(bright electronic music)
- Hello, I'm Patricia.
I work in recruitment at
the Faculty of Engineering.
Thanks for joining me
today as we explore more
about the computer science program.
We'll be joined by comp
sci faculty and students
throughout the presentation,
to allow you to hear firsthand
about life at McMaster.
First off, welcome to McMaster University,
located in the west end
of Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada's ninth largest metropolis.
McMaster is a midsize university
with a total population of
around 27 thousand students.
Around six thousand in the
Faculty of Engineering.
McMaster's main campus is located
on 300 acres of land,
next to Cootes Paradise,
a nature reserve.
At McMaster, you're not just
at a picturesque university,
you're at a top-rated, top-ranked,
world-renowned institution.
We are ranked in the top
five in Canada, by McClain's.
Third for engineering in Ontario,
and in the top 75 in the world
by Times Higher Education.
Students come to McMaster to
become leaders in their fields.
If you're looking to make a change,
you've come to the right place.
We put students at the
center of their education.
Our engineering and
computer science students
get a world-class degree,
plus so much more.
They get the experience
they need working in teams
on academic projects, in clubs
outside of the classroom,
on co-op internships, during exchanges,
on varsity or recreational
sports teams, and so much more.
Everything they do during
their time at McMaster
contributes to who they are as a person,
and where their career will take them.
I'm going to now turn it
over to our four panelists,
to introduce themselves,
and to share more about the
computer science program.
- Hi, I'm Wolfram Kahl,
I'm a computer scientist
who joined McMaster 18 years
ago from Munich in Germany.
I'm now in the department
of computing software,
(mumbling at low volume)
and I like teaching logic
as a tool for everything in life.
- Hi, my name is Natasha Varghese,
I am a fourth-year
computer science student
here at McMaster.
I'm currently on co-op.
My hometown is Houston, Texas,
but I've actually lived in Calgary
as well as, I was born in Dubai.
- Hey, I'm Andrew Berriault,
I'm in my fifth year of computer science.
I grew up in Colwood and
now I'm living in Toronto.
- Hi, I'm Mark Lawford,
I'm the chair of the department
of computing and software
since May of 2019.
I came here in 1998 to help start up
the software engineering program,
later the mechatronics
engineering program,
and currently I'm working with Dr. Kahl to
significantly increase the
enrollment in computer science.
- All righty.
Right off the bat,
what is one thing you think
everyone should know about
computer science at McMaster,
and what makes it unique?
- The new curriculum that
we're going to rule out
in September this year,
is a direct entry into computer science
that is a solid, fast and
focused entry into the subject,
providing five computer science courses,
three math courses to all in first year,
so that students get a lot
of practice and wide spectrum
of regimen alias, and
already in good shape after
full internship of the first year,
and, even better, after second year.
- [Natasha] Awesome.
- Dr. Lawford, you said
there, in your intro,
that the program is growing,
could you tell us a bit more about that?
- Well, we're really excited
to have strong support from
the university leadership,
from the president and the Provost,
to the dean, right on down the line,
to allow us to expand during this time,
the computer science,
from 52 students per year
to 202 students per year.
And currently, we have
a really good split of
international and domestic students,
and we're going to continue
that going forward,
where we have people from all over Canada
and all over the world
coming into the program,
and we're gonna be growing
the faculty hires as well,
so we'll be adding about
another 20 faculty members,
almost doubling the
size of the department.
This will allow us to offer
a lot more elective courses
and more specializations
for all of the students
in computer science.
- [Andrew] That's fantastic to hear.
- So, what exactly is computing,
and how does it relate to engineering?
Computing is highly interdisciplinary,
it mixes design, engineering,
math and science,
to produce fields in computer science,
which is what we are here
to talk about, today,
as well as software
engineering, mechatronics
and information systems.
There are three types
of computing programs
offered in the faculty of engineering.
Computer science, a
direct-from-high-school program option,
leading to a Bachelor of Applied Science,
as well as software and
mechatronics engineering,
which leads to a Bachelor of Engineering,
which students would enter
in through engineering one,
specializing in these fields
in year two and beyond.
