I'm curious to hear your opinions and feedback on Northwestern University's Master Science Predictive Analytics (MSPA) program. How marketable do you think it is? Do you have any idea on how well received (or not) it might be with the tech giants (FB, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc)? Thanks.
Definitely not crap. It was one of the most sought after programs when I was applying for analytics masters programs in 2015. The demand for data science is huge and I'm pretty sure you can get a job or at least an interview at those firms. I can't comment on the program's tie ups with those tech companies though, you'll have to ask someone who is enrolled there
I have also enrolled into it and almost 90% done. If your aim is to learn predictive analytics, there are far greater quality contents posted and curated online.. even if your goal is to get a master's degree on cv, then also there are better programs which are less expensive..It's a rip off for the value/ knowledge provided in the course..
@IamSatya has the right idea. Get a masters in a fully developed subject like stats, CS, or operations research. You'll learn any relevant skills for whatever job you want if you play it right. In general, masters in data science programs have a stigma bc there's no consensus on what you should be teaching and most people wind up being kinda good at a lot of things but not very good at anything. Taking a bunch of survey classes isn't super persuasive to recruiters.
It's crap
It can't be total crap. It consistently ranks pretty high on lists of the best master programs: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/05/02/the-6-best-data-science-masters-degree-courses-in-the-us/amp/ I'm currently enrolled and can say it is pretty decent. Certainly challenging and requires a strong commitment.
Because they're all crap. Only a true masters is going to catch the attention of recruiters at good tech companies. Comparing the resumes and job histories of the average masters in stats/cs candidates vs average mspa candidates will show pretty big differences in relevant experience and technical knowledge