Hello, I need some help differentiating which Computer Science program would be better for me, Santa Clara University or Rutgers NB? Few things to note, Santa Clara is more expensive by about 6.5k dollars per year. Though cost is not a real problem for me. It is also closer to home/driveable distance. Santa Clara also seems to have a 5-year program in which I can get a BS and an MS for CS. Rutgers is also highly ranked in Computer Science (CSRankings: Computer Science Rankings), and even in areas, I am interested in. I am having a tough time discerning which school would be right for me and was hoping if anyone could shed light on some pros and cons or which program is more reputable/better. Thank you.
Santa Clara given the small cost differential if it is affordable. Being right in Silicon Valley is a big help.
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I second that. You will be able to get several internship offers. Doesn’t hurt to be in that gorgeous campus either. AND, as you already know, you can do the 5-year program, if you’d like. I’m biased, though. Just my two cents.
@ganseliesel If you don’t mind my asking, I’m wondering whether the in-person career landscape in Silicon Valley is likely to return to how it was pre-pandemic? My understanding is many are working from home, buildings relatively empty? Trying to discern if the SV location of SCU should still be as useful as it seems to have been in the past. California, and Santa Clara County in particular, seem to be in slow mode for opening back up in comparison to other places.
I think it will depend on how the pandemic evolves from here. What I can tell you- which is what I have heard from my sources…lol - is that some of the Big Tech companies plan to re-open their campuses at 50% capacity in September. But again, that’s all tentative at this point. So, some light at the end of the tunnel, at least.
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IMO, being in SV will still be a very big positive. It will still have the highest concentration of software talent and visionaries in the country, even if maybe less than before, and the ease of interviewing, learning, etc. will still be unmatched by a school similar to SCU’s tier anywhere else in the country.
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Strictly based on the strength of their respective undergraduate CS programs, Rutgers appears to place a level above SCU.
Where did you read that it places a level above?
As one aspect to consider, SCU — in contrast to Rutgers, and many other schools strong in CS — doesn’t appear to offer an independent computer science department in its arts and sciences division.
@merc81, what are you basing your assessment on?
From looking at what companies CS grads go to and what they earn, we can see that SCU CS grads do better than RU CS grads. Almost certainly because of SCU’s location.
Huh?
Most of the strongest CS schools (if they don’t have an independent School of CS) house their CS departments in their engineering school (like Stanford, Cal, UIUC, Michigan, and Princeton do). Just like SCU does.
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For an evaluation through a national publication, you can read U.S. News, which tabulated a peer assessment rating for undergraduate CS of 3.7 for Rutgers and 2.7 for SCU, on a 1 to 5 scale.
A ranking that is mostly an assessment by faculty of other faculty’s (research) prowess isn’t terribly indicative of what undergrads will get out of a program.
Where is Mudd in that ranking?
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Why does this matter?
None of CMU, UCB, UIUC, or UCLA houses its CS department in its arts and sciences division.
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On department organization, SCU options for CS include:
- CSE in the Dept of CS in the engineering school
- BS in CS in the Dept of Math and CS in A&S
- MIS in the Dept of Info Systems and Analytics in the business school (apparently has a reputation for being a rigorous, and financially rewarding, major at SCU)
SCU is a mere sixth or seventh the size of Rutgers; like the old saying goes, SCU’s smaller size is not a bug, it’s a feature, that some students are specifically looking for.
@DarkDragon123 Consider whether you prefer a medium-size private or a large public.
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The intended point was that if the OP will be pursuing computer science in SCU’s arts and sciences division, then they will be doing so in a department in which mathematics and CS are combined. Stronger CS programs typically offer independent CS departments, as is the case in Rutgers’ CS department in its arts and sciences division.
SCU is weird in that they have an CS major offered by the math department and a “computer science and engineering” department that offers both a “computer science and engineering” major and “web design and engineering” major. Not sure if this is due to academic politics but it doesn’t really matter. If you aren’t looking to enter a PhD program and are looking to enter industry, SCU and it’s location can’t be beat.
Just going to add a +1 that the Arts/Science/Engineering/Separate school thing is a weak signal and not indicative on its own, though it can have nuanced effects on curricula approaches. The US News ranking is also pretty meaningless. CSRankings is good for research output but that’s a weak signal for undergraduate experience.
Generally these are both good CS schools, and given that cost isn’t a large factor here, I’d be choosing on fit. The SV location doesn’t hurt SCU, but it doesn’t put Rutgers in some magic hole, and NYC has quite a bit of tech these days too. I thinking giving a slight edge to SCU here is fair, but I wouldn’t be making my decision off that alone as both will lead to good career outcomes.
Another note is that the BS/MS program shouldn’t be a big factor IMO. Most people who start on that path elect to stick with a bachelor’s and go directly into industry, and if you’re truly interested in the masters/Ph.D. level you’ll probably want to reselect at that point based on your specialty within CS.
I’d be picking based on fit here fully. Do you want to be in SV or a hop away from NYC? Where would you prefer to work postgrad? What about the weather difference, any preference there?
To clarify once again, my intended point was that an independent computer science department will generally offer a stronger program in CS than one in which mathematics and computer science are combined. I compared arts and sciences divisions because that’s where the disparity appears between Rutgers and SCU. I should not have made a comparison to the structure of other universities. which vary too much to have been relevant. Some may, without much explanation, regard U.S. News’ CS rankings as “pretty meaningless.” However, the publication does place perennial CS favorites such as MIT, CMU, Stanford and UCB at and near the top of its rankings. To the extent that they got these schools right, they also may have captured a meaningful difference between Rutgers (#41) and SCU (#138). With respect to the OP, they’ve essentially asked two questions: which school offers the better program, and which school should I attend? The answer to the latter should depend at least somewhat on the answer to the former.
To clarify once again, my intended point was that an independent computer science department will generally offer a stronger program in CS than one in which mathematics and computer science are combined.
It might be helpful if you explain why this is, connect the dots, and/or explain “stronger,” because it isn’t obvious. It seems to me the difference may be as simple as size.
Would it be relevant that some of the courses required for the CS major in A&S were actually courses in the engineering dept?
Rankings all have their own angles. How about this one The 2018 IvyAchievement Computer Science Rankings | IvyAchievement
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