Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Computer Programmers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at American Public University System, West Virginia University, New River, and West Virginia State University.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider West Virginia State University, Fairmont State, Bluefield State, and Marshall.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider West Virginia Northern Community College, Salem International University, University of Charleston, and Mountain State University.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Huntington Junior College, West Virginia Northern Community College, Mountain State University, and Marshall.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of American Public University System, Salem International University, Wheeling Jesuit University, and Bethany.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Davis & Elkins, Bethany, West Virginia Wesleyan College, and Alderson Broaddus.
Excellence
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at WVU Tech.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at WVU Tech, Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, and Wheeling Jesuit University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Shepherd University • Shepherdstown, WV
Studying Computer And Information Sciences (completion in 2009)
• 10/28/2011
"The majority of the complaints with my University are, unfortunately, with the Computer Science department. The University as a whole provided me with the most life-changing experience of my life, and directed me towards a long-term career goal of working in academia. Though I wasn't the most satisfied with my Computer Science degree, I was very happy with my other degrees (I attained a B.A. in Psychology as well), the general studies program, and the University as a whole!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | As stated in all the answers above, I was very satisfied with Shepherd University as a whole, but not very happy with the Computer Science department. The majority of my skills that are used at work have either been learned in the workplace itself, or on my own prior to college. That said, the overall experience at Shepherd University would lead me to recommend the school to college-seeking individuals in general, but with a potential warning about my specific degree program. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | In the area around Shepherd University, the majority of Computer Science positions seem to be filled with Shepherd University graduates. In fact, I found my current job since my now-boss is also an alumnus of Shepherd University, and due to that felt I would be a perfect fit having gone through the same program. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Overall, the quality of the Computer and Information Science (CIS) program at my school was very good, with some minor issues. First and foremost, class selections were limited, especially for those students going into a programming-centric concentration. On a positive note, many of the courses taught the abstract concepts needed to learn new skills when necessary, but unfortunately didn't focus on the real-world situations/applications very often. |
| Instruction | 7 | The majority of the instructors were very involved with the students (partially due to a very small average class size), and therefore the quality of what was taught was very high. That said, the programming-centric courses were primarily abstract, and focused on only a very select number of programming languages that are only so common in the workplace (for instance, the school's focus was Java, whereas I have used VB.Net, SQL, VBA, ASP.NET, etc. in the workplace, but not Java). |
| How Difficult | 4 | Judging the difficulty of my program is tough, since I learned programming (self-taught) a number of years before college. That said, with the logical skills attained from that, and the skills from being a strong mathematics student, I had little trouble in the program of study. As a tutor, the issue I encountered with students the most was the basic concepts behind programming -- something that I don't attribute to the difficulty of the curriculum, but instead to the number of individuals who don't have a strong mathematical/logical background going into Computer Science for the potential for a high income. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Thanks to the small class sizes, professors would often teach classes in a "conference table" style setting, in which discussion or hands-on work was more common than working specifically out of a book. What style was used was entirely dependent on the specific professor, but the school itself fostered inventive and different ways to learn beyond book-oriented learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The class schedule for the general studies curriculum (a heavy requirement at the University) was decently open, but this flexibility disappeared in the specific majors. Many students (such as myself) attended for over 4 years, largely in part to missing a single required class, that would then not be offered again for 2-4 semesters. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | As the University was rather small, and the class sizes minimal, finding a professor for questions was never an issue. Additionally, as a student tutor, I can attest that, though sometimes the number of tutors was limited, the quality of those who taught while serving as a student as well was impressive. |
| Social Life | 10 | As a very involved student in my later years (President of the Student Government Association, Program Board member, etc.), I found the many non-academic outlets provided by the University by student affairs and other groups to be the largest benefit to me in school. Though I was far from a party-goer, I was constantly provided with opportunities to meet people, apply my learned skills in a different way, and to prepare for the world in ways that couldn't be taught in a classroom or a book. |
| Placement Services | 3 | As stated before, I searched for a good year following graduation for a position within my field (or a full-time position at all). As much as I blame this on the rough economy, my University did little to help me after graduation in reducing the search time for a career. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | Despite the great love of my school, and the heavy involvement I had at the University (SGA President, heavy student affairs involvement, student tutor, etc.), I had difficulty finding work for over a year after graduation. Though I blame this entirely on the bad economy, I cannot give much credit to the University for helping to support me after graduation in finding a workplace that would fit me. |
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