the main reasons people are declined from the OSU program I’m in is their failure to secure a major advisor. This is probably true a lot of places. It’s hard to find faculty that are comfortable with taking on a remote student AND have data that already exist and can be processed remotely for a meaningful thesis. In my case my advisor has field sensors set up in a ponderosa pine stand and has 2 years of data that we’ll use to validate models based on existing Landsat data. That’s a great project because it requires no lab/field work or specialized equipment.

So far I’ve really enjoyed the OSU program, and I think we’ll continue to see a lot more of this in the future.

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