<p>Which one is better to pursue if I am interested in bioinformatics? </p>
<p>The informatics degree offered at my university requires cognate area courses, so if I were to pursue the degree I would obviously choose biology cognate.</p>
<p>Would I be able to get a job right out of college with this degree?</p>
<p>Or is it better to major in CS and then get an MS in bioinformatics?</p>
<p>I’d go for CS because it has a more solid foundation to stand upon.</p>
<p>In general…</p>
<p>For an industry “X”, if major “A” is a specialized major for industry “X” but the broader major “B” can also get into industry “X”, then select the broader major “B” so you can go into other areas as a backup plan.</p>
<p>Go for the CS major and supplement it with some bioinformatics courses.</p>
<p>You can do anything a bioinformatics major can do with a CS major, plus if you ever decided you were more into financial/managerial/geographical etc informatics then you’re qualified for all of the above. Hell you could decide you want to make Pokemon games. Same degree.</p>
<p>I can’t count how many CS/CE/SE grads I’ve met who are working in “foreign” fields like business and medicine and out-earning people who majored in those fields. A minor or postgraduate coursework in whichever sector you go into would just seal the deal.</p>
<p>If you have the patience to complete a CS degree then take advantage of it.</p>