Computer Science Education (Minor)
Program Description
The Computer Science Education (CSE) minor is an 18-credit program designed to allow undergraduate students to develop expertise in teaching computer science (CS) to children and adolescents. The minor provides opportunities for students interested in teaching CS in a variety of settings, including schools, after-school programs, museums, and community centers, to develop research-based knowledge about the teaching and learning of CS. Courses cover CS disciplinary content as well as evidence-based teaching practices and curricular issues for different ages.
The CSE minor provides undergraduate students in the department who already have some foundational knowledge of education and educational theory the opportunity to broaden their teaching repertoire to include CS, an important and increasingly popular discipline.
Undergraduates outside the department will be able to develop expertise in issues around education, including methods of supporting student learning and curricular theory related to CS.
The minor requires both CS and CSE courses. In the three required CS courses students will learn foundational CS content, including programming, the design and implementation of algorithms and data structures, how the internal structure of computers is organized, and how machine (assembly) language programming works. In the CSE courses students examine and use methods of instruction associated with CSE for children and adolescents, including the design, implementation, and revision of lesson units. Additionally, students will investigate the spectrum of curricular and teaching approaches utilized in the US and internationally, familiarizing themselves with the terrain of research and practice in computer science education, preparing them to make informed, evidence-based decisions in their future teaching.
Minor Declaration
To request declaration of a minor, Steinhardt students should discuss requirements with the minor department’s advising team and complete the Minor Application in Albert. To request declaration of a cross-school minor, Steinhardt students should complete the online Minor Application available in their Albert Student Center. Students may also use the Minor Application in Albert to request cancellation of a Steinhardt or cross-school minor. For questions related to the declaration or cancellation of a minor, students can contact the Steinhardt Advisement and Registration Team at steinhardt.advisement.registration@nyu.edu.