Is it worth it doing a Computer Science degree at Unisa?

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Teebang101

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Guys I need help I am planning on doing a computer degree next year so I heard about unisa's distance learning and how it can benefit me. So I want to work and study at the same time with unisa that sounds great. Thing is i saw a couple of threads here on my bb and a article on news 24 and that made me unsure about studying with them. So are there any of Top unisa grads here? If so is it true that it is a mickey mouse university and that their degree is of low standard compared to that of wits and uct?

thank you...
:)
 
I'd hardly classify it as a "mickey mouse university" but from what I've seen the quality of the education obtained is primarily linked to the determination & motivation of the individual. i.e. You need to commit to it. And not just committed to pass...but rather to extract real value.

Plus pretty much any degree will help unless its something truly useless. (Which Comp Sci does not fall under imo)
 
+1 that I know i am very commited individual very passionate about what i want to do. I am just worried with all the things i have read on the internet will I get a Job? I know i will if i sell my self as a brand that a company can invest in... Phew"sighs man ai... But i really want to give them a try!
 
Teebang101 said:
+1 that I know i am very commited individual very passionate about what i want to do. I am just worried with all the things i have read on the internet will I get a Job? I know i will if i sell my self as a brand that a company can invest in... Phew"sighs man ai... But i really want to give them a try!
Click to expand...
Everyone is worried about getting a job after varsity. Such is life. Not to be overly blunt here but...deal with it.

If you can't (for whatever reason) go to a full time varsity then yes definitely go for it.

Can you write code? The next Unisa cycle is like 7 months away...lots of time to get a nice head start....not dive into the syllabus early...but there is lots of cool stuff you can look at now which will be an indirect help later.

Here are a million ebooks on programming (mostly as a prop for making my next point):

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/609914-Free-Programming-eBooks-collection?highlight=

Thats also what I meant by committed. The knowledge is there - reach out and grab it...just understand that it'll involve some blood, sweat & tears. There is a big gap between saying you're "very passionate" and actually grinding through some random chapter you've lost interest in 6 hours ago. Thats the worst mistake students make i.m.o. understanding & being mentally prepared for that gap. Everyone is full of big talk (myself included - hindsight ftl)...the talk isn't what delivers the results.

OK...enough pep talk for one day.

There is no such thing as one uni is better than the next...in SA at least it differs by department. e.g. The Tuks Accounting dept is much better than the Rhodes acc. Dept. Yet the Rhodes Journalism dept is miles ahead of the Tuks one. In both cases by a very large margin. That doesn't make either a mickey mouse uni...but it does mean you need to do your research.

Also...not everything you read on the internet is true. ;)
 
Teebang101 said:
Guys I need help I am planning on doing a computer degree next year so I heard about unisa's distance learning and how it can benefit me. So I want to work and study at the same time with unisa that sounds great. Thing is i saw a couple of threads here on my bb and a article on news 24 and that made me unsure about studying with them. So are there any of Top unisa grads here? If so is it true that it is a mickey mouse university and that their degree is of low standard compared to that of wits and uct?

thank you...
:)
Click to expand...

I have a degree in CS from a full time university. More important than getting the degree is getting experience and building your ability to code.

Have a look at heperiondev.co.za . They offer free lessons and support for Java, c++, python and R. I would suggest starting with Python as it has the easiest learning curve.

PM for more details...
 
If UNISA was a Mickey Mouse institution, with Mickey Mouse degrees, then they wouldn't be awarding about half of all the Masters levels degrees in the country.

Top executives and leaders of business have studied through UNISA, including Alan Knott-Craig who did an MBL (Masters of Business Leadership - the UNISA alternative to an MBA) and who you would know as the former chief at Vodacom, and current head honcho at Cell C.

You'll buy the same books, from the same bookstore as the other Universities, and when you sit your exams, you'll see that they are marked by, and have often also have been created with input from, professors and lecturers at a variety of other SA Universities. I have a BCom & Hons degree from UNISA, and have worked both locally, and abroad, and can tell you that it hasn't hampered me getting a position in SA, or the UK. It has, in fact, entirely helped.

