Compute this: CS majors flatline nationwide
Fewer students make CIT their home at Brown
Anne Simons
Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: Campus News
When the dot-com bubble burst several years ago, information technology professionals in Silicon Valley and investors everywhere suffered. The shocks were felt around the world - even at Brown's Center for Information Technology.
The number of undergraduates majoring in computer science is declining nationwide, according to the results of a recent survey by the Computing Research Association, a non-profit organization that collected the information from all U.S. universities granting doctorates in computer science.
The Computing Research Association released the findings of its annual Taulbee Survey that pertain to undergraduates on March 1. According to a press release from the CRA, the number of new students concentrating in computer science in Fall 2007 was half of the number in Fall 2000. Enrollment has also been falling, with an 18-percent decrease seen between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Still, there has been some moderate stabilization in these numbers in the last couple of years.
Brown seems to be following the national trend. According to data from the Office of Institutional Research, the number of students completing computer science concentrations has decreased over the past few years - from 76 students in 2003 to 27 students in 2007. Enrollment in CS courses, however, hasn't steadily increased or decreased over the past decade. Brown has also had relatively stable numbers of advanced degrees awarded in computer science, according to the OIR.
Universities are working hard to lure more computer science students, said Stuart Zweben, chair of surveys committee at the CRA and associate dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University. The National Science Foundation is funding a program at Ohio State that combines entrepreneurial and computing skills for a small number of students. As undergraduates, these students will work in the information technology industry to gain real-life experience, he said.
At Brown, the Department of Computer Science teams up with the Office of Admission to host an all-day program for high school seniors interested in computer science. Prospective students can hear from faculty and students about what they might do as computer science concentrators, said Thomas Doeppner, associate professor of research in the department and director of undergraduate studies.
The number of undergraduates majoring in computer science is declining nationwide, according to the results of a recent survey by the Computing Research Association, a non-profit organization that collected the information from all U.S. universities granting doctorates in computer science.
The Computing Research Association released the findings of its annual Taulbee Survey that pertain to undergraduates on March 1. According to a press release from the CRA, the number of new students concentrating in computer science in Fall 2007 was half of the number in Fall 2000. Enrollment has also been falling, with an 18-percent decrease seen between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Still, there has been some moderate stabilization in these numbers in the last couple of years.
Brown seems to be following the national trend. According to data from the Office of Institutional Research, the number of students completing computer science concentrations has decreased over the past few years - from 76 students in 2003 to 27 students in 2007. Enrollment in CS courses, however, hasn't steadily increased or decreased over the past decade. Brown has also had relatively stable numbers of advanced degrees awarded in computer science, according to the OIR.
Universities are working hard to lure more computer science students, said Stuart Zweben, chair of surveys committee at the CRA and associate dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University. The National Science Foundation is funding a program at Ohio State that combines entrepreneurial and computing skills for a small number of students. As undergraduates, these students will work in the information technology industry to gain real-life experience, he said.
At Brown, the Department of Computer Science teams up with the Office of Admission to host an all-day program for high school seniors interested in computer science. Prospective students can hear from faculty and students about what they might do as computer science concentrators, said Thomas Doeppner, associate professor of research in the department and director of undergraduate studies.