Computer Science/ Business Admin. B.S.

<p>I was just looking at the majors list and i saw the Computer Science/ Business Admin. B.S. I am currently applying to USC and had never seen this major option (its almost perfect since i have been debating on whether to major in comp. sci. or business admin., two things that i really like). So i was wondering:</p>

<p>1) When you graduate with this major, do you get a degree in comp sci and business admin. or will your diploma say something like Comp. sci./ business admin., as if it were one, individual major?</p>

<p>2) Will this major still have the prestige as a major out of the school of Viterbi and Marshall? ( i'm not sure what college this major is under, Viterbi, Marshall, or both).</p>

<p>3) Does the major still cover the same info. that would be covered if you took both of the majors, or double majored. And, will you still have the same opportunaties offered by each school, like the great Marshall Alumni Network? (curious since the major has two majors in one).</p>

<p>Any info will help. Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>Don't quote me on any of this, but:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You definitely get one degree. It will be "Bachelor of Science Computer Science/Business Administration"</p></li>
<li><p>I believe the major is officially in Viterbi, but you have to be admitted to both Viterbi and Marshall. For the most part, I think that it would reflect both the schools.</p></li>
<li><p>No clue from the business side, but I can answer from the CS side. The courses missing from the CS/BA that are present in the plain vanilla CS are:</p></li>
</ol>

<p>MATH 226 - Calculus III (multivariable and vector) - This is a shame because it's such a fundamental engineering course, but a lot of people do struggle in it...
EE 357 - Basic Organization of Computer Systems - Assembly language and microprocessor design. Not terribly exciting, but useful.
EE 457 - Computer Systems Organization - Where you learn how to build a (relatively) modern computer from the hardware side.
CS 402 - Operating Systems - I CANNOT believe that they left this one out. Nearly universally agreed to be the most time consuming class in the CS department, this is the one that everyone takes their last semester (or in the summer) when it's their only class.</p>

<p>I should mention that since (one of) my majors is Physics/Computer Science, one of the interdisciplinary degrees at USC, that I think of my self as both in the computer science department as well as the physics department.</p>

<p>What is the average amount of units required to graduate. I ask because, by just skimming over the degree requirements, it seems that just the Bus. Admin. major has a much less unit requirement for the major. Could you graduate in four years with a degree like comp sci/ busi. admin.</p>

<p>The total number of units required for the double CS/business is 137. To put that into perspective, that's 9 more units than most majors (128 units)</p>

<p>However, I would easily imagine it possible to finish in 4 years. A number of the courses are 2-units, including the freshman academy. I can see a number of 17 and 18 unit semesters which could fill up those 9 units.</p>

<p>Alternatively, AP or transfer credit could help enormously, especially if you could waive courses like CS101 (C programming) and MATH 125/126 (calculus I & II)</p>

<p>You don't get a lot of flexibility in which free electives you can take; basically they all have to count towards degree tech electives somehow. Of course, that's the case with every other major in Viterbi.</p>

<p>Also, you probably would have to take courses that satisfy as many requirements as possible; instead of taking one GE course and another diversity course, you would take a course that satisfies both a GE requirement and the diversity requirement.</p>

<p>To put this in perspective, unit requirements are almost never a problem for Viterbi (and I assume Marshall) students; students usually have many units in excess of the requirement, and it's the course requirements which people have to satisfy mainly.</p>

<p>See <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2006/schools/engineering/computer_science/undergraduate.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2006/schools/engineering/computer_science/undergraduate.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>thanks a lot for all of the info!</p>

<p>For business part, you'd be taking one acct course rather than 2. And you wouldn't be taking 310(stats) or 311 (operations mgmt). And for the upper div concentation classes you'd take 2 rather than 4.</p>

<p>wait, im a bit confused. im in the same situation as J-sus and im considering a comp sci/biz double major. how does this single major differ than double majoring in comp sci/biz admin?</p>

<p>A "double major" (in reality, I think you get two bachelor's degrees) in computer science and business would probably be 160 units, with more required classes, and maybe other requirements. </p>

<p>Doing a double major where one of the degrees is in engineering is a little complicated. It's possible, but not easy like it is for most other double majors at USC. Doing it with one major in engineering and the other in another professional school is fairly impossible :)</p>

<p>so this combined major just cuts down some classes, and therefore makes it easier for students to take classes in both engineering and biz. but, in exchange, you sacrifice recieving two degrees, and are granted with only one. am i correct?</p>

<p>I don't see it as sacrificing 2 degrees because it's really hard to do both in 4 years anyways. Rather it's being able to do more than just major in CS or minor in business (or vice versa)</p>

<p>It's not much of a sacrifice to get 1 degree instead of 2. No one will really care once you graduate, if you have one combined degree instead of two separate ones.</p>

<p>Also, it's extremely difficult to arrange a 4-year schedule to get 2 degrees. You'd have to have lots of planning and a bit of luck to make it work out. :) So I wouldn't consider it a significant option unless you can somehow make it work out.</p>

<p>awesome. thanks for your help. seems really appealing to people in the same boat as me.</p>

<p>At Orientation, they suggested that if you're in engineering, you just take courses in areas of interest & get your engineering degree. They said trying to get a double-major is REALLY tough, even getting a minor with engineering is pretty intense, since there are SO MANY requirements in engineering.</p>