MIT profs ask to create computer science schoolat MIT

At MIT a “school” means something larger than a department.

Most people outside MIT dont realize that MIT has never had a distinct computer science major, even though MIT has been doing leading edge computer science for 75 years and spawned lots of computer companies. For the last 37 years CS has been a co-major with electrical engineering with some of its requirements diluted with EE courses.

When I was at MIT in the 1970s, the argument was computer programming was a pedestrian skill taught at trade schools. Most MIT students learned it in high school like typing.

At various times people have proposed adding a computer science course as a core requirement for graduation. (e.g. even MIT music majors have to pass a year of calculas.) But it has never been implemented, mainly due to the large list of other basic requirements.