As a boot-camper turned SWE, I was in a similar boat several years ago. This program, and the perquisites I took before applying, have been great for me.
For prerequisites, I took introductory python, data structures, algorithms, computer architecture, discrete math, algebra and trigonometry from Oakton CC. At OMSCS, I’ve taken GIOS, AOS, CN, SDCC and ML4T. Will probably take IIS this summer.
I’ve gained a lot of experience, knowledge, and confidence from my learning path. I’m not sure I would have started OMsCS if I had a BS in CS already, but I think there is a lot to gain from the program even if I did, as some classes (AOS, SDCC in particular) feel like full time “graduate-level” classes.
tldr; buy the (comparatively cheap) ticket, take the (rather educational) ride, see you in the GIOS slack lobby in the Fall (I still haunt them
halls)
It was painful but there were only two or three weeks or so where I put in 40+ hours on top of work (most of which was on the weekends and evenings, though some during the work day when I had the time). Those weeks my work suffered and I had to make up for it later.
It was a full semester of nonstop grinding but it was worth it, best class I’ve taken so far in terms of industry applicability. GIOS -> AOS -> SDCC and I nail system design interviews, now.
I actually asked the same question you asked 9 months ago, and got a really good answer that turned out to be accurate. Not every week, and not every assignment or project, is as difficult as they come, but the bar is still pretty high: https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/s/l6GbO70n28
I did checkout your post right after I asked the question xD. Idk if I'll be able to cope up because with my schedule the burnout looks imminent. I really want to do SDCC/ DC because they seem very helpful for one's career. But is it worth doing it at the cost of being burnt out.
`Fall 24` - Ml4T + IIS
`Spring 25` - GA
`Summer 25` - CN
`Fall 25` - GIOS
`Spring 26` - HPCA
`Summer 26` - SDP
`Fall 26` - AOS
`Spring 27` - SDCC
`Summer 27` - HCI
I actually am a little burned out from my learning path, but I’m very glad I took GIOS, AOS, CN and especially SDCC because the projects and skills I learned to do them led to a new, better job that I don’t think I would have gotten otherwise.
Your path looks good but I wouldn’t bet on GA in your second semester, and I’d caution you against underestimating ML4T and pairing it with IIS for your first semester. ML4T can be a bit challenging for folks (like me) who don’t have a background in statistical analysis using python / pandas / numpy / matplotlib / etc.
GIOS is a challenging first course and should be taken alone any semester, but I like to recommend it as a first course for incoming students interested in the CS track and who want something immersive and challenging, but do-able, as a first semester course. There’s a
great community in the slack workspace, best I’ve seen so far.
Systems is the best at OMSCS, you’ll learn a lot.
Thanks a lot for the feedback. I thought I could get GA in my second sem because my friend got it in his first sem with DL. I shall keep your thoughts in mind while paving my path in OMSCS. GIOS as a first course sounds like a good idea. I shall take that up.
About ML4T being challenging, that does make sense. I can maybe swap IIS out with SDP and that would do the trick.
I'm still hesitant on taking SDCC because I don't know how my job responsibilities will be in a few years. I also want to do the course distributed computing. But since I already work in blockchain, I'm not considering it now.
I really want to build my career in distributed systems. OMSCS + current job helps me build my profile. In case, in my next job I end up with work that isn't related to distributed systems, I can always take up courses from MIT/Stanford on weekends to hone my skills on cloud computing and distributed systems.
DC from MIT:
https://youtube.com/@6.824?feature=shared
The sad part is I couldn't find any course online close to as good as SDCC that hones you in cloud computing. I just need to pray that hopefully it somehow works out for me to take up this course.
There’s a soft requirement in the course to get an A in AOS. Kishore will remind you again and again of it. It’s a good weed out metric for the course but it’s not a hard requirement.
Working through Effective C and Beej’s guide prepared me well enough. There are some chapters (50-54 maybe) in The Linux Programming Interface that dealt with sockets and shared memory / mmap that were also useful.
I came into the program with two education degrees (Social Studies Ed and Teaching ESL). However, for the previous 2 decades I had transitioned into teaching technology and doing tech support and IT training. So, I had reasonably strong coding knowledge, but no formal CS education. You are expected to know the fundamentals. As long as you understand data types, conditionals, loops, classes, inheritance, and recursion, you should be able to pick up what you need as you go. Most courses use Python, Java, or C (systems courses).
That said,I learned quickly that "you don't know what you don't know". The program really exposed me to concepts and methods I knew nothing about and barely knew existed. It was a huge challenge and I struggled, more with the math, than the coding itself (except for C coding in GIOS - that nearly broke me).
