How good is the computer science/comp. engineering program at the
University of California at Santa Cruz (grad programs as in Masters
and PhD) ? I am already aware of the rankings in the US News and the
older NRC rankings of PhD programs, What I would like to know is, its
reputation among the academic community and how much a Phd or a
Masters degree is valued from UCSC? I am a international student and I
have been admitted to Texas A&M University and UCSC for Computer
Science PhD program and am looking for reasons to convince myself that
UCSC is better. However, when i tried googling and searching for news
items about the school, all i seemed to find was about strikes and
protests happening there!! Please help me make the right decision by
letting me know how good the program is in UCSC. Any of your inputs
would be greatly appreciated!!

Hello moriarty_j-ga,

Neither of the schools you?re considering is in the top ranks for
computer science Ph.D. programs. This doesn?t mean that they?re not
excellent. I suggest that in addition to considering the academic
reputation you need to consider other factors to evaluate which school
will be the best place for you and your huge investment of time and
money.

I decided to answer your question because I live in the San Francisco
Bay Area and I think I can help convince you the ?UCSC is better.?
I?ve collected a lot of information about the school and the campus in
case you haven?t had the opportunity to review all these materials
before. I don?t know if you?ve had a chance to make a visit to the
campus. I?ve included a few links to help you get a feel for the
campus and the community.

The School of Engineering and the CS Ph.D. programs are fairly recent
additions to the UCSC academic offerings. This is part of the reason
for the school and its graduates not having much of a reputation in
the field. I?ve included some detailed documentation on the school?s
long range plans so you can evaluate if it?s a good fit for what you
hope to accomplish in your career.

Aside from these resources, I want to call your attention the factors
that I think clearly make choosing UCSC a smart choice. It?s located
in close proximity to Silicon Valley and all that implies. The Bay
Area is home to world class universities (Stanford and UC Berkeley)
and is still the hub of new developments in computer science. You will
be able to make connections with people who are on the leading edge in
your field. In addition, the cultural offerings of the area can?t be
beat. You will be able to develop yourself socially and make important
connections while enjoying world class entertainment, cultural and
recreational opportunities.

In my mind, it?s no contest. Go to UCSC and build a wonderful career.

All the best for your continued academic success.

~ czh ~


==============================================================================
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ ? SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, COMPUTER SCIENCE
==============================================================================

http://www.ucsc.edu/public/
UC Santa Cruz

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/programs/cs/graduate/
UCSC, Baskin School of Engineering
Graduate Studies, Computer Science

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.cs.ucsc.edu/
UC Santa Cruz ? Computer Science

***** This is the official web site of the school and it offers a
wealth of information that should help you evaluate its offerings.

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.alumni.ucsc.edu/dept/comp_sci_news_winter04.html
Computer Science Department Alumni Newsletter

http://www.alumni.ucsc.edu/dept/ce_newsletterfall04.html
Computer Engineering Department Alumni Newsletter

***** I suggest that you browse the archives of these two newsletters
to get a feel for what?s going on with computer science graduates.

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/00-01/08-28/kang.html
August 28, 2000
Sung-Mo 'Steve' Kang named new dean of the Baskin School of Engineering

Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang, professor and department head of electrical and
computer engineering at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, has been named the new dean of the Baskin School of
Engineering, starting in January 2001.


==================================
UCSC ACADEMIC GOALS AND REPUTATION
==================================

http://admissions.ucsc.edu/discover/rankings.cfm 
Reputation & Rankings
 
UC Santa Cruz is nationally recognized for the quality of its
instruction, the stature of its academic programs, and the impact of
its research. Below are several examples.

***** Yes, this is where the school gets to toot its own horn. The
awards and accolades will give you an idea of the scope and extent of
the school?s accomplishments.

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.cse.ucsc.edu/research/vision.html
Research Vision

The Baskin School of Engineering is building and maintaining
excellence in three major areas: information technology (IT),
biotechnology (BT), and nanotechnology (NT). These three areas are
closely linked and synergistic in nature, and activities in each area
are supported and enhanced by contributions from the others. Applied
mathematics and statistics makes critical contributions to each of
these areas, in addition to their contributions to programs in the
social and natural sciences.

