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I think the question is less whether the "online" part of the degree is problematic, and more whether the "masters" part is. Pay-for-play vocational masters degrees are kind of a known quantity in the field already. A BSCS from GATech is something! An "MS in Cybersecurity" is something else.

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They aren't exactly the University of Phoenix, either.

Compared to the average cost for an online degree from a decent university, I can see a lot of people compromising over only 10K - even if some parts of the program aren't perfect.

They aren't, but, as someone who holds a non-academic Master's degree, I think I still support the distinction - MA and MS should be reserved for people who've defended a thesis. Conferring it to people who have completed a professional education program is muddying the waters.

That seems a bit self-defeating. A thesis is just a longer than average paper, there's nothing magical about it.

I'm in the CS program and the rigor is definitely there. It's not pay-for-play at all, although I am not sure that's what you're suggesting.

Georgia Tech has a top tier CS program and I am not disparaging it. I'm talking specifically about vocational masters degrees like this Cybersecurity thing.

Makes sense. I’m curious, what are your thoughts on vocational certificates for other industries?

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