Another (possibly complimentary) is to make "programming for X" classes, the same way they make "statistics for X." That way it can be a later year course and

Another (possibly complimentary) is to make "programming for X" classes, the same way they make "statistics for X." That way it can be a later year course and use tools and example relevant to those people. Degrees with a lot of statistics might have a "working with data" class which could teach SQL, R & such. Architects can learn Lisp for CAD. University students tend to learn writing by taking classes that require writing incidentally. Maybe programming could be similar. "Introductory" classes are always in danger of leaving students with an expanded vocabulary but very little else for exactly the reason you describe whether they are "filler" courses or "major" courses.