Started Woolf Masters in AI [Udacity]

[salko23]

--- "or is there a final 'graduation fee' or a different pricing model once we reach Tier 3"
not sure what you mean by tier 3 is, highly doubt thats the case, i think its one subscription without extra payments

--- "Would love to know how it looks in the dashboard. Thanks!"
cant post dashboard atm, no problems though, easy to use, navigate, and enroll

Thanks for the reply! Regarding the Tier 3 terminology, that is actually how Udacity Support officially refers to the Capstone phase in their emails. It basically works like three semesters where each Tier is worth about 30 ECTS.

The first two Tiers are clear because you just pay the subscription and finish the courses at your own pace until you hit 60 ECTS. My main concern is how the subscription works for the Capstone part. I remember seeing in a presentation that it consists of 6 smaller projects and one final 15-minute presentation, but I haven't been able to find any more details since then.

I am specifically interested in how many months of subscription I would be forced to pay for that final stage. I want to know how long it actually takes for them to review those projects and how the final presentation works in terms of scheduling. If it is a live session, I'm worried about how long I might have to wait for an available time slot and if that waiting period would force me to pay for extra months of subscription just to get the final grade.

Yes, thank you for raising those issues. I was also wondering about that. 
I am planning to register as soon as possible, but my main goal for doing this master's is to be able to access AI PhD programmes in Europe, Canada or the Middle East. Is it possible with this degree and how can I "disguise" the capstone projects as a master thesis, since it's essential to have one before doing a PhD?

Regarding the PhD path, if you check the official program details, the final part is credited with 750 hours, which equals 30 ECTS. This is the exact European standard for a Master’s Thesis, so on paper, the 'weight' of your work matches what PhD committees in Europe, Canada, and the Middle East are looking for.

One thing that is a bit unusual is the naming. In the official transcript, this part is listed as 'Capstone: Advanced Applied Computer Science' instead of something more traditional like 'Master’s Thesis' or 'Dissertation.'  However, this shouldn't be a major hurdle for a PhD application as long as you can prove the depth of your research.

Since the Capstone requires a technical report and a final presentation, my advice would be to treat it as a formal research paper. If your goal is a PhD, you should probably aim for a more comprehensive and academic approach to that report. You can present it in your CV as a 'Thesis-equivalent Capstone Project.'

Unfortunately, Udacity is still very tight-lipped about the specific details of this final part.

---

Loving it so far, clean interface, the videos are downloadable, and it's very organized. The videos usually range from 3 to 10 minutes, though sometimes they hit 20 minutes. 

If you have any questions, let me know! Time is tight right now, so you might have to wait a bit for a reply. 

I started using Udacity to upskill, so I said might as well do the masters program! I didn't do the credit exemption because I wanted to do all the courses.

Sign up using my link!
Udacity Ref Link

Have you checked with Woolf and/or the MFHEA if this degree is actually accredited and recognized? According to MFHEA regulations accredited online programs must be synchronous with a substantial amount of direct contact hours. Are you attending any live classes?

Woolf is licensed as a Higher Education Institution and the program is fully accredited. They are currently going through a routine renewal audit with the MFHEA, which is just standard procedure for providers and shouldn't affect anything.

As for the live sessions, it is true that Udacity doesn't have traditional live classes and everything is self-paced. They do offer regular consultations with mentors, so maybe that is how they classify the contact hours to meet regulations. I am not 100% sure how they label it officially, but for now, the degree is recognized and the accreditation is active.

[Eleanor]

--- "or is there a final 'graduation fee' or a different pricing model once we reach Tier 3"
not sure what you mean by tier 3 is, highly doubt thats the case, i think its one subscription without extra payments

--- "Would love to know how it looks in the dashboard. Thanks!"
cant post dashboard atm, no problems though, easy to use, navigate, and enroll

Thanks for the reply! Regarding the Tier 3 terminology, that is actually how Udacity Support officially refers to the Capstone phase in their emails. It basically works like three semesters where each Tier is worth about 30 ECTS.

The first two Tiers are clear because you just pay the subscription and finish the courses at your own pace until you hit 60 ECTS. My main concern is how the subscription works for the Capstone part. I remember seeing in a presentation that it consists of 6 smaller projects and one final 15-minute presentation, but I haven't been able to find any more details since then.

I am specifically interested in how many months of subscription I would be forced to pay for that final stage. I want to know how long it actually takes for them to review those projects and how the final presentation works in terms of scheduling. If it is a live session, I'm worried about how long I might have to wait for an available time slot and if that waiting period would force me to pay for extra months of subscription just to get the final grade.

Yes, thank you for raising those issues. I was also wondering about that. 
I am planning to register as soon as possible, but my main goal for doing this master's is to be able to access AI PhD programmes in Europe, Canada or the Middle East. Is it possible with this degree and how can I "disguise" the capstone projects as a master thesis, since it's essential to have one before doing a PhD?

Regarding the PhD path, if you check the official program details, the final part is credited with 750 hours, which equals 30 ECTS. This is the exact European standard for a Master’s Thesis, so on paper, the 'weight' of your work matches what PhD committees in Europe, Canada, and the Middle East are looking for.

