I am in college and getting a degree and was wondering, is a computer science degree the best degree to get for landing various types of IT jobs and having that strong foundation to enter various/most types of IT/tech/cs related jobs?

I know for specific areas I will upskill by adding relevant certifications, and outside self learning, projects, homelabs etc,

But to get that strong foundation for career in IT, would it be one of the best degrees to get? I feel it be better than a information systems, management information systems, or information technology degree. Would you agree?

I want to know what's the best CS college in US for undergrad...

Also, what would the criteria to get into it...checking for my nephew..

GPA - currently 4.5 (going to be a junior) Plays clarinet (marching band - lead) Has been a champ.at programming and is known in his school - has helped multiple clubs Chess Champion

What else can he do...what SAT score is required for him to be accepted at best colleges..

He is a great kid..I really want him to be prepared for what's coming next...any advice will be great..his parents are in texas so in-state will be a priority but they have money so can send the kid to out of state too..

Parents and students - please advise..thank you!

Besides Ivies, what are the top cs schools in terms of rigor and learning potential of curriculum?

Discuss

US News recently released its updated 2024 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs. Since much of the ranking is behind a paywall, here are the Top 100+ entries (there are a lot of ties throughout as usual):

Top 110 CS Programs:

#1:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

#2:

• Carnegie Mellon University

• Stanford University

• University of California, Berkeley

#5:

• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

#6:

• California Institute of Technology

• Cornell University

• Georgia Institute of Technology

• Princeton University

#10:

• University of Washington

#11:

• Harvard University

• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

• University of Texas at Austin

#14:

• Columbia University

• University of California, Los Angeles

• University of California, San Diego

• Yale University

#18:

• Johns Hopkins University

• Purdue University, West Lafayette

• University of Maryland, College Park

• University of Pennsylvania

#22:

• University of Wisconsin, Madison

#23:

• Brown University

• Duke University

• University of Chicago

• University of Southern California

#27:

• Harvey Mudd College

• Northwestern University

• University of California, Davis

• University of California, Irvine

• University of California, Santa Barbara

• Virginia Tech

#33:

• Ohio State University, Columbus

• Rice University

• Texas A&M University

• University of Colorado Boulder

• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

• University of Virginia

#40:

• Dartmouth College

• New York University

• Pennsylvania State University, University Park

• University of Massachusetts, Amherst

• Vanderbilt University

#45:

• Northeastern University

• University of Florida

• University of Notre Dame

• University of Utah

• Washington University in St. Louis

#50:

• Arizona State University

• Michigan State University

• North Carolina State University

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

• Rutgers University, New Brunswick

• University of Arizona

#56:

• Indiana University, Bloomington

• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

• Stony Brook University, SUNY

• United States Naval Academy

• University of California, Riverside

• University of California, Santa Cruz

• University of Rochester

#63:

• Boston University

• Case Western Reserve University

• Emory University

• Georgetown University

• George Washington University

• Rochester Institute of Technology

• University of Connecticut

• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Campus

#71:

• Colorado School of Mines

• Drexel University

• Oregon State University

• Syracuse University

• Tufts University

• United States Military Academy

• University at Buffalo, SUNY

• University of Illinois, Chicago

• University of Iowa

• University of Oregon

• University of Tennessee, Knoxville

#82:

• Auburn University

• Boston College

• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

• Clemson University

• Colorado State University

• Illinois Institute of Technology

• Lehigh University

• Stevens Institute of Technology

• United States Air Force Academy

• University of Alabama

• University of Delaware

• University of Georgia

• University of Maryland, Baltimore County

• University of Nebraska, Lincoln

• University of Texas at Dallas

• Washington State University

• William & Mary

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

#100:

• Amherst College

• Brigham Young University, Provo

• George Mason University

• New Jersey Institute of Technology

• Pomona College

• San Diego State University

• University of Central Florida

• University of Kansas

• University of Kentucky

• University of San Diego

• Williams College

Hope this helps out the current seniors working on their college lists. Please use this ranking just as a reference when conducting your research, focusing more on the academic and financial fit of each university for you, rather than focusing on the absolute position of each university on this list.

