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Any current/recently graduated CS students here who can confirm that students are required to take more mandatory Stats/Math classes in core CS curriculum inste

Any current/recently graduated CS students here who can confirm that students are required to take more mandatory Stats/Math classes in core CS curriculum instead of just electives? "Designing AI systems requires a hard-to-come-by blend of high-level mathematics and statistical understanding, a grounding in data science and computer programming". EDIT: Improved readability

personjerry 9y ago
At Berkeley, AI/ML/Stats are mostly electives if you want to specialize rather than mandatory
samschooler 9y ago
Senior here. At the University of Denver, you're required to get a minor in math which includes a year of Calculus and 2 classes of either Stats, Linear, of Differential or any other high-level math class.
realslimjd 9y ago
At UChicago CS didn't have a mandatory core of statistics or math classes, but all the AI/ML classes had higher level statistics or math prerequisites.
- dsacco 9y ago
  > At UChicago CS didn't have a mandatory core of statistics or math classes Not even Calculus or Linear Algebra? Do they take Discrete Math?
  - throwawayjava 9y ago
    Both discrete and high school-style calculus are required: http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscience/ http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscienc... I assume parent meant "beyond the standard discrete/calc required of any reasonable cs major".
  - realslimjd 9y ago
    Two quarters (~1 semester) of Calculus is required, so a lot of integration is left out. Discrete Math is part of the CS curriculum, essentially as an introduction to proofs to prepare people for Algorithms [1]. Linear Algebra is a recommended prereq for some classes, but a lot of people don't take it because more fundamental algebra is covered in classes like Analysis. [1] http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscience/ http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscienc...
bebe3000 9y ago
At Budapest University of Technology the software engineering BSc consists of around 50% math related courses including AI and there are bigdata and neural network faculties.
auvi 9y ago
could you please tell me (in the AI context) what level of math is considered 'high-level'? if you can mention the books that covers it then it will be more helpful to gauge the level.
- analog31 9y ago
  I was a math + physics major in college, and it was more than 3 decades ago, so take this with appropriate grains of salt. What I would have called high level math in the curriculum that I studied, wasn't so much about specific topics, but about the sophistication and creativity of your approach. The engineering / science math was pretty much a matter of looking at the problem, guessing its "form," and applying a known technique based on that form. For instance, "this looks like integration by parts." Eventually you'll be shoved out into the world where there are problems for which there is no known solution, and you have to create your own techniques. The more advanced courses did two things. First, they set aside problems and advanced towards proofs. This is really where math came alive for me. Proofs are so much more varied that you have to abandon the security of a bag full of known tricks. The other thing is that the derivations get longer, so you have to develop a longer train of thought, if you will. Courses that were higher-level were like: abstract algebra complex analysis real analysis topology I don't know what new goodies there are, but I'd love to dive back into it again.
trishume 9y ago
UWaterloo CS requires two stats courses
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
matthewwiese 9y ago
Heck, here at Ohio State we're even required to take a physics course for a computer science (not even EE!) degree.
- jabl 9y ago
  In my technical university, physics is (or at least used to be a while ago) required for everyone (except for some "informatics(?)" degree program which in some way had managed to weasel out of the requirement). Of course, as a physicist myself I fervently believe this is good and well, and the path towards enlightenment for all mankind etc.
  - wwweston 9y ago
    Physics was also required for me when I was briefly a CS major. I was generally on an upward climb on the ladder of abstraction (Electronics Tech -> EE -> CS -> Math), but the early engineering bent meant that I needed a few physics classes, and despite settling on the math degree, I still think the handful of physics classes I took were some of the best education I've had. It's an interesting confluence of abstract reasoning, practical concerns, model-building, and problem solving. It's not as if choosing math made that confluence unavailable to me, or that I really regret it, but I do sometimes think the particular balance a good physics program strikes might have been better for me.
nsporillo 9y ago
RIT CS Curriculum: https://www.cs.rit.edu/csdocs/2017-2018/advising/Semester%20Flow%20Chart.pdf https://www.cs.rit.edu/csdocs/2017-2018/advising/Semester%20... We must take Calculus 1 and 2, Discrete Math, Probability and Statistics 1, and Linear Algebra. We can get a Math minor if we take 3 additional math courses, which is what i'm doing with Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and some other math course.
ZeroCool2u 9y ago
I graduated this December with a BS in CS. Our curriculum requires stats, and while you're not directly required, the requirements tend to force you to take Linear Algebra and Numerical Analysis as well for the BS. I'm now working as a Data Scientist for a very large bank in New York, mostly for my experience with AI.

