zoombini

I have been accepted to NYU's CAS Economics/Computer Science joint major program and have been looking seriously into attending. However, I am uncertain of the strength of the program, specifically the Computer Science program. Only a B.A. is offered in Computer Science, and the program is not ABET accredited (as far as I know).

What do employers think about a B.A. vs. a B.S. degree? I understand that a B.A. degree focuses more on breadth with a liberal arts education, while a B.S. degree focuses more on depth and focuses more on math/engineering. Are there certain employers that will only recruit graduates with a B.S. degree? From Google's website, for example, a requirement for a entry level software engineering position specifically asks for a B.S. in Computer Science.

In terms of employment and recruitment, how do employers (specifically, software engineers and other more technical fields) feel about such a program? What other jobs would I be able to get with such a degree? I would assume that the more "hardcore" software companies would frown upon the joint major, specifically and the B.A./non-accreditation.

I feel that the Economics/Computer Science program suits my academic interests, but I am unsure of any advantages or disadvantages in employment I may face after graduation. What kinds of jobs will be available to me after graduation?

mrego

Are Economics degrees usually BA's ? Since it is a joint program that may be where the BA comes from. So that would probably be ok. If it was just CS personally I would prefer a BS.

sstory

I think if you are planning on majoring in economics its a great idea to double-major in something else as well such as math or whatnot to give you a little edge over the rest of the competition (computer science sounds like a really good major to do it with too). But if you are really leaning towards computer science and want to find work in that area, which it sounds like you are, I would suggest pursuing a B.S. somewhere else, especially if the program you're interested in isn't accredited.

jessiehl

CS employers, in my experience, don't really care about ABET accreditation. BS is a bit more impressive than BA, but it's not likely to really hurt you as long as you can show that you have the skills and experience*. A double major in econ will not hurt you.

*My experience of the hiring process is largely with small and medium-sized companies. Big companies seem more likely to care about these things.

wrprice

In my opinion, it's not so much the letters in the degree as what knowledge you gained out of the program. Is there much difference in the curriculum between the B.S. and B.A. at your school? If not, it might not really matter.

There will be a perception in the mind of anyone that, all else held equal, a B.S. is better than a B.A. However, when I've interviewed CS graduate students for professional positions out in the "real world," I've passed on masters-level degree recipients in favor of ones with "only" a B.A. or B.S. I'm going to give the job to the person who knows their stuff and mostly ignore the initials.