As a new kid on the block, so to speak,
computer science is an exciting
and quickly-growing field,
where you'll solve problems,
manage information,
create smart products, explore the world
and connect to people.
As mentioned, computer science at McMaster
leads to a Bachelor of Applied Science,
and is a four-year degree.
You enter directly into this
program from high school,
and will have two choices to apply to
on the Ontario University
application center portal.
A co-op and non-co-op option.
While previously we've had
an incoming class of around
50 students for computer science,
this year we are growing
this to 100 students,
with further increases
coming in future years.
For admission requirements
to computer science,
check out our admissions
101 video session.
A key feature of the computer
science program at McMaster
is that we give students control over
how they want to integrate
their computer science degree
with other specializations.
You'll work with an academic advisor
to help pick technical and open electives
that make sense for you.
Whether it's a minor in
music, innovation, economics,
geography, or one of the
50 more options available,
there's something for everyone
when it comes to customizing
your comp sci degree.
You'll start in the first
year with an impressive
five computer science courses.
That's half of your courses.
By starting right away
with this concentration
of specialized courses in your field,
you'll be well-positioned
to seek co-op opportunities
for the summer after your first year.
And even more so after your second year.
In level two and three,
you'll take even more
computer science courses.
By the time you get to the fourth year,
you'll be able to customize your degree
with technical electives
that interest you,
as well as full year capstone project.
Let's check back in with our panelists
for more information on the difference
between computer science and the other
engineering programs in computing.
- How would you explain
the differences between
computer science and other
engineering streams in computing?
- So, in particular, people,
when they're coming in from high school,
often get confused
between computer science,
computer engineering,
software engineering,
and we offer all three programs
at McMaster University.
We're fortunate within our department
to offer software engineering
and computer science together,
and part of the reason we
do that is that there's
obviously, a very strong synergy
between the two programs.
A lot of courses similar,
basic programming,
object oriented design,
but, if you think about it,
the focus on the software
engineering stream
is to become a licensed
professional engineer.
If you're gonna work on products involved,
safety critical software,
for things like nuclear
reactors, automobiles,
then it makes sense to understand more
about interaction with the physical world,
and so there are courses
in control systems
and other things.
And so, effective by choosing
software engineering,
you've picked a lot of your electives
and you have very little
choice in your program.
Whereas, if you're in a
computer science program,
then you have a tremendous
amount of flexibility.
So you can really pursue
your own interests
and specialize within the program,
because there's not
that accreditation piece
that you can do.
And so, if you were really
interested in theory
or machine learning, you can
go off and explore those topics
in great detail, because
ya have a lot of freedom
to go out and explore them,
you have a lot of upper-year electives
that you can specialize in.
Another piece is that,
on the computer science side,
then you'll learn more
about the theory behind
some of the topics, rather,
on software engineering side,
we're focused more on the application.
- So why have changes been
made to the curriculum
going forward, and how is this gonna
make the program better?
- Now we have a direct entry program
that delivers that.
That gets them started with
five computer science courses
in first year, opposed to
equivalent of one program
in course in engineering,
and that difference of four courses,
so-to-speak, the software
engineers can never catch up.
So the computer science
teams will be up ahead,
after the end of first year,
when they have enough of the program,
both client and server,
to capture a meaningful internship,
even after their first year,
and they will be ahead in second year
at the time when they go into
interviews for internships
because, at that time, the
computer science students
have already had their algorithms course,
and algorithms is what
employers tend to ask about.
Whereas the software engineering students
only have it in second year.
And it continues like that,
computer science students get their
database course in second year,
which is a nice thing to have
for interest in internships
after second year.
And from there, you are almost set.
Third year you'll finish
all your core courses
and start your first electives,
and fourth year you have
electives, electives
and your capstone program,
so you can have much interesting electives
that build on all core courses,
we can have students do capstone programs
that build on all core courses.
Students are doing more interesting work,
students have more interesting things to
show in their portfolio,
students can acquire more advanced skills
during all the four years.
- It's not all about writing code.
