To E School, or Not to E School--That's a Good Question

The University has 4 schools one can apply into directly: the College of Arts and Sciences (CLAS), The School of Engineering (E School), School of Architecture (A School), and the School of Nursing. Later, students may apply into specialty schools like Education, Commerce, and Public Policy.

*Note: for UVa, apply the initial school of which you want to be part. For example, nurses do not apply to UVa and then to the nursing program. Some schools do that; we don't.

If you look closely, there are some areas of overlap in between the College and E School, particularly in computer science. Since CS is often the biggest area of debate for E School versus the College, that is where I want to focus.

Thornton Hall, the main Engineering School Building
Photo Credit: http://www.student.virginia.edu/estud/ (another good source if you have questions)

The Requirements:
In the College (assuming the student is not an Echols Scholar), they have several area requirements to fill, including 4 semesters of a foreign language. The complete list may be found at http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/college/requirements/area/index.html.

The Engineering School does not require a foreign language but has far more math and science requirements, including accompanying labs. To learn more on the exact requirements and electives, please see: http://www.seas.virginia.edu/advising/undergradhandbook.php#requirements

Picking a Major and Double Majoring:
In the E school, students choose their majors in early April of their first year. They have the chance to attend open houses and ask questions. Students can double major in the E school; however, my understanding is that with E school requirements, picking a second major that is unrelated (such as English) is harder in the E school. Thus, it has less flexibility.

In the College, students have until the end of their 2nd year to choose a major. A typical college major is 30 credits. Students will take 120 credits in their time. Double majoring is not unusual, but students have the option for a broader experience with course topics because the College has so many more courses to offer.

Scheduling and Planning
For students in the College, planning can be a nightmare because there are so many options. That said, it can also be exciting because there are so many options available. The E school has a more structured expectation of course progression than the College. This makes planning easier for E schoolers, but it can be frustrating if E schoolers want to take things in a different order or if they want an elective in the College that does not mesh well with E school class times.

Students in the E school can (and will) take College classes, and College students are welcome to take engineering courses. In that way, there are very few restrictions on either set of students.

The Major Itself
The E school offers the B.S. in Computer Science whereas the College only has a B.A. available. E schoolers are required to take more computing classes, while College students have integration electives (college classes that reveal the applications of computing). Also, if you want Computer Engineering, then you have to go to the E school because the College does not offer that program.

Thesis
All Engineering school students must write a thesis in their fourth year. College students are not required to do that across the board, but some majors (like Human Biology) do require it.

(Photo credit: http://writelikecrazy.wordpress.com/category/organizing/)

Please also consider visiting http://www.seas.virginia.edu/admin/ricehall/renderings.php to learn more about what one of the University's newest buildings has to offer, especially for computer science majors from either school.