<p>In my humble opinion (25 years in CS/I.T., mostly in databases/data architecture and now big data), you do NOT need to spend much money on a CS degree. Hell, you could go my route and have Applied Math as your primary major and CS as a concentration (or super-minor).</p>
<p>On top of that, the 2+2 route is the most economincal for a decent CS-type degree. Do 2 years at a communitiy college and the last 2 years at a good in-state university. There are really only 3 freshman/sophomore CS courses that a 4-year school is going to accept for transfer anyway. The following is a breakdown of the 2+2 route:</p>
<p>At the community college, take:
- Calculus I
- Calculus II
- Linear Algebra
- Discrete Math Structures
- Object-Oriented Programming 1 (Java or C++)
- Object-Oriented Programming 2 (Java or C++)
- Social Science courses for general education
- Arts/Humanities courses for general education
- English Composition courses for general education</p>
<p>At the 4-year university (after transferring) take:
- Computer Organization/Assembly Language (most 4-year schools won’t accept the CC’s version)
- Data Structures
- Operating Systems
- Database Systems
- Computer Networks
- Software Engineering (1 course to “tie” everything together)</p>
<p>Now your major can be any science/engineering program that can allow the above to fit (CS, CIS, Math, Physics or Engineering). I am on the fence with the “Organization of Programming Languages” course. That course certainly will not hurt. With the industry leaning toward big-data and analytics, I would also say taking a Probability/Statistics course as well as a Computational Stats course can help. Besides, you will need to know some Stats for your Computer Networks course.</p>
<p>There you go…an economical path to a CS-related degree to at least get you in the door. Once you are in the door, it is mostly about experience and keeping up with the current technology.</p>