My son is a programmer & built his last two machines from the ground up. 
Bad programmers you mean. Not real programmers. 

 At least a cursory low-level understanding is necessary for the craft, in my estimation. 

 Mine too. 🤝🎯🎯🎯🎯 

 That's so sad. 

It should be mandatory to build some Flip flops and implement a clock in 1st semester. 

A serial to parallel interface and vice versa. 

Understand memory spaces and addresses.

First in theory, then with an soldering iron.

Build a computer from discrete components. 
Something like this.

Every electronics technician with an 3 years apprenticeship can do this. 

FFS they should at minimum program some low-tech robot in C or assembler. Or at least do something with an ATmega or similar.