One thing that is a bit unusual is the naming. In the official transcript, this part is listed as 'Capstone: Advanced Applied Computer Science' instead of something more traditional like 'Master’s Thesis' or 'Dissertation.'  However, this shouldn't be a major hurdle for a PhD application as long as you can prove the depth of your research.

Since the Capstone requires a technical report and a final presentation, my advice would be to treat it as a formal research paper. If your goal is a PhD, you should probably aim for a more comprehensive and academic approach to that report. You can present it in your CV as a 'Thesis-equivalent Capstone Project.'

Unfortunately, Udacity is still very tight-lipped about the specific details of this final part.

---

Loving it so far, clean interface, the videos are downloadable, and it's very organized. The videos usually range from 3 to 10 minutes, though sometimes they hit 20 minutes. 

If you have any questions, let me know! Time is tight right now, so you might have to wait a bit for a reply. 

I started using Udacity to upskill, so I said might as well do the masters program! I didn't do the credit exemption because I wanted to do all the courses.

Sign up using my link!
Udacity Ref Link

Have you checked with Woolf and/or the MFHEA if this degree is actually accredited and recognized? According to MFHEA regulations accredited online programs must be synchronous with a substantial amount of direct contact hours. Are you attending any live classes?

Woolf is licensed as a Higher Education Institution and the program is fully accredited. They are currently going through a routine renewal audit with the MFHEA, which is just standard procedure for providers and shouldn't affect anything.

As for the live sessions, it is true that Udacity doesn't have traditional live classes and everything is self-paced. They do offer regular consultations with mentors, so maybe that is how they classify the contact hours to meet regulations. I am not 100% sure how they label it officially, but for now, the degree is recognized and the accreditation is active.

Yes, Woolf is licensed by the MFHEA.

Regarding the program - only MFHEA accredited programs are recognized. If Woolf has a "Master of Science in AI" program accredited (they do), only the very accredited version (synchronous and as per exact accreditation) is recognized and covered by the MFHEA accreditation.

The Udacity version of a Woolf Master of Science in AI, if not exactly structured and delivered as per MFHEA program accreditation, will with most certainty not be accredited/recognized. From what I can see on the Udacity program overview and information shared here, the Udacity version seems substantially different from the accredited version. But I may be wrong.

I strongly recommend you contact the MFHEA and inquire about that. Send them the link of the program from the Udacity portal and briefly explain the structure (videos, capstone, etc.). Even if this may not bring the result you hope for, it is better to check and to be on the safe side imho....

[Tomas]

> They are currently going through a routine renewal audit with the MFHEA, which is just standard procedure for providers and shouldn't affect anything.

This one is not quite routine and non-standard one - after they required improvements on 8 out of 11 standards per last standard audit in 2024.
And that was before MFHEA failed with EQAR, faced local political pressure and got new management.

[NotJoeBiden]

How can I "disguise" the capstone projects as a master thesis, since it's essential to have one before doing a PhD?

I believe that is considered academic fraud.

[sialiblo]

Based on the faculty list (they called them "teachers") at https://woolf.university/degrees/udct-ma...telligence, it raises some questions, many courses were taught by 15+ teachers with no information about their academic qualifications, professional experience, or how they were vetted to teach.

[Tomas]

Based on the faculty list (they called them "teachers") at https://woolf.university/degrees/udct-ma...telligence, it raises some questions, many courses were taught by 15+ teachers with no information about their academic qualifications, professional experience, or how they were vetted to teach.

Let's not forget this is Malta, not US regional accreditation, also it is not a university but a higher education institution. Masters degree and some experience shall typically be sufficient on Malta. People listed are likely those that developed the online course.

[Maltus]

Based on the faculty list (they called them "teachers") at https://woolf.university/degrees/udct-ma...telligence, it raises some questions, many courses were taught by 15+ teachers with no information about their academic qualifications, professional experience, or how they were vetted to teach.

Some of those pictures sure look like mugshots :-).
I tried googleing some of the teachers. A lot of em seems to use famous names of allready passed people. Others sure seem to exist, but why should a mineralogist teach AI? Just doesntmake sense to me.

[NotJoeBiden]

Others sure seem to exist, but why should a mineralogist teach AI? Just doesntmake sense to me.

Data mining

[sialiblo]

Based on the faculty list (they called them "teachers") at https://woolf.university/degrees/udct-ma...telligence, it raises some questions, many courses were taught by 15+ teachers with no information about their academic qualifications, professional experience, or how they were vetted to teach.

Some of those pictures sure look like mugshots :-).
I tried googleing some of the teachers. A lot of em seems to use famous names of allready passed people. Others sure seem to exist, but why should a mineralogist teach AI? Just doesntmake sense to me.

I hope they are all real people, not some AI generated personas.

[wow]

I'm not seeing any faculty on that page, even under the courses and faculty tab. Could be my browser setting if it's an interactive etc feature -- I have it set to keep that stuff from automatically loading. Or has the faculty list been removed?