In SA, there's this thing with recruiters where they need to check the box that says "Has Degree". This lets them do that.

The only major drawbacks to studying through UNISA are:

1) You do it pretty much alone! There is limited interaction with lecturers - you can email them or phone them, and you might see some of them in the student forums, but generally, you wont attend lectures and get too many inside tips or guidance. It'll be up to you to slog it through the books yourself. If you need spoonfeeding you'll fail. I read a statistic somewhere that said that in a given year at UNISA, something like just over 70% of people that enrolled for a course do not get through it.
2) UNISA have this stupid thing where they shut down their call center, and the only way to contact them is via email or SMS or some nonsense. They are ridiculously bad at responding to email and dont even have a service level in place for it (I cant imagine they do - we've been waiting for a response for about 2 months now). So if you have any key issues, you may have to go THROUGH to a UNISA campus to get it sorted out. I was lucky in that I didnt have any major issues.
3) The standard between UNISA departments varies a fair bit. In one subject you'll get a passionate, dedicated and comitted lecturer who really wants the best for you. In another, at the end of the semester you'll wonder if the lecturer actually really exists. I had this in one hons module that I failed, only to find that the next year, the tut letters were the same (bar the dates), the assignments were the same, and........this really blew me away....the exam was exactly the same as well. I've only ever experienced that once though, out of roughly 38 modules done. It'll be an interesting ride for you, no doubt.

Ive heard the Point 3 is not unique to UNISA unfortunately and happens at other Uni's as well.

To sum up: This will take you 5-7 years. It is worth it. So crack on.
 
In terms of content and the measures by which standards of a University can reasonably be said do not put it any lower than any other good South African university; UNISA courses are recognized reciprocally for credit in like manner to any other South African institution and there are subjects and disciplines not available at other institutions which are offered through UNISA (most South African universities cannot and the entire system is historically dependent on UNISA and her massive berth (if you want to do an honours degree in Hebrew for example).
Moreover UNISA contributes significantly to the African continent (with thousands of students spread out over the continent) and is one of the worlds most highly regarded mega universities (the Open University is probably the most recognized).

However a major weakness of UNISA is the lack of contact which has other major educational benefits. There are indisputable benefits in spending time at a university studying anything at all but if you are going to subscribe to that approach then you really are wanting a university in a university town.
The other major weakness is in their administrative systems. My sister ended up as a first year being registered for a third year module and has had an examination go "missing" on the other hand my short course was a breeze administratively and apart from receiving envelopes and writing paper that was horrendously gratuitous was a great experience. However I this is a problem at many universities.
 
I finished my BTech last year and I'm employed so can't be too bad ;)
 
HavocXphere said:
Everyone is worried about getting a job after varsity. Such is life. Not to be overly blunt here but...deal with it.

If you can't (for whatever reason) go to a full time varsity then yes definitely go for it.

Can you write code? The next Unisa cycle is like 7 months away...lots of time to get a nice head start....not dive into the syllabus early...but there is lots of cool stuff you can look at now which will be an indirect help later.

Here are a million ebooks on programming (mostly as a prop for making my next point):

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/609914-Free-Programming-eBooks-collection?highlight=

Thats also what I meant by committed. The knowledge is there - reach out and grab it...just understand that it'll involve some blood, sweat & tears. There is a big gap between saying you're "very passionate" and actually grinding through some random chapter you've lost interest in 6 hours ago. Thats the worst mistake students make i.m.o. understanding & being mentally prepared for that gap. Everyone is full of big talk (myself included - hindsight ftl)...the talk isn't what delivers the results.

OK...enough pep talk for one day.

There is no such thing as one uni is better than the next...in SA at least it differs by department. e.g. The Tuks Accounting dept is much better than the Rhodes acc. Dept. Yet the Rhodes Journalism dept is miles ahead of the Tuks one. In both cases by a very large margin. That doesn't make either a mickey mouse uni...but it does mean you need to do your research.

