Some background: I just finished my freshman year at Bunker Hill Community College getting gen eds out the way, and I have a passion for computers: I took and liked AP Computer Science in high school, do a little bit of coding in my down time, and like reading about random stuff about programming languages. I also like reading stuff about computer hardware, especially chips sometimes, and would be interested in studying electrical engineering. I don’t know specifically what I want my career to be, but I want a bachelor’s that covers both electrical engineering and computer science.
I haven’t done any research on what colleges to transfer to, but I did some research and some schools call the major I’m thinking about something like Computer Engineering, or EECS. Right now I wanna think about which major to pick at BHCC that would be suitable for transferring. At BHCC (Google “BHCC list of programs” if you want a reference): there’s the CS Transfer Option and EE transfer option. (there’s also the CS concentration, but I talked to staff at my school, they said transfer options are geared towards transferring unlike concentrations). There is a lot of overlap though: they both require math, physics, I can take two CS classes as electives for EE. This summer, I’m taking Calc 2 and Physics 1 which can go towards either one.
I suggest that you make an appointment to meet with an advisor at UMass Dartmouth, to plan out your obtaining your AS at Bunker Hill and transferring to UMass Dartmouth, with the hopes of a double major in E.E. and Comp Sci.
I’d actually suggest doing what parentologist suggests, but targeting UMass Lowell. Its reputation is rising fast, and it punches way above its weight class in EE/CS, but it’s also on the transit grid in the greater Boston area. UMass Dartmouth would be an option if you couldn’t get into Lowell, and UMass Amherst would be a possibility if you do well, but Lowell may hit the sweet spot in terms of reputation + practicality.
Lowell has Computer Engineering in addition to CS and EE, but the lower-division requirements for CE and EE are the same.
I should’ve been more specific. While I could get into any UMass via MassTransfer (which I’m signed up for) by keeping my GPA up at 4.0, I’ve been thinking more specifically private 4 year schools, in or out of states, in general.
There’s a lot of overlap between CS and EE. Electrical Engineering tends to be specific about requirements. Computer Science is not, and CS type jobs quite frequently recruit graduates with EE degrees. The best thing to do is go for the Electrical Engineering degree and add a minor in CS. This will make you very versatile when you start looking for jobs.
There are many good private schools
For EE and CS right in MA like BU and Northeastern, WPI. But just want to reiterate
what others have said that being a MA resident
you have some excellent public college options that provide strong value. For most students the private schools will be about double the cost. Dartmouth and Lowell are strong in Engineering and CS. Amherst is extremely strong for both, especially CS. You would not be losing anything by choosing a UMass except maybe some perceived prestige, which is not a big factor in these career paths. But you may have other considerations for preferring private U’s. Also entry level class sizes may be larger at a UMass. Good luck!
Thanks for the responses! I’ve been talking to a some adults as well about this, and clearly I can’t find a good general answer, so I need to research specific 4 year schools and what their programs are and which class credits BHCC would transfer or not. I don’t need anymore responses.