For your reference, here are links to the 2023, 2022 and 2021 posts with a lot of relevant discussions.

I'm a junior in high school and really want to get into computer science, but everywhere I look I see people saying "computer science is the new phycology degree" and that the work force is "over saturated" I love coding and I really want to become a software developer but I'm worried I won't be able to get a job and that it will be a huge waste of time. Is this just people saying things just because or is it true that computer science degrees are becoming useless?

Ive heard from friends and family that computer science is just a waste of a degree, time, and money. Memes consistently and constantly portray computer science majors as future McDonald workers. After expressing so much interest in the field and teaching myself python and Java to one day get a software engineering job, I just need some clarification and a straight answer if this path is a good path.

TLDR; there is clearly a group of all-around leaders in computer science that excel in both academic output and job placement. Georgia Tech is one of them. Specific ranking # aren't really relevant (e.g. I was surprised to see that within Ivies, employer's don't care if you went to Harvard v Cornell). Second, location matters a lot. Move to Bay Area/California to maximize career growth. If you can't get your dream job, the educational quality of OMSCS is not the bottleneck - it's your networking ability and ability to crush Leetcode/System Design.

IvyAchievement analysis (2018), a data-driven comparison of university CS ranking. It's mostly undergraduate focused, so Georgia Tech's graduate performance is probably even better. If you factor in research output (vs. employment outcomes which most of the analysis factors in), Georgia Tech ranks even higher too.

Some Notes:

• Caltech, Berkeley, Stanford, and Harvey Mudd, all located in California (Berkeley and Stanford in the San Francisco Bay Area; Caltech and Harvey Mudd in Los Angeles County), stand far above all others. This was visible in the linear plot above, but this plot makes the advantage even more stark.

• All the Ivy League schools except Harvard are in the same area on the plot. This suggests employers don’t discriminate among the Ivies.

• Of the Ivies, Princeton, Penn, and Dartmouth have a slight edge in salary, while Columbia, Cornell, and Yale have a slight edge in job placement.

• MIT graduates have high starting salaries but are not as represented at top tech companies. This is probably not because they can’t get jobs at the top companies, but because they go to smaller, less established companies.

• Harvard, Tufts, Wellesley, and WPI, which are all in the Boston area, are also in the same general range on both axes. Relative employment is not high, but salaries are comparable to top schools elsewhere in the country. 

• Several California public schools (UCSD, UC-Davis, Cal Poly, and SJSU) fare similarly in our computer science employment rankings. Berkeley and UCLA, usually considered the most prestigious California public schools, have a huge advantage in job placement, but only Berkeley grads enjoy an appreciable advantage in salaries.

• There is similar performance among graduates of Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland-College Park, UVA, and Virginia Tech, all located in the same general geographical area. Only UVA makes our Top 40. 

• UT-Dallas and UT-Arlington fare similarly to each other and very poorly in comparison with flagship campus UT-Austin. As noted earlier, UT-Dallas places many graduates at top tech companies, but a smaller proportion of their computer science graduates gets hired.

• Several public schools (the University of Washington, UCLA, Georgia Tech, the University of Florida, Penn State, Texas A&M, ASU, UCSB, Purdue, and North Carolina State) have relatively weaker starting salaries relative to their job placement compared to their peers. This is likely due to graduates taking lower-paying jobs at top companies and/or geographic areas with lower salaries.

• Graduates among private-public rivals USC/UCLA and Rice/Texas perform nearly identically in the job market. Employment outcome need not be a factor in deciding between these rivals.

1. Cloud Computing

2. Data Analytics

3. Network Engineering and Security Cisco

4. Software Engineering

5. Computer Science

6. Cybersecurity and Information Assurance

Let me be clear first about what I mean by "best undergrad CS curriculum".

According to me, the number 1 job of an undergrad CS curriculum is to teach students how to solve problems and implement them with confidence.

