Management, computer programs earn top marks

Two national magazines placed CSUS among the top universities in the country in engineering and computer science related degrees.

In August, U.S. News and World Report ranked the College of Engineering and Computer Science 27th in the nation among the best undergraduate engineering schools without a Ph.D.

The management and information science graduate department in the School of Business was ranked 25th by Computer World Magazine in its Top 25 Techno-MBA Schools Survey.

Neither had attained previous rankings.

“We are very proud of what we do here,” said Braja Das, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “It’s a combination of things that got us to the state of excellence we are in.”

The college, whose majority of faculty hold doctoral degrees, has received a number of grants and contracts that have bolstered the program. Intel Corp. donated $500,000 and Hewlett-Packard donated $190,000 in computer equipment and furniture.

That has paid off, Das said, because almost every engineering student has more than one job offer upon graduating.

CSUS is in the top three schools nationwide from which Hewlett Packard hires, and in the top five hired by Intel Corp. and while the university’s location near these Sacramento area facilities may be convenient, the companies seem to choose CSUS students for their skills not convenience, Das said.

Meanwhile, the MIS graduate department was proud of its own accomplishments.

“All faculty share a common vision of the level of performance expected of our graduate students,” said Russell Ching, acting MIS department chair.

The department views the ranking as a major achievement, especially since some of the more well known schools, such as MIT, Stanford and Berkeley, did not make the list, Ching said.

The CSUS MIS department is one of just 20 programs nationwide to offer a master’s of science degree.

CSUS concentrates purely on information technology and the department uses research, application and management as its success formula, Ching said. Also, professors are always looking for new information and new technology to incorporate into their instruction.

Guest speakers from major companies such as Intel, U.S. Computer Services International, and Foundation Health bring career experiences to the class and discuss company management approaches.

With the atmosphere of success, both Ching and Das expect CSUS to continue to perform at the highest standards in the future.