3 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Online Graduate IT Program

When it comes to choosing an online graduate program, there are a few key issues that every student should ask about: cost, length and faculty credentials, just to name a few.

But coders, hackers, developers and others interested in pursuing an online graduate degree in computer information technology shouldn't stop there. With just a few additional questions, they can reveal a lot about the kind of experience a program offers.

The following questions can make a difference when choosing a program that will help graduates succeed in a field with fast growth, high salaries and low unemployment rates.

[Discover how to land a spot in a top online graduate info tech program.]

1. What are the program's technology requirements? Graduate students pursuing information technology-related degrees may need to work on assignments that require a lot of computational power, says George Rouskas, professor and director of graduate programs in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University.

On-campus students often have access to a data center or high-performance computing equipment that is much more powerful than a typical laptop. Online students should check to make sure they will have virtual access to labs or other ways of accessing the tools they need to complete their assignments, Rouskas says.

If not, then they'll need to make sure they have a powerful personal computer.

"From a program management perspective, the last thing you want to do is have a student be admitted and start registering for classes then only to find out they have to spend $400 on software," says Michael J. Frasciello, director of online learning for Syracuse University's College of Engineering and Computer Science.

He says his program makes it a point to tell students exactly what technology they'll need before they even apply.

2. What chance do students have to engage with faculty and teaching assistants? Graduate students can assume their courses will be challenging, experts say, so they should make sure they have ways to connect with instructors if they need help.

Students should ask if any classes, office hours or study sessions are interactive and synchronous -- meaning they take place in real time -- Frasciello says.

[Decide between live or self-paced online classes.]

"We are big advocates of having at least one weekly synchronous session in which students can interface with their professor and TA in real time and online," he says. "A lot of this stuff is so manually complex. If I'm working on a programming problem, it's pretty hard to explain in an email and then get some feedback a day later. It's really difficult to teach these courses in a read and write and respond model."

Andreas Orphanides, a librarian at North Carolina State who is also enrolled in the school's online master's of computer science program, says he likes the fact that some of his online classes run concurrently with on-campus courses, so he can listen to the lectures and discuss his homework on forums with students who are all at the same point in the process.

"I kind of like the fact that I am in classes that are also 'real' but I can see the appeal to be able to power through a bunch of lectures at your own pace," he says.

3. Are there sufficient academic opportunities? In an online computer information technology program, students are less likely to have the chance to help faculty with research, an opportunity that can lead to new knowledge, being published and involvement with a new commercial product, experts say. So if a student is interested in research, he or she should ask if that's a possibility.

"Increasingly, we have admitted students who ask about the opportunity to work on research," Frasciello says. "We've seen just this last year that we're getting half a dozen inquiries."

Samantha Luber, a software engineer on Microsoft's Skype team, looked aggressively for opportunities to assist with research during her first year in the online master's in computer science program at the University of Southern California. It worked out, and she was able to attend a conference and demo an app she created as a result of her research.

[Convince your employer to pay for an online degree.]

Students who are interested in researching and writing a thesis should confirm their program offers that option before enrolling, Luber says, because not all online graduate programs in information technology do.

She also recommends that students ask whether their prospective online program offers a degree concentration or courses in their desired specialty.

"Just make sure they are available," she says. "A lot of master's programs have concentrations, but they don't always offer all of them online."

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Devon Haynie is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering online education. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at dhaynie@usnews.com.