Study Options

Discussion in 'Training & Development' started by HTF, Jul 27, 2010.

  1. HTF

    HTF Byte Poster

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    Hi,

    I would like to ask about the study options. I'm foreigner. I achieved (in my country) Master's degree - subject Administration so it's totally different from the one I would like to do it now.

    - Is it possible to do postgraduate B.S. Computer Science course, for example, in my case or I would have to start from the beginning (undergraduate).
    - what are available courses. I prefer roles like sysadmin, server administrator and I'm interested in networking, hosting, virtualization technology etc. so what course would be more suitable for instance: Computer science, Computer Engineering or maybe IT?

    I'm based in Reading UK so I was looking on the Reading Uni website and there is not to much options for postgraduate studies.

    I'm not sure if my previous study achievements are equal/sufficient so I could continue study in the UK or I would have to start from beginning and what are actually available specific subject/courses (in the field of computers/IT of course)

    Please point me to the right direction where I should look for this information.
     
    Certifications: A+
  2. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    Its possible to do a conversion masters in Computing / Computer Science etc, the course will normally be one year fulltime or two years part time though. So in reality it will not cover as much ground as a bachelors, so although considered a higher award is really covering less as you point out.

    Its not necessary to have a degree for many IT careers in the UK, it merely helps in some situations.

    I would possibly consider a different route, or at least do your masters part time.

    If you want to get into support your best bet is to land any job you can with some decent IT exposure and then self study or take suitable short courses and exams for your career aspirations, that is why some people like certifications.

    As you will see all over this forum, the best entry level certifications for people without a degree or experience are generally A+/N+ or MCDST. You could also consider the new MCA or MCTS exams on Windows 7.

    Some places teach A+/N+ material as Cisco Essentials 1 and 2 or as an OCR iPro level 2 Diploma course.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2010
  3. HTF

    HTF Byte Poster

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    Thank you for reply.

    I work in IT already. I have A+ cert and I should take Security + soon, what also give me MCSA. I was thinking about studies so I can improve my knowledge etc.
     
    Certifications: A+
  4. dmarsh
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    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    Oh well that completely changes the question then !

    Currently your question is rather vague...

    1. Do you want to study part-time or full-time ?

    2. Do you want to study at college or distance learning ?

    3. Do you want to do course based or research based ?

    4. What are your interests ?

    5. How much time do you have to study ?

    6. How many years can you study for ?

    7. How much money have you got or can you get funding or sponsorship ?

    8. Does the course have to relate to an industry or employer ?

    9. Are you doing it for academic interest or employment (see below).

    10. Do you care about the reputation of the institution, lecturers or the qualification.

    11. How hard do you want the course to be ?

    12. Are you prepared to relocate to take the best course ?

    etc...

    It entirely depends what your objective is :-

    1. Do you just want a piece of paper to wave at employers ?

    If this is the case you can take things like experience on the Job, MCSA certification, etc and approach a university and ask for course credit on either a bachelors or a masters of your choice, they will then tell you what they can do for you in terms of free credit / time off the degree. You will then be left with a number of credits / modules required and maybe a project in order to achieve your degree.

    2. Do you have a special interest in something ?

    If you have a special interest then that will greatly affect what, where, and who you study with.

    For example if you are fascinated by carbon nanotubes then you find the top guy in the world who will take PhD or MPhil students and you go learn everything you can from them...

    Of course the internet is pretty much the best general research tool ever, so really you should be using it right now...
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2010
  5. dmarsh
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    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    Computer Science / Computer Engineering courses tend to focus on core subjects of how computers and software work, algorithms, datastructures, architecture, processes, etc. They are generally designed for people who want to know everything from the nuts and bolts up, people who can even design and build their own computer or operating system. They therefore are overkill for most support roles.

    IT really is a nebulous term, Information Technology, what does it mean ?

    It is generally whatever a company needs in terms of tech to get the job done, since every company is different it could be anything, so its generally the most common stuff companies use, as such its largely a bunch of well known vendor solutions. Since the vendors control the tech people generally prefer vendor qualifications, hence certification.

    A general IT degree is not worth pursuing in my mind if you already have an IT job and are over the age of 20, just learn whatever you need to get the job done and keep your employer happy and progress within your career.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2010
  6. HTF

    HTF Byte Poster

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    This sounds good. Does any university offer this option? As you mentioned there is a few options to consider so I would have to think about it if it's really worth it or maybe is better to focus on such a certificate like Red Hat Certified Engineer which is very rewarding.

    Regards
     
    Certifications: A+
  7. dmarsh
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    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    You have to approach them all individually and ask what options they have for professionals / mature students, do they have distance learning, modular options, credit for prior learning, credit for certifications etc.

    The OU gives credit for some MCSA exams for example, they also give credit for prior learning.

    Some Universities allow you to submit project work from your employer for assessment, or they may take modules from an uncompleted course as prior learning, etc.

    You have to look around, ultimately they are a business and will show some flexibility to get your cash.

    Same as any business the colleges with people fighting to get in are less likely to tout as hard for your business.

    There are some exceptions, Masters courses can be very big bucks and are generally for mature students, so even the big names tout for these but they charge a lot.

    Why on earth did you do a business masters if your interest is linux ? :blink

    A lot of linux people are quite geeky and into internals, many have comp sci degrees, so maybe that would be worthwhile for you, then you could be writing drivers and kernel modules with the best of them !
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2010
  8. UKDarkstar
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    UKDarkstar Terabyte Poster

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    You need to look on Uni sites in their section for international students as if you are not UK national then they will have different entry rules.

    I work in a college for foreign students studying english and business studies and many successfully enter UK uni's for various subjects (including IT) at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

    Onc eyou then find a curse you like the look of, contact the Uni department for international students. If you're thinking of this year you need to move fast as places are going very quickly !
     
    Certifications: BA (Hons), MBCS, CITP, MInstLM, ITIL v3 Fdn, PTLLS, CELTA
    WIP: CMALT (about to submit), DTLLS (on hold until 2012)
  9. dmarsh
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    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    I think the main differences for you as a foriegn student already living in the UK will be to do with funding and course price.

    If you are from the EU you may find that you qualify for more stuff or get a lower price than outside EU.

    Again as darkstar says contact universities and find out what the rules are in advance.

    Also find courses that are of interest and ask what the costs would be.

    Heres some general government links :-

    http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Educati...inance/StudentsFromOtherEUCountries/index.htm
    http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/fees_student_support.php

    Generally a UK national gets some government funding towards their first degree, you are not a UK national and this is not your first degree, so you are likely to have to pay the majority of the costs.

    In many cases your best bet may be to get your existing employer to fund a part time course, other possibilities include bursaries, student awards, sponsorships and stipends etc.

    Some part time courses at some universities can be quite affordable for EU nationals.

    Places on some courses may be limited and usually there is a set date for applications, to be sure to get into the universities with the top rankings you need to apply early. Sometimes you can get onto courses late though, even after the course has started sometimes.
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2010
  10. HTF

    HTF Byte Poster

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    Thank you for all your help.

    I will have to check with specific university. I will continue to do my certificates for now as it's also great opportunity.

    Regards
     
    Certifications: A+
  11. LukeP

    LukeP Gigabyte Poster

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    Just in case you didn't know. Naric can convert your foreign qualifications to UK system.

    See http://www.naric.org.uk/ for more info.
     
    WIP: Uhmm... not sure

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