It’s either that or Management information systems. Which would be better?
I suppose it depends on what you want to do and what your strengths are. A MIS degree is more a business degree and CIS is a little more technical, usually. The MIS person is gathering and using the data, and the CIS person is supporting the management of the IT dept.
Both of these have a higher unemployment rate than a CS degree, but a CS degree is not suited to everyone.
You seem to assume there is some clear trade-off involved in this choice.
If there really is one (such as a higher salary potential in return for greater effort to complete one vs. the other) I think it would depend at least as much on the specific schools and programs as it would on the labels attached to the major. Professors, students, and course offerings may be relatively strong in one at one school, but stronger in the other at another school. A single college won’t necessarily even have two separate programs with these labels.
What colleges are you considering?
Every college (almost) has its own little twist on those programs’ curriculums. I advice you to look at those curriculum. If it says lots of Math-related stuff, Databases, Networking, C#, if it says “applied” a lot, it’s good. If it’s more theoretical stuff, ditch it.
Usually though, Management information systems is a better choice since it is often very similar to Applied computer science programs.
Though please keep in mind, it all depends on the colleges. Also, looking at ABET accreditation might be useful. Not accredited = not that good.
Also, keep in mind, both are pretty damn good for landing a job.