To achieve this ultimate aim students may have to go through many classes and topics covering a wide range of material e.g. TCS, algo, systems, OS, compilers, PL, etc. But the general and ultimate goal is this: when faced with a problem I should be able to figure out how to solve it and implement it in a programming language of choice, firstly correctly and then efficiently.

When someone gets into a college of choice they think they are studying the best curriculum that is there. Sometimes that may be entirely true.

But often when they move on to industry or grad school elsewhere they encounter and work with undergrads from different colleges. Then their perspective changes. Especially in grad school when they have to teach undergrads.

So which college according to you has the best curriculum in undergrad CS.

If you would like to mention some specific courses which stood out according to you, either link to their webpages or mention the course code/name so that interested people can search them up.

I just want to know beyond just 10

Hello all,

I am looking to go back to school to upgrade my AS to a BS. I currently have an AS in database management, but am looking to further update my resume and skills to become a software developer. Specifically in C#, but am open to learn new languages along the way.

It has been a good decade since I went to school and I am out of the loop when it comes to what good schools are out there. I am looking for something for me to complete my BS online and that is affordable. I live in California as well. I don't know if out of state tuition is a thing for online classes, but I would not be surprised...

I don't want to ramble on too much, but please let me know if any of you have had good experiences with particular collages that could help me get my next bump in degree.

Thank you kindly!

Hello everyone,

I’ve been working as a Java developer for the past 6 years and am now planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree so I can eventually work in the US. I’m a Canadian citizen, so I’m hoping to qualify for either a TN or H1B visa. From what I understand, having a degree is a key requirement for both.

There are a few universities near where I live, but the reputable ones don’t offer evening or weekend classes for part-time students. Since I’m currently working full-time, I’m leaning towards completing my degree online.

My main goal isn’t to use the degree to get a job after graduating — I already have a solid career in development — but rather to meet the visa requirements.

Given this, what are the best online universities or programs that would be recognized and respected for US immigration purposes? Any advice or firsthand experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Everyone, I want to go back to school for my degree in CS. I am in another industry that is completely irrelevant to CS and since I am leaving this industry, I am not too horribly happy with it but it's not like I am actively searching for CS jobs (I just learned how to do looping) however I would like to leave sooner than later. So with that said can anyone recommend an online CS degree that is relatively reputable?

As a side note I want to go into a engineering role because I love tech and want to solve the world's problems. What type of coding would this be? I don't have a creative bone in my body and really want to stay away from web development but it seems like that's what everyone teaches. Something like tesla where they are coding to reduce the carbon imprint. Also what would be a learning map for this?

Currently, I am a full time back-end software engineer for a programmatic media buying company. I have a BBA and made the transition into technology after a year of self study and then graduating from a programming bootcamp. Since making the transition, I've been waking up at 5am to teach myself computer science fundamentals before work. Even though I do a lot of self-teaching, I've realized that not having a CS degree will likely prevent me from doing the type of work I'm interested in including distributed systems and computer architecture. I am also considering continuing on from a bachelors and pursuing a MS or even a PhD in CS. As it stands right now, I can't stop working and go to an on-site university so I am looking at online CS degrees. The programs that have stuck out to me so far are those at FSU, UF, and Johns Hopkins. Given that I'm considering moving on to a MS+, what are some of the more rigorous and prestigious universities that offer online CS programs that would prepare me for continuing my education further?

So im currently 19 and im in college for CS. My goal is become a front end developer and probably mess around with some backend development. Anyway back in sophomore year of highschool I actually got into coding and wanted to learn html. I started coding during classes and one of my teacher basiclly said it was dumb what I was doing and it kinda pushed me away from trying to learn coding until this summer. I took a summer class for CS10 and passed without a issue and it was alright but it was really boring. Im now starting fall semester and im taking all these classes along with CS like math (which if I take the full 2 years of community college I had to do math every semester) and english. I find these very boring and to be honest a waste of my time. I like to learn with my own research and failures. Anyway I was wondering if its even worth trying to at least get AS degree in college.

TLDR; College really boring. I've always had a interest in coding and messed with html back in early highschool. Is it worth to try and get a AS Degree or just focus on my own study's without college and build a portfolio

You don't need a degree in CS to be employed as a programmer.

