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RIP CPSSD

I am doing a BSc. in Computational Problem Solving and Software Development (CPSSD) at Dublin City University; DC122 in CAO talk. It is a small, specialised course for students who already have some programming knowledge. You can learn more about it at the website I set up for it.

But alas, CPSSD is no more.

Never again will people have to stumble through its long name. It has also been called PSSD, CPSTD, and PSTD, and a whole host of other letter combinations my mother came up with on the spot.

Never again will there be bright-eyed LC students throwing together portfolios or stuttering through interviews to get in.

Never more will DCU teams top the charts at everyone's favourite programming competitions. Well, we'll still be around for a couple of years yet ;)

It turns out that hosting a degree with a high barrier to entry is not economically viable, as there were too few students in each year to let DCU turn a profit.

We were told in quite a terse email that those already in the course can see it through, and finish the degree. However, applications for new students have closed for good.

I firmly believe that CPSSD was the best IT degree in the country, and filled a well-needed hole in the education system here. You can see, looking at the current students (sin a rá "me and my boyz") with their wealth of enthusiasm about tech, that they would get bored and frustrated in a normal degree. None of Ireland's tech degree offerings are aimed at people who already have experience, or who are independent learners. None of them suit someone who is ahead of the curve as well as CPSSD.

It makes sense that DCU cancelled the degree, from a financial point of view. But it still makes me sigh.

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