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UChicago. Other than Intro to Systems, which is required, these classes are representative of a list from which you choose 8. There's also 3-quarter intro sequence (all programming) and the 3-quarter theory sequence (all proofs, some pseudocode). You could get away without taking some of these, but then you would do similarly substantial programming projects in other domains (compilers, machine learning, 3D modeling and rendering, visualization of scientific datasets, etc). Our department tends to be derided as "very theoretical", so I'm surprised to hear that we do more programming than others. To be fair, you could also load up ~6 of your 8 with proof-based math classes about CS theory (graph theory, combinatorics, mathematical logic I-II, whichever of complexity or formal languages you didn't count towards the required theory sequence, etc) but the people who do that are on tracks towards PhDs in math or the subset of math that is CS theory, not the programming job market. HN threads about CS education tend to posit that it shouldn't matter where you go to school because ~all CS programs are the same, so I assumed my experience would translate. Perhaps this is not so? |
I do think that the more selective schools graduate better people largely because the start with the better people, but don't think the school makes zero difference.