Need advice: Computer Science + Communications major?

[ucbalumnus]

Originally Posted by fendergirl

my friend went to school for Comp sci.. Got offered a job after sophomore year so he dropped out... He's moved from programming gig to gig and now works for ea sports programming for the Madden franchise. He said he feels like he should enroll back in school and finish the degree just so he can say he did .. But he makes three times a year what I do. Crazy!

He should keep an eye on the readmission policy at his school, so that he can go back and finish his degree during the next industry downturn when jobs are more scarce.

[Cardinal Fang]

How are you going to get a B.S. in Computer Science at UNC in four semesters if you have never taken a programming course? This sounds like fantasyland to me.

[TWNeal]

I would like to emphasize that the idea of computer science isn't as uninteresting to me as is being exaggerated in this thread. I am very interested in computer science for the following reasons:
~Computer science is about creating , and I love being an author.
~Computer science is mathematical, and I love mathematics and logical reasoning.
~Computer science provides excellent opportunities for entrepreneurship and starting businesses--ideas I am very fond of as well.

I have decided that due to the insurmountable-among-my-interests value of the degree, I will definitely be pursuing computer science. I am currently a student at a small private university (where I am attending free of charge due to my father's employment at the university), and will be transferring to either UNC or NC State to pursue computer science. At UNC (the preferred choice), a BA in CS will take three semesters of study and a BS in CS will take four semesters of study. If I plan appropriately, I can pick up some Communication courses along the way, reenter the small university I am at now for free, and pick up a second degree in Communication in only one semester after I graduate with my CS degree from UNC or NC State.

So here are my two options:
~Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
~Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, Bechelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Digital Media (two separate degrees)

Both options will take four semesters after my initial transfer. If I'm going for the bachelor of science, then I don't care to pick up the communication degree because it will mean I am entirely devoted to computer science. If I go for the two bachelor degrees, it will mean I am interdisciplinary in my career outlook. This will be a decision I will have to make myself after being exposed to some computer science coursework, however I would like some input about the value of a double degree in these two fields and what kinds of jobs I would be able to specialize in that combine CS and Communication.


Side note: Here are some other BA's offered at the small private university that I would also be able to attain a second degree in if communication doesn't complement computer science well:
Psychology
Elementary Education
Religion and Practial Theology
English (Creative Writing concentration)
Social Studies
History
Special Education
Human Services
Sports Management
Music
Studio Art
Political Science

I have bolded the majors of the list that interest me most. Would any of these majors complement computer science better than communication studies?

Please offer your thoughts!

[turbo93]

I did 16 in 4 semesters and 2 summers, so it is doable but with little margin for error. Nice if you're a poor student from Elbonia but 2 years of 21 credits a semester was a bit over the top...

I would say 4 semesters and a summer for 12 courses are doable, assuming the OP gets into the hang of it quickly. While at Cajun State U. we did not have much 'competition', and it was in the 1980's, today, in a nationally ranked place like UNC or NCSU one would be taking courses alongside kids who have been writing software since age 10 or so...

A friend's kid went to Iowa State (another excellent school) and had a bit of a hard time on that alone... To minimize 'assignment shock' I would spend some time on the web sites of both schools to see how class policies are (i.e. how much assignments count, team or individual, etc). No fun writing 5,000 lines of code only to have it count for 10% of your grade...

[TWNeal]

In response to Cardinal Fang: I would take a Java programming course next semester (before I transfer to Chapel Hill or NC State). I will also have all my mathematics requirements completed for both schools at the end of next semester. The only courses I won't have taken care of are the computer science courses themselves which will only take 3 semesters (6 courses) to complete for a BA at Chapel Hill, four semesters (10 courses) to complete for a BS at Chapel Hill, or four semesters to complete for a BS at NC State.

[turbo93]

I just looked at UNC CompSci BS and they indeed require 11 courses in the major. The way I read the BA requirement was for 10 courses. NCSU was 13 or so. For comparison, my beloved directional state U (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) was 15 or 16 major classes (which I did in 2 years) but it was not fun at all...

