<p>At UA, both numbers are for “special topics” that come up when a prof wants to offer something different. The non-CS-majors typically take 391s, and the majors take 491. If things go well, we often turn the 391/491 into a course with its own number. Recent 491s offered include GPU processing, Music (created on your computer), Cloud computing, and Computer Consulting. I taught a Game Development course as a 491 a few years ago, but haven’t done it recently.</p>
<p>At UA, we do “baby data structures” (linked lists, queues, stacks, binary trees) in the CS 260 class. And many colleges call their CS II course “data structures” so it is a bit confusing.
Our 360 class is a good bit deeper, including analysis of the common data structures and algorithms that go with them. (Can we find a specific object in a 2-3 tree containing N items in approximately N steps? Or maybe log N steps?)</p>
<p>I just chatted with my son and his comments were…1) he began learning data structures in CS260 and 2) he felt Python was a very good introductory language to start with. </p>
<p>On a side note, my son has had the pleasure of taking two of Dr. Brown’s courses his freshman year and very much enjoyed both of them. The CS professors at UA are top notch.</p>
<p>Basically, we substitute two SE courses for the two CS 400 level electives, then we do it again for two free elective courses. So the student still has some free electives, but he/she has a deeper grasp of SE topics, while still graduating after only 120 hours. There are 8 SE courses to choose from.</p>
<p>I see that we don’t have this information on our website. I’ve put in a request to change that. In the meantime, if you want the flowchart for the SE concentration, or the announcement document that gives the details, just email me and I’ll send them to you. You can find my contact information at <a href=“http://marcus.brown.cs.ua.edu”>http://marcus.brown.cs.ua.edu</a>.</p>
<p>ok, your “baby data structures” are what I had in mind for data structures in CS2.</p>
<p>I am reviving a somewhat old post that I came across because of the following statement:
“Purdue’s program is in the school of engineering and is much more practical and has strong resemblence to the Bama program.”</p>
<p>If Bama’s CS program is being compared to Purdue’s that is a good thing. I am not qualified to evaluate a CS curriculum but I can get a good idea of what industry thinks by looking at how the graduates fare. Purdue’s CS grads appear to fare quite well:
<a href=“Purdue CCO”>https://www.cco.purdue.edu/Common/SalaryMay12.pdf</a></p>
<p>Bama appears to trail in this comparison at this point but maybe they are moving in the right direction:
<a href=“http://career.ua.edu/downloads/firstDestination/First%20Destination%20Report%20ENG%20May%202012.pdf[/url]”>http://career.ua.edu/downloads/firstDestination/First%20Destination%20Report%20ENG%20May%202012.pdf</a></p>
<p>The difference in salary offered is likely a reflection of what companies are recruiting at Bama vs Purdue. If the Bama result is comparable to Purdue the career center needs to work on getting those same kind of companies to talk to the Bama grads.</p>
<p>Bama and Purdue are both on my son’s list of schools he is considering so this old thread is of considerable interest to me.</p>
<p>The 100P program (independent study) at UA is interesting. Don’t know if it’s unique or not. My S seems to be getting a lot out of it so far. More work than the regular class but it appears to be more rewarding/challenging.</p>
<p>The difference in salary probably has nothing to do with the companies. It very likely has to do with the “cost of living” differences in the two areas. </p>
<p>The same Bama graduate would get one salary offer from Boeing in Huntsville at one rate, and a different rate at the Boeing in Anaheim Ca.</p>
<p>Btw, there are 3 kids in his 100P class. His largest class is Calc II which has about 52 students. Other classes have 12, 15 and 25. Not bad.</p>
<p>Mom2ck, I did think of the cost of living side of things but it doesn’t seem to explain things. The salary information for ME, EE, ChemE, etc all compare quite favorably to Purdue, Texas A&M, etc but the CS salaries lag considerably. Microsoft and HP and some others are listed as recruiting at UA but a lot of the big names in the CS industry such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Cisco, etc are missing from the published list. In all fairness, when I contacted the Career center they stated that most of these “big names” do indeed hire from UA but for whatever reason they are not on the published list that recruit at UA.
