Overview

Housed in the Albert Nerken School of Engineering, the Computer Science (CS) Program is designed to be leading edge, nimble and able to rapidly evolve, and uniquely Cooper. It will be closely aligned with the mission and reputation of the school and will interface closely with the other programs at The Cooper Union, providing benefit to the institution as a whole. The CS Program will include a Bachelor of Science (BS) CS degree program and a Master of Science (MS) CS degree program.

Key Features of the Program

Key features of the new CS Major include:

Rigor. The program reflects the high standards of the other programs at The Cooper Union and will prepare students for technological leadership in industry as well as graduate school. The program will provide a solid foundation in mathematics, science, and theoretical aspects of computer science, reinforced through experiential learning. There will be high expectations for students, enabling opportunities for advanced coursework and challenging projects as undergraduates. Additionally, there is tight integration with the Master of Science program, and students will be able to take graduate level courses as soon as they have the prerequisites.

Project Oriented Curriculum. The program will strongly emphasize problem solving and project organization skills, and the binding of theory to practice. All students will undertake significant project work every year during their studies.

• First year CS students will take EID101 Engineering Design and Problem Solving, the same introductory projects course taken by all engineering students. They will work, from the beginning, on multidisciplinary teams.
• Each year includes standalone CS Project courses. In these courses, students will work in groups to develop practical solutions to challenging problems. Strong emphasis is placed on group dynamics, project management, techniques such as agile development and debugging, and presentation skills. The methodologies developed in these courses are modeled on those used by software engineering teams in industry. These courses provide a venue for CS students working with engineering, art, and architecture students on cross-disciplinary projects.
• The first year includes two CS Project courses. First, students take a Survey course that introduces students to different areas within computer science and have their first exposure to working in software teams. The second course is a focused introduction to programming where, in addition to learning the syntax of a language, students develop code. An important aspect of this is debugging, communication, and an introduction to industry standards. Both courses are mentored by upper-class students.
• The second and third years each include one stand-alone CS Projects course, where students undertake projects of increasing scope and complexity, enhancing their skills and exposure to methodologies. The junior course is a Software Design Studio, where the emphasis is on understanding existing code, debugging, reuse, and code reviews.
• The senior year includes a capstone design project that spans two semesters, aligned with the capstone projects of the engineering majors. Student teams select a project to work on for the full year, and collaborate with students in other majors (engineering, art, or architecture).
• Having a dedicated and continuous thread of project-based courses throughout the four-year experience is unusual for a BS CS major. Although other courses will typically include programming projects, those are of necessity focused on specific topics. The standalone courses, by contrast, will emphasize methodology, connection to societal issues, and provide a venue to develop forward thinking and leadership skills.

Collaborative Education. A hallmark of the education at The Cooper Union is the close interaction among students and faculty. A central focus of the BS CS major will be creating a learning environment that emphasizes collaboration and teamwork.

• Small class sizes: There are no large classes. Class sizes are normally capped at 30, never exceeding 35, and in many cases (especially in project courses) the classes will be smaller than that.
• Projects and independent studies: Students work closely with faculty on projects. In addition to the standard projects courses, the program provides ample opportunities for other close interactions with faculty, including research and development projects, Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP), and independent studies on advanced topics that are otherwise not normally offered as stand-alone courses.
• Student Mentoring: An important feature of the program is the use of Student Mentors. Upper-level students will be able to take a course on CS Mentoring, for credit. Student mentors will be used in the first and second projects courses as leaders of software teams. They will not just help students with coding but will also lead stand up sessions to introduce students to modern industry practices. The Student Mentors will be instructed by faculty. This is not just to ensure they receive proper training in interacting with first- and second-year students, but also to develop leadership skills through practice with proper guidance.
• Microlab Staff: Students will be responsible for the computing facilities in the department, under the supervision of faculty and IT staff; the Microlab Staff will assist students and faculty with issues including computer hardware, networks, and software installations. By serving as Student Mentors and/or members of the Microlab Staff, students will have the opportunity not only to develop experience as members of project teams, but also as leaders of project teams.
• The Student Mentors and Microlab Staff will foster a sense of community, serve as role models, and  provide support for students who may find the program challenging.

Large Number of Electives. The requirements for the BS CS major include a substantial number of computer science, technical and free elective credits.

• Technical electives include CS courses as well as, more broadly, courses in engineering, math, and science.
• Free electives include courses in humanities, social sciences, art, and architecture as well courses that qualify as technical electives.

The curriculum provides opportunities for electives as early as the junior year, and perhaps earlier if students have advanced standing. Students can choose to specialize more deeply in a specific area of computer science or branch-out to other areas.

An Innovative First-Year Experience. The traditional approach to first-year courses taken by CS majors is to focus on programming and syntax. Although delivering technical content is important, our proposed first-year experience is designed to achieve two very important additional goals:

• Attract and retain a diverse student population.
• Provide a foundation in the various areas of computer science, and in the best practices and methodologies used in the profession.

To achieve these goals, the first year reflects three themes:

1. Curriculum. Focus on breadth in an introductory course that touches on the many aspects of computer science.
2. Community. Encourage peer tutoring and availability of faculty.
3. Collaboration. Promote teamwork with group projects and opportunities to collaborate with different majors.

CS students will take two courses in the first year: a survey course in the Fall, and a programming intensive course in the Spring.

• The survey course introduces students to a variety of topics in computer science via modules that ask students to solve a specific problem by working in teams using ideas from computer science.
• The programming intensive course has a significant focus on the skills necessary to be an effective team player in computer science.
• Each course utilizes peer tutoring. The upper-class tutors are trained to be effective in the technical aspects of computer science, to lead standup meetings and to be inclusive mentor.

Focus Areas. Through available electives, areas of expertise of the faculty, and opportunities for project work, students can acquire significant depth in a chosen area of interest.

While the full complement of focus areas will be determined after the hiring of the new CS faculty, there exists current expertise in the faculty from which we will build upon, including areas of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Robotics, Distributed Systems, and User-Centric Computing. With the emergence of ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Bard, there is increasing student interest to deeply understand and lead the development of new applications of generative AI. We already have a focus on generative AI, both internal to the School of Engineering and in interdisciplinary offerings with Architecture and Art, that will only be strengthened by the new CS Program.