Theory vs practice

In the College of Computer Science here at Astate, there is a heavy debate about what a CS degree is for. Most believe it is about learning the theory behind CS. Others believe it is about building things with software - practice.

These two are not mutually exclusive. It is actually the opposite, you can't have one without the other.

We can start at either one, but we always end at the other.
1) We create things because they are interesting and exciting. We learn what is necessary in order to create that thing.
2) We learn theory to expand the possibilities of creation. We create to solidify the theory.

My most efficient years of education were when I bounced between both cases purely based off what I felt like doing.

I've never had a college class with too much practice. The worst classes have always leaned too heavily towards theory. Perhaps the issue is something else entirely: laziness.