[qubex]

I’m inherently biased because I studied applied mathematics, but if you advocate removing mid-level mathematics (calculus, set theory, much of college algebra) out of a computer science degree, what you have left is a few years of courses about ’scripting’ and practical use of particular specialised tools. One cannot aim to become some kind of ’engineer’ or technical person without at least a grasp of these mathematical techniques, even it they’re only learnt for the sake of understanding and then forever set aside. They enrich your thinking; without enrichment your mind remains... impoverished.

Beyond that, computer science is an offshoot of mathematics (Turing laboured on Computability, Boole on relation algebra, Von Neumann on finite difference methods). To rid computer science of mathematics makes about as much sense as stripping psychology out of counselling,

You have a much too ’practical’ view. What you have in mind is not a graduate degree in computer science but some kind of... vocational training for programmers. Which is OK, if that’s what you want, and provided you leave the faculty of computer science intact for those who wish to study the abstract field and make progress therein.

[tnecniv]

I agree. Too many people conflate a computer science degree with the ability to code. The real purpose of a computer science degree is to learn to model, analyze, and solve problems in a computational framework. Mathematics is the language used to do that, so math is a necessary part of such an education.

When it comes to sitting down and writing software, such a mathematical computer science education provides a clear benefit. The more math you know, the more problems you can formulate and solve with a computer. If the job is cranking out web pages, a mathematical background will increase efficiency because you'll recognize the problems at hand fit into familiar formalisms with familiar solutions. Moreover, if you run into a hard problem, a mathematical background will provide the necessary tools to work through it in a principled manner.