Best CS Schools

College Search & Selection
1

Hi guys, just wanna ask you about some of the great CS schools in the country. I know CMU, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Berkeley/UCLA are all great in CS, but I’m thinking about other universities(other than those mentioned above and Ivy League) that may be less selective.

Apart from that, I would say that having good liberal arts programs other than CS is a good indicator too.

My selections are: UWashington, UMich, UW-Madison, UNC-Chapel Hill, Northwestern, Rice, Vandy, UIUC, USC, Purdue, UChicago, Johns Hopkins, Georgia Tech, NYU, UT Austin, WashU St. Louis.

Also, are schools like Tufts, Rutgers, Colorado Boulder, SMU generally not as good(in CS)?

Can you guys pcik a few ones that you like(and include the reasons as well)? Thanks!

2

With respect to your intended major, you’ve listed some excellent potential choices such as UW, UM, NU, Rice, UIUC, JHU, GT . . . Based on these selections, you might also like the programs at schools such as UMass, SUNY–Buffalo, Northeastern, BU and, though ultra-selective, Harvey Mudd.

For CS in a purely undergraduate-focused setting, look into Hamilton: https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/comp-sci-department-hosts-college-computing-conference.

3

Rutgers has a great reputation in all the sciences. If you’re in state, it will likely be a great bargain as well.

4

I apologize in advance and I hope I’m not hijacking this thread titled “Best CS Schools”. Regarding undergraduate programs, can anyone help me understand exactly what we are measuring in the CS programs at the best schools that makes then better than the others for CS? What exactly can I point to and say “this is better at the xyz top CS school and these are the reasons why”?

5

Hi guys!

I know that these two are great schools, yet their CS rankings are VERY low in nearly all rankings. So I just wanna ask how their CS departments(undergrad) compare to other really good CS schools like UMich, UT Austin and UW. Thanks!

6

Some colleges in your list are great colleges, but are not particularly strong in CS. For example, Caltech, Vandy, UChicago, Johns Hopkins, NYU, WashU, etc. In fact, last year when my son interviewed with a UChicago alumni (who was an Economics major), the alumni asked "why Chicago for CS? it’s not known as a good department … "

What count as good CS undergrad depends on what you want to do after undergrad. If you want to pursue a PhD, then you want a more Math and theoretical school. If you want to work, then you want a more practical curriculum. The big state flagships and big tech schools will generally offer you both options, with a bias towards practicality.

7

UMich (for OOS applicants), UNC-Chapel Hill (for OOS applicants), Northwestern, Rice, Vandy, UIUC (for CS majors), UChicago, Johns Hopkins and WashU St. Louis are not less selective than the Ivies or the top UCs.

8

Of those listed, I would say UNC-Chapel Hill, Northwestern, NYU (unless you’re looking for mathematical theory side strength), Vandy, UChicago, Johns Hopkins, and WashU St. Louis aren’t especially notable, though all competent programs of course. Still, far more well regarded as schools generally than for CS, which is still something to consider as a factor.

Seconding Northeastern and UMass Amherst.

Of those you listed:

Top CS schools by reputation: UWashington, UIUC, GT

Notables mentioned that are highly regarded: Michigan, UT, Rice, USC

Note that all of these programs will be very competitive. Of those listed plus mentioned, good matches include UW-Madison, UMass Amherst, Northeastern, and Rutgers.

If you’re open to tech schools, check out RPI, RIT, WPI, and Stevens

Schools not mentioned yet: Waterloo (Canada)

As far as reasoning for these, a good deal is reputation based, which is frankly not always correlated with program quality. Understanding the quality of a CS school takes time and a lot of knowledge that most CS applicants understandably won’t have.

As a Northeastern student I’m a bit biased, but this details a teaching program used at some schools mentioned here that I think is quite unique when it comes to introductory teaching approach, a factor you understandably won’t find in rankings because of its subjectivity.

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/Thoughts/Developing_Developers.html

For research strength: http://csrankings.org/

9

By the second reply I meant UChicago and Johns Hopkins… It was another discussion but for whatever reason it was moved into this one lol.

