Want to study Computer Science even though I'm graduating in something else

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone! I'm about a month away from graduating at UF with a political science major, and as of the beginning of this semester I realized I didn't really want to do anything related to poli sci (yeah, good timing -_-). I began to explore other options and thought the field of Computer Science might be interesting, so I'm currently in an Intro to Programming class learning Java and so far I love it! I'm really interested in getting into the field now, but obviously the fact that I'm graduating already is a problem. I asked an adviser at UF what I could do and they said I could apply to the post-bacc program which would allow me to take the pre-reqs for the Master's program, and that's what I was set on doing, but now I'm wondering if it would be better to maybe try to just get a second bachelor's somewhere else? </p>

<p>I'd like to go to FIU, which is in South Florida where I'm from, and I'd love to be able to go back to live there (kinda tired of Gainesville). I know that job opportunities for a bachelor's in Computer Science are still good, so a master's wouldn't be necessary. I don't know how much school rankings matter for Comp Sci, so part of me maybe thinks I should stick around at the better known but more expensive school (UF), or if I should go home and try to get a second bachelor's (if I can).</p>

<p>I guess my options are:</p>

<p>-go back home (to where I'd like to be, ideally) and get a second bachelor's at FIU (I'd live with my parents so it's cheaper)
-try to apply to get a second bachelor's at UF<br>
-stick to what my adviser told me to do, which is get the pre-reqs for the master's program and then apply to it (At UF)</p>

<p>That was really long lol, sorry, thanks in advance for your advice!</p>

2

<p>A master’s will be much quicker AND more useful than a second bachelor’s.</p>

3

<p>Does FIU have a master’s program? If so, I would talk to them about doing post-bac pre-requisites there. That way you could save money and test the waters some more. It’s great that you love the CS class, but it may not be really representative of work you would do since intro class. At D2’s school it’s the second course that is a weed out and really shows if you’re interested. So I guess I’m saying it would help to get a few more CS classes under belt as cheaply as possible to be sure that’s the route you want to follow.</p>

4

<p>FIU does have a master’s program but it requires a bachelor’s for it, UF simply requires the equivalent of a minor</p>

5

<p>Would taking the pre-reqs at a community college maybe be a better option? I feel like it’d be a lot cheaper, but I assume the UF master’s program would like its students to have taken the computer science courses at a better school</p>

6

<p>

False if your first Bachelor’s is a major that guarantees you an EBT card. Pursing a Master’s in the same concentration just adds more debt and makes you over educated and under-qualified.</p>