Lately I’ve been gaining interest in the smaller colleges such as Kenyon, Grinnel, Carleton, Macalester etc. which have strong computer science programs. Due to my personality and the type of learner I am, I feel as if a personalized environment with help readily available (attention from professors and the close-knit community) would help me grasp concepts better and learn more effectively.
In the long run, what are the tradeoffs for pursuing a computer science or other technological degree from an LAC as compared to a large research university, in terms of job and salary potential?
(I’m not interested in the STEM focused LACs because I’m not entirely set on that field, I’d like to have a lot of options)
A CS degree should be very marketable, whether you get it from a research university or a strong LAC.
There are pros and cons of either one relative to the other, but they aren’t necessarily significant enough to override a strong personal preference (or a much lower net cost).
Two possible negatives to a LAC are their more limited course offerings and, in some cases, rural locations that could limit your internship opportunities. So if you’d prefer a LAC, pick one that covers the major ACM curricula recommendations (http://www.acm.org/education/curricula-recommendations) and that has a decent track record for helping CS students get research or internship opportunities.
That is not a standard computer science program (a major) – it is a concentration. Even my school, Reed, does not have a computer science program but offers enough courses to ‘concentrate’ in computing through the math major’s electives.
Does it hold any disadvantages over a traditional program? I wish to become a software developer and in the “After Kenyon” section I see several career paths that I’m interested in and that grads have pursued.
It is a specialty concentration of computing applied to sciences. It is not really a substitute for a regular computer science major. If you generally want to be a software developer, go to a school with a regular computer science major, including advanced computer science course offerings like
algorithms and complexity
theory of computation, languages, and automata
operating systems
compilers
networks
databases
security and cryptography
computer architecture and other hardware courses
electives like graphics and artificial intelligence
Note that LACs with cross registration agreements with research universities may have more available offerings. E.g. the relatively limited computer science department at Amherst can be supplemented with course work at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst.
Kenyon’s CS curriculum is delivered through the Math department, same as at Macalester. The course offerings are very sparse and I would only consider these schools for CS if you already went there. There’s a chance that you’d want to get a Masters after undergraduate to supplement your learning, since your undergrad degree would not have been as CS-focused.
Grinnell and Carleton are different- they have standalone CS majors with lots of course offerings and have a good track record of internships and post-grad employment.
Other “top LACs” that have good CS departments: Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Tufts has a LAC feel and has a good CS department.
These are all very difficult schools to get in to.