Also...not everything you read on the internet is true. ;)
Click to expand...

:D Lol Thanks bra I am already starting with python. Yeah the big talk must end and worst part of all it doesn't get you anywhere. Thank you dude. Thanks for you input :)
 
My experience was the same as Markd's. To add, though, since I did a BSc degree. MATHS. You have to love maths. I know many people who gave up because of all the maths required of IT students. Also the yearning for fellow students... Know that most people you begin the journey with, will quit along the way. First year exams are always full. 3rd year exams will have 3 or 4 people at the venue. Less people to form study groups with. If you are not self motivated and/or hate maths, steer clear. Otherwise, you will do well. Check out Osprey when you register, for forums of the various IT comp. Sci modules and what other students thought of them... Good luck!
 
jax_maxit said:
My experience was the same as Markd's. To add, though, since I did a BSc degree. MATHS. You have to love maths. I know many people who gave up because of all the maths required of IT students. Also the yearning for fellow students... Know that most people you begin the journey with, will quit along the way. First year exams are always full. 3rd year exams will have 3 or 4 people at the venue. Less people to form study groups with. If you are not self motivated and/or hate maths, steer clear. Otherwise, you will do well. Check out Osprey when you register, for forums of the various IT comp. Sci modules and what other students thought of them... Good luck!
Click to expand...


+1 Thanks alot will check out osprey Oh yes i love my math!
 
Unisa's Comp Sci degree is pretty average to be honest. Especially when you compare it to the likes of UJ, UCT, WITS,
NMMU,Potch and Kovsies.

I am currently doing my MSc in Computer Science at UJ (about to submit my dissertation) and I have to say that UNISA's
quality hasn't been that amazing. I regularly interact with a lot of students from various of the universities and UNISA
students lack the skills and knowledge if you were to compare a typical graduate. Your success will directly be dependent on
your ability to apply yourself.

I have to seriously recommend that you attend a full-time university to be honest.

Taking the "amount of Master's degree awarded" as a measurement is total BS. This is where I find post grad studies at UNISA
to be a joke. I was at my friend's graduation at UNISA two years back only to see a chick get a PhD in Computer Science from the faculty of Arts for such a useless thesis. I was appalled. I was chatting to some of the post grad comp sci students there and the amount and quality of work that they have to do compared to the rest makes it really easy to get a post grad degree.

Even though there degrees are internationally recognised, I wouldn't recommend them.

Also consider the distinct possibility that somewhere during your studies one of your tests, assignments or exams will go missing and no one will help you :P
 
JanvN said:
Unisa's Comp Sci degree is pretty average to be honest. Especially when you compare it to the likes of UJ, UCT, WITS,
NMMU,Potch and Kovsies.

I am currently doing my MSc in Computer Science at UJ (about to submit my dissertation) and I have to say that UNISA's
quality hasn't been that amazing. I regularly interact with a lot of students from various of the universities and UNISA
students lack the skills and knowledge if you were to compare a typical graduate. Your success will directly be dependent on
your ability to apply yourself.

I have to seriously recommend that you attend a full-time university to be honest.

Taking the "amount of Master's degree awarded" as a measurement is total BS. This is where I find post grad studies at UNISA
to be a joke. I was at my friend's graduation at UNISA two years back only to see a chick get a PhD in Computer Science from the faculty of Arts for such a useless thesis. I was appalled. I was chatting to some of the post grad comp sci students there and the amount and quality of work that they have to do compared to the rest makes it really easy to get a post grad degree.

Even though there degrees are internationally recognised, I wouldn't recommend them.

Also consider the distinct possibility that somewhere during your studies one of your tests, assignments or exams will go missing and no one will help you :P
Click to expand...
+1
lol also consider the distinct possibility that my assignments will go missing... Lol funny guy.
 
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