***** You can review the goals and vision of the School of Engineering
and see how it compares to your own professional goals and objectives.

-------------------------------------------------

http://planning.ucsc.edu/plans2001/
Campus Long-Range Planning and Resource Allocation Process

http://planning.ucsc.edu/plans2001/ExecSum/Engineering.pdf
http://planning.ucsc.edu/plans2001/Final/Engineering.pdf
Long Range Plan 2001 ? 2011, Submitted December, 2001

***** You can get a an 11-page overview or the full 248-page report to
give you a comprehensive view of the status and plans for the UCSC
Baskin School of Engineering. Be sure to review the planned directions
for the Computer Science programs.

-------------------------------------------------

http://entertain.bamboozled.org/citylife/index.php?view=ucsc
UC Santa Cruz 
By David:

I always thought of UC Santa Cruz as "the hippy school." I envisioned
a few buildings upon a grassy knoll, surrounded by long-haired,
pot-smoking, free-loving, godless tree-huggers. I imagined classes a
joke, students and teachers alike strumming on guitars and singing
about the Man and the Revolution. I figured an average day would
consist of spreading out a picnic blanket, making a daisy garland, and
playing some Frisbee.

I was, to a large degree, wrong.

***** You might find this article interesting since you also seem to
have preconceptions about the school.

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.californiacolleges.edu/CampusTour/undergraduate/1127/UC_Santa_Cruz/UC_Santa_Cruz1.html

http://www.californiacolleges.edu/KeyFacts/undergraduate/1127/UC_Santa_Cruz/UC_Santa_Cruz1.html
UC Santa Cruz

***** This site provides an excellent profile of the university and its community.



============================================
HOW TO CHOOSE A COMPUTER SCIENCE PHD PROGRAM
============================================

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf
Applying to Ph.D. Programs in Computer Science

5. Choosing the Right Ph.D. Program for you (page 17)
6. Current 2002 Rankings of CS Ph.D. programs in the U.S.

***** This is a good review of the things you should consider (beyond
academic reputation) in selecting the school and program you want to
attend. Note: Neither of the schools you?re considering is in the Top
40 rankings.

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~rap/grads.html
Choosing Graduate School in Computer Science
The whole acceptance/rejection process

***** The most valuable portion of this article is the last third that
deals with the decision-making process about which school you should
choose.



==================================================
SANTA CRUZ, SILICON VALLEY AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
==================================================

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Cruz,_California
Santa Cruz, California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Valley
Silicon Valley

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=10855
SANTA CRUZ COMMUNITY PROFILE

http://www.picsearch.com/search.cgi?q=santa+cruz+california
Pictures of Santa Cruz

http://www.craigslist.org/
san francisco bay area 

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/
Inside the Tech Economy

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/
San Jose Mercury News

http://www.jointventure.org/
Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network

http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/
Reporting on the business of Silicon Valley

http://www.sfgate.com/
San Francisco Chronicle

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/
National Weather Service

http://www.abag.ca.gov/
Association of Bay Area Governments

http://www.skaro.com/sfbaj/nawsfbaj.html
San Francisco Bay Area Journals

http://www.workit.com/events/cityevents.cfm
WorkIt for startup and high-tech professionals 



===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============

ucsc school of engineering CS OR "computer science" phd program
academic reputation ucsc OR "santa cruz" "computer science"
best computer science phd programs

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Request for Answer Clarification by moriarty_j-ga on 04 Jul 2005 12:05 PDT

Thank you czh - it was indeed of great help!!! 
cheers!!!!!! :D
-james. M

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 04 Jul 2005 12:20 PDT

Hello moriarty_j-ga,

"Thank you czh - it was indeed of great help!!! 
cheers!!!!!! :D"

"czh is cool!!"


Thank you for your enthusiastic affirmations. I'm just wondering what
it would take to get five stars? I hate to sound needy, but I would
have appreciated stars more than !!!!!!    ;-)

~ czh ~

czh is cool!!