Our students inspire
youth through STEM camps,
run DeltaHacks, which is an
annual hackathon for change,
and they even take on
summer research positions
to advance discoveries in the field.
Meet one of our recent grads, Allyssia.
On the topic of her favorite
McMaster memories, she said:
"From winning at Harvard
Medical School's hackathon
"to send hundreds of Mac
Eng students on buses
"to events around the U.S.
to compete in hackathons,
"and especially at the Grace
Hopper Celebration in 2016",
when she got to speak on the keynote stage
after IBM's CEO Ginni Rometty.
And the best part is,
she didn't even trip.
I'll turn it back over to our students,
who can speak more about how they feel
they can make an impact
in computer science,
inside and outside the classroom.
- What has been the most fun you've had
in your computer science studies?
For example, writing code, or,
things like that.
- For sure.
so I'd say, the most fun
that I've had with my degree,
or with computer science,
is being able to take it
away and actually apply it;
so using it on my co-op terms,
or using it in the different ways that
I've been involved MAC,
with the computer science society.
Not just writing code,
but solving problems,
'cause at the end of the day,
the code is just a vessel
to solve a problem,
and it's really fun to
work those problems,
try to figure out how to come
up with the best solution
and optimize whatever
system you're working on.
That's now, I have fun with what I do,
learning computer science.
- Every student has access
to the co-op program.
The best part, you decide when you would
like to complete co-op, and
we'll help you get there.
Your professional career
starts in your first year,
with an introductory,
non-credit co-op course.
Throughout the year, a team of 15 staff
from the engineering co-op
and career services office
will connect with more than
one thousand employers,
bring them directly to you
through over 200 workshops
and events, annually.
That's a lot of events.
We also work with you to help navigate
the career exploration, job search,
application, interview and offer process.
Beginning as early as the
summer after your first year,
you can begin completing
four month co-op positions.
After your third year, you'll
have the option to complete
longer, more immersive, eight,
12 or 16-month positions.
12 months of co-op is
required to graduate,
but students can actually
complete up to 28 months
of work experience before they graduate.
There's more than one
way to complete co-op.
You can opt for summer stints.
Mix and match with four-month
and eight, 12 or 16-month positions.
Choose a longer internships,
usually 12 or 16 months,
or do the works, up to 28
months of co-op can be completed
before you graduate.
Here are some of the
Faculty of Engineering
top co-op employers, in terms
of number of students hired.
McMaster University ranks
in the global top 100,
and number five in Canada
for graduate employability.
10 thousand co-op students
have worked in 30 countries
around the world.
After graduating, students
can enter the job market,
where the outlook is excellent.
They can also progress to profession,
professional or research-based
graduate programs
of their choosing.
To illustrate the lucrative
job market for computing grads,
let's look at a few stats.
The number of available
jobs in computer science
and mathematical occupations has soared,
in comparison to other engineering
and science disciplines.
It also leads in terms of annual wages.
Rewarding career, excellent job prospects
and outstanding compensation?
Sign me up!
Fun fact: did you know that
the faculty of engineering
is the first in Canada
to offer digital degrees to graduates
through blockchain technology,
when they graduate?
Our panelists will now speak a bit more
about their co-op experiences
and career ambitions.
- So Natasha, I know you've had
a lot of interesting co-op's
and you're out on a
co-op again, right now,
can you tell us a little bit
about the co-ops you've had,
and what the experience has been like?
- Yeah, for sure.
One of the coolest
experiences I've had so far,
I'm working at a company
called L3 Harris Wescam,
which makes these electro-optical
and infrared systems,
we call them turrets,
that go on planes, ships
and terrain vehicles.
One of the things we do is,
specific customers want custom overlays,
instead of the general ones we give,
so me and a couple of the
senior software engineers,
as well as some domain experts,
we patched through the code base
and got different things
such as altitude, latitude,
things like that, things that
are displayed on the overlay,
and we stored it in key
life and value format
and sent it down to a
different downstream overlay.
