From people I’ve talked to, I hear that Vanderbilt’s computer science department isn’t up to par with the rest of the programs in VUSE or Vanderbilt as a whole. Specifically, I have heard that there are not enough sections of classes, the professors are overextended, classes are poorly written, and CS research is scarce and/or not influential. Are there currently any initiatives to change this?
Eh, that’s an overly negative view, it’s not really the right picture.
It’s a smaller department, and the coverage of topics isn’t as wide as you’d get at a CMU or Stanford. And there’s always a competition for funds between departments, where CS isn’t at the top of the heap.
BUT, it’s still a very good and strong program. There are excellent profs, you can choose yourself a very demanding program of study, and it will prepare you very well to go to the top grad schools or the top hiring companies (including Google, Facebook. Amazon, etc.)