personjerry 9y ago

At Berkeley, AI/ML/Stats are mostly electives if you want to specialize rather than mandatory

samschooler 9y ago

Senior here. At the University of Denver, you're required to get a minor in math which includes a year of Calculus and 2 classes of either Stats, Linear, of Differential or any other high-level math class.

realslimjd 9y ago

At UChicago CS didn't have a mandatory core of statistics or math classes, but all the AI/ML classes had higher level statistics or math prerequisites.

dsacco 9y ago
> At UChicago CS didn't have a mandatory core of statistics or math classes Not even Calculus or Linear Algebra? Do they take Discrete Math?
- throwawayjava 9y ago
  Both discrete and high school-style calculus are required: http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscience/ http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscienc... I assume parent meant "beyond the standard discrete/calc required of any reasonable cs major".
- realslimjd 9y ago
  Two quarters (~1 semester) of Calculus is required, so a lot of integration is left out. Discrete Math is part of the CS curriculum, essentially as an introduction to proofs to prepare people for Algorithms [1]. Linear Algebra is a recommended prereq for some classes, but a lot of people don't take it because more fundamental algebra is covered in classes like Analysis. [1] http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscience/ http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscienc...

bebe3000 9y ago

At Budapest University of Technology the software engineering BSc consists of around 50% math related courses including AI and there are bigdata and neural network faculties.

auvi 9y ago

could you please tell me (in the AI context) what level of math is considered 'high-level'? if you can mention the books that covers it then it will be more helpful to gauge the level.

analog31 9y ago
I was a math + physics major in college, and it was more than 3 decades ago, so take this with appropriate grains of salt. What I would have called high level math in the curriculum that I studied, wasn't so much about specific topics, but about the sophistication and creativity of your approach. The engineering / science math was pretty much a matter of looking at the problem, guessing its "form," and applying a known technique based on that form. For instance, "this looks like integration by parts." Eventually you'll be shoved out into the world where there are problems for which there is no known solution, and you have to create your own techniques. The more advanced courses did two things. First, they set aside problems and advanced towards proofs. This is really where math came alive for me. Proofs are so much more varied that you have to abandon the security of a bag full of known tricks. The other thing is that the derivations get longer, so you have to develop a longer train of thought, if you will. Courses that were higher-level were like: abstract algebra complex analysis real analysis topology I don't know what new goodies there are, but I'd love to dive back into it again.

trishume 9y ago

UWaterloo CS requires two stats courses

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

matthewwiese 9y ago

Heck, here at Ohio State we're even required to take a physics course for a computer science (not even EE!) degree.

jabl 9y ago
In my technical university, physics is (or at least used to be a while ago) required for everyone (except for some "informatics(?)" degree program which in some way had managed to weasel out of the requirement). Of course, as a physicist myself I fervently believe this is good and well, and the path towards enlightenment for all mankind etc.
- wwweston 9y ago
  Physics was also required for me when I was briefly a CS major. I was generally on an upward climb on the ladder of abstraction (Electronics Tech -> EE -> CS -> Math), but the early engineering bent meant that I needed a few physics classes, and despite settling on the math degree, I still think the handful of physics classes I took were some of the best education I've had. It's an interesting confluence of abstract reasoning, practical concerns, model-building, and problem solving. It's not as if choosing math made that confluence unavailable to me, or that I really regret it, but I do sometimes think the particular balance a good physics program strikes might have been better for me.

nsporillo 9y ago

RIT CS Curriculum: https://www.cs.rit.edu/csdocs/2017-2018/advising/Semester%20Flow%20Chart.pdf https://www.cs.rit.edu/csdocs/2017-2018/advising/Semester%20... We must take Calculus 1 and 2, Discrete Math, Probability and Statistics 1, and Linear Algebra. We can get a Math minor if we take 3 additional math courses, which is what i'm doing with Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and some other math course.

ZeroCool2u 9y ago

I graduated this December with a BS in CS. Our curriculum requires stats, and while you're not directly required, the requirements tend to force you to take Linear Algebra and Numerical Analysis as well for the BS. I'm now working as a Data Scientist for a very large bank in New York, mostly for my experience with AI.