<p>How is the Computer Science department at Duke? I know it isn’t ranked as highly as a Carnegie Mellon or Cornell, but is it still a good program in the eyes of big software companies like Microsoft or Google? If anyone has any information about that, or about anything else regarding the department, please share. </p>
<p>Also, I am interested in double majoring in Econ with Comp Sci. Is this somewhat common and a doable option? If so, what types of job opportunities would this open up?</p>
<p>Melinda French Gates double majored in comp sci and econ and seems to have done all right for herself. 
(And not just by marriage; she was a senior manager for several products before meeting Bill.) But, yes, Google and Microsoft definitely recruit at Duke and highly seek our comp sci and engineering majors - I know several people that work for those two companies that went to Duke. While Duke’s comp sci program may not be as highly ranked as Cornell and CMU, it definitely has top notch professors and students as well as job opportunities. If you find Duke appealing for all its other attributes, then you won’t be giving up much by doing comp sci at Duke vs. the traditional powers.</p>
<p>In the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, Duke has sent a team to the world finals every year since 1997. Duke routinely dominates the Mid-Atlantic region competition. Here are some results from 1999-2007 (I’m having trouble finding more recent):</p>
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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/3928302-post1.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/3928302-post1.html</a></p>
<p>Glad to hear this - I’m planning on majoring in Comp Sci (class of 2015). I know that Scott Guthrie [Scott</a> Guthrie: Corporate Vice President, Server & Tools Business](<a href=“http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/guthrie/]Scott”>http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/guthrie/), one of the important people at Microsoft graduated at Duke in Comp Sci so that must count for something :).</p>
<p>I know this is an old and inactive thread, but I found it because my son is planning on double majoring in ECE and Comp Sci at Duke (will be Class pf 2017). I recently discovered that the Comp Sci program at Duke is not ABET accredited and started to panic. This thread helped me to feel better! </p>
<p>My son applied ED, and is now a bit worried that he should’ve attempted a “better” school, but he definitely found "Duke appealing (“appealing” and “appalling” are spelled almost the same, yet are so different in meaning!) for its other attributes!! :)</p>
<p>@my3gr8boyz - Comp Sci is not accredited by ABET at Duke because ABET only accredits engineering programs. Comp sci is in the school of arts and sciences. However, computer *engineering <a href=“which%20is%20a%20part%20of%20the%20ECE%20department%20at%20Duke”>/I</a> has been accredited by ABET since 2001:
[Accredited</a> Programs details](<a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=10]Accredited”>http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=10)</p>
<p>Civil and Mech Engineering have been accredited at Duke since 1936 and BME since 1972 (first BME accredited program in the nation!).</p>
<p>Even Stanford, which has one of the best comp sci programs in the nation, isn’t accredited by ABET (again, because straight up comp sci programs don’t qualify):
[Accredited</a> Programs details](<a href=“http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=420]Accredited”>http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=420)
Stanford doesn’t even have computer engineering listed! And I don’t think people would shy away from going to Stanford in that field.</p>
<p>Your son has nothing to worry about. ;)</p>
<p>Thanks, Bluedog! I knew that CS was in Trinity and not Pratt, but did not understand the distinction that the ABET would be an engineering accreditation and therefore different at Duke because of that particular arrangement. I looked up an ABET list last night and did in fact notice that Stanford’s program was not ABET, as well as a few other school’s that surprised me.</p>
<p>My son is planning on a double major of computer engineering and Comp Sci, so we should be good! (and now perhaps even biomed may be in the running! We’ll just have to see!) :)</p>
<p>Eddy Cue, one of apple’s most senior executives graduated from Duke with a degree in computer science. Numerous Duke alumni have gone on to win turing awards and MacArthur ‘genius’ grants for their contributions to the field of computer science.</p>
<p>Also, out of curiosity, which ‘better’ schools did you have in mind my3gr8boyz?</p>
<p>[NRC</a> Rankings Overview: Computer Sciences - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“NRC Rankings Overview: Computer Sciences”>NRC Rankings Overview: Computer Sciences)
The NRC has Duke ranging anywhere from a top 15 to a top 25 school in Computer Science at the graduate level. That’s pretty strong and only a few schools are clearly better in this subject: Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, UCLA, UCSB, Penn, and Harvard. Duke is stronger than Yale at Computer Science at the graduate level.</p>
<p>You wouldn’t choose any of the UCs over Yale just because they are better at Computer Science at the graduate level right? :)</p>
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<p>Several people would. Berkeley’s computer science is significantly stronger than Yale’s and those people who are familiar with Berkeley know that opportunities for comsci grads are great – top companies regularly visit the campus. I, too, would if I would have the chance to attend either school. However, you won’t see many Berkeley and Yale cross-admits. Meaning to say, people who are interested in Berkeley because of Berkeley’s strong engineering/IT/computer science departments wouldn’t really be interested in Yale.</p>
<p>@kenyanpride: In his mind, MIT mostly. In my mind, Cornell and/or CMU. I’m sure you will convince us that Duke is the best choice! ;)</p>