[TriLUG] Re: TriLUG digest, Vol 1 #589 - 29 msgs

[Scott G. Hall]

Jeremy Portzer <jeremyp at pobox.com> wrote:

> On Sun, 2003-03-23 at 19:38, Merle Watts wrote:
>
>>Any body know which schools in North Carolina are good for IT.  My kid
>>is in UNC Pembroke taking computer science, but they don't have the
>>classes he wants.  He's interested in Network Administration and also
>>Unix/Linux.
>>    
>>
>
>Well I'll have to say that one of the more active Linux Users Groups in
>NC is at N.C. State University, which is a testament to the number of
>computer geeks there. :-)   NCSU has good programs in Computer Science
>as well as Computer Engineering.  The term "good" when it comes to
>colleges can describe a lot of things, but since your son will be paying
>in-state tuition, NC State can get you a lot of "bang for the buck".  
>
>UNC Chapel Hill has an excellent computer science program but much less
>in the direction of computer engineering.
>  
>
Well, I got my degrees from Purdue University in Indiana, but according to
what I see in the news groups, working with folks from there on the job, and
having visited the campus and talked to the faculty, I find that NC State is
almost exactly like Purdue.  It is a great school for Computer Engineering
and Computer Science -- you can get into more of the theory (CS) or of the
practical engineering (CompE).  Whereas UNC is more into a specialized CS
theory-based curricumlum.

My choice to go to a land-grant engineering school, like NCState, for my
degrees was based on not just the job market afterwards, but the talent and
learning opportunities in the school itself.  The labs are newer and better
stocked.  There are numerous non-faculty staff members from which one can
learn from in various activities (like part-time on-campus jobs for the
computer network departments at various schools in the university).  The
number and specificity of the classes offerred was far greater.  And the
flexiblity of what to do after a BS degree greater.  Also, since much of
the curriculum is shared among several schools in the university, your son
may decide to dual-major with another related field, or to earn an
interdisplinary degree.  And an engineering degree as a whole is a little
broader and more rounded than just a science degree or a technician's 
degree.

I would say N.C. State would be a great choice.  And have look at the
Computer Engineering program -- it may be a little harder and take longer
than a CS degree or a similar CS program at UNC, and certainly harder than
just a technical degree, but the class offering is far greater, as is the
opportunity to roll in more speciallized or non-core classes.

-- 
Scott G. Hall,
Raleigh, NC, USA
ScottGHall at BellSouth.Net