Why should I study Computer Science at Tufts University (some people are saying the staff has weakened)?
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If, say, you would like to attend college in the Boston area, then it would seem to make sense to compare the CS offerings and general attributes of Tufts to those of proximate schools such as MIT, Northeastern, BU and Harvard. By simplifying the exercise in this way, your decision as to where to apply or attend should become clearer.
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I heard that Tufts has an interdisciplinary learning system that is more like liberal arts colleges even though they are more research based school, and they have a great location. Those are my reasons to apply to Tufts, however, I want to know more about their Computer Science curriculum. So, that I could decide whether I’d apply or not. Can you give a more specific answer about their recent courses and curriculum for CS? Thank you.
(I’m also considering all the schools you mentioned)
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Even at a pure liberal arts college, a strong CS curriculum offers courses in familiar topics such as programming, data structures, computer organization, compilers, computer architecture, algorithms, operating systems, database systems, artificial intelligence and theory. Courses for non-majors may be interdisciplinary in the way you imagine, as might advanced, lab-based courses in which you begin to combine CS with other areas of personal interest. With respect to Tufts, then, you shouldn’t regard its offerings as fundamentally different from those you would encounter elsewhere simply because, at its core, it’s a liberal arts college (as is Harvard, for another example).
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http://www.cs.tufts.edu/t/courses/description/undergraduate
https://engineering.tufts.edu/cs/bachelor-science-computer-science-school-engineering
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Tufts did lose a good professor or two (Benjamin Hescott is a notable recent one, see link below), but many departments undergo shifts and the department’s strength goes beyond one person. While I would say there are better out there in all the US, there are plenty worse. I fully agree with everything @merc81 has said here. I think you need to be a bit more pointed on your question here, because at the end of the day, Tufts is one of many schools with similar CS strength, and some of them share other attributes as well.
I do think the general summary is this: If you want LAC + CS, Tufts is one of the best options out there along with Harvey Mudd and perhaps a few larger departments like Haverford. But is that the reason you’re asking for, or is there a different criterion?
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Thank you @PengsPhils I’ve tried to ask exactly the question you answered.
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