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From: g-rh@cca.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: Re:  CS degrees, are they useful?
Message-ID: <6350@cca.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Feb-86 18:44:56 EST
Article-I.D.: cca.6350
Posted: Sat Feb 22 18:44:56 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Feb-86 21:33:57 EST
References: <>
Reply-To: g-rh@cca.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge
Lines: 59
Summary: 

In article <> larry@jc3b21.UUCP (Lawrence F. Strickland) writes:
>
>Instead of this, how about coming up with a good CS program.  I asked for
>this a couple of months ago and got exactly two responses one of which had
>to do with a course NOT to include, but no courses TO include.  Great, huh!
>Those people were helpful, but where was everyone else?????????????????????
>What do we need and what don't we need to make a superior program??????????
>
	This is a fun kind of query.  Here are some suggestions for an SE
degree; I don't know if that counts:

English: The usual year, plus either a course in writing poetry or one act
plays.  A technical writing course would be optional.

Sciences:  One year of chemistry and one year of physics.  The physics
courses should be from the Engineering track.

EE/MATH: Statistical theory of communication and linear systems.

Math:  Calculus, advanced calculus for engineers, linear algebra,
mathematical statistics (the hard core stuff, not "statistics for
grade school teachers"), and numerical analysis.

Software Engineering:
(a)  A course on the literature and how to use it.  This course would
familiarize the student with all of the major journals, the major
collections of algorithms, and the major collected packages (proprietary
and public domain) of utility programs.  The student will be given
the task of searching the literature for a desired algorithm and
responding with a list of choices and a recommendation.

(b) Class project:  The class is given a large program (100,000+ lines
of code) and the associated documentation and must make a specified
enhancement.  The documentation should be updated to reflect the
enchancement.  At least one third of the project should be a detailed
critique of the errors made in designing and implementing the
enchancement.

(c) Design Methodologies Review:  Review of the major current design
methodologies with cross comparisons.

(d) Surviving operating systems:  A course in how to get on board a
new operating system.  Course emphasizes knowing what things you need
to be able to do when you use a computer and determining with a minimum
of fuss how to find out how to do them in a strange operating system.
Course should cover the major operating systems from the viewpoint of
the professional SE not yet familiar with the operating system in
question.

Computer Science:
(a) Data structures:  This is essential!

(b) General Methods for Constructing Algorithms:  Greedy, divide and
conquer, et al.

	I could go on, but I won't.  This will have to do as a
starting point.

	Richard Harter, SMDS Inc.