<p>I am currently a rising senior and planning on majoring in computer science in college. I have been looking at many out of state colleges such as Auburn, Clemson, and the University of Alabama, but I have also been looking at a smaller, in-state public Liberal Arts school which is not ABET accredited. Although I would be able to afford either option, it would definitely be nicer paying about 1/3 of the cost for in-state. Would the advantages be much greater by choosing one of the larger schools, especially since I'm considering moving to a different area of the country where a school with a bigger name may give me an advantage? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>You’ll want to check the course catalog at the small school in question to see what upper division CS courses it offers. Also, check the schedules to see how frequently each course is offered.</p>
<p>A good CS department should offer a set of upper division CS courses somewhat like the following (though faculty interests may give some variation, particularly in the electives):</p>
<p>algorithms and complexity *+
theory of computation, languages, and automata +
operating systems *+
compilers +
networks *
databases *
security and cryptography *
software engineering *
computer architecture and digital design +
electives like graphics, artificial intelligence, etc.</p>
<ul>
<li>= concepts most commonly seen in industry software jobs</li>
<li>= sometimes recommended for preparing for graduate study, in addition to courses preparing for your graduate focus</li>
</ul>
<p>The bigger schools may attract more recruiters simply because they are big. (If you were a recruiter looking for CS majors, would you go to a school with 200 CS majors per year, or a school with 5 CS majors per year?)</p>
<p>Thank you for the answer. I believe this is a complete list of all the college’s available CS courses:</p>
<p>CSCI 1301 Computer Science I
CSCI 1302 Computer Science II
CSCI 2350 Object Oriented Programming
CSCI 2680 Discrete Structures for Computer Science
CSCI 3410 Introduction to Data Structures
CSCI 3211 Assembly Language and Digital Logic Design
CSCI 3212 Computer Organization and Architecture
CSCI 3341 Operating Systems
CSCI 3342 System and Network Programming
CSCI 4320 Software Engineering
CSCI 4520 Analysis of Algorithms
CSCI 4710 Databases</p>
<p>I notice that some of your suggested courses are on here and some aren’t. Is this a sufficient curriculum? Also, is a college’s computer science curriculum one of the major things employers look at? Thanks again.</p>
<p>Georgia College?</p>
<p>[COMPUTER</a> SCIENCE (CSCI)](<a href=“http://catalog.gcsu.edu/ugrad/computer-science-csci.htm]COMPUTER”>http://catalog.gcsu.edu/ugrad/computer-science-csci.htm)</p>
<p>The course listing seems to be minimally adequate for someone going into industry, although it has gaps (e.g. no compiler course, no theory of computation, which are more relevant for the graduate school bound) and not really any additional electives.</p>
<p>One other oddity seems to be that CS is under the business division at GC, in contrast to the usual place either under an engineering division or an arts-and-sciences division (sometimes, but not always, associated with math).</p>
<p>Employers may consider size, reputation (in CS), and location when deciding which colleges to recruit, although you can certainly apply on your own if you find employers on your own. Content of the courses and curricula matters when you get asked technical questions in the interviews.</p>
<p>If you are in Georgia, why not consider Georgia Tech?</p>
<p>Yes, that’s the school. I’m definitely applying at Georgia Tech but it’s not the easiest school to get into so I’m looking at other options as well. Would you think I would be at any disadvantage going into the industry or graduate school with this curriculum over a student at an average CS program at an ABET accredited state university?</p>