As a BSc Computer Science program graduate, you can further boost your career prospects by applying for additional courses in this field. Doing so will further develop your specialization and increase your chances of landing a job you love and are qualified to perform.


When looking for a course after BSc Computer Science, consider your career goals, budget, learning needs, and curriculum. This article covers the best courses after BSc Computer Science to make the most out of your education in computer science.


MSc Computer Science


A Master of Science degree in Computer Science is the logical next step for students who wish to continue their academic education in the computer science field. Numerous programs are available depending on your preferred specialization, providing plenty of career opportunities.


Some colleges and institutions require you to have a computer science bachelor before you can sign up for a master’s program. It’s best to check the requirements on the institution’s official website.


Some flexible programs like OPIT’s accredited MSc in Applied Data Science and AI don’t require any prerequisites in the field. The program is also self-paced and fully remote and consists of three terms – two terms of courses and the final term for the project or thesis.


A Master of Science in Computer Science may include the following specializations:

  • Robotics
  • Graphics
  • Computing Systems
  • Human-Centered Computing
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Modeling and Simulations
  • Social Computing
  • Cybersecurity
  • Software Engineering
  • Data Science
  • Information Systems

These specializations may or may not be available at the university or college where you completed your previous education. If you’re determined to get an MSc in Computer Science and have a particular specialization in mind, do extensive research online to find the best program that matches your needs, budget, and skills. An affordable and valuable education upgrade may just be around the corner.


As you can see from above, you’ll find a Master of Science specialization in just about any computer science field. The same goes for career opportunities following an MSc in Computer Science.


Career Opportunities

  • Computer Research Analyst
  • Computer Network Architect
  • Software Developer
  • Database Administrator
  • Information Security Manager
  • Software Development Engineer
  • Computer and Information Systems Manager
  • Computer Systems Analyst
  • Web Developer
  • Mobile App Developer

If you’re ever in doubt about pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science, remember that the average salary for individuals with this degree is $109,000 per year, according to PayScale.



Master of Computer Applications (MCA)


If you’re wondering “what to do after BSc Computer Science,” another popular path is a Master of Computer Applications (MCA). Experts with this degree can create computer applications, test new programs, offer instructions for software users, and more. With a finished MCA, you’re looking at a career that focuses on the practical aspects of software development.


The master’s in this field takes two to three years to complete and is available in colleges worldwide. A math background or at least having had this subject in high school is often the main requirement to enroll in the program. You may also need to undergo a test and an interview.


The MCA programs usually cover computational theory, in-depth algorithm studying and practice, network management, databases, web design, web development, computer networks, and more. The focus of the classes is hands-on software development, so you need to have strong skills in programming languages.


But what are your career opportunities with an MCA?


Career Opportunities

  • Computer Systems Analyst
  • Computer Programmer
  • Software Developer

Although there are fewer career opportunities for MCA takers, the salary of individuals with this degree goes up to $133,000 annually, making an MCA an excellent investment.


MBA in Information Technology


A Master of Business Administration in Information Technology is an advantageous education program. It trains you to become a leader in the IT industry. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that computer and information system managers earn around $151,000 annually or about $76 per hour. These are some of the highest salary prospects of all the after BSc in Computer Science programs.


Better still, all modern-day organizations need a professional in this field to ensure operations run smoothly. An important part of an information technologist’s job is to examine the future prospects of the company’s technology needs, making it a highly rewarding career.


The MBA in Information Technology program primarily focuses on training skilled professionals with high technical and business know-how. Numerous online as well as traditional programs and universities offer this specialization, as it’s one of the most in-demand degrees out there.


Some courses you can expect to find in an MBA in Information Technology program include:

  • Information Security
  • Database Management
  • Business Data Analytics
  • Technology Management
  • Corporate Financial Strategy
  • Marketing Strategies
  • Financial Management
  • Decision Making
  • Project Management
  • Human Capital Management

Most schools look for either GMAT or GRE scores as a requirement to enter this program. Also, the average duration of the program is one year. The great part is that you can find self-paced programs you can take according to your schedule.


Career Opportunities

  • IT Manager
  • IT Director
  • Computer and Information Research Scientist
  • IT Business Relationship Manager
  • Chief Technology Officer
  • Data Analyst

PG Diploma in Data Science


A Postgraduate Diploma in Data Science is usually a two-year full-time program that combines economics, science, and information technology. With this specialization, you’re qualified for many roles in the industry that deal with data. You can use the knowledge obtained in this program to contribute to the optimization of most processes in businesses, software, and institutions.


Numerous online boot camps are available and sponsored by major corporations like IBM.


In the PG Diploma in Data Science study path, you can expect to work with the following:

  • R
  • Python
  • NLP notions
  • Machine learning
  • Tableau and other data visualization methods

When choosing a PG in Computer Science, go for programs with plenty of projects involving hands-on practice. If you have a love and passion for numbers, new knowledge, and analytics, a PG in Data Science is the right call. Your future is bright in terms of career opportunities too.


