UCD MSc Computer Science (Conversion) course- how hard is it to get in?

layla44

Has anyone applied to this? What were your qualifications and how difficult was it to get into it? I'm worried since my background is purely in the humanities/arts I won't be offered a place...

And until when did people start applying for 2015/2016? I'm just applying now in the next week or two and worried that it'd be too late for applications...

donegalnet

My girlfriend has just got accepted on to this Masters last week. She applied about 2 weeks ago. Her background is Science (Genetics) with a II.1 degree. I think they require a II.1 but they would consider lower degrees if there was good reason to.

Make sure when writing a cover letter, have good reasons and show a good interest in learning IT...

cm1991

I applied back in March and was accepted in April. I have a 2.2 BA in Psychology. See you in September maybe!

meretax

My friend with a 2.2 applied earlier this month and is still waiting on an answer. But see you in September if you get in!

BigStupidGuy

I just applied for this course this month, I got accepted yesterday. I haven't decided if I want to do this one or the software development course in DIT yet though, I'll make up my mind this weekend.

My background is a BMus and MA in music history & performance. But they did ask for leaving cert results and I did get an A1 in applied math honors and 90% + in some math/physics modules in university also. I'm not sure how much that helped me. Needless to say I don't remember any of it lol

fISHER2693

Hey Guys,
I got an admit for MSc Computer Science (Conversion) course. I have a 2.3 years IT development background currently. Would it be a wise decision for me to join this course ? Will the employers differentiate between the NL course and conversion while recruiting ? 
PS : I had first applied to MSc Computer Science (Negotiated Learning) , got rejected. Maybe as I did my Undergrad in Mechanical Engineering.

fISHER2693

Hey Guys,
I got an admit for MSc Computer Science (Conversion) course. I have a 2.3 years IT development background currently. Would it be a wise decision for me to join this course ? Will the employers differentiate between the NL course and conversion while recruiting ? 
PS : I had first applied to MSc Computer Science (Negotiated Learning) , got rejected. Maybe as I did my Undergrad in Mechanical Engineering.

a fat guy

fISHER2693 wrote: »

Hey Guys,
I got an admit for MSc Computer Science (Conversion) course. I have a 2.3 years IT development background currently. Would it be a wise decision for me to join this course ? Will the employers differentiate between the NL course and conversion while recruiting ? 
PS : I had first applied to MSc Computer Science (Negotiated Learning) , got rejected. Maybe as I did my Undergrad in Mechanical Engineering.

The conversion is meant for career changes, while the rest of the masters (NL, advanced SE and that Forensics one) in UCD are geared towards people who have the bachelors already. Unless your experience includes something that is without-a-doubt an exceptionally strong software development background, they're not going to risk letting you do anything but the conversion course unfortunately. I'm not too surprised, as they made me jump through hoops to get into the NL masters and my undergrad is Software Systems Development (WIT) and I had almost two years industry experience at the time.

I think the conversion course is pretty much made for people like you fisher, but you have the added benefit of more experience already. To be honest, I'd say that it'd be a bad idea NOT to go for it! It'd be the perfect way to get the piece of paper that'll make your career that much easier.

Employers would prefer grads who have the CS bachelors and one of the regular CS MSc's, because a conversion course is more like a crash course into development. But your experience should make up for that. Also, some companies just eat up grads. Bearingpoint, Guidewire and Workday come to mind. With those companies they don't really care what your background is as long as you have a relevant degree and can prove that you can pass their interviews (Mine was a pain in the ass, moreso for how long it took than the difficulty. One fizzbuzz test, one twenty minute interview and one massive one that took like 4-5 hours).

yeller32

Does anyone how hard it is to get accepted and how many students they take? Besides the 2.1, what are the minimum requirements (specifically in terms of maths)?