Math/CS Major vs. Math Major + CS Minor

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Is a Math/CS combined major preferable to an Applied Math major + CS minor in terms of employment?</p>

<p>I ask because the CS minor route will require four less classes for me to take. The classes also lean more towards the math side, which is a positive, because I hear that CS classes are more time consuming. Finally, the Math/CS major is awarded by the liberal arts college, while the CS minor is awarded by the more prestigious engineering college. Though I'm not sure if that matters or not.</p>

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<p>1) It’s not the “combined” major nor the minor that counts, it is the COURSES that you completed.</p>

<p>2) It does not matter if the CS minor is from the engineering college because computer science is in the engineering college at some schools and in the math department of others. ABET accreditation means almost nothing for CS.</p>

<p>3) Minors mean almost nothing to employers</p>

<p>Having said all of that, any math major who emphasize computer science needs to take at least the 4 CORE CS courses to be worth anything in the job market. Those 4 core CS courses are:</p>

<p>Algorithms
Data Structures
Organization of Programming Languages
Operating Systems</p>

<p>Now the Algorithms and Data Structures topics may be combined into one course at some schools. As a primarily math major, it is possible that you could skip the Organization of Programming Languages course but you would need it if you ever decide to do CS as a grad degree.</p>

<p>Now once you have the core out of the way, you will need to take some of the more practical CS courses that may make you more attractive for employment. Those courses include:</p>

<p>Database Systems
Computer Networks
Computer Graphics
Information Assurance
Cryptology
Parallel Algorithms
Software Engineering (one course)</p>

<p>In order to take the core CS courses, you have to take the prereqs…which probably are:</p>

<p>Object-Oriented Programming in Java or C++ I
Object-Oriented Programming in Java or C++ II
Discrete Structures</p>

<p>That now means that your MINIMUM set of CS courses…for decent attractiveness for employment are:</p>

<p>Object-Oriented Programming in Java or C++ I
Object-Oriented Programming in Java or C++ II
Discrete Structures
Algorithms
Data Structures
Organization of Programming Languages
Operating Systems
CS Practical Elective
CS Practical Elective
CS Practical Elective</p>

<p>So you will need at least 10 CS courses to be able to compete with current CS majors…which is more of a concentration than a minor. Now if you want some courses to “double count” for both CS and Math, the following are the usual suspects:</p>

<p>Numerical Whatever (where “whatever” = Linear Algebra, Analysis, Solution to Differential Equations).
Cryptology (may be called Error-Correcting Codes)
Combinatorics
Graph Theory
Computational Complexity</p>

<p>Still…you need to have the 4 core CS courses to barely compete.</p>

3

<p>Thanks a lot. This combined with a UIUC CS thread you commented in recently really, really helps.</p>

4

<p>Looks like the only thing that requires anything close to that is strictly the CS major.
The minor requires Data Structures and either Algorithms, Programming Languages, or Operating Systems.
While the combined Math/CS major requires Data Structures, Algorithms, and either Programming Languages, or Operating Systems.</p>

<p>Looks like the combined major is the the better choice. I’ll see if I can fit all four in.</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

5

<p>Only 4 extra courses?</p>

<p>Double Major FTW.</p>