To clarify, you're specifically talking about reductions to SAT, not from SAT, right?
Note the former is used as a solution technique for feeding into SAT solvers, where the latter's goal is basically the exact opposite (to show NP-hardness and hence algorithmic intractability). Formal methods courses do the former, but algorithms courses usually use SAT for the latter.
No. Algorithms courses focus on computability and complexity (including NP-completeness); they don't generally focus on SAT solving. Formal methods are the ones that use SAT solving, SMT solving, etc. to formally prove correctness.
Ah, thank you. We had theory classes with automata and reductions and complexity proofs, and then algorithms classes that covered some solving techniques. I think I mixed up Formal Methods with Theory.
Note the former is used as a solution technique for feeding into SAT solvers, where the latter's goal is basically the exact opposite (to show NP-hardness and hence algorithmic intractability). Formal methods courses do the former, but algorithms courses usually use SAT for the latter.