MIS vs. CS degrees

[spohara]

I'm having more reservations about an "IT" degree that is a Liberal Arts degree.  My fear is that the value of the degree will literally be zero. Every other IT degree I've ever heard of, was either a "science" degree, or a "business" degree. People that didn't want to do Calculus, would take the "business" path. I've never heard of anyone getting an "IT" degree that was "Liberal Arts".

I've worked as a programmer for a long-time, and can get jobs without a degree, but many of them *prefer* a degree, offer you less if you don't have one, or make you jump through a lot of hoops to be "extra sure" you're a good hire. I almost wonder if a Liberal Arts degree would work against me, because they would say, "Why didn't you get a science or business degree?".  I move around a lot, I could move to where the college is, go online, and tell people I went to the college because I lived in the same town, and that was the only IT degree they offered.

A "General Studies" degree with an IT minor would sound better than a "Liberal Arts" degree with an IT minor. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but I am slowly convincing myself the BALS MIS could work against me.

I don't know anything about UMPI really, but I'm also going back for a second bach to open up more doors.  And from my perspective, I think you have to look at the ADDED value for the degree.  Like you said, you can already get jobs, but how do you add value to your resume?

Well one of the things you wanted to avoid was 'jumping through hoops' to prove you're a good hire.  Moving to a town so you can concoct a story that you can maybe sell to an HR department at some companies doesn't sound like much of a value add in that department.

What doors do you think you're opening that are currently closed and how much do you expect it to add to your pay?  As you've said you've been at this a while, so the experience is there, you're just looking for a third party to tell people that you're legit.  What is the best way to do that, and how do you get the most ROI on that?  What doors specifically are you trying to open up?  This is what you should focus on.

My example: I need Computer Science as the major.  Specifically I'm trying to meet very specific criteria for a data science job in the federal government: "Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position." (and the appropriate for the position is very limited - like healthcare/bioinformatics, my current bach has been rejected multiple times even when it was social science related).  BA or BS doesn't matter, but general studies/liberal studies/liberal arts with a concentration in xyz doesn't work - has to be the major field of study.  So for me I have one very specific door I'm trying to open with absolutely no interest in going out into the industry side to be a programmer/developer.  So closing doors there is completely fine with me so long as it opens the one I need it to open.  

Mine is maybe more concrete than yours because I know what I'm going for and it has very clear criteria.  Yours might be a bit more fuzzy because it isn't clear exactly what companies are hiring based on, but I think the mindset is important.  I'd try to seek out that information the best I could, and try to close as few doors as possible until you know which ones you're willing to close.