What degree is this?

[Night Elf]

My son wants to work as an IT person. Is that Computer Science or Computer Systems Information, or something else? My DH works for HP and has a graduate degree in just Computer Science, but that was a long time ago and I don't know if something new had come up.

[QueenCat]

At our state university, there are "sub" majors within Computer Science. Information Technologies is one of the sub majors.

[Night Elf]

We're looking at two colleges. One has two programs, Computer Science and Applied Computer Science. The other one has Computer Science and Computer Information Systems. Maybe I'll contact the departments and see if they can explain the difference between the programs. I didn't think of that until just now. :)

[Arcadia]

There is also computer engineering.  Link is to Carnegie Mellon U's computer engineering course page which has the modules listed. 

http://www.ece.cmu.edu/courses/index.html

HP was my first job in 1997.

 

This page has a nice explanation and comparison of CS and CIS

http://www.csusm.edu/cs/cs_cis.html

[MercyA]

Computer Information Systems.

[Elisabet1]

My brother works for HP. My dh works for a similar company. Anyway, an information technology degree or a computer science will do it for him. 

[G5052]

Yes, look at the details.  Locally, computer science is math-heavy, and IT is taught in the business school.  Computer science graduates do better in terms of salary and employment, but it may be a regional thing.

 

[Sara R]

Computer engineering is a hybrid of computer science and electrical engineering (more hardware focused than computer science).

 

Computer science is more programming, and usually requires math through at least calculus 2 and linear algebra. It's considered a rigorous degree which gives a lot of options down the road...a computer science major could get a job as an IT guy, but an IT major probably couldn't get a job as a software engineer.

 

Information technology (IT) is probably more an exact fit for what he's looking for: how to use specific computer systems to solve specific problems, set up and manage a network.

 

Then there's also information systems, as well as computer information systems (CIS) and business information systems, which are more business focused. They have the reputation of taking CS dropouts who can't handle the math.

 

I'm a CS major and like programming but don't consider myself good at IT. I get the sense that IT people are good fix-it troubleshooter type people, good at hands-on, whereas in programming I'm usually solving more abstract problems.

 

[EndOfOrdinary]

Have your son make a formal meeting with Dh's boss. Ask the boss what kind of degree looks best for the job you son is considering. Admissions can tell you a world of things. Go to the person hiring and ask. They have nothing to gain, and a world of information to give!

[Katy]

If he wants to be a manager and make a lot of money, he should look at MIS (Management Information Systems).  They make a ton, manage projects, but get called in for emergencies when systems go down.

 

If he wants to be a programmer, Computer Science.  They tend to sit in cubicles all day.

 

If he wants to work on hardware, Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering.

 

All of these have a heavy math & science course load for the first two years of college, so he should probably plan on NOT working through college.  All pay a lot though, and are careers where student loans are actually worth it.