The reason I really liked this project was
because it was a lot of
back-and-forth between
the systems engineers,
a lot of,
I guess re-testing requirements
and really looking at that sort of stuff,
and I also got to learn a
lot from the domain experts
and the SME's on the projects.
And I had a lot of fun
testing it with the turret,
so, yeah, it was definitely a cool project
to be a part of.
- Neat, that sounds
like a great experience.
So Andrew, where do you see
your computer science degree
taking you in your career,
and what experiences,
through classes, research,
workshops, extracurriculars,
at McMaster, have helped
you along that journey?
- That's a great question,
that's something I ask
myself all the time.
The quick answer is: I don't know yet,
I'm still working through that.
But the thing that I
always come back to is,
the reason I went into computer science
is I always saw it as a skillset,
a set of tools, to get any
kind of problem solved,
to get any job done, and
it really, in my eyes,
would allow me to enter
a bunch of different types of industries
and leave doors open
for me in that regard.
I'm still tryin' to figure out
where, exactly, I'm gonna land, but,
the ability to take a bunch of electives
so I can go and explore
other classes as well, so I
take a lot of business classes,
right now I'm leaning
more in a business route.
While I was on my co-op,
I worked at the university,
doing education stuff,
and I could maybe go an education route
and work on presenting and working with
Canada's youth and bringing
digital technology to them.
There's a bunch of
different ways I could go
and the short is answer
is, I don't know yet,
I'm still figuring it out,
and I think computer science
leaves so many opportunities,
that it's a great spot to be in.
- Yeah, I think any background
in computing that you get
will really set you up for future careers,
in all sorts of different domains.
It's sort of the future
for all these jobs.
- Exactly, definitely.
- Comp sci students work
and play among students
from three other programs within
the faculty of engineering,
locally known as Mac Eng.
At Mac Eng, you're always among friends.
More than six thousand of them.
Our fireball family is
a supportive community
where students build each-other up
in a spirit of collaboration,
and not competition.
If you take a stroll through
our Gerald Hatch Center
for engineering experiential learning,
noon is hatched to our students.
It's hard not to feel the energy.
This is the home base for the
McMaster Engineering Society
and affiliated clubs and teams.
Mac Eng students brainstorm ideas
and bring them to life in
20 thousand square feet
of collaboration rooms,
lounges and garage spaces,
which are devoted to the
undergraduate student life.
From the McMaster engineering
musical to delta hacks,
McMaster coding club to
Mac Eng eco car challenge,
students actively participate
in a variety of clubs,
teams and associations.
These activities don't take away
from our students abilities
to learn subject matter;
if anything, it actually enhances it.
We believe in it so much
that we have started
offering course credit
for participation in extracurriculars.
Pretty cool.
Let's hear from our students
about the student experience at McMaster.
- Andrew, could you tell us a bit about
the Computer Science Society,
and what kind of environment
it provides for the students?
- The Computer Science Society is a
student-run society that aims to
really create a community
around computer science.
Right now, we're pretty tiny,
so that's something where
we're really tight-knit.
As we expand, we hope
to keep it as tight-knit
as it is right now.
We work to connect students with
the various members of the faculty,
because when you come in, your first year,
it's kinda hard to learn
all these faces and names,
and who talk to about what,
so we try to make those connections,
as well as running different social events
or different study events,
and just helping the transition
through your first year
and through your graduation.
- We are in the age of early computing.
As advancements in
computer technology grow,
so, too, does the need
for computer-savvy people.
We know that computing
is an in-demand field
with excellent prospects.
So why choose McMaster
as the place to continue
your education in the field?
To wrap things up, let's go
over the top five reasons
you might consider studying
computer science at McMaster.
Reason number one, the
tight-knit community.
Reason number two,
you're gonna experience five practice
and experience courses
throughout your curriculum.
Number three, how
flexible and customizable
our co-op program is.
Reason number four, that
40% of the curriculum
is elective-based.
And last but not least, there's
always room for a minor.
If you have any questions,
feel free to email us
at thinkeng@mcmaster.ca.
We are always here for you.
For now, we'll sign off and say goodbye,
but we truly hope to hear from you soon.
(bright electronic music)
