<p>We're NC residents. My son has been accepted to Carolina (UNC-CH) and High Point University (invited to Scholarship Weekend and Honors Program), with an indicated major of Computer Science. We'll learn on 1/31 if he's accepted to NC State (applied under Computer Engineering).</p>
<p>His end goal, at this point, is a MS in Computer Science with a career in security (CISM, etc.). But, at age 18, how can he really know? However, his IT teacher says he's the most gifted programmer she has ever taught.</p>
<p>He wants to major in CS but I'm telling him to get his BS in Computer Engineering and MS in CS so he knows both hardware and software. Or, double major in Computer Engineering and CS or Applied Math; Then, go for his MS in CS. To me, this route will increase his knowledge base with more breadth and more career opportunities.</p>
<p>I know little about the huge IT career field so any and all opinions are greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>One thing to consider is that a major in computer engineering may not qualify your son for admission to the competitive computer science programs without additional coursework outside of his major. Some CS programs are very particular about the undergraduate coursework they require. On the other hand, your son may be more interested in information technology than computer science for his graduate degree. IT programs are also much more open to applicants from other fields than CS.</p>
<p>A bit about me: I started college with the intention to major in computer science because I thrived in my first programming class. I ended up majoring in math with a couple of “computational” computer science classes thrown in. A few courses into the CS major, I noticed that I am interested in algorithms and ways of using computers more generally, but I couldn’t care less about their internal life. The CS major required more courses about hardware and systems stuff than I was willing to put up with.</p>
<p>If at all possible, I would recommend going into college with an open mind. It won’t take more than 1-2 courses each in computer science and computer engineering to figure out which program is more appealing. Very few people like both.</p>
<p>I also wanted to mention that an undergraduate computer science degree is quite marketable on its own. Most of my CS major friends get challenging and well-paying jobs straight out of college, and a minority opts for PhD programs to go into corporate research or academia. Very very few of our computer science majors enroll in a Master’s program straight out of college, mainly international students who have issues with their visas.</p>
<p>Thanks! That’s just the type of advice I seek!</p>
<p>My son had taken every IT course his college prep school offered so they had to order a self-study class for his senior year (Python, which he says is too easy). He spends his free time learning other languages and techniques just for fun. Just last night I had to give him a hard lecture. He is frustrated with the throttle on the school’s fiber optic Wi-Fi and had planned an end round to grab more bandwidth. He was in the process of creating his own static IP, bouncing around about 10 locations, and going way over my head in his ramblings about tunnels, etc. to which I had to threaten ‘not without the school’s permission’.</p>
<p>Long story short, within NC, it’s quite difficult to be accepted to Carolina. And, if you put any faith in all those ranking reports, they are the only NC school ranked in the top 10 for their computer science graduate school. With all his credits, he’ll start college as a 1/2 freshman or sophomore. Carolina offers a BS/MS in-depth CS program track that can be finished in 5 years; however, I do want him to take some economic/finance/accounting courses outside his major in case he ever wants to start his own business.</p>
<p>I totally agree about the bleeding edge of IT. The job he has 10-15 years from now probably doesn’t exist today which is why I was advising a ‘breadth of knowledge’.</p>
<p>Based on what you said and my son’s love of programming and problem solving, he should follow the undergraduate CS route, correct?</p>