Northwestern University

I recently completed my Online Master of Science in Data Science at Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies, and I want to list out things I wish I knew before applying to this program. First, there are other Data Science Master Programs at a significantly lower price. My final price at NW was about $60,000 while other schools offer the same program for about $10,000. In my opinion, Northwestern University's Online Master of Science in Data Science program is about the same quality... Read More of other schools. For example, I did my undergraduate studies at BYU-Idaho which is a small 4 year university in Rexburg Idaho, and my online courses there felt about the same quality as Northwestern University's. However, it was at a fraction of the price. You are paying for the name at Northwestern, not the quality. Second, You have to take at least 2 courses to qualify for financial aid. I did this program full time while most others do it while working full time. So, if something comes up, and you need to drop to 1 course, you have to pay out of pocket. Just something to keep in mind. Third, there is not much professor student interaction. However, I think that is true for all online programs. Just something to keep in mind. A lot of the professors have other jobs or projects they are working on, so they don't have much time for one on one's. Fourth, there career services are only geared towards on campus students. They don't have career services geared towards online students. For example, the virtual job fair only has 1 or 2 data science opportunities, and they are for onsite positions. 90% of the students in the Online Master of Science in Data Science program already have a career, so they didn't create a career services geared towards just online students.

I recently graduated from Counseling@Northwestern and I will echo the reviews that mention regret. For me, the selling point of this particular program was the "dedicated placement team" that promised to find practicum/internship sites for students. I felt that the placement team actually made things quite difficult for me, and in many cases, prolonged the student experience indefinitely by not finding sites within a reasonable time frame (if at all). Aside from this, the overall tone of my cohort... Read More was one of overwhelm, disappointment and frustration. To quote one of my peers, "This is a grad program, yet we're treated like high-schoolers with no life experience." There is a student-vs-admin vibe throughout the process, and an attitude from administration that the institution is infallible. I suppose it is true that no program is perfect, especially considering all of the moving parts that becoming a counselor entails. But, when you factor in the cost of this particular path compared with what you get, the actual value can be assessed. Now that it is over, I am glad to have a degree that allows me to do work that is meaningful. I am grateful for my friends and colleagues that I have met during my time in the program, as well as a handful of amazing professors that continue to be pillars of support. However, if I had to do it over again, I can easily say that I would choose a smaller school, maybe public, to save money, time and my own mental health.

I'm a current student in an NU SPS Master's program. For the most part the experience has been disappointing considering the amount of money I've spent. It is accurate that many of these classes are 'self taught' which is a shame considering the caliber and experience of the instructors as well as the complexity of the subject (data science). The BEST instructors have weekly online sessions, so **ASK** before enrolling in a course because there are those that will simply regurgitate what others have... Read More done, if you're lucky, and provide little to no guidance on the coursework and still give you an A (about 3/4 of the classes). This really is the BIGGEST issue. It's like NU is resting on it's laurels and cashing in on their name. For the price of these classes I'd have expected actual instruction to take place and better professional development. Because of this, I feel like if you do the minimum you can still graduate with honors. I had a better experience at community college!! To top it all off, I've had classes where the instructor doesn't even know the language being used for assignments (i.e. Python, R, etc.). Their advice on completing the assignments? Use Google or get the code from other students... What??? I am happy with what I've learned, but I can't credit NU for the majority of it because of the complete lack of instructor participation. My biggest piece of advice is to go to another institution. By going to NU you are basically paying to have their name on your resume. If I wasn't so deep into the program, I'd cut my losses. Such a shame.