Ac 2007-2066: Viewpoints from the Doorstep: What’s Turning Students Away from Computer Science and Engineering?

The current, sharp decline in interest in computer science and engineering (CSE) motivates our investigation of why beginning undergraduates reject CSE as a major. We present a thematic analysis of 14 semi-structured interviews with pre-major undergraduates newly enrolled in the first introductory CSE course (generically referred to as “CS1”) at a large, public research university. Our findings illustrate a range of well-formed, negative perceptions about CSE. Many students’ concerns had little to do with the intellectual content of the discipline and instead focused on the culture and lifestyle associated with academic and professional life in CSE. Our conclusion discusses the challenge undergraduate CSE education faces in addressing these perceptions and concerns in order to help students make more informed decisions about majoring in CSE.