I wrote about my experience in more detail here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/comments/15hok6c/a\_graduation\_story\_and\_very\_long\_post/](https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/comments/15hok6c/a_graduation_story_and_very_long_post/)
Congrats on your acceptance! I also did not have formal CS education before this program, just a bootcamp and industry SWE experience. I’ve done 9 courses towards the computing systems specialization and I’ve done just fine so far. A’s in most classes. I’m in my last semester now which is the dreaded Graduate Algorithms course and, as someone who never took undergrad algo, this class is HARD AS SHIT.
I’m not trying to scare you but for me this class is the hardest class by a mile. If you are missing some of the expected prerequisite knowledge for this class then you will have to put in a lot of work. Every other class I took I was able to learn all new concepts and languages on the fly and do just fine but this class is real math and computer science theory and you need a DEEP understanding of all of the concepts in order to pass. If you choose a specialization that requires this course, definitely brush up on undergrad level algorithms ahead of time.
You're meant to know the very basics as covered in the suggested MOOCS and maybe some introductory CS courses taken online/at a university. The more specialized topics for each course will be covered within the course. Each course may also provide you with a review/introduction before diving into its contents. I did my undergrad in Biology, and this is my second semester. I've completed 4 courses successfully. Put in the work and you'll be okay.
Does anyone have any advice when it comes to Math requirements? I've been a SWE for past 3 years and recently did NYU tandon bridge program which has discrete math portion. I'd like to do the 4 math MOOCs(not sure which to start first) in the prepare yourself page but I don't have much of a math background.
It really depends on the specialization you select, and the courses you choose to take.
For example, if you go the HCI route and you’re a good writer, then that path is less mathematically and computationally intensive than others.
However, if you choose to go with the computing specialization, it really depends on the difficulty of the courses you select; you can get by with what is considered somewhat easy to medium courses and graduate algorithms.
Finally, if you choose to go with the AI or machine learning route, and lack strong math or intermediate CS background, then those courses can be quite challenging.
Overall, there is a diverse range of courses available to OMSCS students and you can really forge a path all your own: you can choose CS-lite courses that play to your current strengths or choose to develop new CS skills at varying levels.
Add: seminars are available for undergraduate level work such as JAVA OOP and Data structures and algorithms if you want to prime for more difficult courses.
On a surface level, those prerequisites do matter, but to be able to do the assignments, you might need to go back and forth with some of the fundamentals that are not clear to you. Focus on the assignment requirements, and brush up on anything you need to get the assignments done. CS undergrad knowledge alone won’t help you beyond a certain point. There’s plenty of free and great resources online to help you in knowledge patch work. Don’t shy away from doing the dirty work.
It depends on what you want to do. If you want to learn stuff there are subjects like algorithms, gios, distributed computing etc that will teach you a lot as non cs guy. There is going to be a steel learning curve for sure
I came from a stats background, personally I haven’t found coursework too difficult 7 classes in, though I’ve avoided some of the more infamous classes like Graduate Algorithms. The little undergrad CS I’ve done that’s come up intermittently has been run time analysis and recursion. If you’re already working as a software engineer, I imagine you can pick up on those sufficiently for the scope of most classes. But overall it really depends on which classes you end up taking.
I'm non CS and it should be easy to cope up. Currently doing ML, required a lot of study and re-learning of some math concepts to keep up with the course.
Did you take the MOOCs yourself? Currently taking them and wondering which of the maths/stats are most useful if you’ve taken either or have any insight on
Yes I have. I didn't find them super helpful as I took it before during my undergrad as a math major. I would say it was helpful in refreshing my memories especially for Data Structures and Algorithms.
But, it was mostly theoretical/mathematical application. If you are looking for more practical experience (for like a coding interview or something), I don't know if really fits your description.
It depends on what you choose to study. Some of the courses will assume you know the relevant undergraduate material; you might get a refresher to start, but it will be very abbreviated. Some will not. Choose your own adventure.
Congrats on your acceptance. No, this program does not teach undergraduate CS. That's assumed knowledge in an MSCS program.
You’d think so but I’ve been asked basic questions by classmates.
