Damnit Twofish-Quant, I nodded in agreement so much to your statements that if this thread was any longer, my head might have came off. It is sad how profit driven those who run these institutions are at the expense of learning. I also agree online universities will change the landscape for...
I would say difference between programmer and computer scientist is akin to that between mechanic and theoretical physicist. Software engineers are the automotive engineer equivalent. IT people are the racecar drivers.