CS with other majors/areas There is a world shortage of broadly-educated computer
scientists who are able to work with competence in a related
field or application area. Our advice to the CS Major is
simple: Choose your non-CS courses as if your professional
life depends on it. In many ways, the undergraduate program in CS is organized around this ideal. CS Majors must take 8-10 courses that are outside the field and that are disjoint from College requirements. Intelligent course selection can set the stage for graduate study and employment in any technical area as well as for careers in business, law, medicine, and education. The CS Major is expected to put together a coherent program of study that supports career objectives and is true to the aims of liberal education. Here is a selection of outside areas that present great opportunities for CS Majors. Follow these links for advice about courses to take and
what is involved in a full double major. But before you
make hard choices, be sure to read about:
Specializations versus Majors
Double Majors
The Minors in Engineering
The Dual Degree Option
The College Scholar Program
The Independent Major
Preparing for a Professional Career:
Cornell Abroad
Specializations versus Majors CS Majors are required to
take a three-course Specialization. In planning a specialization
in area X, it helps to be familiar with the requirements
for a major in X. Those requirements, which reflect the
collective wisdom of the professors in the field, should
be kept in mind when selecting courses. Sometimes a specialization "is not enough", and the student might want to graduate
with another major (besides CS major). Electrical Engineering,
Operations Research, Mathematics, Linguistics, and Economics
are among the more popular choices for a second major. However,
without a significant amount of AP credit, these second
degree opportunities require very tight schedules, as well
as an extra semester. The added layer of requirements may
rule out interesting "side trips" into the curriculum.
It is important to discuss these matters with the advisor.
Students with interdisciplinary ambitions are often surprised
to learn that they can be realized with something less than
a full second major. Nevertheless, a second major may be
just the right thing for the well-qualified, enthusiastic
CS Major who wants submersion in the culture of another
field. Double Majors Some students find that they have a deep interest
in two fields to the point that they decide to major in
both fields. If the fields are closely related, like CS
and ECE for example, a better option might be to major in
one field and concentrate heavily in the second. This affords
many students the ability to take more advanced courses
in both fields and possibly to move on to early entry into
a masters program. Close consultation with field offices
and advisors is imperative. The process for declaring a
double major varies from college to college, but the first
step is to consult with both field offices and then fill
out whatever paperwork your college requires to make the
double major official. You will have two advisors and your
college will assume that your first major is your primary
major unless you notify them otherwise.
The Minors in Engineering The Engineering College has official
minors that are reflected on a student's university transcript
following graduation. The Engineering minors recognize formal
study of a particular technical subject area outside of
a student's major. For more information on the Engineering
Minors, see the Engineering Handbook section on Engineering
Minors.
The Dual Degree Option It is also possible to choose a second
major from a different college. This is called the dual
degree option. For example, an Engineering CS Major (who
obtains a BS) can obtain a BA in Mathematics. Because two
sets of College requirements are involved, the dual degree
option involves even more careful planning than a simple
double major. The procedures to follow if you are interested
depend on your college. (Engineering or Arts) The College Scholar Program If you are a truly outstanding
student with unique CS interests that cannot be realized
through a conventional major or double major, then the College
Scholar Program in Arts and Sciences may be for you. College
Scholars are exempt from the usual college requirements
for a degree and are allowed to design their own curricula,
in collaboration with their advisor. This program is meant
to serve students whose interests and talents would benefit
from a little more academic freedom than other students
have, who have demonstrated exceptional promise, and who
show maturity to plan and carry out a well-designed program
of study. College Scholars must complete 120 credits of
course work (100 in the college) and 34 courses. They must
spend the usual eight semesters on campus. A senior project
is required. Each applicant to the College Scholar Program
is asked to write an essay, which is due the last Wednesday
in April of the freshman year. Students should contact the
Academic Advising Center in 55 Goldwin Smith for additional
information.
The Independent Major The Independent Major in Engineering,
like the College Scholar Program in Arts and Sciences, is
designed for well-qualified students whose educational objectives
cannot be realized by one of the regular field programs.
Students apply to enter the Independent Major by the end of
the first term of the sophomore year. They should have a
GPA of at least 2.0. The major (primary area) must be in a subject area
offered by schools or departments of the College, and the
specialization (secondary area) should be in a second engineering subject area. Each program
must be approved by the Independenet Major Committee. For further
details
see Professor David Gries, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, 167 Olin Hall, phone: 607.255.8240 Professional Degrees With proper coursework, the CS Major
can establish the necessary foundations for a career in
medicine, law, business, or education: Interest Reasonable
Specialization/Second Majors Medicine Biological Sciences,
Chemistry Law Science and Technology Studies, Economics
Business Operations Research and Industrial Engineering
Education Cognitive Studies Joint programs with the Johnson
School of Management exist for qualified CS Majors who are
interested in obtaining and MBA. Cornell Abroad The Cornell Abroad Program at Cornell University
allows students to spend a semester or two studying at a
foreign school. The faculty in the CS Department of have
recommended the following schools as possible places to
pursue studies abroad (not all schools are affiliated with
Cornell Abroad): Univ. of Edinburgh, Scotland Univ. of Manchester,
England Univ. of London, England Sussex, England Cambridge
Univ., England Oxford Univ., England Delft, The Netherlands
Univ. of Bergen, Norway Univ. of Umea, Sweden KTH, Sweden
[Royal Institute of Technology] Bar-Ilan Univ., Israel Technion,
Israel Technical Univ. of Munich, Germany Univ. of Vienna,
Austria Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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