L&S and EECS, switching and double degrees?

<p>Okay so, I've applied for the Fall '09 to L&S (CS) (I know the CS doesn't matter, because everyone is undeclared, but w/e) but now I'm regretting it.</p>

<p>As I've been looking around, it seems like a B.A. in only computer science will not get someone that far. Originally I was planning on applying to L&S just to be admitted (OOS =[), and transfer to CoE; how hard is this? </p>

<p>I didn't want to risk not getting into Berkeley at all, but now I fear that I've screwed myself over by possibly going there, trying to switch later, then being denied and stuck in a major I don't want. I thought that only happened to Haas applicants ;]</p>

<p>If that doesn't work, what about a dual degree option? I really want to get a B.S. in CS, as I have a strong math/science background, but I also would like to major in something like communications. If I stay in L&S, could I just go for the degree in communications, and then petition for a dual degree in the CoE? Have I truly gone insane, or would this be plausible? Thanks!</p>

<p>CS employers do not differentiate between CS B.A.s and CS focused EECS B.S.s.</p>

<p>EECS offers a 1 year terminal masters program open to both CS majors and EECS majors.
[5</a> Year MS Program | EECS at UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/FiveYearMS/]5”>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/FiveYearMS/)</p>

<p>A B.A. or B.S. isn’t very useful for finding decent well-paying jobs anyways.
Think about biology majors (like myself) as this is one of the more extreme cases where this fact is visible. Our B.A.s pretty much can generally only land us jobs as lab assistants and sometimes teachers.</p>

<p>Would it matter for grad school?</p>

<p>no it would not. </p>

<p>A B.A. versus a B.S. means almost nothing. In the case of CS versus EECS it means you got a broader education versus you took extra math, physics, and engineering courses which are useless for programmers</p>

<p>Ah, that calms my nerves =]</p>

<p>L&S seems like it would work better.
If the only difference is loading up on techy courses, I still could take those.</p>

<p>Yeah if you want purely a CS education, L&S is a good call. A friend of mine who’s very into CS theory and wants to go to a top graduate school and is quite a rather good student in EECS actually wishes he had been in L&S, because he felt he wasted time with EECS courses. After all, he doesn’t like practical EECS at all.</p>

<p>Obviously L&S will have more breadth requirements…but pshaw, you can take those Pass-NotPassed, which means you put in minimal work if you choose easy enough courses.</p>

<p>What does CS stand for?</p>

<p>CS stands for Computer Sciences</p>

<p>Sometimes people incorrectly refer to Cognitive Science as CS</p>

<p>CS = Computer Science
Cog Sci = Cognitive Science</p>

<p>i’ve recently read that some employers will refuse to hire you if you get a B.A. in CS and not a B.S. - mainly software engineering jobs. Are internships going to be harder to get, and will I not have learned as much material that would be practical in the real world?</p>

<p>killthefifi, you should read the actual curriculum on Berkeley’s website for the B.A CS degree and the B.S. EECS degree. When it comes to the actual computer science curriculum, it’s virtually identical. A lot of people have a misconception that bachelor of arts degree are less legitimate because they are less-“science-intensive” than bachelor of science. Nothing could be further than the truth, and you should take a look at the following link. </p>

<p>Go to: [Undergraduate</a> L&S CS Students | EECS at UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/csugrad/]Undergraduate”>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/csugrad/)</p>

<p>Search for the bold heading “How does my choice of programs effect future career or academic growth?”</p>

<p>If you did CS in LS and not EECS, could you manage another major say political science or psychology?</p>

<p>definitely. I think one of the big plusses with CS is that it makes it very accessible to a double major with something else in L&S versus EECS where doing a double major will lead to an extremely heavy schedule.</p>