Brown actually has a very comprehensive and well known CS department overall and has the open curriculum too, hence the mention despite being a far reach. A school where you end up taking CS classes elsewhere isn’t likely ideal in this case.
Second for U of Rochester, good suggestion.
^ Understood @PengsPhils but Amherst has its own CS department. I was saying if OP wished to go beyond what Amherst offers in advanced math there is that option at UMass.
Ah, didn’t see you said math, thought you meant advanced CS. Not familiar with Amherst’s program.
Edit: Looking at their website now, their offerings are relatively sparse and many classes aren’t offered even yearly. For someone with what seems like an acute focus on CS, that seems pretty limiting to me.
Regarding the WPI website:
By using the search engine in the upper right hand corner, I was able to locate important elements discussed above.
WPI does not have a traditional program of studies. This requires more time as parameters are very different. I hope you will find these three addresses helpful.
1. Project based learning at https://www.wpi.edu/academics/undergraduate/project-based-learning.
2. Humanities and arts can be found at https://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/humanities-arts.
3. Detailed specifics on actual placement including salaries, companies, and graduate schools by departments.
https://www.wpi.edu/student-experience/career-development/outcomes.
I am a WPI alumnus who was working in the admissions office at the time of very major program changes. My job was to explain these major changes to guidance counselors, students, parents and alumni. As a graduate of the old system, I had to work with students and faculty on projects in the new project based approach. Believe me, the systems are not the same!
WPI believes that both the humanities and interdisciplinary learning are very important, particularly in the STEM fields. MQPs, IQPs, and a thematic approach to the humanities are partners and important vehicles for this process.
I hope this is helpful. It is possible that this vehicle does not run on fossil fuel!
If he thinks the Rose Hulman CS major is too prescribed, he likely would be unhappy with the core at Mudd if he does get in. Those low humanities grades you mentioned could keep him out, too.
Others have mentioned Rice. I will too. My D was a CS major there and did well. The small size was a great appeal to her. Rice does require 12 hours of what they call flexible distributions hours. My daughters took courses that varied from Astronomy, Psychology, Rise and fall of Slavery, and Yoga. If your son likes music, Rice’s Shepherd School of Music has courses for non-music majors.
@PengsPhils Amherst students only take 32 courses total over 4 years, with few exceptions. The CS major requires only 9, so the specific # required is 10, including the frosh seminar everyone takes, leaving a ton of room to explore other interests or do grad-level or more specific CS courses at UMass or one of the other 3.
That said, I don’t have a good sense of how strong the CS department is there in comparison to other LACs. But it does meet the stated criteria of “small school open curriculum” and matches stats as put forward here.
My impression is Amherst College’s CS department isn’t regarded as particularly strong judging from how no one from my STEM-centered public magnet HS who applied/matriculated there were aspiring CS/technical science majors and from remarks about the quality of Amherst’s CS department from a few relatives/family friends who were engineering/CS majors and/or faculty.
Those aspiring to CS who wanted to attend LACs/add them as options tended to gravitate to LACs like Swat, Reed, Wellesley, Carleton, Harvey Mudd, Smith, etc.
Incidentally, if any relative…especially ones based in Massachusetts wanted to study CS and voiced a desire to attend Amherst College or one of the others private colleges in the 5 college consortium, their parents would likely tell them to apply/matriculate directly to UMass-Amherst as a CS major and take courses at the private LACs if desired.
Take a look at Grinnell. Open curriculum.
@cobrat it’s possible things have changed in the last 30 years or however long it has been since your HS friends were applying to college. In fact I am not sure Amherst HAD a CS major when you graduated from Stuy, the oldest thesis on their site is from 1997.
UMass has a very competitive and well regarded CS program, that’s still true.
FYI, I was still an undergrad in 1997 and the engineering/CS faculty relatives/family friends were teaching well after that period…definitely much more recent than 30 years ago. And I am certain Amherst college had provision for a CS major well before 1997…especially considering those completing senior theses in that year tend to be graduating seniors so it must have been around for at least since 1993…
Also, not all senior theses completed are listed on departmental/college websites due to various factors.
Not sure why Rochester comes up so often when “open curriculum” is mentioned, since its graduation requirements include a cluster of three courses in each of humanities, social studies, and sciences (a major or minor covers that category).
Grinnell effectively has breath requirements, since it limits how many credits for the degree can be in any one department, and how many can be in any one division (humanities, social studies, and science).
At Rochester, it means that you can take essentially 6 courses with a lot more flexibility to satisfy a core curriculum that is often a lot more restrictive at other places. For someone like the OP, finding an area of some interest should be easier under that system than most others.
OP followed up with information that his son has varied interests, specifically: “It’s not that he hates humanities – he’s very musical, for example, and follows politics closely.”
A CS major at Grinnell who loves music and politics will fulfill the breadth requirements easily.
I believe Rochester also has no language requirement which can be very attractive to some who struggle with foreign languages.
Many schools will let AP credits take care of the Gen Ed requirements. I know my son only had to take a writing course (he didn’t take AP English) and one history course (He didn’t take AP World or Euro). All his other courses were math, physics or CS.
My daughter goes to RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) - it looks large on paper, but does not feel like it. They have a great CS program, and has the benefit of being a co-op school. They have an involved “parents page” on Facebook, and there are numerous postings about the co-op program. My daughter, a designer, is currently on co-op, and has met a software engineer also on co-op from RIT who runs his own business as well. The students graduate with excellent experiences under their belts (because of the co-ops) and I’ve heard numerous mentions of students going into their senior year after a co-op with a job offer in-hand from that co-op for after graduation
They also have a “Computer Science House” which is a dedicated wing of a dorm, for student rooms/social gatherings. Here is their website: https://www.csh.rit.edu/ RIT focuses on innovation, and has a large design/arts population as well as engineering/computer science population. Every Spring they sponsor a huge “Imagine RIT” event: https://www.rit.edu/imagine/ FYIW, it is a VERY geeky school.