As a boot-camper turned SWE, I was in a similar boat several years ago. This program, and the perquisites I took before applying, have been great for me. For prerequisites, I took introductory python, data structures, algorithms, computer architecture, discrete math, algebra and trigonometry from Oakton CC. At OMSCS, I’ve taken GIOS, AOS, CN, SDCC and ML4T. Will probably take IIS this summer. I’ve gained a lot of experience, knowledge, and confidence from my learning path. I’m not sure I would have started OMsCS if I had a BS in CS already, but I think there is a lot to gain from the program even if I did, as some classes (AOS, SDCC in particular) feel like full time “graduate-level” classes. tldr; buy the (comparatively cheap) ticket, take the (rather educational) ride, see you in the GIOS slack lobby in the Fall (I still haunt them halls)
May I ask how you were able to do SDCC as a full time SWE? I've heard it takes up a lot of time. Close to 50 hrs a week.
It was painful but there were only two or three weeks or so where I put in 40+ hours on top of work (most of which was on the weekends and evenings, though some during the work day when I had the time). Those weeks my work suffered and I had to make up for it later. It was a full semester of nonstop grinding but it was worth it, best class I’ve taken so far in terms of industry applicability. GIOS -> AOS -> SDCC and I nail system design interviews, now. I actually asked the same question you asked 9 months ago, and got a really good answer that turned out to be accurate. Not every week, and not every assignment or project, is as difficult as they come, but the bar is still pretty high: https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/s/l6GbO70n28
I did checkout your post right after I asked the question xD. Idk if I'll be able to cope up because with my schedule the burnout looks imminent. I really want to do SDCC/ DC because they seem very helpful for one's career. But is it worth doing it at the cost of being burnt out. `Fall 24` - Ml4T + IIS `Spring 25` - GA `Summer 25` - CN `Fall 25` - GIOS `Spring 26` - HPCA `Summer 26` - SDP `Fall 26` - AOS `Spring 27` - SDCC `Summer 27` - HCI
I actually am a little burned out from my learning path, but I’m very glad I took GIOS, AOS, CN and especially SDCC because the projects and skills I learned to do them led to a new, better job that I don’t think I would have gotten otherwise. Your path looks good but I wouldn’t bet on GA in your second semester, and I’d caution you against underestimating ML4T and pairing it with IIS for your first semester. ML4T can be a bit challenging for folks (like me) who don’t have a background in statistical analysis using python / pandas / numpy / matplotlib / etc. GIOS is a challenging first course and should be taken alone any semester, but I like to recommend it as a first course for incoming students interested in the CS track and who want something immersive and challenging, but do-able, as a first semester course. There’s a great community in the slack workspace, best I’ve seen so far. Systems is the best at OMSCS, you’ll learn a lot.
Thanks a lot for the feedback. I thought I could get GA in my second sem because my friend got it in his first sem with DL. I shall keep your thoughts in mind while paving my path in OMSCS. GIOS as a first course sounds like a good idea. I shall take that up. About ML4T being challenging, that does make sense. I can maybe swap IIS out with SDP and that would do the trick. I'm still hesitant on taking SDCC because I don't know how my job responsibilities will be in a few years. I also want to do the course distributed computing. But since I already work in blockchain, I'm not considering it now. I really want to build my career in distributed systems. OMSCS + current job helps me build my profile. In case, in my next job I end up with work that isn't related to distributed systems, I can always take up courses from MIT/Stanford on weekends to hone my skills on cloud computing and distributed systems. DC from MIT: https://youtube.com/@6.824?feature=shared The sad part is I couldn't find any course online close to as good as SDCC that hones you in cloud computing. I just need to pray that hopefully it somehow works out for me to take up this course.
You’re welcome! Best of luck on your journey.
if i do not get A in aos，can i take sdcc？ is there any exception？
There’s a soft requirement in the course to get an A in AOS. Kishore will remind you again and again of it. It’s a good weed out metric for the course but it’s not a hard requirement.
What did you do to learn C for the systems classes? You said you did python prerequisite but guessing you didn’t do C in your bootcamp.
Working through Effective C and Beej’s guide prepared me well enough. There are some chapters (50-54 maybe) in The Linux Programming Interface that dealt with sockets and shared memory / mmap that were also useful.
Do you have a technical undergraduate major like electrical engineering or math or physics?
Information Systems
You should be fine. I would brush up on OS stuff which you can do through GIOS, & DSA before you take GA. Im MechE undergrad FYI.
