<p>Basically, I'll have leftover scholarship money (due to APs) and it's use it or lose it. I want to be a software engineer or something related to comp sci and programming. Would it be more beneficial for my career to double major in CS and Applied Math or to get my BS and MS in CS?</p>
<p>The double major will take me an extra 30 credits and the BS/MS will take an extra 18 credits. </p>
<p>Any and all opinions are appreciated :)</p>
<p>Only 18 additional credits for an MS? Is that some sort of accelerated BS/MS program? How many graduate level courses does it entail?</p>
<p>It really depends on what field you go into and what you mean by “beneficial”. In general, getting the MS will net you a higher starting salary when you get out of school. However, there are fields within cs and in the industry where having a stronger math background will help you excel.</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s an accelerated 5 year BS/MS. It’s a 30 credit degree, and it allows you to apply 12 credits to both undergrad and graduate.</p>
<p>So that leaves 6 classes and portfolio submission.</p>
<p>I see. So each class is 3 credits, correct?</p>
<p>If you’re not exactly sure about what areas you want to focus on or what you want to do after you graduate, I think the MS is a safer bet. The BS/MS will command a higher salary than the CS/Math double major and it’ll probably be easier than taking those additional 30 credits of math.</p>
<p>It seems like you’d be more competitive for a CS job with an MS in CS rather than another BS. I mean, a CS specifically prepares you for CS, while Applied Math doesn’t exactly. You’re choosing between more specialized and more flexible. IMO, more specialized seems like the winner in this industry. Less credits is a plus, too. Take this with a grain of salt, of course.</p>
<p>Do the MS and take 0 to 4 3-credit hour courses in math courses of your choice. More depth, more focus, more salary, and possibly a minor or concentration… or at least the extra knowledge gained from taking math courses you are interested in.</p>
<p>Go the MS route.</p>
<p>Depending on the school and how many Math/CS courses are cross-listed, you may be able to “dual” major in CS/Math for the B.S. portion of the degree anyway. The following courses are the “usual suspects” that are in both the Math & CS departments:</p>
<ul>
<li>Numerical Analysis</li>
<li>Numerical Linear Algebra</li>
<li>Combinatorics</li>
<li>Graph Theory</li>
<li>Cryptology (may be called Error-Correcting Codes)</li>
<li>Optimization</li>
<li>Numerical Solution of Ordinary/Partial Diff Equs.</li>
</ul>
<p>Basically you would let the above courses “double count” therefore, you could cover both majors within the same number of credits needed for the standard B.S. degree.</p>
<p>If you want to go into cryptography in CS, math courses in abstract algebra and number theory are likely to be useful.</p>