Just curious about what they actually entail, and if they're worth
Depends. The fact of the matter is some talent acquisition software does filter on education. Companies can swear up and down about their hiring process but rarely do they realize how much heavy lifting is done by the application software.
This is like when Google and Elon Musk and all those people are like, “We totally don’t care if you have a degree or not as long as you’re a good engineer”, but often these companies will only hire people from top schools or with advanced degrees.
Those who cannot do CS go for MSCS
What’s the difference between MSC and MSCS?
There is Masters in CS and Masters in Science CS. Former is more professional driven (like data science) and no thesis, latter is theoretical CS with thesis. I am currently pursuing MCS in data science from UIUC/Coursera
I know a few guys got their MS in CS from Georgia tech online. Interesting affordable program, I am tempted to do a MS
Given Microsoft's tuition reimbursement it might be worth it.
What if your background was focused on HW and management? I'm BSEE '05, MBA '15. Based in SoCal. Top TC was 230 at SpaceX. Now I'm down to TC 190 at a Traditional Aerospace Prime with chill hours. I want to get to the TC 300+ that my friends at Uber, Lyft, and Microsoft are enjoying - they're all systems engineers like me but have stronger SW background.
Foreigners->Yes, especially if the new H1B regulations pass. American citizens, green card holders -> Only if you’re looking to specialize in domains and are not keen on a PhD.