Computer Science - BA or BS or BEng and cost differences

Colleges and Universities A-Z McGill University
1

My son wants to apply to McGill for Computer Science / Software Engineering.

Ideally, he would apply to Bachelor of Software Engineering in Faculty Engineering. It is $39K tuition (CAN$).

But there is also Computer Science BS - Faculty of Science - $39K tuition (CAN$)

And, there is Computer Science BA - Faculty of Arts - $17K tuition (CAN$)

So,we are wondering if the Computer Science BA is just as good / almost as good? The difference is significant!
Perhaps he should apply to Bachelor of Software Engineering and hope for scholarship $ (Note: his SAT far exceed requirements; ACT is at mark for scholarships, grades are borderline for admission but highly rigorous transcript/prep school.

Are there any issues in the CS-BA program like ability to get classes? Do companies view this degree as inferior? (I know they do not have a problem with the BA in CS at many US schools).

2

My thought is to do the BA and utilize one of the “joint honors” programs that will also give lots of exposure to the Faculty of Science. I have often wondered if McGill set it up this way specifically to help international students get the program more affordably. In fact in the program below they say…

“Students that are interested in further study in Computer Science can combine the Major Concentration Computer Science with the Supplementary Minor in Computer Science to constitute a program very close to the Major Computer Science offered by the Faculty of Science.”

https://www.mcgill.ca/study/2018-2019/faculties/arts/undergraduate/programs/bachelor-arts-ba-major-concentration-computer-science

That would be the way to go and save $$$, IMHO.

3

@dadinga Thank you! I did notice that paragraph and wondered what it really meant.
Is it ever hard to get into classes at McGill? For instance, is it hard to get CS courses (that may be in the Faculty of Science dept)? Thanks!

4

I cannot answer that question, my son is a prospective student. Sorry. That would definitely be a question for the BA department CS advisor though. Good luck!

5

This is what I am planning if I am admitted. A huge cost benefit. My uncle works at Georgia Tech’s School of Computing and he says it might be slightly better as you get more soft-skills that many engineers lack.