<p>Is a BA in computer science looked down upon? I'm somewhat looking for a career change and I am considering a BA in computer science from FSU. The BS has an embedded math minor and the BA would forgo Physics I/II, Calc I/II, Discrete Math II, and I believe Chemistry and minor in something else (currently communications is the only online minor). </p>
<p>Though I've taken up through Calc I, I personally don't see the need to spend a year taking Calc II, Discrete Math II and all the sciences if I'm not going to be in a science/research related field. </p>
<p>Any advice would be appreciated. My other option is a BSBA in General Business from UF, but I feel the CS degree would open more doors and I have a passion for computers anyways.</p>
<p>The majority of companies I’ve seen hiring do not differentiate between a B.S. and B.A. in CS. What sort of position are you looking to end up in? Programming? Administration? </p>
<p>Considering you aren’t too interested in research opportunities, I personally don’t think a BA in CS will hold you back. But, it does depend on where you want to work and what you want to do. You’d be better off trying to get some experience and learn the languages of your potential employers or work towards professional certifications.</p>
<p>Your experience and people skills are going to be far more valuable in the CS field than your degree. Think of the BA as a foundation to get you started. Once you build upon it with current certs backed by personal/professional experience, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding your career somewhere.</p>
<p>I’m not 100% sure on where I want to end up. I was in land surveying until early 2009, I had about 9 years of experience in that field, 5 or so as a project manager. I actually grew up in it since my dad and uncle are both surveyors. When the economy went south surveying in FL died. I was left without a job and no other skill-set. </p>
<p>I’ve since found work with a medium sized municipality and have gotten involved with GIS which I really enjoy. I’ve always been a computer geek, so it seems like a logical step to change career paths. I’m leaning toward staying in the GIS field since my surveying/mapping background would probably go well with a CS degree. GIS, if you’re not familiar, is a lot of database administration and the higher paying positions some programming. I just want to have options.</p>
<p>Business just seems to broad, and I would need a masters in GIS or MIS to get into the more technical jobs I think.</p>
<p>A BA in CS will probably have any employers that do work in scientific software ignoring you. The thing is that there is WAY more jobs doing non-scientific than scientific, so you will be ok.</p>
<p>Whether the title of your bachelor’s degree says “of Arts” or “of Science” matters little compared to:</p>
<p>a. The reputation of the department and school.
b. What is taught in the required and optional courses.
c. What optional courses you selected.
d. How well you did in your course work.
e. Internships, research, etc. if you did any.</p>
<p>If a school offers different degree programs in the same major leading to bachelor’s degree “of Arts” versus “of Science”, then you need to check what the differences are in the required and optional courses and how those matter (if they do) for your intended goals.</p>
<p>I agree with Ucbalumnus…but I just re-read the OP and noticed something.</p>
<p>The Discrete Math course is not just for scientific work. Discrete Math gives you a background in areas like combinatorics and graph theory and a little algorithm analysis which applies to ANY area. You need Discrete Math for the Algorithms, Data Structures and Programming Languages courses. Data Structures will then get into abstract data types which MAY be needed on a development project regardless if it’s a business, scientific or engineering application.</p>
<p>The BA DOES require discrete math, the BS requires 2 classes of discrete math. The core classes are exactly the same except for “Theory of Computation” and “Analysis of Data Structures and Algorithms” which has a pre-req of Discrete Math II. So, its not required for the BA, but is an option if I wanted to take either of those two classes as an elective (which you get 9 credit ours of CS electives).</p>
<p>You do want to take “Analysis of Data Structures and Algorithms” (FSU COP 4531), as the concepts taught in that course will be useful for whatever you do in computer science (industry or graduate school).</p>
<p>“Theory of Computation” (FSU COT 4430) concepts are not that likely to come up in industry jobs.</p>
<p>What the BS version requires that the BA version does not:</p>
<ul>
<li>A year of calculus.</li>
<li>A year of physics and an additional science course for science majors, instead of liberal studies science requirement.</li>
<li>Calculus based statistics, instead of non-calculus based statistics.</li>
<li>Discrete Math II, Analysis of Data Structures and Algorithms, and Theory of Computation.</li>
<li>11 instead of 9 additional hours of computer science elective courses.</li>
</ul>
<p>However, the BA program requires 9 hours of humanities and has additional free electives.</p>
<p>Based on that, someone familiar with the difference between the two programs at FSU may prefer a BS degree holder over a BA degree holder when recruiting FSU graduates, based on the perception that FSU BA computer science graduates are weak in math. However, that would be specific to FSU, as some other university granting BA degrees in computer science may have more math and computer science requirements than FSU does.</p>
<p>Of course, someone in the FSU BA computer science major may still choose to take the additional math and computer science courses required by the FSU BS computer science major (in particular Analysis of Data Structures and Algorithms).</p>
<p>So, from what I’ve been able to find and what you guys seem to be implying is it might be an issue depending on the employer. I think instead of spending another year catching up on sciences and a couple more maths I will go a head with the BA route and just pick up discrete math II and Analysis of Data Structures and Algorithms as electives.</p>
<p>Now I just have to decide on computer science or the BS in Business from UF since I’ve already been accepted at UF. I always seem to come back to computers though…</p>
<p>A reasonable idea. Also consider the networks (CNT 4504) and security (CNT 4406, CIS 4360, CIS 4361) courses for your computer science electives and free electives.</p>