Career Opportunities

  • Business Analyst
  • Big Data Scientist
  • Senior Data Scientist
  • Data Architect
  • Data Administrator
  • Business Intelligence Manager
  • Research Analyst
  • Data Mining Engineer
  • Statistician


Certification Courses


Nowadays, people love taking online courses. If you’re active on LinkedIn, you can see how the LinkedIn Learning platform with free courses has taken business social media by storm. Although LinkedIn offers solid programs, most of them aren’t accredited.


You can complete legit certification courses following your BSc Computer Science to boost your career. Certifications prove that you’re skilled in your area of specialization and that you have passed a standardized examination to demonstrate your capabilities.


While preparing for the certification exam, you also have the opportunity to learn new things. Many employers don’t care whether you have a certificate for specific skills, but the computer science world is different.


Given the multitude of highly specialized themes, employers want to be sure you’re suitable for the position you are applying for. Certifications are especially beneficial if you have no prior work experience on your CV.


Finally, by getting a professional certification, you also can increase your future salary prospects. An additional document on your CV validating your skills gives you an edge over other applicants.


Certifications for computer science experts include:

  • CISCO – If your area of interest is networking, you can get a professional certificate in various fields like data centers, network design, DevNet, and others.
  • CompTIA – This association offers professional certifications related to computer components, software, smartphones, etc. They also have a certification program for security and networking.
  • EC-Council – If you’re leaning towards e-commerce and digital businesses, the EC-Council certification can help. They have programs for ethical hacking, computer hacking, and more.
  • Microsoft – This corporation has plenty of certification programs to showcase your proficiency in Azure.
  • AWS – With arguably the highest number of available certifications, Amazon Web Services is one of the most popular providers of professional certificates.
  • ISACA – If you want to advance in the information system and security sector, ISACA certifications are the way to go.
  • VMware – This certification is for vSphere V6 specialists in data center visualization.

You can take computer science in just about any field imaginable. Therefore, you unlock numerous career opportunities.


Career Opportunities

  • Software Developer
  • Web Developer
  • Computer Programmer
  • Network Administrator
  • Software Engineer
  • Systems Manager
  • Computer Hardware Engineer
  • Information Security Analyst

After BSc Computer Science Which Course Is Better?


When you choose courses after BSc Computer Science, it’s important to consider your career goals, skills, and interests. Otherwise, you may feel dissatisfied and unfulfilled while studying and looking for jobs.


The courses featured in this article have high growth potential and are promising in terms of success. With enough effort, stimulation, and support, you can make your next computer science course your best life decision.


To choose the course you are truly interested in, dedicate enough time to research and consult with industry professionals, as they will surely provide valuable insights and advice to help you make the right choice.

Related posts

Wired: Think Twice Before Creating That ChatGPT Action Figure
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
May 12, 2025 6 min read

Source:

  • Wired, published on May 01st, 2025

People are using ChatGPT’s new image generator to take part in viral social media trends. But using it also puts your privacy at risk—unless you take a few simple steps to protect yourself.

By Kate O’Flaherty

At the start of April, an influx of action figures started appearing on social media sites including LinkedIn and X. Each figure depicted the person who had created it with uncanny accuracy, complete with personalized accessories such as reusable coffee cups, yoga mats, and headphones.

All this is possible because of OpenAI’s new GPT-4o-powered image generator, which supercharges ChatGPT’s ability to edit pictures, render text, and more. OpenAI’s ChatGPT image generator can also create pictures in the style of Japanese animated film company Studio Ghibli—a trend that quickly went viral, too.

The images are fun and easy to make—all you need is a free ChatGPT account and a photo. Yet to create an action figure or Studio Ghibli-style image, you also need to hand over a lot of data to OpenAI, which could be used to train its models.

Hidden Data

The data you are giving away when you use an AI image editor is often hidden. Every time you upload an image to ChatGPT, you’re potentially handing over “an entire bundle of metadata,” says Tom Vazdar, area chair for cybersecurity at Open Institute of Technology. “That includes the EXIF data attached to the image file, such as the time the photo was taken and the GPS coordinates of where it was shot.”

OpenAI also collects data about the device you’re using to access the platform. That means your device type, operating system, browser version, and unique identifiers, says Vazdar. “And because platforms like ChatGPT operate conversationally, there’s also behavioral data, such as what you typed, what kind of images you asked for, how you interacted with the interface and the frequency of those actions.”

It’s not just your face. If you upload a high-resolution photo, you’re giving OpenAI whatever else is in the image, too—the background, other people, things in your room and anything readable such as documents or badges, says Camden Woollven, group head of AI product marketing at risk management firm GRC International Group.

This type of voluntarily provided, consent-backed data is “a gold mine for training generative models,” especially multimodal ones that rely on visual inputs, says Vazdar.