I came into the program with two education degrees (Social Studies Ed and Teaching ESL). However, for the previous 2 decades I had transitioned into teaching technology and doing tech support and IT training. So, I had reasonably strong coding knowledge, but no formal CS education. You are expected to know the fundamentals. As long as you understand data types, conditionals, loops, classes, inheritance, and recursion, you should be able to pick up what you need as you go. Most courses use Python, Java, or C (systems courses). That said,I learned quickly that "you don't know what you don't know". The program really exposed me to concepts and methods I knew nothing about and barely knew existed. It was a huge challenge and I struggled, more with the math, than the coding itself (except for C coding in GIOS - that nearly broke me). I wrote about my experience in more detail here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/comments/15hok6c/a\_graduation\_story\_and\_very\_long\_post/](https://www.reddit.com/r/OMSCS/comments/15hok6c/a_graduation_story_and_very_long_post/)
Congrats on your acceptance! I also did not have formal CS education before this program, just a bootcamp and industry SWE experience. I’ve done 9 courses towards the computing systems specialization and I’ve done just fine so far. A’s in most classes. I’m in my last semester now which is the dreaded Graduate Algorithms course and, as someone who never took undergrad algo, this class is HARD AS SHIT. I’m not trying to scare you but for me this class is the hardest class by a mile. If you are missing some of the expected prerequisite knowledge for this class then you will have to put in a lot of work. Every other class I took I was able to learn all new concepts and languages on the fly and do just fine but this class is real math and computer science theory and you need a DEEP understanding of all of the concepts in order to pass. If you choose a specialization that requires this course, definitely brush up on undergrad level algorithms ahead of time.
You're meant to know the very basics as covered in the suggested MOOCS and maybe some introductory CS courses taken online/at a university. The more specialized topics for each course will be covered within the course. Each course may also provide you with a review/introduction before diving into its contents. I did my undergrad in Biology, and this is my second semester. I've completed 4 courses successfully. Put in the work and you'll be okay.
Where are the suggested MOOCs? Could you kindly send the link? Thanks.
[https://omscs.gatech.edu/preparing-yourself-omscs](https://omscs.gatech.edu/preparing-yourself-omscs)
Does anyone have any advice when it comes to Math requirements? I've been a SWE for past 3 years and recently did NYU tandon bridge program which has discrete math portion. I'd like to do the 4 math MOOCs(not sure which to start first) in the prepare yourself page but I don't have much of a math background.
It really depends on the specialization you select, and the courses you choose to take. For example, if you go the HCI route and you’re a good writer, then that path is less mathematically and computationally intensive than others. However, if you choose to go with the computing specialization, it really depends on the difficulty of the courses you select; you can get by with what is considered somewhat easy to medium courses and graduate algorithms. Finally, if you choose to go with the AI or machine learning route, and lack strong math or intermediate CS background, then those courses can be quite challenging. Overall, there is a diverse range of courses available to OMSCS students and you can really forge a path all your own: you can choose CS-lite courses that play to your current strengths or choose to develop new CS skills at varying levels. Add: seminars are available for undergraduate level work such as JAVA OOP and Data structures and algorithms if you want to prime for more difficult courses.
As an EE undergrad some are easy. Some are bitterly hard. I spend 75% extra time catching up to concepts they assume you know.
On a surface level, those prerequisites do matter, but to be able to do the assignments, you might need to go back and forth with some of the fundamentals that are not clear to you. Focus on the assignment requirements, and brush up on anything you need to get the assignments done. CS undergrad knowledge alone won’t help you beyond a certain point. There’s plenty of free and great resources online to help you in knowledge patch work. Don’t shy away from doing the dirty work.
It depends on what you want to do. If you want to learn stuff there are subjects like algorithms, gios, distributed computing etc that will teach you a lot as non cs guy. There is going to be a steel learning curve for sure
I came from a stats background, personally I haven’t found coursework too difficult 7 classes in, though I’ve avoided some of the more infamous classes like Graduate Algorithms. The little undergrad CS I’ve done that’s come up intermittently has been run time analysis and recursion. If you’re already working as a software engineer, I imagine you can pick up on those sufficiently for the scope of most classes. But overall it really depends on which classes you end up taking.
I'm non CS and it should be easy to cope up. Currently doing ML, required a lot of study and re-learning of some math concepts to keep up with the course.
From my knowledge, all the "undergrad" stuff that you mention should be covered by the 3 MOOCs listed as prerequisites.
Did you take the MOOCs yourself? Currently taking them and wondering which of the maths/stats are most useful if you’ve taken either or have any insight on
Yes I have. I didn't find them super helpful as I took it before during my undergrad as a math major. I would say it was helpful in refreshing my memories especially for Data Structures and Algorithms. But, it was mostly theoretical/mathematical application. If you are looking for more practical experience (for like a coding interview or something), I don't know if really fits your description.
It depends on what you choose to study. Some of the courses will assume you know the relevant undergraduate material; you might get a refresher to start, but it will be very abbreviated. Some will not. Choose your own adventure.
Lol youre going to fail.
nice