What's your opinion on MicroMasters programs?

[cookderosa]

I'll be the standout..

I'm kind of uneasy about them if I'm honest. I love the idea, making high quality education accessible to the masses.

But my concerns are...

The name...Micromasters? Sounds like a marketing gimmick. Before micro masters we had graduate certificates. They were basically the same thing...the only difference brings me to my next concern. You're not guaranteed credit. You have to do real graduate level work, pay real money (although less than normal), and then apply and HOPE that you can convert those two things into real graduate credits/degrees.

If University of Phoenix would have been the first school to create a micromasters program we would likely be discussing how greedy and how unethical it is. With that being said, the ability to learn from the great professors and schools of our day is absolutely awesome! I'm just not sold on the for-credit piece of this. If they automatically and 100% converted into a graduate certificate for the number of credits you've taken -- this whole thing would make a heck of alot more sense. Why do you have to take a class at the school to get credits you've already earned?

Just my 2 cents.

There are actually a few things that aren't exactly matching up with your understanding- I'm not picking on you, there isn't a ton of info on the website, I'm sure more will come.
Micromasters and graduate certificates are different. A micromasters is a free non credit MOOC that certain colleges are allowing you to use toward completion of a graduate degree at that school. Think of it like a Straighterline partnership. You're not getting credit unless you put it into a school- and in this case, there is only 1 school that accepts it. So, without enrollment, it's a MOOC. With enrollment, it's credit.

Cost: The classes and your education is free, but you pay for the verification if you choose - that will involve a proctored exam and some assignments depending- that add on will cost you between $100-$300. This is not unlike the Saylor program in existence now. EdX is similar, but in this context, they are doing the same thing but with graduate credit.

A graduate certificate is a collection of graduate courses you take through a college/university. Admissions, sometimes GRE, and a host of other criteria go into "getting in" and then from that point you complete the assignments, get a grade, and have a transcript. Sometimes graduate certificates are integrated into degree programs, but not always.

The SMART thing about this, is that edX didn't roll out the program until a partnership was in place. In other words, you're not taking a class and hoping someone takes it, you're taking SPECIFIC classes that you already KNOW will be accepted at a specific college and in a specific program.