2023: The OMSCS Revolution Continues

2023 was a transformative year for the College of Computing community. The following is an excerpt from the College's recently published annual report.

The Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) program continues to meet the needs of its growing student body worldwide. As of April 2023, OMSCS had more than 8,600 alumni and roughly 12,000 current students. The College implemented several initiatives this year to support the program’s academic excellence, inclusivity, and alumni success.

Python Fundamentals Seminar

To help those who earned their bachelor’s degrees before Python became the standard programming language, the College began offering Computing in Python I: Fundamentals and Procedural Programming (CS 1301) as a non-credit seminar in Spring 2023.

Fifty OMSCS students from around the world are participating in the Python fundamentals seminar this semester. They join more than 450 other students enrolled in the online, asynchronous course.

“We get a lot of OMSCS applicants who have succeeded in college-level CS courses and qualify for the program, but that could use a stronger foundation in Python to succeed. The seminar provides that foundation in a more structured, social format,” said David Joyner, OMSCS executive director.

Inclusion And Community

When Georgia Tech launched OMSCS in Fall 2014, less than 11% of students enrolled were women. Since then, the percentage of female students has not only grown, but doubled. Of the 11,487 OMSCS students enrolled in Fall 2022, 22% were women. To promote inclusivity and foster a sense of community for these students, the

The college hosted the OMSCS Women in Tech Seminar. The seminar was a platform for women in the program to share their experiences, insights, and challenges in the tech industry. It showcased the College’s commitment to creating an environment that values and encourages diversity and its determination to address the gender gap prevalent in the field.

Positive Roi

The College received positive responses from its survey of recent OMSCS alumni. In 2022, more than 2,200 people from around the world graduated with an OMSCS degree from Georgia Tech. International students made up one-third of these new alumni. Women and people from underrepresented minority groups accounted for nearly 30% of OMSCS graduates last year.

As diverse as these new alumni are, 95% found OMSCS to be worth the investment. “Surveys allow us to measure our growth, outreach, and any possible gaps we should address. They also allow us to measure the program’s impact, which informs our vision for the future,” said Ana Rusch, OMSCS associate director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Student Life.