<p>I posted in the engineering sub-forum maybe like 3-4 weeks ago, and didn't even realize there was a math/CS section. I have an undergraduate degree in Psychology, that I earned about 4-5 years ago from a California State School. Long story short, after surveying the job prospects and enjoyment of jobs (or lack of) in Psych, I decided it wasn't for me.</p>
<p>I have been programming for over a year, and worked really hard at it. I feel pretty confident in my skills in C/C++, and I started playing with languages such as C# and Java, and they don't seem too hard. I started off at a CC last fall, and got all A's. </p>
<p>I am currently in a Calculus class in my CC's winter intersession (my previous degree only required Statistics, and Psychological Statistics). I have Physics, Calc II, Java, and C scheduled for Spring (I might try to add the C++ Object Oriented class [which was full], and drop the C one, though).</p>
<p>To add another element to my situation, most UC's (the good ones, at least) really don't want any 2nd B.S. students (I believe the CS's and Cal Polys are fine with it). The physics, chemistry and math requirements just to transfer are quite substantial, and while I am OK with that, I just don't want to be wasting valuable time (I'm 28 y/o) and money. For example, I don't really have an opportunity to work with the hours I'm logging in this winter class, plus HW and studying. Also very little time to practice programming - Again, I'm fine with this, but absolutely do not want to do things that are unnecessary.</p>
<p>I also forgot to add that it’s a little confusing trying to understand the requirements for entrance into many schools Masters programs in CS/Software Engineering. You obviously need the GRE, but they are quite vague on the course requirements.</p>
<p>Many graduate programs may not have specific prerequisite courses listed on their website, but instead, require that students have adequate preparation to pursue graduate studies in computer science. The only way to figure out what that means is probably to contact the school and ask about what you should do in your situation. Some schools might list particular prerequisite courses, in which case you could generalize those types of courses to be what other schools would look for as well.</p>
<p>If you can get into a master’s program for computer science, I would recommend that over getting a 2nd bachelors, but that may not be difficult since you’re in a non-traditional route. Are there any CS professors or other people in the field who you could ask about what to do in your situation? If you find that not having adequate coursework to be a roadblock to getting a degree, you may be able to post-bacc program in computer science to get you the coursework that you need. Have you tried finding a CS job (maybe even something in psychology that requires programming experience) without a degree in it? Having work experience in the field may also help you get the degree if you still find that you need it.</p>
<p>Try contacting graduate schools or professors in the field and see if they think there are graduate programs you can get into. There may be masters programs that have some slots for students that are career changers. If you need certain coursework before you can be admitted, I would recommend a post-bacc route or something similar to get those courses, unless you find that it would be cheaper to just get a second bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>fyi, here are the classes UT Austin are looking for in Masters applicants and may require you to take after admissions if you haven’t. Usually if you don’t have a CS or related undergrad they are looking for solid work experience.</p>
<p>CS 345 Programming Languages or CS 375 Compilers
CS 429 Computer Organization & Architecture
CS 439 Introduction to Operating Systems
CS 353 Theory of Computation or CS 357 Algorithms</p>
<p>These classes may have prereqs, like Discrete Math which is usually required in CS programs anyway.</p>
<p>The good thing about admission to M.S./M.Eng CS programs is that really 4 or 5 courses are required. BrownParent gave a list that most schools will ask for. Some schools may list them as: </p>
<p>Data Structures
Algorithms
Programming Languages
Operating Systems</p>
<p>The school may/may list Computer Organization but that is usually because Computer Organization is a prereq for Operating Systems anyway at many schools.</p>