Amid AI boom, U of M computer science majors shift focus

NINA MOINI: Just a few years ago, computer science was a lucrative major that all but guaranteed new graduates a job right out of college. But with the rise of artificial intelligence, a somewhat frozen tech job market, and layoffs at major tech companies, securing an entry-level job in the industry is proving to be much more difficult. Loren Terveen is a professor at the head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He joins me now to share his perspective on what he's hearing from students. Thanks so much for your time today, Professor.

LOREN TERVEEN: Well, thanks for having me. It's great to be here.

NINA MOINI: It's great to have you. One thing I wanted to just establish, for people who don't-- I'm not sure even I exactly know everything. It encompasses computer science. What is it, and why has it been such a great area for folks to join in recent years?

LOREN TERVEEN: Well, that's a great question. Computer science encompasses the things that you might think about, how to program computers and how to do data analysis. But more deeply, we teach students fundamental problem-solving skills, how to organize data, how to solve problems using computers. And of course, that's become so important to so many professions today, and that's why, as you said, it's been such a great career over the last number of years.

NINA MOINI: And are you seeing enrollment declines? I mean, is this anecdotal or are you really seeing a change happening here?

LOREN TERVEEN: We have seen some enrollment declines over the last couple of years. That is after about 15 years of steady increases that have really taken our enrollments up. But there has been a bit of a decline recently, I think as students, potential students, are reacting to what they're seeing in the job market.

NINA MOINI: And tell me more about that. What is it that they're seeing, and what do you think it's leading to?

LOREN TERVEEN: Well, I think the right way to put it is, it's leading to a more realistic attitude. What students are seeing is that major tech companies have made layoffs over the last couple of years, and they have been heavily publicized. And so students are still coming here, not in the same numbers as before, but their attitude, I think, now has become more realistic, where they no longer expect to have multiple job offers just being almost thrown to them when they graduate. But instead they realize that they are going to have to be more proactive and look, perhaps, for different career paths in different industries, but that our major is still preparing them for good careers.

NINA MOINI: Do you think that it's taking longer? You mentioned there was a point where everyone's getting two or three-- offers are just pouring in. I always thought those students were so lucky, as a journalism major. [LAUGHS] But I wonder, how long are you seeing that it is taking for grads to find a job? You're not a career counselor, but I'm sure you're in touch and you see what students are up to.

LOREN TERVEEN: That's a great question. As you said, I'm not a career counselor, but I have been talking to those people at the university. And my understanding is-- we survey our graduates to see how they're doing, and based on that my understanding is that our most recent graduates are still finding positions, again, within roles that our major prepares them for, at roughly the same pace that they have been. But again, I think it's requiring them to be more flexible, more comprehensive in their search, and put more effort into it.

NINA MOINI: Are you concerned about artificial intelligence? How big of a role is that playing in how you're adapting your curriculum, if you are in any way?

LOREN TERVEEN: Well, artificial intelligence, or AI, plays a big role in our curriculum, and really it has for decades. I mean, we have faculty who have been at the cutting edge of AI research and education for that time period and we have been offering classes in AI for that whole time. But of course, we're keeping an eye on what's going on now, and we have been moving to update our curriculum to offer students new training, new options in modern AI techniques to make sure that they're prepared not just for their first job, but for their careers.

NINA MOINI: And my understanding, too, is that at its core, computer science is problem-solving and making things easier. What do you think sets humans apart? Just again for people who don't a lot about this career field, what are the things that AI can't do that a computer science major can?

LOREN TERVEEN: That's a great question, and I think it comes back to a fundamental belief that I have. It's shared by faculty here, and by leaders I've talked to at other universities. AI is not going to replace people. It's not going to replace software engineers. Instead, it's going to enable them to be more productive.

And I think the skills that people have that AI just does not have today are things like reasoning and understanding, knowing the why behind things, being able to evaluate different alternatives. And the way that really plays out in software engineering is, AI is really good at generating code, but understanding whether that code works, why it has problems, how to modify it to satisfy the requirements that people have, that's where humans still have an advantage that AI just does not.

NINA MOINI: And I wonder if you would give students advice-- because I don't want to overstate, because that there are layoffs happening so many places. We had a career counselor on recently who said it was taking six to eight to sometimes a year long for people to find jobs, who are in various fields. So it can be tough across fields.

Do you have advice for current students who are interested in a degree in computer science? Maybe they're in high school, and they're thinking ahead until, you know, what's going to be a really successful career path to follow? Do you still think this is still on the cutting edge, and something that people should pursue with that same optimism?

LOREN TERVEEN: Again, I have seen data from our career counselors and people in that area that suggests that there are going to be continued increases in jobs for people with computer science backgrounds over the next few years. My sense from talking to various people is that we're seeing these layoffs at the major tech companies and so on, but I think that's going to work its way through the system, and that there is going to be an increased demand for people with computing skills. But again, computing skills that are augmented by the ability to use AI tools as appropriate, and that's what we're preparing students for. And so I still think there's great opportunities for students who are interested in degrees that combine computing with other skills, like AI, moving forward.

NINA MOINI: All right, Professor Terveen, thanks so much for your time. Really appreciate your perspective.

LOREN TERVEEN: OK, thank you. It was great to have the opportunity to talk with you.

NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Loren Terveen, the head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.