John Kilgo VI began working at more than three years ago as an intern, when he was a UMass Lowell undergraduate. Now, he鈥檚 employed there full time as a software systems engineer, while enrolled part time in the master鈥檚 program in computer science.
鈥淭he flexibility of the program allows the courses to sync up with what I鈥檓 doing at work,鈥� says Kilgo. He is employed at the Bedford headquarters of the not-for-profit company, which operates supporting the U.S. government.
鈥淚 am in the collaborative and social computing department, where we do a lot of HCI [human-computer interaction],鈥� he says. 鈥淭aking an HCI course at UML is helping me. It has caused me to ask myself, 鈥楬ow is my user going to use this? Does the workflow I鈥檓 building make sense?鈥欌��
Kilgo transitioned into the master鈥檚 program seamlessly under the accelerated five-year B.S./M.S. option in computer science. There are a limited number of required courses, allowing for a wide range of electives, which Kilgo says helps him keep up with industry trends.
鈥淚 have been able to take database and data analytics courses, which are hot topics,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hoever can analyze that data is going to come out on top."
UMass Lowell鈥檚 focus on building a strong foundation in the fundamentals of computer science helps prepare graduates for a wide variety of positions in the workforce. But in the fast-changing field of technology, it鈥檚 imperative to keep learning.
鈥淎 master鈥檚 combined with experience is really valued,鈥� Kilgo says. Many of his colleagues in the industry recommend UMass Lowell鈥檚 master鈥檚 program.
For Kilgo, the master鈥檚 program hits a trifecta: It offers flexibility and coursework that covers both emerging and foundational topics and helps him in his current job.
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