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I would guess that even Software Engineering students would have to go through Calculus (just because it is a good weed out if for nothing else) and other math

I would guess that even Software Engineering students would have to go through Calculus (just because it is a good weed out if for nothing else) and other math heavy, theoretical practice -- just like other Engineers. What they want is almost a Software Technician degree. Someone that can put together apps and know how to troubleshoot but who are not working on the bleeding edge but putting together technology that others have largely already designed. There is a huge need for this level of skill but not so much formal training. There are budding movements in that direction but nothing in the traditional higher education landscape or with that same level of trust and recognition.

protomyth 11y ago
I wouldn't call it a "Technician" since that gets a little confusing with certificates and such, but I take your meaning. Basically these folks are looking for what a technical college would teach but they want a university name on their diploma.
- clavalle 11y ago
  Right. I was struggling with the right phrasing. Basically the difference between a general contractor and an architect.
robotresearcher 11y ago
> Calculus (just because it is a good weed out if for nothing else) Nothing should be in the curriculum as a 'weed out'. Every class should justify itself in technical content. CS needs calculus absolutely, but for the ideas, not as a hurdle.
- clavalle 11y ago
  If only this were true. For chemical engineering I (barely) remember taking Latin. And this at a school that prides itself on engineering focus and keeping things tight. Hell, my wife had to retake an art and history class to get into a nursing program because photography and cold war history didn't 'count' somehow. I'm all for paring that kind of fluff down. Then again, there is something to be said for weed out courses. They are easy to teach therefore easy to find resources for, they are generally useful (for many calculus is their first introduction to proofs outside of geometry), and so you can pack a bunch of hopefuls in before wasting more specialized time and effort on lost causes.

protomyth 11y ago

I wouldn't call it a "Technician" since that gets a little confusing with certificates and such, but I take your meaning. Basically these folks are looking for what a technical college would teach but they want a university name on their diploma.

clavalle 11y ago
Right. I was struggling with the right phrasing. Basically the difference between a general contractor and an architect.

robotresearcher 11y ago

> Calculus (just because it is a good weed out if for nothing else) Nothing should be in the curriculum as a 'weed out'. Every class should justify itself in technical content. CS needs calculus absolutely, but for the ideas, not as a hurdle.

clavalle 11y ago
If only this were true. For chemical engineering I (barely) remember taking Latin. And this at a school that prides itself on engineering focus and keeping things tight. Hell, my wife had to retake an art and history class to get into a nursing program because photography and cold war history didn't 'count' somehow. I'm all for paring that kind of fluff down. Then again, there is something to be said for weed out courses. They are easy to teach therefore easy to find resources for, they are generally useful (for many calculus is their first introduction to proofs outside of geometry), and so you can pack a bunch of hopefuls in before wasting more specialized time and effort on lost causes.