cekelly

I realize this may not be an engineering major, but many colleges offer it in the engineering department so here it goes. Does it matter to employees whether you have a BA or a BS? For example, if someone had a BA from Berkeley and someone else had a BS from UCLA were competing for the same job, would the S give them an asdvantage?

cekelly

Im more interested in the BS because I prefer science courses over soft science courses. Any thoughts.

ucbalumnus

For Berkeley in particular, a BA in CS (L&S CS) would not really be different from a BS in EECS for the purpose of typical software jobs. The ABET accreditation of EECS may matter in some niche areas like patent law. But otherwise it just comes down to what courses you took, how well you did, internship/research experience, and how well you answer questions in the interview. Of course, an EECS major who emphasized EE would be favored for EE jobs, though s/he probably took fewer CS courses and may be less competitive for software jobs.

For other schools, there may or may not be a significant difference for software job purposes between a BA and BS in CS, if both types of degree programs exist.

youknowme123

BS or BA does not matter. What matter is the classes you take fit your future goals.

Mokonon

Nope, not a big difference. My school offered both a BS and BA in computer science and the only real difference was that BA majors didn't have to take some of the required courses that BS majors had to (like Programming Languages, Electrical Engineering I and II, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, and Physics I-III), and they didn't have to choose as many elective course from the computer science department. Otherwise, their curriculum was pretty much the same.

For the typical software developer job, the BA and BS candidate would be equally well prepared for the job. One could argue that the BS major was a little bit better prepared for jobs that weren't pure software jobs and possibly for graduate school.

QCstudent

At Stony Brook University, we only offer a B.S in CS from our Engineering school, which is ABET accredited(which means you can be a patent lawyer, if need be).

From my experience, the BA varies from school to school. The general consensus is that the BA is for weaker students, that cant handle those rigorous Physics, and Math courses. My friend who is in a CUNY school, is following a BA curriculum in CS, and he doesn't need linear algebra, or the 4 semesters of natural science courses that I need, and his CS core requirements are lesser than mine.

Also, most companies auto-screen for a B.S in C.S. A BA might put you in a disadvantage, and it just might look questionable.

All in all, it primarily comes down to what you know. At an interview, your B.S will not save you -- if you can't add a node to a BST.

youknowme123

A BA isn't necessarily for the weaker student. It is for a person with more than one interest. The whole idea behind a liberal arts education is you learn some of everything basically. With a BA in CS it would be easier for a person to get another BA/BS in another subject.

terenc

Also keep in mind that even for patent lawyers, your degree is not required to be ABET accredited. ABET accreditation only makes entry easier. If your degree is not ABET accredited, it just means you will have to go through a process in which you show that you have taken the required science/engineering courses, or qualify by examination.

cekelly

Okay, im more interested in UCLA anyway. Ill focus on the engineering prereqs and see what happens.