June 18, 2007

Computer science degrees soar at CSUF

COMPSCI HOT, ENGINEERING SO-SO

Gary Robbins

Cal State Fullerton's computer science program continues to soar. The campus recently awarded 139 master's degrees in compsci. Less than a decade ago, it was awarding less than 30 a year. But the number of bachelor's degrees slipped. In engineering (see chart) the opposite happened. Bachelor's degrees (80) were up, master's (66) were down.

"Enrollment in engineering and computer science is cyclical," says Raman Unnikrishnan, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. "When the public feels that a field such as computer science is 'hot,' there is a rush to get in to that discipline. This results in a large graduating class but by the time the class graduates, the field “cools down” causing a decline in interest. The ensuing bad publicity results in a smaller freshmen class which graduates when the market is once again hot. Of course, the cycle repeats. If the high school graduates want to bet intelligently, they should choose a field that is not sizzling with the hope that by the time graduation arrives, the demand for graduates is high ...

Unnikrishnan adds in an e-mail that "(Orange County) has a large population of BS degree holders in the engineering and computer science workforce. With technology exploding and expanding at a rapid pace, these professionals are finding the need to continue their education in order to maintain their technical acumen. This fact accounts for the increase in our Masters program ...

"In 2002, the College of Engineering and Computer Science began an aggressive recruiting campaign. This campaign has been productive showing a positive up tick in total degrees awarded in the disciplines represented by the college. Two new degree programs were introduced. An interdisciplinary BS program in Computer Engineering and an on-line degree program in Software Engineering offered by the Computer Science Department. The Software Engineering program was an instant success. Computer Engineering continues to attract many students but the first batch will not graduate until 2008."

THINK YOU'RE SMART, EH?

What is a common name for the sinking of cool, salty water near Greenland -- a process that makes room for the warm Gulf Stream? The first person with the answer gets a free book. E-mail grobbins@ocregister.com.

And the winner is, well, no one. Seems I wasn't specific enough. I was going for the name of the phenomenon. Which is "Greenland Pump." Or so says my summer intern, Alex Baron, who wrote the question. The answers I received include: The Great Salinity Anomaly; Great Conveyor Belt; meridional overturning circulation.

BS and MS degrees in Computer Science
Year BS MS
2007 78 139
2006 89 91
2005 101 85
2004 138 60
2003 111 41
2002 122 41
2001 105 28
2000 68 21
1999 61 25
1998 66 24
1997 63 34
1996 68 26
1995 80 33
1994 73 46

BS and MS degrees in Engineering
Year BS MS
2007 80 66
2006 71 87
2005 55 65
2004 46 43
2003 56 48
2002 58 39
2001 64 45
2000 68 54
1999 56 38
1998 76 60
1997 79 48
1996 97 79
1995 104 59
1994 132 77