U.S. News & World Report ranks the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as the top school for engineering and computer science. MIT, which is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, boasts a diverse campus environment and a commitment to teaching and research. Undergraduate tuition at MIT is $37,782 per year (as of 2010), and the university undergraduate enrollment for the 2009-2010 academic year was 4,153 students. Students can choose to major in computer science through the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) department. All students are required to take foundational courses in computer science and electrical engineering. CS students study theory and algorithms in many areas of computer science rather than specializing just in artificial intelligence, computer systems, graphics or databases, for example. Some flexibility is possible, however, by choosing advanced, specialized subjects in the senior year and more notably by choosing laboratories, electives and the senior project in a student's particular area of interest.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-253-3400
web.mit.edu
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) strives to be different from other top-tier research schools by focusing its research on ways to improve the world and the everyday lives of people. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, CMU offers students the advantages of an accomplished international faculty and a close-knit community of students. CMU focuses on the creative aspects of every discipline. The school puts a strong emphasis on making things, from paintings and poems to software and robots, and from fluorescent neurons and biosensors to virtual worlds. The undergraduate program at CMU's School of Computer Science combines a solid core of computer science courses with the ability to gain real depth in another area through a required minor in a second subject. In addition, students can include in their program electives in humanities and the arts, enabling them to pursue allied and nonallied interests. The undergraduate tuition at CMU is $39,833, and the total enrollment for the 2009-2010 academic year was 5,998.
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-268-2082
cmu.edu
Unlike MIT and CMU, Stanford is known as a well-rounded liberal arts university with a focus on academics and research across all disciplines. Stanford was founded in 1885 with the intent to establish an institution of higher learning that that would prepare students for success in life. Current faculty members include 16 Nobel prize laureates and four Pulitzer prize laureates, and the school's computer science program was ranked as the fifth best in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The computer science program at Stanford is unique in that it offers undergraduate students an opportunity to specialize in a certain track, thus allowing for deeper study in a particular subject. Tracks include artificial intelligence, biocomputation, graphics, human-computer interaction, information, systems, theory, as well as an option for an individually designed track to be proposed by the student to meet their unique academic needs and interests. Undergraduate tuition at Stanford is $37,881 per year and student enrollment is 6,532 students (as of 2010).
Stanford University
Computer Science Department
353 Serra Mall
Stanford, CA 94305
650-0723-2273
cs.stanford.edu