<p>Hey guys, I am currently a freshman pursuing a computer science degree at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. The Department of computer science offers both a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Bachelor of Science Degree in computer science. </p>
<p>My Question is, will the BA or BS tag matter to employers when hiring for a job? After looking around on the internet, most of what I have found is "No it Dosent matter, a computer science degree is a computer science degree". However, others have said that employers favor a BS degree because it is usually more difficult and requires higher level math and sciences. </p>
<p>If I had to choose, I would MUCH rather go with the BA degree. I would have an opportunity to study french abroad a semester and other electives in European history. BUT if employers do really favor a BS degree, I feel like my time (and money) would be better spent taking the extra math/science electives rather than more social science elective courses. </p>
<p>Your thoughts? Opinion?s Thanks guys i"m really stumped on this one.</p>
<p>Comparing the degree requirements from the links you provided I would strongly suggest the BS. The biggest differences in the curriculum of the two degrees can be found in the Science and Mathematics section. In the BS degree you have a solid foundation in calculus, physics, and chemistry. Whereas in the BA degree you can get away with “Intro to Calculus” and one science class. A lot of the science and math courses help train you to think logically about a problem/solution, and in CS logic counts a great deal.</p>
<p>The differences listed above can hamper your job prospects and possible employment. Personally, I feel that a lot of information found in social science courses can be obtained in other ways outside of the classroom. If anything take some time and obtain a minor in fine arts or french, since it can complement your CS degree. </p>
<p>That was not the first time I have heard people say “The Upper level math courses help you think logically and improve your programming/thinking”. Is that honestly true? Does it truly make you a better software engineer?</p>
<p>IMHO, it is true that the higher level math and science courses do help to train your brain to think logically, but so does actual programming. I cannot say whether it will make you a better software engineer as there is more to it than just logical (I do believe it has helped my in software engineering), but it will help you in analyzing a problem and determining the best possible solutions to address that problem.</p>
<p>As far as whether employers care about BA vs. BS degree, it may depend on whether they are familiar with your particular school. For what it is worth, the BS CS degree at SIU-E is listed as accredited by [url=<a href=“http://www.abet.org%5DABET%5B/url”>http://www.abet.org]ABET[/url</a>], but the BA CS degree is not. ABET accreditation is not as much of an issue in CS as it is in fields like civil engineering, but it is possible that an employer not familiar with your school may look for ABET accreditation as an indication of meeting a minimum standard of quality.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, employers do not seem to care that those graduating with BA CS degrees from Berkeley have non-ABET-accredited BA degrees, but Berkeley is well known and well regarded, so that may not necessarily apply to graduates from SIU-E.</p>
<p>As far as course choice goes, whether you choose the BA or BS degree, you want to include the more rigorous math courses (of the kind that math majors take), as well as CS courses in operating systems, networks, algorithms, software engineering, databases, and security, in order to help train your mind to think logically and gain knowledge in the important CS concepts used in industry.</p>
<p>If cryptography is of interest to you, additional math courses in abstract algebra and number theory will help.</p>
<p>Physics and chemistry are not used that much, unless you are developing applications in those areas. However, if you have an interest in game development, physics can be helpful.</p>