UA offers very generous merit packages. There are not very many places that a 30 ACT 3.5gpa student can go to school for the cost of room and board or less and earn a degree from a recognized name such as UA. It is however worth looking and trying to understand the whole picture when making important decisions.</p>
<p>here is a release about UA’s new software engineering track within the CS degree. I think that this track will answer some questions re: software engineering. </p>
<p>[UA</a> to Offer Concentration in Software Engineering | University of Alabama News - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/08/ua-to-offer-concentration-in-software-engineering/]UA”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/08/ua-to-offer-concentration-in-software-engineering/)</p>
<p>My son compared a number of programs before deciding on UA for CS. For the most part, the core classes were the same. They may have been divided up differently, or in a different department. For example, ECE 380 Digital Logic/ ECE 383 Computer org is in electrical engineering, not in CS at UA. Some school had those components in the CS department. And there was more math required at UA then at 2 other schools he looked at. </p>
<p>The elective options were more limited at UA. But he was assured that they were adding electives, and that is true. He is taking the Cloud Computing course this fall. </p>
<p>At the end of his first year (mid junior year by academic credits), he was hired for a summer internship as a CS intern at General Dynamics. And they have asked him to return over winter break and next summer. And there were 2 UA CS majors working there. Most of the others were from local schools in MD and VA. </p>
<p>He will be able to earn his Masters in CS at UA in 4 years because of all of the credits he brought to UA. And with the new software engineering track, if he chooses to do that, he may be able to obtain that specialization too. And an honors designation on his diploma. Not so bad, huh?</p>
<p>Was there a little bit of a trade off going to UA because he did not have as many electives to choose from? Maybe. But the core classes are very similar to the main CS schools in MD, and likely nationally. And the elective options are improving. Since he is considering gaming, he is looking at the CS computer graphic and AI courses available. And closely watches the Special Topics courses that are listed. Additionally, if he had a special interest not offered, he could pursue independent study in those areas for credit. </p>
<p>I can promise you, this is not an MIS degree. He is writing code, in multiple languages. UA has an MIS degree that is in their business department (which I believe was mentioned earlier). </p>
<p>I hope that this helps some.</p>
<p>I can’t answer the salary question yet. I can say that most of time those numbers are dependent on 2 things. 1- the student reporting the info back to the school, and 2- the school, or individual department being really active in collecting the info. If either of those two things do not happen, the numbers can be way off.</p>
<p>I do want to say one more thing to followup on something jrcsmom stated: </p>
<p>"Bama on the other hand has a bunch more practical courses - they have a 200 level course (285) on the use of spreadsheets - now that’s going to include ‘expert’ level skills and will include writing macros in VB (visual basic), but you frankly, just won’t see a course like this at a school that has a theory based program. Also courses like 302 - database systems and 457 database management are frankly courses that someone who is planning on being a developer generally won’t need. "</p>
<p>That is true, that CS 285 is more basic. Which is why CS majors do not take it. That is one of the courses offered through CS department for the other degree paths, and possibly a CS minor. But it is NOT for the CS major. Programming III for CS majors is 350 or 351. And is taken sophomore year if the student does not come in with AP credits for CS. Taken earlier if they do. Most CS majors I have met have been programming for years, and have completed the HS AP CS. Not all, but most. </p>
<p>Simillarly, CS majors do not take 302. They do take 457, and I am not in a position to offer an opinion whether it is useful or not. My son plans to take it next semester. </p>
<p>Just like all departments at all universities, there are many classes listed. That does not mean they are required or even recommended for every major, and they specify which ones to take for a degree in a specific major. </p>
<p>The person that recommended looking at the flowsheet for classes is correct. That is the best way to see what is required for the CS major to determine if the track meets the student needs and expectations.</p>
