The drastic increase in students taking computer science courses has led to a faculty shortage in the department. While the department has hired 16 new faculty members since 2011 to keep up with student demand, it also lost 11 faculty members during the same time period to retirement and other institutions.
Between 2011 and 2017, there was a 2.5 times increase in the number of students enrolled in courses offered by the Computer Science Department at UC Davis, and this number has continued to rise. In order to meet the demand for computer science courses, six temporary lecturers have been hired in addition to the five associate-instructors and 38 faculty who teach the majority of the courses. Some of these lecturers are graduate students who are pursuing degrees in computer science.
Jason Sison, the undergraduate advisor for the Department of Computer Science, sent an email statement on behalf of the department to The California Aggie. The department cites the increase in demand as the main reason behind the shortage.
“Not only are we teaching our own majors (approximately 1300 students right now), we are also teaching students who want to minor in our program, students who want to transfer into our program, and students who are required (or advised) to take CS classes as part of their own major,” the statement read. “There are also many students who see the benefit of obtaining some basic programming knowledge and want to increase their skill set for the computer science major jobs.”
The growth of computer science in the digital era reflects its wide range of applications, including fields such as engineering, neuroscience, and even graphic design. In fact, according to LinkedIn, many of the top hard skills employers look for stem from computer science, and its overall usefulness is likely one of the reasons why computer science has grown in popularity amongst universities in the U.S., including UC Davis.
Between 2011 and 2017, there was a 2.5 times increase in the number of students enrolled in courses offered by the Computer Science Department at UC Davis, and this number has continued to rise. In order to meet the demand for computer science courses, six temporary lecturers have been hired in addition to the five associate-instructors and 38 faculty who teach the majority of the courses. Some of these lecturers are graduate students who are pursuing degrees in computer science.
Jason Sison, the undergraduate advisor for the Department of Computer Science, sent an email statement on behalf of the department to The California Aggie. The department cites the increase in demand as the main reason behind the shortage.
“Not only are we teaching our own majors (approximately 1300 students right now), we are also teaching students who want to minor in our program, students who want to transfer into our program, and students who are required (or advised) to take CS classes as part of their own major,” the statement read. “There are also many students who see the benefit of obtaining some basic programming knowledge and want to increase their skill set for the computer science major jobs.”
The growth of computer science in the digital era reflects its wide range of applications, including fields such as engineering, neuroscience, and even graphic design. In fact, according to LinkedIn, many of the top hard skills employers look for stem from computer science, and its overall usefulness is likely one of the reasons why computer science has grown in popularity amongst universities in the U.S., including UC Davis.
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