Frequently Asked Questions: (responses by Susan Gauch, CSCE Department Head)
Q: I understand that students graduating from the University of Arkansas are fine for careers with companies like Wal-Mart, Tyson, JB Hunt, what we need to know is how does the Computer Science program prepare students to work for technology companies like IBM, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, etc. to work in their R&D setup.
A: Only about 1/3 of our graduates stay in-state, many go out of state to big name companies and graduate schools.
Those who work for Wal-Mart, Tyson, etc., primarily choose to remain local for family reasons.
Generally, to work at Microsoft, Google, etc., requires graduate work. My area is Web Search and some of my MS and PhD students are currently at Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo. My husband's area is video and image processing - he has graduate students at Intel and Microsoft. To work with cutting-edge companies, you generally need to have an MS or PhD in an area relevant to them. Good work there, and a presentation at a conference, opens many doors.
Q: Do students from University of Arkansas get accepted for Internship positions with these core technologies companies?
A: Summer internships are competitive at major companies. HP recruits on campus as does TI. More of our students do study abroad in the summer than internships at major companies. I have had a student do an internship at Google, but he was a Ph.D. student. If this is a major interest for your child, career services can work with him to find other opportunities. Frankly, our best students stay on campus in the later years working with professors on research, even at the undergraduate level.
Q: How up-to-date and hard core are the courses in Computer Science program at University of Arkansas with respect to the latest trends in Information Technologies for things such as Cloud Computing, Wireless technologies, Internet search engine, and social networks such as Facebook etc?
A: We are a very up-to-date department. But, all these technologies require a solid core of fundamentals.
The first year for a BSCS student is spent in freshman engineering. There, they meet other engineering majors and get math, sciences, and English out of the way. The sophomore and junior years are spent on basic computing fundamentals - programming, theory, complexity. They learn C++, data structures, algorithms, Java, Web programming, database. The senior year is spent on a capstone (2 semester sequence of choosing, designing, and implementing a team project) and electives. The electives change from year to year, but include: High performance computing, peer-2-peer networking, web search, graphics, RFID Infosecurity, game programming. The goal here is to have faculty teach courses tied to their own research interests. As such, they change constantly and they remain constantly "relevant".
Q: How should someone compare University of Arkansas versus UIUC, UT Austin for deciding to join Computer Science program?
A: Looking at any school, look at class size, facilities, and who will be teaching the courses. I, too, am a parent with one child in college and 2 soon to be. I, personally, would not choose UIUC or UT Austin over UA for undergraduate studies. The big schools have huge enrollments and many (most) undergraduate classes are large, anonymous, and taught by teaching assistants or lecturers. Your child would be lucky to walk into a class taught by tenure-track faculty member until the senior year. The focus at top-20, top-30 CS departments is research - undergraduate teaching is a very low priority.
At UA, after the sophomore year, the classes become quite small. All classes in the major are taught by faculty. Faculty work hard to get to know students and they involve many undergraduates in their research. It is a much more personal experience and a much better education. From UA, our students often stay for an MS or PhD, or go elsewhere for graduates studies. Many choose to remain, but last year two got full scholarships for graduate work at USC and Virginia.
Taking my department head hat off, if you really want to look at options for your child, do not look to "bigger" state schools. In my opinion, they do not offer a better undergraduate education. Smaller, private universities with an undergraduate focus do offer small classes with high-quality faculty, but at a significant price increase.
This is an exciting time. I am very proud of the education we offer our students. As you look at universities, ask the hard questions - who teaches the students? how accessible are the faculty? can undergraduates get involved with research? what percentage of students graduate?
