<p>Hello I'm currently a sophomore attending Texas State University and I have a couple of questions. My current degree plan is BS in computer science. But my school offers 2 degrees in computer science BS and BA. I love my CS classes and im doing well in them but my math classes aren't going so well. I have taken up to Calc 1, I can make a C or low B in math but I feel that its holding my GPA back since I'm making A's in all my other classes. Anyway the BA degree has less math and more liberal arts classes. My question is if I will be able to do the same jobs as someone with a BS degree with the BA. I don't want to graduate college and not get a job. I really want to work for Apple or Google but any place is good. Web developing is something im interested also Semantic Web technology's. But AI and software engineer are also other good options. Here are links to the BS and BA degrees. I appreciate the answers thank you. </p>
<p>BS plan has 3 required advanced CS courses (3398, 3339, 4354), 1 CS project course (3468, 4326, 4398), and 4 CS advanced electives</p>
<p>BA plan has 2 required advanced CS courses (3398, 4354), 1 CS project course (3468, 4326, or 4398), and 3 CS advanced electives. The last semester has only 12 credits, so there is space for 1 free elective if you want to add it there.</p>
<p>So the difference between the two in CS courses is that the BS plan has CS 3339 and one additional CS advanced elective, while the BA plan has space for one free elective (which you can use for a CS course).</p>
<p>So do you think that if I choose the BA route it wouldn’t hurt my chances at jobs? Such as Semantic web technology, AI, Software enginering, and possibly working for companys such as google or apple or any other company. I dont see how CS 3339 could hold me back from doing these things.</p>
<p>To maximize applicability to industry software jobs, you may want to include the following CS courses (beyond the required ones) in your selection, regardless of which degree plan you choose: 5310 (networks), 4328 (operating systems), 5332 (databases), 5378 (security), 5329 (algorithms and complexity).</p>
<p>I think a BS is going to be viewed as the stronger degree and with the BA you will not get preference over a BS for jobs. It may look like you just choose not to take the more difficult program. After the first job it may not matter, though. I think you should do the extra it takes to get the BS for the technical jobs you are talking about. Computer architecture is a foundational course. Why skip it? Where does this have to do the with math question? Use tutoring for the math and make it a priority to understand the concepts. There is no reason you can’t get a B and a B is fine.</p>
<p>@BrownParent, the two degree’s have very different math requirements. The BS degree has the standard Calc 1, 2, etc that you may find in an engineering program, while the BA degree has the “easy” versions of Calc 1 and 2 (“Calculus for Life Sciences” I and II).</p>
<p>@ahs282, if you do take the BA program, follow ucbalumnus advise and “specialize” by taking those electives. Recruiters are much more likely to be interested in that database class than which version of Calc 2 you had…</p>
<p>Yes, with either degree program, you would want to take those courses among your advanced CS electives or free electives.</p>
<p>Looking again, it seems that the BS plan lists only 12-13 credits both semesters of senior year, which implies space for 2 additional free electives. So it seems that the BS plan leaves more space for CS courses (4 advanced CS electives plus up to 2 as free electives) than the BA plan (3 advanced CS electives plus up to 1 as free elective). So here the BS plan would be somewhat preferable if you want to take more CS courses.</p>
<p>So do you guys think I should go with the BS or BA. I’m really leaning towards the BA because of the lower amount of math classes. Plus I can add some CS classes to my electives. I just want to make sure I can get a good job and an internship while in college. Ill be contacting my advisor asap. Please help I have to make a decision soon and it’s really hard for me.</p>
<p>It does look like the BA plan has schedule space consumed by:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Four semesters (12 credits) of foreign language. Do you have pre-existing knowledge from high school course work or heritage speaker ability so that you can start at a more advanced level, freeing up some free elective space to take more CS courses?</p></li>
<li><p>Four semesters (12 credits) of a minor. Would any minors you are interested in overlap with general education requirements so that you can free up some free elective space to take more CS courses?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The answers to the above questions could affect how much schedule space you have for CS electives in the BA plan.</p>
<p>Well I did take 2 years of foreign language in high school. So hopefully that will count for some of the foreign language classes. As for my minor I’m not really sure, my minor was in mathematics since I was in the BS plan. But I’m not sure for the BA I think you can choose. What would be a good minor for me with the BA?</p>
<p>You’ll need to talk with your advisor, to see what minor’s are available. Lets assume you don’t want math as a minor (the whole point of going the BA route is to avoid the higher level math)…then you may want to look at Business, EE/Computer Engineering (in effect, more electives!), a business process type minor(Operations Research and Management), or something in Info/IT sciences (if available…more electives).</p>
<p>A BS is considered to be the more science/math oriented degree. Normally I’d say to go for the BS as that degree may have an edge with employers. However, since math sounds like your weak area, I’d probably get the BA. Still, it would be a good idea to speak with your academic adviser and maybe someone at career services to determine if there is a difference in how the degrees are perceived and what employment opportunities there are for each degree.</p>
<p>I here that alot of EE computer/Engineering has alot of classes related to computer science? So maybe that would be the right one? What do you mean by more electives? As in I can add more CS electives or will the minor require additional electives?</p>