<p>We're researching colleges in NYS for Computer Science programs. My son is more interested in software and programming than hardware, so he thinks a CS degree would be a better fit for him than a Computer Engineering degree, but there aren't many ABET accredited CS programs in NYS. How important is ABET accreditation for CS? Some websites say not very, but others (mostly ABET and various schools touting their own programs) suggest it is. We make too much to get federal or state aid and his SAT scores aren't high enough to get aid at the schools with accredited programs, so we're going to be full pay. If a degree from an accredited program is necessary, he's going to have to take out the $27k student loans to make up the difference between the COA and what we can afford to pay for him. If it isn't necessary, he could live at home and commute to our local SUNY with no debt (his first choice). Its engineering majors are accredited, but CS isn't. Does it matter?</p>
<p>ABET accreditation is not really important for CS. It’s not engineering. It’s more important that the class offerings be broad and teach critical thinking.</p>
<p>I think what’s important about your son’s target school is that the other engineering majors are accredited. ABET accreditation is crucial for certain engineering majors where students will need to become licensed or certified by their state in order to practice (for example, civil.) CS engineers do not have that issue. Thus some schools skip the CS accreditation process. From what I understand, some of it has to do with having more flexibility with requirements for the major. ABET accreditation might mean that you need to take Chemistry, whereas a non accredited program would not have to hold you to that. </p>
<p>For CS, there’s such a talent shortage right now that any CS major is going to have plenty of opportunities. What’s more important than the name on the sheepskin is what your son does outside of his CS classes at university- internships, coding, hackathons etc. </p>
<p>In terms of SUNY for example, Binghamton, Brockport, and Stony Brook are CS accredited while Buffalo isn’t. I would not feel any qualms about sending my kid to Buffalo, which has a strong and well developed engineering program, just because it doesn’t have ABET accreditation. </p>
<p>However, when you say 27K in student loans, do you mean per year or over 4 years? A total of 27K in loans would not be too hard for a CS major to pay off especially since they can get paying internships/summer jobs during college. 108K is a different story. If it’s 27K total, I would say he should go to the program he prefers and where he thinks he will do best. Check out recruitment opportunities and program resources. If living at home and commuting is something he prefers, I think he should do that. He may feel that he can concentrate on his studies better.</p>
<p>I’m the mom of a CS grad and New York State resident </p>
<p>ABET accreditation per se is not really important in CS. However, it can indicate a decent minimum level of quality. I.e. CS majors with ABET accreditation should be at least ok and can be very good. CS majors without ABET accreditation can run the full range of very poor to very good. Of the best known CS majors, MIT and Berkeley EECS have ABET accreditation in CS, but CMU, Stanford, and Berkeley L&S CS do not.</p>
<p>ABET-accredited CS majors are typically more engineering-based, with extra science and sometimes EE requirements. If the student wants to take more H/SS courses, a non-ABET-accredited CS major may have more schedule space for that.</p>
<p>One instance where ABET accreditation can matter is if one wants to take the patent exam from a CS background. Either an ABET-accredited CS degree or a CS degree with specified course work listed in <a href=“http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/exam/OED_GRB.pdf”>http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/exam/OED_GRB.pdf</a> is needed. Note that the specified course work includes 8 credits of physics or chemistry, as well as another 32 credits of CS or other science or engineering.</p>
<p>To check the depth and breadth of a CS department, check the catalogs and schedule for the following junior/senior level CS courses:</p>
<p>algorithms and complexity
theory of computation, languages, and automata
operating systems
compilers
databases
networks
security and cryptography
software engineering or project course or projects in other courses
hardware courses like computer architecture
electives like artificial intelligence and graphics</p>
<p>Use of varied programming languages as appropriate for the concepts being taught is preferable. Schools which use one programming language for everything may lead to “when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” problem.</p>
<p>Thank you all. We’ll definitely be comparing programs. When I speak of debt, it’s over 4 years, so $27k total. I have 2 more years of home schooling before my youngest graduates, then I can work full-time and roll whatever I make over to tuition and the children’s loans. I haven’t held a paying job for nearly 20 years and I was over 30 when I decided to stay at home, though, so I’d like to keep debt down in case my own job propects turn out not to be very good. </p>