How good is Tufts for computer science?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
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The USNWR rankings of undergrad majors/disciplines are based entirely on the reputation of programs among college administrators and faculty from what I understand. For example, see

The CSRanking is based on research output, which matters much more for graduate education than for undergraduate education.

The Ivy Achievement Ranking posted by NateandAllisMom looks more relevant for undergraduate CS education. A similar sort of ranking, one that takes into account average debt upon graduating, but is limited to Boston-area schools can be found at

Our DS is going to Tufts for CS over WPI. WPI might have provided a better CS education but we believe that Tufts will provide a better all-round education, which is no less important.

FWIW, a good friend’s daughter graduated from Tufts CS three years ago and is currently at Microsoft. She had nothing but good things to say about Tufts and the CS program.

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Can’t speak directly to the CS program (not my area of expertise, to say the least), however, a friend’s daughter spoke highly of the program (which was extremely challenging) and she got a job with Amazon robotics right out of Tufts. That was 2 years ago, I believe.

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Thank you for posting! It’a great to see direct comparisons of the school’s programs. My S will lean toward the interdisciplinary approach and away from the group project approach at WPI I think, especially without visiting. Tufts is the one we haven’t heard from yet.

Also I learned that we have been badly butchering pronunciation of Worcester!

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I don’t want to knock WPI. We visited it (and Tufts and BC and Northeastern) and we were taken by WPI, but it’s a smaller, more engineering-focused school. Tufts’ wider range of academic offerings, more diverse student body (in terms of interests) and proximity to Boston won out. We felt bad turning down WPI. My other son is looking at BC but for business!

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WPI did a really great job with their virtual, and that really was the exception to the rule for us this year. They seem to be unique in a really good way. For us, we think S might switch to bio, so Tufts makes more sense. BC is a mystery. He’s not a city kid but wanted to apply after watching the videos. You can tell this is pretty hard to decide initially without tours!

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Really appreciate this discussion and hearing about the different schools, also different CS rankings. Thank you, michaeluwill, for sharing those positive opinions, that’s very meaningful. Still would be happy to hear any other thoughts about Tufts for CS - thank you!!

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I would rank:
Dartmouth
WPI
UMass
All of these have good paths to great success in the field. Lots of graduates and solid programs.

BC and Tufts ( as a low/no), UVM ( have no idea). YMMV.

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Can I sidestep and ask you what you think of Brandeis for computer science? I know it’s not top 30 but it has Michtom School of Computer Science with what looks like a pretty carefully designed BS degree program.

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From an employer perspective - U Mass would rarely beat BC and Tufts. Look at college recruiting school lists by employers (often published) and you will see. I have hired from them all BTW and they are all fine - to include MIT, Olin and Northeastern

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We’ve already had this conversation. Your opinion is different than mine. And your hiring decisions are based on your opinions. I’ve looked at it from the point of being in the industry and the programs. I’m not interested in arguing my points again. I think OP wants to get a sense of what the programs offer. I think multiple points of view have been offered. That’s good.

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michaeluwill, what do you think of Brandeis/Michtom School of Computer Science for comp sci?

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Or either of you? :slight_smile: I’m very appreciative or the discussion, by the way.

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Sent you a DM.

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Happytimes2001, embarrassed but cant find it

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Click on your big D upper right hand corner of the screen, a list will pop up, see my DM and click on it. You’re in.

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I think Brandeis is a good school. CS is not what I think of when I think of Brandeis, but employers will always consider the school overall. In the end, most are looking for high potential graduates - and the academics at Brandeis are well respected.

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It must have been more memorable to you than me - just responding to your post.

Top employers are looking for smart kids - high potential. College recruiting is not an opinion, it really happens. There are people within HR who head college recruiting. You should take a look and I bet you will change your mind.

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To offer another opinion/point of comparison, I’d say this is how I’d tier Boston area CS schools mentioned + some comparison schools:

Tier 1: MIT, Stanford
Tier 2: Northeastern, GT, Purdue, UMD, UMass Amherst
Tier 2.5: WPI, Tufts, UVA, Harvard
Tier 3: BU, Brandeis, BC

I’m a Northeastern grad so put a grain of salt next to that school, but I’m quite familiar with the little details (curricula, professors, teaching approaches) and how Northeast and SV employers view these schools. Many employers would gladly hire from all of these.

In the end, all of these are “sufficient” for CS, but outsized numbers of the students in the first two tiers show up in known companies. Tufts/Harvard have high-quality students so they tend to do well, but they aren’t CS powerhouses. WPI has a really solid curriculum but doesn’t have the name recognition of some of the others outside the northeast, keeping it out of T2. Tier 2 schools here tend to have big pipelines to major companies for various reasons. I’m sure others can quibble over the tiers I set here, but I’d suspect there are no crazy inaccuracies people would object with.

I work for a “known” tech company based in CA, in a northeast office. I have never encountered anyone from T3 at work, but regularly encounter people from T1-2. I know our university recruiting focused on T1-2 + local schools to each office (so in NYC, NYU is seen a decent deal for interns). Generally, high quality T2’s tend to be the best feeders, like GT.

Bringing this all back, the point for Tufts CS is this: the program is in-depth enough, and the overall rep is high enough that it won’t hold a talented student back. It’s not “known” for CS, but the big names (FAANG, etc) hire from it. I don’t think there’s much more to say than that tbh.

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So helpful, thanks for this. Some just don’t understand how good UMass Amherst has become in CS (and AI) and the world class faculty and department they have built. If you look at the last two years of CC threads, it’s stunning to see the many high academic applicants who have been denied admission at UMass Amherst CICS.

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Very helpful.
We have hired Northeastern as a first choice, for what it is worth. The hardest part is that you can’t get the grads anymore! They work harder than the MIT kids.
The point I was trying to make is that some of the employers incorporate school snobbery/competitiveness (some warranted) in their recruiting and the nuts and bolts of the program get overlooked because they perceive the kids to be smarter. Also, as I am sure you know, a school sometimes gets added to a recruiting list because someone senior graduated or a recent graduate did well as a newer hire. In Boston, all these kids are desirable because there are simply more open recs than students to fill them.