When looking into schools for Computer Science, we find that many of our students inevitably gravitate towards the ‘big name’ schools, prestigious institutions such as Harvard and Yale that have great reputations. While these schools are (obviously) good, there are a number of lesser-known schools that excel in CS, often outperforming their general reputations. Well, Georgia Tech is definitely one of those out-performers: they might not have the general name recognition of Harvard, but in many ways, their CS program is actually stronger.
Don’t believe us? Georgia Tech is ranked 6th by US News and World Report for CS, while Harvard is 16th. Georgia Tech is ranked 10th by CSRankings (a more objective measurement, based on research and graduate outcomes), while Harvard is 30th. Hopefully, we’ve gotten your attention–if you’re interested in studying Computer Science, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech’s CS department is particularly strong when it comes to Computer Systems (ranked 7th by research over the past ten years) and Interdisciplinary Studies (ranked 6th). Their interdisciplinary research is weighted towards robotics (often in partnership with other sections of the engineering school) and human/computer interaction–if you’re interested in either of these fields, Georgia Tech is a great fit. GTech is a little weaker when it comes to more theoretical research: their offerings are geared towards practical computer science.
Georgia Tech offers three computer-science-related majors: a B.S. in Computer Science (standard approach), a B.S. in Computer Engineering (focused on hardware), and an interdisciplinary B.S. in Computational Media that focuses on digital arts and theory. Georgia Tech also offers a number of CS-related minors: students can pick from offerings such as Computing & Business, Computing & Theory, and Computing & People. These minors are relatively quick–generally 4-5 classes–and offer non-CS majors an intro to the field.
Georgia Tech also stands out from the field when it comes to the application process–students do not need to declare a CS Major in order to enter the school. Georgia Tech has an open-major policy: students can declare whatever major they wish on their application, and then choose to study whatever they like as a Freshman. This is radically different from many top CS schools, which often have stringent entry requirements. Programs like the University of Illinois’s CS department are incredibly difficult to transfer into from another department, but Georgia Tech seemingly welcomes all students interested in CS. This is great if you’re not 100% sure you want to study CS, or if you’re worried you might not have the background to get into a top CS program straight from high school. You can apply to Georgia Tech and transfer to a CS major without too much hassle.
Georgia Tech might not have the reputation for startups that Harvard or Stanford have, but their CS department is working hard to change that. They’ve rolled out a new incubation program (Create-X) that helps students work on their startups through for-credit classes and mentorships. Georgia Tech might actually be one of the best places to go if you’re interested in founding a company–students seem to have less competition for resources than at ‘startup-hubs’ like Stanford (where everyone and their mother is trying to found a business).
Create-X has partnered with VentureLabs to expand the training offered for startups, and the program has grown to over 100 teams over the past years. Select teams receive funding of around 20k for their startups. Georgia Tech may not have incubated Facebook or Google, but their alumni have definitely had a number of successes–just take a look at Internet Security Systems (acquired by IBM for 1.3 billion). Georgia Tech students often partner with ATDC (another incubator), which has had a number of successes over the years.
In short, Georgia Tech’s CS department is one of the best in the country, if not the world. It’s certainly the strongest in the south–we’d call it the “Harvard of the South”, but that’s probably underselling it. Maybe one day Harvard’s CS department can call itself the “Georgia Tech of the North”.
Anyway, if you’re interested in Computer Science and uncertain about where to apply, we’re always here to help. In the meantime, take a closer look at Georgia Tech–you won’t regret it.
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