Comp Sci or Computational Econ?

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>I'm currently attending the University of California Santa Barbara and there are 2 majors in the Comp Sci Department here which interest me: BS in computer science and the BA in computational economics. </p>

<p>I'm not yet in the major yet but I'm close to finishing my requirements to get in the pre major so I need to decide before I start choosing my classes. I know that the BS for CS is definitely more rigorous because of the physics classes and the dozen other computer science classes that you need to take. I'm also aware that for computational economics, you basically replace a certain half of the computer science and physic classes with economic classes.</p>

<p>I've looked online for jobs/salaries for computational economics but haven't really found solid information. However, when I look up computer science, the jobs are endless. The computational economic degree sounds interesting but I'm willing to work harder for the CS degree if it means a more set and stable future. I mean, I would like to pick my own work spot and not have to move somewhere else because no one needs a guy with a computational economic degree. </p>

<p>Anyways, this is why I'm confused, I would think that these 2 degrees would mean similar opportunities because I would still know some programming languages but I don't want to make the wrong decision.
What I'm trying to find from this post is what are the opportunities with a computational econ degree compared to the CS degree. Would either or make a big difference? Can I get a salary estimate? </p>

<p>P.S. I heard computational geography is good here and the courses seem a lot easier compared to CS and computational econ. Maybe this could be a choice too. </p>

<p>I'll provide any additional info and input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks</p>

2

<p>What career do you want? That is the key issue.</p>

3

<p>Sorry for a late answer… was out of country.</p>

<p>Anyways, I’m not sure what career is offered for people with a computational economics degree. My brother is prgramming for Amazon and he has a computer science BS degree. I know a BS degree is definitely better but I was wondering if a BA offers similar opportunities. </p>

<p>I want to take computational economics because I want to learn a bit about economics and financing. I recently found an internship at Taiwan to work for a construction company. The boss is allowing me to learn how to manage and start a company later in that sort of field. I was thinking maybe a computational econ degree would be beneficial not only for my resume but it could also relate later. Not sure how to really explain, but it’s like a degree relating to something I want to do later I guess?</p>

4

<p>A pure CS degree will definitely give more flexibility (and might even allow you to still pursue careers that you could do with a computational econ degree). You might want to do that and then supplement with some econ courses.</p>