On-Campus Open House Fosters Connections for Online Graduate Students, Faculty, and Staff
Online masters students from all over North America attended the 2024 Fall Open House
BOULDER, CO — Over 100 students, faculty, stakeholders, and guests gathered at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Kittredge Central Hall for an open house event. This interdepartmental networking event was designed to connect online learners from CU Boulder’s innovative graduate programs, including the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MS-EE), Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM), Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS), and Master of Science in Computer Science (MS-CS).
The event began with a welcome address by Associate Dean for Digital Education Sriram Sankaranarayanan. Faculty directors Eric Keller, Michael Gazarik, Michael Readey, and Kevin Gifford, along with Belinda Medellin of Siemens Global Academic Team, shared updates on their respective programs. They highlighted new course developments, emerging industry partnerships, and exciting opportunities within these programs.
“Apart from the program, I think the best part about the program is the faculty because they bring in so much immense experience. It's like 30 to 40 years of experience. The faculty has their own startups and not just one, they have like 3 or 4 startups and they're here with a passion to facilitate discussions and impart the knowledge that they have gained over the years,” said Ashutosh Pandey, a current ME-EM student who attended the event.
Pandey continued, “As I mentioned earlier, the faculty brings a lot of experience and knowledge along with them, and it has really made me believe in my own craft, which is basically product and project management. Because of the program, I was able to secure a role as a program manager here at the aerospace department.”
A student panel during the event featured both current and former students who shared personal stories about how the knowledge they gained from these programs has advanced their careers and enriched their lives.
Attendees also had the chance to tour the CU Boulder campus and engage with university resources that online students often don’t interact with in person.
These unique graduate programs are offered through the Coursera learning platform, enabling learners around the globe to earn fully accredited master’s degrees from CU Boulder. With flexible, pay-as-you-go tuition and performance-based admissions via three "pathway" courses, the programs are breaking down barriers to higher education and opening doors for non-traditional students.
“I would even go as far as to say that literally the only reason why I have the opportunity to go back to school at all is because of the new technologies of Coursera and what [has been] implemented with these flexibilities,” Justin Goff, a current MS-DS student, said during the student panel.
As a leading public research institution, the University of Colorado Boulder is committed to delivering accessible and high-quality education to learners worldwide. Learn more about CU Boulder’s innovative online master’s degree programs in electrical engineering, engineering management, data science, and computer science here.