TC - Instructional Technology & Media vs. Computing in Education

[waterrevolution]

Can anyone speak to either of these programs? Better yet, can anyone tell me how Computing in Education at TC is viewed, in comparison to Instructional Technology & Media?

[Edugy]

I did the Instructional Tech program. I think it's a bit more well rounded in terms of theory and future job prospects, but it really depends on what you want to do afterwards. It affords you more potential opportunities after graduation vs Computing in Education.

[eightbabiescongee]

Hi Edgy, Did you got admitted to HGSE? I am applying for TIE and TC TEIT this year. 

[Edugy]

I unfortunately did not, I got into TC and UPenn. Best of luck!

[s2094]

Hi @Edugy I got into to the same programs as you at TC and UPenn, may I ask what made you pick TC and how was your experience? 

[Edugy]

@s2094 First or all, congrats! A major factor for me was living in NYC since I wanted to work there even if I had gone to Penn. The Columbia network goes really far in NYC, the last couple jobs I got were from knowing people at Columbia at the respective companies. I really enjoyed my time at TC, got involved with a lot of other Columbia clubs and really got to utilize the network in a beneficial way. It was also nice being able to hop on the subway and escape grad school life for short bits of time. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about TC! 

[kaili]

12 hours ago, Edugy said:

@s2094 First or all, congrats! A major factor for me was living in NYC since I wanted to work there even if I had gone to Penn. The Columbia network goes really far in NYC, the last couple jobs I got were from knowing people at Columbia at the respective companies. I really enjoyed my time at TC, got involved with a lot of other Columbia clubs and really got to utilize the network in a beneficial way. It was also nice being able to hop on the subway and escape grad school life for short bits of time. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about TC! 

Hello @Edugy! I have some questions regarding the program. Hope you could give me some insight so I can make a decision  I got into UPenn and TC. My only concern is that TC doesnt have a built in internship program while UPenn does. Do you think the lack on built-in internship affected your time at TC? Also, it's only a one year program correct? There's also an EdM opportunity to further your studies. Is it necessary to do the EdM afterwards? 

Edited March 13, 2021 by kaili

[s2094]

Hi  @Edugy 

Had a few more questions about your TC experience: 

- What did you like about the TEIT program and what didn't you like about it ? 

- How did the coursework / experience at TC (aside from the network) benefit you career wise? I've been working in consulting  and looking to transition into learning design . 

- How did you find the career services support available at TC? 

Thanks a ton for sharing  Your insights are super valuable in helping me decide! 

[kaili]

@s2094 hello! I think we applied to the same programs!! Would you like to connect with one another to talk about the decisions? I’m having such a huge internal debate right now with which program to choose! 

[s2094]

@kaili yes! would love that. Will send you PM and we can exchange details there. 

Edited March 13, 2021 by s2094

[Edugy]

@kaili the internship is up to you. I personally didn't want an internship as part of my curriculum but some people do. I finished the program in 2 semesters but that is pretty uncommon, 3 semesters or 4 semesters with either a summer or fall internship the 2nd year is much more common. EdM in my mind is either something you want because you want to take the extra courses or want to do the EdD. In my opinion, there's not any additional benefits from the MA to the EdM.

 

@s2094 I liked our program cohort. There were lots of people from varied backgrounds and it was very demographically diverse. I also really enjoyed interacting with students from other programs at TC. My main complaint with the program is that there wasn't a lot of flexibility in electives. I believe Penn is somewhat similar in that sense but TIE at HGSE allowed a lot more freedom. Taking classes outside of TC at other Columbia schools also requires some work. I was able to take a class at Columbia Business School but I had to go back and forth with TC admin a few times to do so.

 

I thought the coursework was very beneficial for getting a job as an instructional designer. I only had one class in grad school that had traditional tests, and that was an elective in another department. Everything within MSTU was project or paper based so I had a lot to show and discuss for job interviews with basically very little required preparation. Again going back to network, the program feeds into companies that have L&D teams and bigger education organizations, especially in NYC. I was interested in working at a edtech startup as an instructional designer and got a job offer a couple of months after I finished the program. I can't speak about career services since I never reached out to them. 

Please let me know if you guys have any more questions. Also happy to hop on a call and discuss. 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Edugy

[DogeCoin]

Thank you all for posting this! Planning to apply to different Learning/Instructional technology programs this next year. So far planning to apply to Harvard and Teacher's College.

Any other places you all think would be good places to consider? I'm willing to move anywhere in the US.

Thanks in advance everyone!