Possible solutions include a program that takes Ph.Ds in other disciplines and runs them through a yearlong course in computer science, which gives them a Maste

Possible solutions include a program that takes Ph.Ds in other disciplines and runs them through a yearlong course in computer science, which gives them a Master’s degree. That qualifies them to teach CS courses, Roberts explained, and sets them up in a department where the prospect for tenure is greater. “We need more of those,” he added. “Universities are in a bind. Market forces will not solve this problem.” This is interesting. Depending on admissions standards for that program, I could see a ton of people from other disciplines jumping at it. The issue, of course, is that people would have to have a strong background to be competent to teach any kind of CS in a year. And the people with that background probably aren't the people looking for a career change. Just thinking about myself for example---I'd probably be better qualified than most people with phds in another discipline for such a thing, since I'm moderately quantitative and semi-decent at coding, but I don't think I would be qualified to teach college-level CS on the basis of a year of transition education.