Anyway guys thank you for your replies!

10

Especially for programs at the undergraduate level, I don’t think we have a clear consensus about what should be measured, let alone actual assessments based on rigorous, uncontroversial standards. MIT, CMU, Berkeley, Stanford, and a few other places established strong reputations ~30 years ago (as desktop computing then the WWW were taking off). Those reputations tend to perpetuate themselves (or so it seems to me), even if many other universities now offer very similar undergraduate programs.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) makes very specific undergraduate curriculum recommendations.
(https://www.acm.org/education/curricula-recommendations).
Many colleges seem to follow those recommendations, more or less.
Just about any decent program will (or should) cover certain knowledge areas (including algorithms/complexity, data structures, programming languages, discrete mathematics, system architecture, operating systems, and networks).
A not-very-well-known, not-too-selective, rather small LAC in my area covers most of them (or did, last time I looked).

Most state flagships, many large directional state universities, and many selective private schools that offer decent FA, are all likely to maintain programs that are good enough that you’ll graduate with a marketable degree. Things I’d consider at least as much as CS program rankings include:

  • breadth/depth of course offerings (as indicated by online course schedules, not just the catalog listings)
  • the number and specializations of available faculty (as indicated by online bios/CVs)
  • CS class sizes (again, often indicated by online course schedules)

The demand for CS courses is high; competition for good faculty is intense. That can mean over-crowded classes even at some very respected schools, or sparse offerings especially in some smaller departments. If you watch out for those problems, and if all the key knowledge areas are covered (by courses and by faculty), then in my opinion you can safely choose based on factors such as overall school reputation, personal fit, and net cost. It doesn’t have to be CMU, MIT, Cal, or Stanford.

11

bump, bump, bump

12

You’ve already gotten great feedback. What else are you looking for? If you want to post gpa, test scores, ECs, and financial constraints, I’m sure folks can help you narrow it down.

13

Re: computer science at UNC-Chapel Hill, see http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-north-carolina-chapel-hill/2109517-word-of-warning-unc-computer-science-overcrowded.html#latest .

14

Because of the rising popularity of CS, many schools have had to limit enrollment. This can mean having applicants apply to the major for frosh admission, and/or having undeclared frosh compete for admission to the CS major based on college grades or GPA and sometimes essays.

Whether CS is a competitive major can significantly impact how desirable the school is for CS based on how likely you are to get into the major.

15

My son is a junior at UW and was accepted into the CS major this year (although he tells me that now students are directly admitted into the major as incoming freshmen). From his and peers’ experience, it’s extremely competitive and requires extracurriculars in addition to high GPAs. In fact, when he was rejected in sophomore year, his counselor told him he needed to work on his ECs (he has an IB diploma including math HL and had already been a TA in an entry level CS class for a year) and ensure that he did well in his 2nd petitioned CS course (intended for CS majors only).

He is very happy in the program, despite and because of its challenges, particularly when he hears of recent UW grads receiving lucrative job offers while still in school. The location of the UW Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science in Seattle seems to help attract potential employers to their career fairs. In addition, he’s quite excited at the possibility of being able to apply soon to the Master’s Program that will allow him to obtain a Master’s with only one additional year of school.

One of my son’s friends ended up going to a different UW campus for CS because it was less competitive while others changed to majors that were similar to CS. At any rate, just wanted to make sure you were aware that indeed, CS at UW is very selective.

16

Cost is the only thing that’s measurable. Everything else is subjective. Before even applying to anything, make sure your parents can afford it without graduating with dump truck full of debt. A CS degree at Duke with $100k in debt is just as employable as a CS degree at University of Houston with $10k in debt. Would the Duke graduate get higher pay? No, because they’re entry level jobs.The higher the employer goes on salary, the easier it is to attract an experienced professional.

17

Stony Brook. https://www.stonybrook.edu

18

Rutgers-NB has a respected CS program with good placement rate due to its proximity to NYC.