Though if that's the option you're looking at and you have yet to decide on a school, here's a ruthlessly practical and highly opinionated guide to picking a good Computer Science program. It acts as a checklist for students who know they want to go into computer science and have no one to guide them through the process.

It does not cover:

• The cost of a university.

• The quality of the professors.

• The US News "rank" of the university.

Some amazing universities are dirt cheap compared to your local private school. Some places have great professors, but you may end up lacking career opportunities. US News rank means nothing and is likely manipulated.

Instead, this guide focuses on specific qualities that you can easily Google.

TL;DR: Checklist

• Does the university protect you against exploding offers?

• Does the school have regular career fairs with tech companies attending?

• Does the university have course offerings for interviews?

• Does the school have "dorm room" investment opportunities? (Contrary Capital, DormroomFund, roughdraft.vc, school sponsored).

• Does the school have access to hackathons?

• Does the school have access to a tech hub?

Does the university protect you against exploding offers?

An exploding offer is an offer from an employer that forces you to decide extremely quickly otherwise it's rescinded. Like, make up your mind by the end of the day.

Exploding offers are a manipulative tactic that's typically used by companies who are struggling to attract talent.

Universities that have legitimate career opportunities for Computer Science and Computer Engineering grads have policies against exploding offers. If a company gives a student an exploding offer, they can report it to the university and the company is banned from recruiting.

If a university doesn't have a policy, it's a good sign they're struggling to bring job offers to the school. If you see this, bail.

It's not hugely important for a university to protect you against exploding offers, you can always turn them down. But it's a good litmus test for a school that has pull with companies and one that does not.

How to find out

Try the following search queries in Google:

{COLLEGE I WANT} exploding offer
{COLLEGE I WANT} offer guidelines
{COLLEGE I WANT} employer guidelines
{COLLEGE I WANT} internship guidelines

If they have nothing available, copy/paste this email and send it to their career center:

Hi!

I'm a prospective student doing research on your university.
I was wondering if you have any policies against exploding
offers or other unreasonable pressure for computer science
students.

Thanks!

Tiers

Really Good

The offer guidelines give multiple months for internship decisions made in the fall. No company is in desperate need of an intern, it's perfectly reasonable for a company to give you a fair amount of time to decide something that's months away.

Good

The offer guidelines give at least 3 weeks for internships and full time offers.

Okay

The offer guidelines only protect internships.

Example: University of Illinois

The engineering department of University of Illinois has a program that looks like this:

Img

Source

Does the school have regular career fairs attended by tech companies you've heard of?

This is your primary access to employment opportunities. If the university does not have companies coming to their career fair, something is very wrong.

Many companies only hire university grads through these fairs, so by going to a school without a real career fair, you're paying 200k to have less access to jobs.

Questions to ask

Does a company have to pay? Many universities charge companies to attend their career fair. This is a sign that the university has so many companies who want to attend that they have to limit it. If the career fair is free, the university is lacking applicants.

Does the university have a CS only career fair? Some schools are so popular that they move CS into its own fair. This is primarily at bigger schools, but hits midsize as well.

Are companies that attend traveling? If a company had to travel to the fair, they really want to hire people here. It also means that the company is offering internships that pay for housing elsewhere, which typically is a sign of higher paid and higher quality internships. Companies that can afford housing typically can afford higher pay.

Example: San Jose State University

Img Example

Source

Does the school have course offerings for interviews?

When you go to interview for jobs, you'll be asked to solve coding challenges, often in a timed, under-pressure situation. This practice may change in the future, but it's extremely common.

Any CS program worth its salt has created a class that preps students for this.

If a school does not have this course, it means their CS department is extremely disconnected from the industry or they do not adapt well. 🚩This is a red flag; if you do not see this, bail.

How to find out

Try the following search queries in Google:

{COLLEGE I WANT} interviewing cs course
{COLLEGE I WANT} technical interviews cs

If they have nothing available, copy/paste this email and send it to a CS Professor at the school or their office of admissions:

Hi!

