I am a current student at UpGrad and IIIT Bangalore program so will be speaking out of experience. But one major update before it. The program is now called PG Diploma in Data Science. Now the curriculum is still the same but I am assuming that for future batches the name change is going to be extremely beneficial. Let me share my views on the following aspects of the program:
Curriculum- The curriculum is in depth. It covers topics in Data Management, Statistics and Machine Learning. It also covers Big Data Analytics at an introductory level. Finally the best part is the domain elective and Capstone Project. While the initial topics are covered by Professors from IIIT-B and with some industry perspective- the domain electives are taught by really senior Industry Leaders. E-Commerce is taught by Ujjyaini Mitra(ex- Head of Analytics at Flipkart) and BFS is taught by Hindol Basu(Head of Analytics at Tata Industries).
Pedagogy- I was uncertain how the pedagogy will be before joining an online program but I was surprised for good. Basically the pedagogy is very hands on. Let me take an example from Machine Learning. First you are given a business context and the business problem, then you are taught how an algorithm actually works(the maths behind it) and finally you are taught how to use the algorithm to solve the problem(using R). So only if you are looking to focus on all three elements should you consider this program.
Diploma in Data Science- I think this is one of the strongest plus points of this program. I have done some MOOCS but all I get is a certificate of completion which trust me, everyone has these days. A PG Diploma in Data Science(a degree), I am hoping will really help me differentiate myself but since I am still pursuing this program, only time will tell how much value it adds.
Career Support- My Batch has started 4 months ago so career support is just beginning but so far I am satisfied. Essentially they help you a lot in terms of preparing you resume, understanding the data science landscape, conducting mock interviews etc. The good part is all of this is done by industry experts in their network through one on one phone calls(yeah it is personalised). I still cannot comment on the type of career opportunities provided as that phase has not started yet. But in the previous cohort from what I know, around 130 folks out of 290 have been applying to these opportunities and out of them 45–50 have transitioned so far. The career support for the first batch is still going so let us see where this number ends(so the program is 11 month long and you get career support in total around 8–9 months- even after the program ends). I would not ignore the part time opportunities that you can also get through the program- especially paid mentorship/grading that you can do with UpGrad itself if you successfully complete the program. I know my peers who joined the first batch and are earning anywhere between 20k–30k per month(depending upon the time that they give) on the side by contributing back and building more experience in analytics.
Price- I am still to complete the program and realize its value but so far it has been worth it. It becomes a one stop well threaded platform for learning data science. You get a reputed degree, you are taught by academic and industry leaders and get the best possible learning. On top of that the career support(both part time and full time) seems promising. I am not a big fan of MOOCs(which also by the way are going towards a paid model), because they are just collection of videos. Ultimately you have to realise that you will get what you pay for.