Last month, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released their Science and Engineering Indicators, which include data on the number of degrees given in various fields of science and engineering. Similarly, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics also release its job projections covering the years 2014 – 2024.

By looking at and comparing the two data sets, it is possible to contrast the number of degrees granted in a field with the number of estimated jobs that will need to be filled within that field, on average, each year for the next ten years. As shown in the graph “Annual jobs available vs. bachelors degrees granted,” the fields of Computer Science and general Engineering are two of the most promising fields going forward. However, the data shows that there will be roughly double the number of Computer Science jobs created in the next ten years, on average, than there will be Computer Science degrees earned at institutions of higher learning within the United States.

This year at Rice, the largest class in the School of Engineering was COMP 182, the second required course for all Computer Science majors. With 180 students this semester, COMP 182 shows that Computer Science is a quickly growing major at Rice, with 321 students having declared Computer Science as their major as of April 15^th.

With companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon all recruiting at Rice, Rice University is contributing talented computer scientists to the tech field. However, according to the data, more are needed. Maybe next time a freshman asks you what they should major in you’ll point ‘em towards CS.

With midterms in full swing and finals looming over the horizon, it’s important to focus now more than ever. Unfortunately for students everywhere, the Internet – with its Facebooks and Youtubes, Reddits and Tumblrs – doesn’t want to let that happen. Getting distracted can be easy, but there are tools out there that make it easier to stay on track.

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“Am I a hacker*?”  Zhifan Li never expected to study computer science, much less develop expertise in hacking, the process of altering or creating new software applications to solve problems or achieve improved results.  When she came to Rice University from Suzhou, China, Zhifan intended to study history and political science. Now, she is an accomplished computer science student with several hackathon (programming marathon) wins behind her and spending the summer before her senior year as an intern at Intuit Inc.

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DJ Masimore at Rondelet March 2015. Photo by Rice Campanile

Even if you haven’t heard of Josh Masimore, there is a good chance that you have heard him. As “DJ Masimore,” this rising junior from Martel College has curated the soundtracks for some of the largest Rice events in the past year, including Beer Bike and Rondelet. However, though Josh is perhaps more known to the Rice community as a DJ, his real passion is for electronic music production.

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