If courses are offered in the summer things could be easier (tho the summer I took 3 senior level Comp Sci classes was one for the record book...). I would go for the 2 year incl a summer or two...

[TWNeal]

Turbo: The reason you're reading that UNC's BA is ten courses is because three of those courses are "computing or computing-related courses," which I have already fulfilled by taking extra math courses at my current university.

NC State has computer science offerings in the summer but from what I can tell UNC is going to require most of their classes to be taken during the fall and spring semesters. To be able to fit a UNC BS in four semesters or a BA in three semesters, I am going to need to take three computer science courses at a time for one or two of those semesters. I hope that won't be too overbearing.

[ucbalumnus]

CS courses with programming assignments can be rather time consuming; so can computer hardware courses with design projects. However, CS theory courses have similar workload as math courses.

[LoremIpsum]

A lot of more advanced CS classes have multiple prerequisite classes, so you won't be able to take them for several semesters. Also, you need to take into account possible time conflicts between required classes from semester to semester. Finally, some popular classes might be filled. It seems unlikely that, as a practical matter, one can get the right combination of 11 CS classes completed in only 3-4 semesters.

[Cardinal Fang]

I'm amazed at your confidence in being able to take three computer science classes in one semester, seeing as so far you have taken zero computer science classes in any semester and you don't know how to program. If you want to study computer science, why are you not studying computer science right now? I hope at least you are solid in linear algebra and calculus-based probability, and that you have some knowledge of discrete math.

[TWNeal]

UCBAlumnus: So do you recommend that I take less than three computer science courses at a time? (Note that I will only be taking 12-13 hour semesters.)

LoremIpsum: I am fully aware of the prerequisite structure at both schools and took that into account when I said I could finish in 3-4 semesters after transferring. UNC is very flexible in that regard, but NC State may indeed prove a little difficult to fit everything in if there are scheduling problems.

Cardinal: Why would I study computer science now if I'm paying money to go to a top-notch program to study it next year? I am currently building a foundation for computer science: Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, and Calculus-based General Physics 1 this semester; Probability and Statistics, Discrete Methods, Calc-based Physics 2, and Intro to Java Programming next semester.

Somebody please answer this question: what would be a more valuable investment of my time--a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science OR a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science along with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Digital Media (two separate degrees, not a double major)?

[Cardinal Fang]

Cardinal: Why would I study computer science now if I'm paying money to go to a top-notch program to study it next year?

To find out if (1) you can do it and (2) you like it.

[LoremIpsum]

Why would I study computer science now if I'm paying money to go to a top-notch program to study it next year?

Cardinal Fang listed two good reasons. A third would be to expedite your fluency in being able to complete all the assignments when taking a very heavy CS course load. Both my son are/were CS majors and both were heavily self-taught before taking formal CS classes. As a consequence, both breeze(d) through assignments in a fraction of the time it takes/took their less experienced classmates.

[Cardinal Fang]

What LoremIpsum says is true. You're planning to take upper-level CS classes while you take the lower-level classes. Assuming this is even possible (at some schools, many upper-level classes have a prerequisite two- or three-semester introductory sequence of classes) the other students in the upper-level classes will know more than you. In one's first two years of programming, one improves very fast. You'll be at the bottom of that curve and your fellow students will be near the top.

[turbo93]

I'm amazed at your confidence in being able to take three computer science classes in one semester, seeing as so far you have taken zero computer science classes in any semester and you don't know how to program.

In the summer of '83 I think I took Computer Architecture, Programming Languages, and Operating Systems (all 400 level) in one 2 1/2 month long summer and walked out with 2 A's and a B. That was using PL/1 on a Multics system - things are a LOT easier nowdays and I don't think assignments are any different.

You want to see homework, sophomore Architecture (my daughter is in it). 3 classes, 2 studios and a history/theory course. Plus Teletubies Physics 101. About 3 all nighters per week.

So, no, I don't think 3 comp sci classes and one related class is a problem. The problem is that you can't take 3 classes the first year due to prerequisites, so the 1st semester 1 course, 2nd maybe 2, and hello 4 semesters and 2 summers.