Computer Science in the School of Engineering vs. the School of Arts and Sciences
Are you a potential computer scientist? Then this is the post for you!
You might have heard that there are three schools at Tufts, and that when you apply, you choose which school fits with your degree path. The important thing to know is that you should apply to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) if you are pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or our Five-Year Combined Degree Program between the SMFA and Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering (SOE) if you are pursuing a Bachelor of Science in engineering, or the School of Arts & Sciences (A&S) if you are hoping to study almost anything else (everything from biology to English) and pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Science.
So, which school do you apply to if you want to study computer science? Although most majors fall under only one school, Tufts’ computer science major offers you a choice between studying in SOE or A&S. Let’s break it down:
Computer science students in both SOE and A&S take the same core courses for the computer science major. These include everything from CS15 - Data Structures, to CS160 - Algorithms, to the two core math courses, Linear Algebra (MATH70) and Discrete Math (MATH61), to computer science electives that will help you tailor your computer science study to your interests. You’ll be in classes with students from both schools, and even students who are just taking computer science classes to supplement a different major.
The main difference between being a computer science major in SOE versus A&S are the requirements outside of your core computer science coursework. In A&S, major coursework takes up about a third of your coursework. The second third of your courses will be distribution and language requirements, and the last third of your schedule is open to you to fill with anything you want - extra CS coursework, a second major, a minor or two, or just other classes you are interested in. There’s a lot of flexibility.
In SOE computer scientists will be completing their core coursework along with a more structured curriculum focused in the STEM world, including a few chemistry, physics, or biology courses, calculus and statistics courses, and one of the famously fun EN1 courses that introduce you to engineering with hands-on, collaborative learning. Instead of distribution and language requirements, SOE students will complete HASS requirements, which stands for humanities, arts, and social sciences. To complete this requirement, you choose eight courses across those three fields (you can even pick up a minor utilizing these courses, if you’d like). To do a deeper dive into the course requirement for computer science in the School of Engineering and to see a mock schedule, check out our BSCS degree sheet.
To help you decide whether you are an SOE or A&S computer scientist, I recommend perusing a few articles about engineering life in our magazine, Jumbo Engineer, and thinking through a few questions:
Do you want the flexibility to major or minor in topics outside of computer science? Are you excited about the prospect of taking language courses at Tufts? If so, you might be more interested in the Arts & Sciences experience.
Do you like more structure in your curriculum? Do you want to take a course load heavy in math and natural and physical sciences? If yes, the School of Engineering might be for you!
Either way, you will find yourself with great opportunities both in the classroom and beyond. Our computer science majors in both SOE and A&S are prepared to become everything from software engineers to cybersecurity experts in some of the field's top companies.