I'm a prospective student doing research on your university.
Do you have a course dedicated to passing technical interviews as a computer science major?

Thanks!

Example: Boise State University

CS-HU 390 TECHNICAL INTERVIEWS, JOBS, AND CAREERS (1-0-1)(F). Prepare students for computer science technical interviews. Demonstrate how knowledge gained in classes can be used to solve new problems. Encourage teamwork and peer feedback. Learn how to negotiate jobs and manage career growth. A Hatchery Unit (HU) course is a short course to develop specific professional skills for computer science. (Pass/Fail) PREREQ: CS-HU 130, CS 253, CS 321.

source

Do students have access to investment and capital?

Much of tech is funded by venture capitalists: investment firms who specialize in small startup companies. There's a number of investment firms that do small investments solely in companies started by college kids.

Some examples are:

• Contrary Capital

• Dorm Room Fund

• Rough Draft VC

Many universities have their own version of this. Some will offer N thousand dollars to students as part of a grant.

Even if you don't want to start a startup, having these opportunities are extremely valuable. Maybe you didn't start something, but Sally did and now she's hooking you up with a sweet job.

Companies that start out of a university often go back and hire from that university. That creates a network of opportunity for you, even if you're not making the next Facebook.

Plus, having outside funding means that some market somewhere has effectively "bought in" to this school and its programs. Those investors likely did better research than you or I did, so it's reasonable to take their hint here.

How to find out

You can go to the big three college funds websites, though many of them are only available at brand name schools.

Another way is to email their admissions department the following:

Hi!

I'm a prospective student doing research on your university.
Have any tech companies been founded by your students while they were
students here? If so, how did they get initial funding? Are there
grants or other services that the university provides to CS students?

Thanks!

Be skeptical of places that have money only for business majors.

Example: University of Maryland

UMD has access to Contrary Capital and Oculus Rift was born here. Lesser known companies like FiscalNote came out of this program as well, along with bioscience companies, like Digene and Martek Biosciences.

Does the university have access to a tech scene?

Preferably, it's one of the big 3 tech scenes:

• San Francisco and the Bay Area (the largest by far)

• New York

• Seattle

But it doesn't have to be. You want a place that has local companies interested in hiring local people. This is where you could get a part time co-op job or a summer internship without having to leave campus.

A lot of cities have tech scenes, but the size doesn't guarantee anything. Take Boise and Spokane.

Boise's current population is 226k and Spokane's is 217k. They're both about the same size, they both have a few universities that rest there, but only one has a tech scene.

One of Boise's primary distinguishers is the presence of "key stone" companies like HP and Micron. These companies put major offices in the town, which attracted a number of tech workers. After some time, these tech workers left and started their own companies. Some of these formed into midsized places and small startups.

How to find out

When looking at a school, search for tech companies in the area. If you're only seeing smaller or mid-sized places, be skeptical. You want a large company to have invested resources into building an office there. Those big companies are making a larger investment than you are and frequently do a lot more research on the market there.

Does the school have access to Hackathons?

A Hackathon is where many programmers go to a college campus, program for 24 hours straight and then maybe win cash money. They may be for you, or maybe they're not, but there's no denying that access to them can be effective.

Many students get jobs from hackathons. Winning one is a resume item when often you don't have a whole lot to put down. They're opportunities to meet other smart programmers and to explore new tech.

Even if you never go to a hackathon, you'll still benefit. The people who do go will network for you and be your 2nd or 3rd connection to job opportunities.

Questions to ask

• Does the university host a hackathon?

• If not, is it in the local area?

• If not, does it sponsor students to go?

• If not, are students finding other ways to go?

Summary

Overall, you're looking for a school that:

• Has a solid understanding of the tech industry

• Has support for students entering the tech industry

• Succeeds at getting students into the tech industry

These should be your base line goals. The feel of the university, the professors, and the campus are good tie breakers.

University is about growing as a person. There's huge benefits to going to a place that will expose you to stuff you've never thought about. But weigh that benefit with the debt you're taking on.

If you're going to pay the cost of a house, make sure you end up with a job at the end.