<p>I'm interested in Course 6-7 (the first ever CS and biology joint major). This was something that I felt really excited about coming to MIT. I even did some computational biology-related research in high school.</p>
<p>However, I'm not really sure about the career prospects for such a major. What would you do with a joint degree in computer science and molecular biology? Also, I've heard that it's better to be really good at one field than to dabble at two things.</p>
<p>For example, would a company like Google frown upon it because it isn't as CS-heavy?</p>
<p>Computational biology or related fields would be a pretty good fit for the 6-7 major. If your intent is to work for more of a pure programming place like Google, though, something like 6-3 would prove more worthwhile.</p>
<p>I don’t see why you couldn’t work at someplace like Google with a 6-7 major, since it still requires software engineering and algorithms classes.</p>
<p>^I guess while you would have the knowledge for a job at Google, they might not be willing to hire someone whose interests are so scattered because there are other people (ie. Course 6-3ers) that are more desirable candidates. Lol I have no idea. I’m just an incoming freshman.</p>
<p>Even though a 6-3 major would make more sense, I’d rather do the 6-7 just because it sounds more interesting to me. Would that basically destroy my chances of landing a well-paying CS job post-grad? Are Google jobs that competitive?</p>
<p>Would a 6-7 major help me land a job at a pharmaceutical/biotech company like Merck?</p>
<p>Having a computational background is a big strength for anything biology-related, although the really interesting bio and comp bio jobs, even in biotech/pharma, require a PhD. But the 6-7 degree would certainly be an asset for getting into grad school. </p>
<p>At any rate, if you were concerned that you would be a weaker candidate for CS jobs with the 6-7 degree (and I have no reason to say that would be true), you could take a few electives in course 6, or a UROP, and almost certainly be fine. What you know when you graduate is more important than the name on your degree.</p>
<p>I bet course 6-7 has as much comp sci. as 6-2 (electrical eng. and comp. sci.) Of course, perception doesn’t always match reality. However, Google is not going to care. You can major in math for comp sci. (18-C) or even probably regular math or physics and still get a job at google. Software is one of those fields where the degree isn’t that important.</p>
<p>@collegealum314 - That depends on your course choice in 6-2. </p>
<p>It looks like 6-7 requires 6 CS classes (not counting UAT/UAP). If you’re 6-2 weighted as much towards the EE side as possible, you’ll get 5. If you’re 6-2 weighted as much towards the CS side as possible, you’ll get 11. (Both of these also not counting UAT/UAP.)</p>
<p>That said, you can always take more CS as a 6-7, or more biology as a 6-3. I’m personally in the 6-2-with-additional-biology boat… but then again, I’m more into bioEE, which isn’t a major of its own (yet). ^^ I will say that ~all the people I know interning at Google/Microsoft/etc are 6-3’s, but I’m sure that has a huge selection bias.</p>
<p>If you don’t count the departmental laboratory and advanced undergraduate subjects, which I’m pretty sure can overlap with 6-7, course 6-3 requires exactly three classes that course 6-7 does not: Introduction to EECS II, Computer System Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence. In other words, you won’t be missing terribly much, and if you feel that you are it shouldn’t be too tough to take another three classes. Course 6-7 is very requirement heavy; there is little room for electives. As a result you’re able to cram in almost all of 6-3 and almost all of 7.</p>
<p>Note also that the major is named “Computer Science AND Molecular Biology.” It sounds suspiciously like two majors separated by an “and.” Note also that computer science comes first. I am a course 6-7 major, and I am operating on the assumption that the name of my major won’t hurt me if I decide to go into pure computer science or sell my soul (program for a company) instead of academia.</p>