Profiling computer science master's programs

ABSTRACT

Master's level computer science programs have experienced significant and sustained growth during the past two decades. According to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics [4], a total of 1,588 master's degrees were conferred in computer and information sciences in 1971. This figure increased 508% to 8,070 in 1986—a larger percentage increase than any other major discipline. The 1970s and 1980s have also been an era in which computer science has experienced major theoretical and technological advances. The period has been marked by severe faculty shortages which are only now beginning to ease. Complicating matters further, the discipline is so young that it is still in the process of defining its intellectual framework [3]. Considering all of these factors, it is not surprising that there is a considerable amount of diversity and flux among computer science master's programs. What is surprising, however, is that little data is available pertaining to this degree.

REFERENCES

• 1: Richard H. Austing , Bruce H. Barnes , Della T. Bonnette , Gerald L. Engel , Gordon Stokes, Curriculum '78: recommendations for the undergraduate program in computer science— a report of the ACM curriculum committee on computer science, Communications of the ACM, v.22 n.3, p.147-166, March 1979 [doi>10.1145/359080.359083]
• 2: Alfs T. Berztiss, The M.S. program in computer science, Proceedings of the tenth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, p.61-69, January 1979
• 3: Peter J. Denning , D. E. Comer , David Gries , Michael C. Mulder , Allen Tucker , A. Joe Turner , Paul R. Young, Computing as a discipline, Communications of the ACM, v.32 n.1, p.9-23, Jan. 1989 [doi>10.1145/63238.63239]
• 4: Digest of Educational Statistt_cs. U,S, Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, i988,
• 5: Eerkes, G. A comparison of computer science master's programs at master's only and Ph.D.-granting institutions. Comput, Res. News 2, 3 (July 1990), 12-14.
• 6: D. Gries , D. Marsh, The 1986-1987 Taulbee survey, Communications of the ACM, v.31 n.8, p.984-991, Aug. 1988 [doi>10.1145/63030.63034]
• 7: Kenneth I. Magel , Richard H. Austing , Alfs Berztiss , Gerald L. Engel , John W. Hamblen , A. A.J. Hoffmann , Robert Mathis, Recommendations for master's level programs in computer science: a report of the ACM curriculum committee on computer science, Communications of the ACM, v.24 n.3, p.115-123, March 1981 [doi>10.1145/358568.358575]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
  K.7 THE COMPUTING PROFESSION

General Terms:
Management