<p>Not trying to be argumentative, but little of that info disco posted is true. Some of that information is widely circulated by government, indepedent survey/research organizations, and postsecondary institutions themselves, but it is actually false. If you are committed to an IT career, you should absolutely pursue a “full” degree in Computer Science, regardless of the specific role/field you wish to pursue within information technology. Unless you are literally incapable of handling the math required for CS (you don’t have to excel at it to get by), and if your primary goal truly is employability, you absolutely should not major in anything else but CS. It will not be a small hindrance to your job search - it will be a MAJOR problem.</p>
<p>If you meet the minimum posted “cut-off” GPA requirement for the position, employers automatically consider you a superior candidate to any MIS major, for ANY position, even if the MIS candidate has a 4.0 or higher GPA. The only way an MIS candidate can initially be considered a superior candidate, and only in some cases (not the majority), is if you come from a top business/MIS school and the CS candidate comes from a low-ranked CS school. Even then, I would not count the CS student out for that interview.</p>
<p>With every single IT position out there, including the least technical positions, all things being equal, a CS major has the advantage over an MIS major and can apply to every position for which an MIS major can apply. However, there is a large amount of positions that an MIS major flat-out cannot apply (or if he/she did, will automatically be rejected without consideration). There are even many non-IT jobs a CS major can potentially get that an MIS major has no chance of getting. So in every way possible, a CS major is far superior than an MIS major in terms of employability and career potential. And trust me, the job market is bad out there. You need every advantage you can get so that you can obtain any kind of job at all.</p>
<p>Computer Information Systems or similiar degrees (possibly this pure IT degree you mentioned), although better than MIS due to its more practical focus, is still a “watered down” CS curriculum, and employers know that, and you will still be at a strong disadvantage to CS majors.</p>
<p>Addressing specifically disco’s list:
Any decent CS program will cover <em>everything</em>: Math, software, hardware, networks, programming, databases, web development, etc… all of it. And despite having such a wide diversity of topics, a CS major will graduate with more advanced skills in ALL of those topics than a MIS major. And employers know it. </p>
<p>Maybe a SE major will be better than a CS major in software development/engineering, but I am not so sure if it is a good idea to choose a major that specific for your bachelor’s - you will end up with less opportunities than a CS major, who will still have almost as good a shot at the specific jobs with which you might have a small advantage. I rarely see the “software engineering” major specifically mentioned in requirements for entry-level / new college graduate jobs. Sure, that can be considered a “related major” to CS, but employers often post job requirements that are “politically correct,” to make it seem like they are open to who they hire, when in reality they are much more narrow. Typically they are only a little more open / relaxed with the specific requirements when it comes to above-average or better students at top schools.</p>
<p>People typically get a Master’s in SE after getting their Bachelor’s in CS, if they find the truly prefer SE roles. Employers would rather see that than a Bachelor’s in SE and/or a double degree in SE.</p>
<p>Bottom line: You mentioned several things you wished to avoid (hardcore programming, tech support, and a job that only really requires certificates and/or a two-year degree). Although you won’t be heading into a hardcore programming job (more reason not to major in SE btw) with a IT or MIS degree, you will be heading dangerously close to one of the others with a non-CS/SE degree.</p>
<p>I was tricked by all the government reports, poorly-researched “professional” news articles, postsecondary institutional propaganda, and NACE surveys (even with the most recent surveys, MIS has completely fallen off the “top major” lists - apparently they changed their survey methods to be more accurate). Unless you go to a top business school, don’t major in MIS! And it is seriously not a good idea to major in CIS/IT either, unless you absolutely cannot handle the CS math to get a 3.0+ overall and major GPA.</p>