[Discuss] OT: Do CS grads need calculus?

[mark at buttery.org (Shirley Márquez Dúlcey)]

A real computer SCIENCE program - one that includes subjects like
theory of computing - certainly needs calculus. The theory of
computing is quite mathematical and calculus comes into play. A
calculus requirement makes sense.

A program that is focused on coding and software architecture, as the
majority of university programs that call themselves CS programs are
now, is another story. The vast majority of programmers will never use
calculus in their work. The exceptions are those who implement
mathematical algorithms; they can include programmers in science,
engineering, pharmaceuticals, and big data analysis. A program of this
type doesn't need to require calculus, though they might want to
encourage their students to take it so the more mathematical branches
will be available to them as career paths.


On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 12:35 PM, Daniel Barrett
<dbarrett at blazemonger.com> wrote:
> Math... definitely.  Calculus? Probably not.
>
> Programmers will definitely benefit from learning algebra, geometry,
> graph theory, and combinatorics. Maybe some probability & statistics
> too. Any of these subjects can teach you to be rigorous and precise as
> well as calculus can.
>
> Personally, I haven't used calculus in three decades. OTOH, there are
> certainly domains of programming that require explicit knowledge of
> calculus to solve problems.
>
> --
> Dan Barrett
> dbarrett at blazemonger.com
>
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