University of Illinois is my alma mater. That’s where I studied computer science. While there were many classes I enjoyed and added value to my education, there were also many classes that added no value in my ability to earn a living in the industry. A recent conversation got me thinking about if anything had changed at today’s university. The result? It doesn’t look like it’s any better today than it was 20 years ago.
Graduation Requirements
What does it take to graduate from U of I in computer science? There are many required courses that are appropriate for the major, but I want to focus on those that are not. To graduate a student needs to earn 120 credit hours. Of this total, a computer science graduate must earn the following:
- 7 credit hours in English composition
- 14 credit hours in any non-CS science
- 6 credit hours in history
- 6 credit hours in the humanities or the arts
- 6 credit hours in the social or behavioral sciences
- 6 credit hours in liberal education electives
That’s a total of 45 credit hours that a CS student is required to earn in classes that are not related to the major. It’s important to note that this is an explicit requirement. This doesn’t mean that some students can take these classes. It means that every student must take these classes.
I understand that if you want to explore CS in the medical field, then taking biology classes may make sense. Maybe if you want to explore data analysis of news, articles, or literature, then a solid grounding in English can make sense. But does it make sense to require this for every student? I don’t think so.
What Are You Paying For?
At any time, it makes sense for consumers to pay close attention to the value they get for their money. But it is even more important today, when student loan debt is on the rise, and university tuition is rising faster than wages.
The CS student is going to focus on subjects unrelated to the major for 37.5% of the credit hours required to graduate. If we assume that the student graduates in 8 semesters, then that means earning 15 credit hours per semester. The student is going to spend 3 semesters on courses unrelated to the major.
Assuming that the student locks in tuition for the 2020-2021 academic year, an in-state student is going to spend $52,900 on classes unrelated to the major. The out-of-state student is going to spend $84,300 on them. Now, consider that the starting salary for software engineers is somewhere in that range. And remember that salary is an employee’s gross earnings, before taxes, retirement investments, etc.
Ignoring all those expenses, the need to pay for food and rent, and any kind of disposable income, the graduate is going to need to work for 1 whole year to pay for classes that have no impact on the ability to earn a living in the industry. Considering all those expenses and interest on student loans, the graduate is more likely to work for 2 whole years or more to pay for these classes.
The Value Judgement
Whether it makes sense for any individual to spend that much money by pursuing a degree at U of I is a question that must ultimately be answered by that individual. But from the outside perspective, it seems simply crazy.
Ryan Sawatzky 