Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!mcdchg!wucs1!wucs2!conrad
From: conrad@wucs2.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: software engineering
Message-ID: <621@wucs2.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 13:38:14 EST
Article-I.D.: wucs2.621
Posted: Mon Mar 30 13:38:14 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Apr-87 06:50:52 EST
References: <340@ndsuvax.UUCP> <141@tijc02.UUCP> <1285@rti-sel.UUCP> <960@wanginst.EDU>
Reply-To: conrad@wucs2.UUCP (Conrad Cunningham)
Organization: Washington U. in St. Louis
Lines: 39

In article <960@wanginst.EDU> ardis@wanginst.UUCP (Mark A. Ardis) writes:
>In article <1285@rti-sel.UUCP> wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly) writes:

>
>There are other MSE-like programs:  Seattle University offers an
>MSE degree, and Texas Christian offers a similar degree.  Dartmouth

	Texas Christian University is a fine school.  (My wife has a
degree in dietetics from there.)  However, unless the TCU CS department has
improved it considerably during the past four years, the degree in
Software Design and Development (or whatever they call it--couldn't
use "engineering" in the title because of Texas law) isn't very good.
When I was in Fort Worth (1980-83) the courses were taught almost
exclusively by workers from local industry, primarily General Dynamics
Corp.  A few of the instructors were probably excellent, but most were
probably poor--because they didn't have the time to "do it right" or
were not technically competent to begin with.  (I didn't take any
courses in the program, but I carpooled with a colleague that
graduated from the program.  As a GD employee "software engineer", I
was also acquainted with several of the people teaching the courses.)

	The above is probably not a fair assessment.  My information
is old.  The SDD program also predated the establishment of their computer
science department.  The CS faculty probably turned their attention to
that program after they got their undergraduate program on-track.
Anyone have more recent information?

	But it does raise a question about "software engineering"
programs.  Where should the faculty come from?  industry? or academia?
Programs that are developed, staffed, and run completely by "academic
types" run the risk of becoming sterile and out of touch with the
everyday world of the practicing "software engineer."  On the other
hand, programs run by "industry types" run the risk of becoming a
rehash of the way things are currently done in industry--which, in
my experience, is often quite poor.  I suppose that the program should
be developed, staffed, and managed by a group drawn from both "types."
The choice of individuals should be selective on both sides.

Conrad Cunningham