Now that midterms have past, signaling the second half of the fall semester, I have been thinking much more about my potential major. Although Yale doesn’t require undergraduates to declare their major until the end of their sophomore year, knowing which major you may want to pursue makes course selection a lot easier.
I initially entered Yale interested in studying computer science. While I assumed declaring a major in computer science would be straightforward, the paths students can take while taking computer science courses at Yale are limitless. After exploring a variety of courses, from the beloved ENGL 120, to a myriad of psychology and urban studies classes, I found myself questioning being a computer science major many times. Consequently, with the help of Yale’s undergraduate programs of study, and the looming deadline for major declaration, I’ve slowly accumulated a substantial wealth of knowledge in the major.
Computer Science Major
Yale offers students the ability to receive either a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts), B.S. (Bachelor of Science), or a M.S. (Masters) degree in computer science. For these the degrees offered, students are required to take the six required computer science courses, including the core classes (CPSC 201, CPSC 202/244, CPSC 223, CPSC 323, CPSC 365/366) and the senior requirement (CPSC 490). The main difference among these degrees, however, is that students are required to complete a greater amount of intermediate and/or advanced computer science courses if they were to pursue a B.S. or M.S. degree.
Joint Majors
For students interested in the application of computer science or are not sure whether they want to focus on only computer science courses, joint majors in computer science are a popular major option. At Yale, the joint majors in computer science that are offered are Computing and the Arts, Computer Science and Economics, Computer Science and Mathematics, Computer Science and Psychology, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. For all of these joint majors, students are required to take the core computer science courses as well as courses required for the other half of the joint major and courses that are the intersection of the two majors.
Majors with Computer Science Courses/Tracks
For most students interested in computer science, they may overlook the other majors that also feature computer science options. To make your lives easier, the majors with either a computer science track or computer science requirement include Applied Mathematics, Chemical Engineering, Cognitive Science, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience, and Statistics & Data Science.
Computer Science Certificate
Finally, the computer science certificate is always an option for people interesting in learning the technical skills that computer science courses offer. For a certificate, students are only required to take the five core computer science classes. Since this is not a major, students wishing to complete the computer science certificate must also major in another subject of instruction.
Special Divisional Majors
If none of these majors completely satisfy what you’d like to learn about, one super cool thing about Yale is the option to create your own major. And no, I am not lying, Yale actually provides students the opportunity to create a major based on their interests.
My ~Major~
For those wondering, after taking an applied physics, introductory economics, and many psychology classes, I’ve decided that I am a potential Computer Science and Psychology major. Rather than double majoring, I decided to take advantage of the joint major, which will allow me to have room in my schedule to take classes that I am interested in outside of my major.
