Computer Science BA versus BS

[wombat777]

What is the difference in employment opportunities between a BA and a BS in computer science? Thanks.

[clep3705]

There are two considerations. Some employers will be rigid and demand a B.S. in computer science. If you can obtain a B.A. much faster, you get to enter the job market sooner. If you can't do the extra math for the B.S., get the B.A. The B.A. you have is better than the B.S. you can never have.

[Outis]

What is the difference in employment opportunities between a BA and a BS in computer science? Thanks.

There are no differences in employment opportunities.

If you can't do the extra math for the B.S., get the B.A. The B.A. you have is better than the B.S. you can never have.

Exactly what "extra math" for the BS are you referring to? BACS with calculus I/II, discrete math, linear algebra, statistics...what else does the BS have that is not in the BA in terms of math requirements? The reality is that it is highly school dependent as to what degree they award, and sometimes what specific college it comes from (perhaps BACS from the Math department and BSCS from the Engineering department, etc...). Many top schools offers BACS programs with the same math and cs requirements as the BSCS programs. A BACS does not mean less math. As for employment, any employer who will not consider you due to a BA vs. BS is not worth working for. You should be much more concerned with having solid cs skills and slaughtering the technical interview.

[wombat777]

I would imagine the requirements vary depending on the school.

The school in question for me (U of MN, Duluth - brick 'n' mortar) offers both a BA and a BS in computer science.
Both require the same CS core.
Compared to the BA, the BS requires more CS classes and more math, but no minor is required (I think).
BA requires a minor.

[alzee]

I work in the field and agree with Outis; there are virtually no employment differences, since there are no standards that differentiate a BA from a BS. The BSCS curriculum at one school may be identical to the BACS curriculum at another. Only when one school offers both is there any tangible difference between them, and even then it's usually minor.

[dfrecore]

Most schools that I've seen offer one or the other, so there's no real way to compare between schools.

If a school does offer both, the BS may or may not require more in the actual AOS; many times, it the Gen Eds that are different, or some other area. As an example, EC's Psychology degree offers both a BS and BA, and there is absolutely no difference in the AOS.

For the school you are talking about, "more" CS and math courses in the BS - are those required above and beyond (i.e. higher level math and CS courses) than the BA, or just additional math and CS courses? Because if the latter is the case, it's not really relevant - it's just more aligned to a student who would rather take more math and CS and less humanities and social sciences.

[wombat777]

Most schools that I've seen offer one or the other, so there's no real way to compare between schools.


For the school you are talking about, "more" CS and math courses in the BS - are those required above and beyond (i.e. higher level math and CS courses) than the BA, or just additional math and CS courses?

As far as harder classes, BS requires Calc II, Vectors & Matrices and some 5000-level CS classes that the BA does not require.
BS also requires more CS credits than BA (not necessarily harder classes, just more). However, BS does not require a minor, so more classes is not a big deal.

[dfrecore]

As far as harder classes, BS requires Calc II, Vectors & Matrices and some 5000-level CS classes that the BA does not require.
BS also requires more CS credits than BA (not necessarily harder classes, just more). However, BS does not require a minor, so more classes is not a big deal.

Most times the degrees are going to require the same number of credits, so it's just a matter of where those credits need to be taken from.

[TrailRunr]

BA/BS won't matter at all for employment purposes, even at places like Google. It won't matter for graduate school purposes either. There are BA CS graduates from UC Berkeley, one of the top CS programs in the country, who succeed just fine with a BA instead of a BS. Those folks have no problems at all finding a job or going to a MSCS program. You should be much more worried about getting past the tech screen, getting relevant IT work experience before graduating, and maybe earning a few IT certs if you're coming up short on IT work experience. Work experience/passing the tech screen is way more important than any other factor including degrees.

[clep3705]

I had a recruiter tell me that I couldn't possibly have the mental depth required for an IT job because of the specific type of degree I had. I found his feedback to be very helpful because I realized he didn't have the mental depth required for me to spend any additional time with him.

As far as B.A. or B.S. in Computer Science, either one will work. So will an MIS degree.