1. Decreasing Enrollments / Increasing Manpower Needs: Solutions for Attracting Students to Computer Science
Wayne Summers / Rodrigo Obando
TSYS Department of Computer Science
Columbus State University
November 17, 2006

2. Decreasing Enrollments Increasing Manpower Needs
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3. Undergraduate CS enrollments 2002-2005
The number of new undergraduate majors dropped another 21%, from 15,950 to 12,532 (see Figure 7).
This follows last year’s 10% drop in new majors and a 23% drop the year before that.
Accounting for the fact that more departments are reporting to the survey now than did three years ago, we effectively have seen a halving of the number of new majors entering our programs over a three-year period.
Total enrollment in Bachelor's programs is down nearly 14% from last year and 30% compared to three years ago.
Taulbee Survey (
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4. Undergraduate CS enrollments 1995-2005
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5. The U.S. ranks 17th in the world for ratio of science and engineering degrees.
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6. Undergraduate CS enrollments 2002-2005
it is not yet clear when the decline in our undergraduate program enrollments will end.
The double-digit percent decrease in bachelor’s production observed this year is likely to continue for the next several years. 
Nationwide, only one-quarter of 1 percent of incoming freshmen women listed computer science as a probable major, according to a 2004 survey from the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. That’s down from a high of 4.25% in the mid-1980s.
Taulbee Survey (
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7. Undergraduate CS enrollments 2002-2005
Coupled with the declining representation of women in our undergraduate programs, our ability to produce a workforce that is sufficiently educated technically to meet the needs of the job market in computing is being severely challenged.
Taulbee Survey (
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 2004 that 1.5 million new computer and IT-related jobs are expected to be added to the nation’s workforce by 2012.
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8. WHY?
The decrease in enrollments seems to be driven by two major factors:
misinformation in the popular media
lack of means to motive students in our schools
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9. Myth 1: Software Jobs Have Disappeared
There was a slight dip in IT-sector employment after 2000.
Recent data show that this trend has reversed, and that there are now more jobs in this sector than at any time in history.
Projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate strong growth over the next decade:
Computer and information systems managers
Computer specialists
Computer hardware engineers
Total, all professional-level IT occupations
Total, all occupations
280
353
+26.1%
3,046
4,003
+31.4% 77 84
+10.1%
3,403
4,440
+30.5%
145,612
164,540
+13.0%
2004
2014
% change
Projected Employment (in thousands)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly Labor Review, November 2005
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10. IT Jobs Outlook Brightens
“The study found that, despite intensifying competition, offshoring between developed and developing countries can benefit both parties. The study cited data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) which indicates that more IT jobs are available today in the U.S. than at the height of the dot com boom. This trend is evident despite a significant increase in offshoring over the past five years. In fact, U.S. IT employment in 2004 was 17% higher than in 1999, and the BLS data reveals that IT jobs are predicted to be among the fastest-growing occupations over the next decade.”
Globalization and Offshoring of Software (A Report of the ACM Job Migration Task Force)
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11. 1. Network systems and data communications analyst
The 10 fastest-growing jobs between now and
1. Network systems and data communications analyst
6. Database administrator
2. Physician assistant
7. Physical therapist
3. Computer software engineer, applications
8. Medical scientist
4. Computer software engineer, systems software
9. Occupational therapist
5. Network and computer systems administrator
10. College instructor
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12. Top 10 best jobs http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/
MONEY Magazine and Salary.com researched hundreds of jobs, considering their growth, pay, stress-levels and other factors. These careers ranked highest.
1. Software Engineer
2. College professor
7. Computer IT analyst
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13. IT Salaries Remain High
Continuing a pattern that has been evident for decades, recent bachelor’s and master’s engineering graduates and computer science graduates at the bachelor’s level are more likely than graduates in other fields to be employed full time after graduation, and upon entering the workforce, they are rewarded with higher salaries.
Source: National Science Foundation. InfoBrief, December 2005
Among science graduates, the median annual salaries of computer and information sciences (CIS) graduates were the highest as of October CIS graduates with bachelor’s degrees earned a median annual salary of $45,000, and those with master’s degrees earned a median annual salary of $60,000.
Source: Computing Research Association, December 2005
At this point, I would also include the recent Money magazine survey as well that showed "software engineer" as #1 in their "best jobs" category.
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14. Model Curriculum for K–12 Computer Science
“Computer science is an established discipline at the collegiate and post-graduate levels. Oddly, the integration of computer science concepts into the K–12 curriculum has not kept pace in the United States. As a result, the general public is not as well educated about computer science as it should be, and a serious shortage of information technologists at all levels exists and may continue into the foreseeable future.”
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15. SOLUTIONS Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)
Teacher Enrichment in Computer Science (TECS) workshops
Java Engagement for Teacher Training (JETT)
Alice Workshops for Middle School students
Revised Curriculum
Game Programming
Information Technology
Other Outreach Activities
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16. Computer Science Teachers Association
The Computer Science Teachers Association is a membership organization that supports and promotes the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines. CSTA provides opportunities for K-12 teachers and students to better understand the computing disciplines and to more successfully prepare themselves to teach and learn.
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17. CSU and the CSTA Teacher Enrichment in Computer Science (TECS)
Teacher Engagement for Computer Science (TECS) - September 25, 2006
Understanding and Building Basic Networks - November 14, 2006
Having Fun with Computers – January 25, 2007
Programming Basic Applications – March 20, 2007
Computer Game Programming – 5/2007
Java Engagement for Teacher Training (JETT)
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18. Alice Workshops for Middle School
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19. Revised Curriculum Game Programming Information Technology ABET
Robotics
Other Ideas?
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20. Outreach Activities Computer Programming Competition
Web Development Competition
Speakers Bureau
Raise Awareness
In-service Workshops
Summer Camps
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21. Resources
The New Educational Imperative: Improving High School Computer Science Education: Computer Science and the National Competitiveness Debate -
ACM K-12 CS Model Curriculum
CSTA Web Repository of K-12 Computer Science Teaching Resources
Software Globalization and Employment by eminent Stanford computer science scholar Eric Roberts
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22. Resources
Teacher Enrichment in Computer Science Workshops (TECS) -
JETT -
K-12Linux Project -
Partners in Learning, Microsoft -
Resources for Teachers from CSTA and IBM -
IBM Academic Initiative
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23. Resources
New ACM brochure to advanced computing fields: ACM-Careers-Brochure-V7.pdf
Website referenced in brochure
NCWIT Resources on drawing more women into computing:
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24. Resources
Why Choose CSE? (videos) -
Celebrate Computer Science Education:
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25.
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