Computer VS Industrial Engineering

<p>I were in a dilemma between figuring out which major I were going to pursue, computer science or industrial engineering. I have decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in computer science with a minor in business and then enter grad school and pursue an I.E. degree.</p>

<p>I would like to know what are some realistic expectations salary wise at entry level for either degree? and also what degree is more sought after within the working industry?</p>

<p>Feel free to add any insight that may be useful as well.</p>

<p>Here are some salary figures: [Majors</a> That Pay You Back ? PayScale College Salary Report 2012-13](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2013/majors-that-pay-you-back]Majors”>http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2013/majors-that-pay-you-back)</p>

<p>They’re both close, with IE actually coming out on top for starting pay. Either one is a good choice because there is always going to be a need for people that know their way around computer systems and software and who know how to optimize business processes. </p>

<p>I think you’re right to do the CS degree and business minor. A CS degree would not only give you good job opportunities if you wanted to work right out of college, but would also be useful if you want to do IE grad school. Some IE classes like management science/operations research have a significant computational component to them. </p>

<p>Also, many companies are now adopting what’s called big data analytics. I don’t think it’s a standard IE course now, but chances are it will be in the future. Having the opportunity to take CS classes like database design, data warehousing and mining, and machine learning will position you well. Even now, these skills are in high demand and are very well compensated (just look up big data/data scientist on a job board).</p>

<p>Thanks a lo! That was very helpful and meaningful.</p>

<p>The minor in business will be useless though. Either drop it and spend that time on something outside of classes, or replace it with something more useful (even if just coursework and not an official minor).</p>

<p>Industrial engineering is niche, but it is needed. Make sure you network as the choice of employers you will have will not be as varied as someone in mechanical E or Electrical E.</p>

<p>Com sci seems to be in a glut right now, so many people drop out of engineering into it. I don’t have personal experience on this but i’d advise you to stick with engineering for so many reasons. You could do computer engineering, which allows you to get into most CS jobs as well as additional engineering jobs.</p>