<p>Is computer science considered a strong department at University of Miami? Also, is it true that there are only two full-time professors (faculty members) in the program?</p>
<p>I’m a freshman and CS is one of my two majors. I don’t know how the department is viewed comparatively to other universities, but I feel confident in the program as a current student. </p>
<p>Not sure about the claim that there are only two full-time professors. I know there are way more than two professors overall, but as to whether they are full-time or not, I don’t know.</p>
<p>I’m unaware of any source that would indicate if a department from any school is considered strong relative to others. I would say UM’s CS dept. is a smaller but personal program. You can see from the alumni page that many graduates went to top companies or schools for graduate study; it won’t hold you back if that’s what you’re worried about.</p>
<p>There are more than two full-time professors, and you can see this from the faculty page on the website. Anyone with the title ‘professor,’ ‘associate professor,’ or ‘assistant professor’ is working full-time for that department. The distinction between these titles is essentially rank and responsibilities. Secondary and adjunct faculty are professors from other departments or instructors who may teach or have collaborations with the department.</p>
<p>@SeekingUni … On the basis of your shrewd judgement, how competitive is the program [at University of Miami]? Did you have prior programming experience (either in the form of academic or recreational activities)?</p>
<p>@passacaglia is your description of the program being “smaller but personal program” more advantageous in consideration of similar academic institutions (including the caliber of BU and/or NYU)? In what way would “smaller but personal program” be an attractive quality in hindsight of my undergraduate interests? Likewise, in what regard can it deter my academic advancement (are there any contraindications)? Lastly, can the “smaller but personal program” distinction potentially reduce the tendency of professors to weed out prospective students?</p>
<p>I can’t comment on NYU or BU because I never attended those programs. Comparing universities is tricky, and I would only use something like rankings as a coarse metric. For example, you can see that UIUC is ranked 46 and UM is 44; however, UIUC has one of the highest ranked graduate computer science programs in the world.</p>
<p>The smaller size department means you can interact with professors more. It’s not uncommon to see undergrads sitting down with a professor outside of class and talking about homework or a project. You can get involved in cool projects much earlier if you’re motivated. If you’re smart about this, it’s not difficult to build an impressive portfolio that makes you an attractive candidate for jobs. It’s also easier to get reference letters when people remember you.</p>
<p>The disadvantage of a program like UM is there is very little tech recruiting on campus. I believe Microsoft plucks a few people each year, but the UM career fair seems to cater to business types. You will need to be more proactive if you want to leave Miami for work. This is a skill you need to be successful in CS anyway; sitting through classes and “getting by” won’t teach you the skills needed to be competitive. The best students, whether its MIT or Miami, are learning new languages on their own and writing code outside class.</p>
<p>UM’s CS program seems to makes a concerted effort to retain new CS majors, not weed them out.</p>
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Not competitive at all… anybody who wants to be a CS major/minor can, without issue (outside of terms of ability). I had no “official” prior programming experience although I have been working and exploring in the field on my own since middle school. I have no experience in any of the programming we did in CSC120 (Computer Programming I) last semester or CSC220 (CPII) this semester. I’m pretty sure the department states that the major is perfectly suitable for those with no prior experience.</p>