Masters Degree Planning

[TomatoLettuce]

Your Location: Washington state, USA
Your Age: 32
What kind of degree do you want?: Masters and open to suggestion for focus. My current career is Software Development, but it is more analytical, and customer focused than pure programming. My favorite parts of my job are reading code and finding the mistakes or clarifying what the code is doing. I also like testing the code to check that it is working correctly and being able to troubleshoot with the customer. I don't care to innovate new programs because it isn't my strength, but I could use more programming background. I only had one position as a developer so far, so I am open to making myself more competitive for other companies.

Current Regional Accredited Credits:
Arizona Wester College Total Credits: 84
COMM 101, 3, A
SOC 1TR, 3, A
SOC 101, 3, B
PSY 101, 3, A
PHIL 113, 3, A
ARH 201, 3, A
COMM 119, 3, A
SOC 1TR, 3, A
MATH 254, 3, A
ENGL 270, 3, A
MATH 163, 4, A
MIS 111, 3, A
ELCR 1TR, 2, A
ENGR 102, 3, A
PHIL 110, 3, B
MATH 120R, 5, A
MATH 223, 4, A
MATH 1TR, 2, A
MATH 129, 3, A
MATH 124, 5, A
GEOS 251, 4, A
ENGL 102, 3, C
ENGL 101, 3, B
ECON 201B, 3, A
PTYS 1TR, 4, A
ECE 175, 3, A

Pima Community College Total Credits: 9
PHYS 1TR, 1, B
PHYS 141, 4, B
PHYS 241, 4, B

University of Arizona Total Credits: 89
Class Name, Credits, Grade
CHEM 151, 4, C
JPN 101, 5, B
SIE 250, 3, B
SIE 277, 3, A
CHEM 152, 4, B
PHIL 111, 3, A
SIE 265, 3, B
SIE 270, 3, A
SIE 295S, 1, A
ENGL 308, 3, A
MATH 215, 3, B
SIE 305, 3, A
SIE 340, 3, B
SIE 415, 3, B
SIE 321, 3, B
SIE 330R, 3, B
SIE 370, 4, A
SIE 431, 3, C
ENGR 498A, 3, A
MATH 402, 3, C
SIE 377, 3, B
SIE 410A, 3, A
SIE 454A, 3, A
SIE 462, 3, A
ECE 220, 5, B
ENGR 498B, 3, A
MATH 323, 3, C
SIE 457, 3, A

Any certifications or military experience? I have a Military Spouse Technology Academy (MSTA) certificate from a Microsoft trial program based on the Microsoft Software and System Academy (MSSA).

Budget: $20,000 saved and also access to military benefits due to being dependent. 

Commitments: Just me and the cat. I work full time at my current job remotely. I did get more responsibilities there, so it does affect my capacity to study after work.

Dedicated Time to Study: I am willing to dedicate time for evening & weekend classes. Then 1-2 hours of studying a day.

Timeline: I would say 2-3 years. I am flexible with my time because my focus is just to get a masters.

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I am applicable for the Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) or Fry Scholarship. I have yet to apply to either and only one can be chosen. 

Extra Info: A.A. in Mathematics. B.S. in Systems Engineering. Went to MSTA for programming bootcamp. Currently a software developer for about 3 years now. 

I prefer more competency-based education. I did try to test-out for a programing certification but failed. It is also difficult for me to know what I should study so I appreciate the direction a class provides. I have done a remote course, so I am also comfortable working online with the ability to discuss. I find my studying starts out strong, then lessens overtime, so I think having a part-time course or even taking a class at a time is best for me.

[rachel83az]

How about Georgia Tech? You said you prefer competency-based, but GT is a solid school with an excellent online program.

[bjcheung77]

@TomatoLettuce, I would recommend applying to several options that are available on Coursera, Edx, I think these are the best bang for the buck in addition to the GT option that was mentioned. Other than those, you can also check the graduate section of the forum for Applied Computer Science or similar programs such as Data Analytics or Data Science, etc, most of them are in the price range under 15K.

[TomatoLettuce]

Thank you both! I'll look into those options today.