<p>The 2014 U.S. News rankings are out – [University</a> of Alabama | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-alabama-1051]University”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-alabama-1051) </p>
<p>If I read this correctly, I think that we dropped in both the National Universities and the Top Public Schools rankings. I wonder why? I do take all of the various rankings with “a grain of salt,” but I think we had steadily climbed upward over the last several years in these rankings.</p>
<p>I saw that last night, but didn’t see all the stuff that was considered. I know that USNews fiddled with the formula this year, (I think) lessening the importance of acceptance rate. If so, that would have hurt Bama since its acceptance rate has dropped significantly over the years.</p>
<p>These ranking positions come down to fractions of a point, so jockeying around happens. I suspect that Bama will move back up next year. As schools learn how the ranking formula changes, schools use the new formula to their advantage. </p>
<p>Bama’s middle quartile rose, so that should have helped, but maybe that part of the formula is now deemed to be less important. When you compare Bama to other publics with the top quartile consisting of 31+, Bama is in good company.</p>
<p>I don’t think this means Bama has somehow declined, because many of the schools that were similarly ranked to Bama last year also dropped with the new formula. The new formula obviously favored some schools that were below Bama and so its like two groups switched places.</p>
<p>Under the new U.S. News methodology, graduation-related data account for 30% of the rankings, making it the most-heavily weighted factor. Student selectivity, based on class rank and standardized test scores, accounts for 12.5% of the formula, down from 15% last year. Other key factors include a school’s reputation among peers and faculty resources.</p>
<p>Several schools saw considerable jumps, primarily because they achieve strong retention and graduation rates.</p>
<p>While US News & World Report ranks schools on a number of factors, IMHO, seeing that UA professors are well paid should indicate the quality of the teaching in Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>The survey (link below) has the University of Alabama average Full Professor salary rank at number 92 out of 1,108 colleges.</p>
<p>As one would expect, Columbia, Stanford, Chicago, Harvard, and Princeton make up the top five. </p>
<p>For my fellow Georgia residents… it is interesting to note that UGA average Full Professors rank at #244 and Georgia Tech is at #54.</p>
<p>Source:
Average Faculty Salaries 2012-2013:
[2013</a> AAUP Faculty Salary Survey: Sortable Table - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/2013-aaup-survey-table/138291]2013”>http://chronicle.com/article/2013-aaup-survey-table/138291)</p>
<p>vlines, that was a great post on UA’s CS program. I do think the required courses are similar to most other schools. Thank you.</p>
<p>The salary surveys are self reported at all of these schools so they definitely don’t paint the whole or completely accurate picture. However, UA’a reported average and median CS salaries consistently lag over several years. Do you have any idea how many CS grads UA produces every year? Small graduating classes and sample size could skew the numbers.</p>
<h1>36 among publics is still awesome! And UA is still ranked highest in the state. And it is still ranked higher than The Florida State University. haha</h1>
<p>“I can promise you, this is not an MIS degree. He is writing code, in multiple languages. UA has an MIS degree that is in their business department (which I believe was mentioned earlier).”</p>
<p>MIS majors do not write code? news to me!</p>
<p>*Under the new U.S. News methodology, graduation-related data account for 30% of the rankings, making it the most-heavily weighted factor. Student selectivity, based on class rank and standardized test scores, accounts for 12.5% of the formula, down from 15% last year. Other key factors include a school’s reputation among peers and faculty resources.</p>
<p>Several schools saw considerable jumps, primarily because they achieve strong retention and graduation rates.*</p>
<p>Bama will always have some trouble with 4 year graduation rate because it’s in a largish metropolitan area with a number of locals who go to school part-time while working. A number of these kids purposely only take 12 credits per semester to qualify for max aid, but they can’t graduate on time that way.</p>
<p>giving grad rate 30% of the weighting is just silly. It wrongly suggests that students can’t get the classes that they need, when in reality students change majors or go to school part-time.</p>
<p>When you consider how much weight the consumer gives to test scores, to only count that for 12.5% seems a bit nutty.</p>