My first choice major was CS in engineering and I didn’t list anything as my second choice but I emailed the admissions office and wanted to list CS in LAS as my second choice.
What are the major differences between the two? The one I’m interested in is Computer Science and Astronomy. Will this course be primarily Astronomy or CS? Or will it be a balance of the two?
Is it true that CS in the LAS department is much less competitive and easier to get into than the engineering program? I aspire a future in software development or something of the sort, so is the CS LAS a good choice for me, or would I be better off doing strictly CS at another good university? (I highly doubt I’d be able to get into CS ENG at UIUC as it is a reach for me)
There is just no telling how many apps they will get for the CS+Astronomy major, and that will have a major impact on competitiveness. It is a new major though, so it is probably safe to say that it will be less competitive than CS in the COE. All of the new CS+X majors will be popular 2nd choice majors for students applying to CS in the COE though, so I don’t think you should expect it to be that much easier to get in.
You can start [url=<a href=“https://cs.illinois.edu/prospective-students/undergraduates/cs-degrees-offered/cs-x%5Dhere…%5B/url”>https://cs.illinois.edu/prospective-students/undergraduates/cs-degrees-offered/cs-x]here…[/url]
If you poke around you will notice the the CS part of CS+Astronomy is the same as the CS part of the core CS curriculum in the COE. There is no difference in campus resources either (you have access to all the facilities, career fairs etc. that you would have taking CS in the COE). The major difference is you will have core LAS College requirements (more humanities) instead of core COE requirements (chem, physics), and you will be taking several more Astronomy classes, obviously (instead of more CS classes, many of which you will still be able to take as electives).
Finally, the administration is looking at the feasibility of pulling out all these majors into a ‘College of Computer Science’, although it doesn’t look like they are moving very fast on that (they seem to talk about it at the CS Town Hall every year). Who knows though, in the end you may be graduating from the same College as the COE admits…
Thanks for the incredibly informative reply! I have thought that rather than going a math and physics heavy route for CS, a less math intensive approach would be more suitable for me, which is why the CS+X seems perfect for me.
I do have one concern though. What are the disadvantages of this approach as opposed to the ENG major? Would I still be highly marketable with a CS + X degree, and do you think there will be significant difference in salary potential and marketability?
Your job opportunities will be much more dependent on what you do than on which type of CS degree you receive. Just about everyone I have spoken with has emphasized the importance of internships and personal projects.
At Illinois specifically they claim similar placement results for the CS+X math and stats majors. The other four are so new that they don’t have data yet, but no reason why there would be a huge difference.
From Illinois, you will very marketable; but you will be responsible for being successful in the program and taking advantage of all of the out of classroom opportunities to maximize your marketability.
I’m not sure whether they accept 2nd choice of CS+X major through email as you need to write another essay for 2nd choice. That was the reason we removed the 2nd choice at the last minute.
There is practically no difference whatsoever. Considering that your question address academic differences, there certainly are not many. To start, all of the computer science classes are the same for both. Freshman students will be taking CS100/125 for both majors, and progress in the same pattern. The differences, while minimal, actually seem favorable for the Math & CS major: they do not have to take Chemistry or Physics classes. Additionally, all of the math classes stay the same and it is only until Junior year that it changes. This allows somewhat more course freedom, in my opinion at least. The downside could be the requirement for a language (at least for some), but high school credits can transfer over. Check out these flowcharts - they have everything you need:
Math & CS: https://cs.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/files/flowcharts/Math%20and%20CS%20requirements%20flowchart%202013-03-22.pdf
CS: https://cs.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/files/flowcharts/CS%20requirements%20flowchart%20GENERIC%202013-03-22.pdf
While I have answered your question, it is also necessary to understand that a degree from Math & CS is just as, if not more, practical than CS alone. This question regarding “employable-ness” has been reiterated over at /r/UIUC for quite a while now, and I believe I have a great way to explain it. The ‘engineering’ tag, as
Employer:
Sorry, we only accept Computer Science graduates, mathematics is just arbitrary and has nothing to do with the disciple anyways!
Of course, this is not the case. Jeff Erickson, a professor at UIUC in Computer Science, has said multiple times on /r/UIUC that every Math & CS student is able to attend the engineering job fairs/seasonal fairs. The only stark difference is that Math & CS students will not be able to share ALL of the same resources. However, they will have access to the labs in the Siebel Center (CS Building), so everything settles out.
All in all, either is a good option. Good luck!
May have been true a year ago, but they have been working to close every gap. There is not a single benefit of the College of Engineering that is not available to the CS+X majors now.
"The differences, while minimal, actually seem favorable for the Math & CS major: they do not have to take Chemistry or Physics classes. Additionally, all of the math classes stay the same and it is only until Junior year that it changes. "
Can the same be same for CS + X majors? Do they also not require chemistry or physics (except obviously CS + Chem). And will any courses or the major in general be less challenging?
@YZamyatin That’s great to hear! I heard Professor Leonard Pitt talking about this.
@HopefulBadgerPlz CS + Astronomy requires Physics 211 and 212 - both classes that can have credit attained in high school with a 5 on the exam(s). http://www.astro.illinois.edu/academics/undergraduate/major/CSEAstro.html