OpenAI denies it is orchestrating viral photo trends as a ploy to collect user data, yet the firm certainly gains an advantage from it. OpenAI doesn’t need to scrape the web for your face if you’re happily uploading it yourself, Vazdar points out. “This trend, whether by design or a convenient opportunity, is providing the company with massive volumes of fresh, high-quality facial data from diverse age groups, ethnicities, and geographies.”

OpenAI says it does not actively seek out personal information to train models—and it doesn’t use public data on the internet to build profiles about people to advertise to them or sell their data, an OpenAI spokesperson tells WIRED. However, under OpenAI’s current privacy policy, images submitted through ChatGPT can be retained and used to improve its models.

Any data, prompts, or requests you share helps teach the algorithm—and personalized information helps fine tune it further, says Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at security outfit ESET, who created his own action figure to demonstrate the privacy risks of the trend on LinkedIn.

Uncanny Likeness

In some markets, your photos are protected by regulation. In the UK and EU, data-protection regulation including the GDPR offer strong protections, including the right to access or delete your data. At the same time, use of biometric data requires explicit consent.

However, photographs become biometric data only when processed through a specific technical means allowing the unique identification of a specific individual, says Melissa Hall, senior associate at law firm MFMac. Processing an image to create a cartoon version of the subject in the original photograph is “unlikely to meet this definition,” she says.

Meanwhile, in the US, privacy protections vary. “California and Illinois are leading with stronger data protection laws, but there is no standard position across all US states,” says Annalisa Checchi, a partner at IP law firm Ionic Legal. And OpenAI’s privacy policy doesn’t contain an explicit carve-out for likeness or biometric data, which “creates a grey area for stylized facial uploads,” Checchi says.

The risks include your image or likeness being retained, potentially used to train future models, or combined with other data for profiling, says Checchi. “While these platforms often prioritize safety, the long-term use of your likeness is still poorly understood—and hard to retract once uploaded.”

OpenAI says its users’ privacy and security is a top priority. The firm wants its AI models to learn about the world, not private individuals, and it actively minimizes the collection of personal information, an OpenAI spokesperson tells WIRED.

Meanwhile, users have control over how their data is used, with self-service tools to access, export, or delete personal information. You can also opt out of having content used to improve models, according to OpenAI.

ChatGPT Free, Plus, and Pro users can control whether they contribute to future model improvements in their data controls settings. OpenAI does not train on ChatGPT Team, Enterprise, and Edu customer data⁠ by default, according to the company.

Read the full article below:

Read the article
LADBible and Yahoo News: Viral AI trend could present huge privacy concerns, says expert
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
May 12, 2025 4 min read

Source:


You’ve probably seen them all over Instagram

By James Moorhouse

Experts have warned against participating in a viral social media trend which sees people use ChatGPT to create an action figure version of themselves.

If you’ve spent any time whatsoever doomscrolling on Instagram or TikTok or dare I say it, LinkedIn recently, you’ll be all too aware of the viral trend.

Obviously, there’s nothing more entertaining and frivolous than seeing AI generated versions of your co-workers and their cute little laptops and piña coladas, but it turns out that it might not be the best idea to take part.

There may well be some benefits to artificial intelligence but often it can produce some pretty disturbing results. Earlier this year, a lad from Norway sued ChatGPT after it falsely claimed he had been convicted of killing two of his kids.

Unfortunately, if you don’t like AI, then you’re going to have to accept that it’s going to become a regular part of our lives. You only need to look at WhatsApp or Facebook messenger to realise that. But it’s always worth saying please and thank you to ChatGPT just in case society does collapse and the AI robots take over, in the hope that they treat you mercifully. Although it might cost them a little more electricity.

Anyway, in case you’re thinking of getting involved in this latest AI trend and sharing your face and your favourite hobbies with a high tech robot, maybe don’t. You don’t want to end up starring in your own Netflix series, à la Black Mirror.

Tom Vazdar, area chair for cybersecurity at Open Institute of Technology, spoke with Wired about some of the dangers of sharing personal details about yourself with AI.

Every time you upload an image to ChatGPT, you’re potentially handing over ‘an entire bundle of metadata’ he revealed.

Vazdar added: “That includes the EXIF data attached to the image file, such as the time the photo was taken and the GPS coordinates of where it was shot.

“Because platforms like ChatGPT operate conversationally, there’s also behavioural data, such as what you typed, what kind of images you asked for, how you interacted with the interface and the frequency of those actions.”

Essentially, if you upload a photo of your face, you’re not just giving AI access to your face, but also the whatever is in the background, such as the location or other people that might feature.

Vazdar concluded: “This trend, whether by design or a convenient opportunity, is providing the company with massive volumes of fresh, high-quality facial data from diverse age groups, ethnicities, and geographies.”

While we’re at it, maybe stop using ChatGPT for your university essays and general basic questions you can find the answer to on Google as well. The last thing you need is AI knowing you don’t know how to do something basic if it does takeover the world.

Read the full article below:

Read the article