I’ve been looking into going to grad school again, mainly because I just can’t sit still. All I can say is holy crap is grad school expensive! Since I live close to Ames I’ve been looking at Iowa State, and since I still have to work full time I’ve been looking at their nights and weekend courses, and their distance education. Two programs in particular I’ve been looking at are the Master of Science in Information Systems and the Master of Science in Human Computer Interaction.
Of the two, HCI (Human Computer Interaction) is much more appealing to me. I’ve been looking at system usability in operating systems for years, and it seems a natural progression to my existing knowledge base. The entire program is offered online, so I can take it at home, at night, and not have to worry about the schedule with the family. Also… there is an option to pursue a PhD in the field. Professor Buys indeed.
This all sounds great, until you look at the cost. Three are three separate fees for enrolling in the HCI Masters program. Regular tuition is $359/credit hour. In addition, there is a “distance education fee” which is $190/credit hour. Last, there is the computer fee, which is either $67.50 or $90. I really wonder how they come up with the $67.50 number, but anyway. Iowa State’s estimates that the cost of a graduate student enrolled in a 3 credit course for one semester would be $1692.00. The HCI Masters program requires 30 credits. That’s $16,470. If I were to carry on with the PhD somehow… well, that requires 70 credits, but you can’t take it online, and the cost would come out to be an additional $14,360.
Well… to be honest, that doesn’t sound that bad after all. Maybe it’s about time to take the GRE.