Information Technology or Computer Science?

Hello All,

So I've been thinking a lot lately about going back to school for my Bachelor's. What should I go for, a Computer Science program, or an Information Technology program?

I currently have my A+, Net+, and am working on my CCNA. My short term (-5years) goal is to land an entry level network engineer job. But I'm not so certain on my long-term goal (10+ years)... I might end up wanting to get into Computer Science Research and pursue my Phd.. I'm certainly not sure of that at this point, but I want to head in a direction that can support that if the time comes.

My main question is already listed.. But also:

If I do go for my Information Technology degree, could I later enroll for a Computer Science Graduates program, or are the two degrees not similar enough for that?? If not, what kind of Graduates/Phd programs can I pursue after a IT degree, and what kind of work would they get me into?

Are there any routes I could take that would complement my definite goals of Network Engineering while still keeping my dreams of Computer Science Research alive???

Thanks a lot for your input everyone! I know this question was a mouthful!

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Comments

da_vato

Though I may be biased I would recommend Computer Science mainly because it builds the strongest foundation (in my opinion).

As for future goals to do a Computer Science graduate degree, you will most likely have to take some pre-requisites, if you pursue anything other than computer science.

Most degree programs will tell you what kind of jobs you can expect after graduation. Computer Science is one of the few that pretty much qualifies you for all IT jobs.

bbugyi200

da_vato wrote: »

Though I may be biased I would recommend Computer Science mainly because it builds the strongest foundation (in my opinion).

As for future goals to do a Computer Science graduate degree, you will most likely have to take some pre-requisites, if you pursue anything other than computer science.

Most degree programs will tell you what kind of jobs you can expect after graduation. Computer Science is one of the few that pretty much qualifies you for all IT jobs.

Thanks for your opinion da_vato. I think I have been starting to lean towards this route.

I live near the Philadelphia area. I do not have the best high-school history, but will have 4 years of experience in the field and my A+, Net+, and CCNA certs by the time I would have to apply for college. Hopefully that kind of thing is smiled upon when they are looking at applications. I'm also pretty intent on working full-time through my degree.

If you were me, what schools would you look into?

N2IT

Another vote for CS

Trashman

The mathematics in Computer Science is no walk in the park, especially when talking about PhD.
I recommend you to be well prepared and know your math skills well before attending any Computer Science programs.

Some Information Technology programs have a combination of business and IT where you don't dig as deep as in Computer Science, but still learn programming, virtualization, server stuff etc. but less of the research type of things.

That's why you need math skills to even get into CS.

Browse through a few universities websites and look through the details for the CS programs to familiarize yourself with the subjects.

kurosaki00

Do you want to do computer science or Info Sys? Different degrees.
Do you like programming and the logical aspects?
If you want to pursue CS, pursue CS.

At least for now CS degrees are way more complete, challenging and valuable than InfoSys degrees. They've been around for quite a lot more too.
My major was in CS and even though where I work right now it doesnt help much. Where I used to work and in life in general it has come handy.

Sylice

If you cant handle the mathematics for CS then go for Information Technology. However, if you're decent at math and understand the concepts etc, then go for the CS degree.

Im going for the I.T degree with a concentration in Computer Networking, here:
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-tecs/techsystems/upload/BS_in_ICT_14_flyer.pdf

Tyb

If you want to work in networking or servers go Information Technology, if you want to delve more into programming Computer Science.

jabokim

You should just focus on the computer science stuff since that's your dream

Sylice

Tyb wrote: »

If you want to work in networking or servers go Information Technology, if you want to delve more into programming Computer Science.

Indeed, thats why I'am going for the I.T degree with a concentration in Computer Networking.

da_vato

I believe the majority of people think a computer Science degree is only for programming.... this is false. The following is an example of career opportunities with the degree in question.

With a doctoral degree in Computer Science from UNM, students are ready to:

Protect computational systems from malicious acts
Scale up computational systems to solve large societal challenges
Develop new ways to visualize and interact with data
Work with molecular computing

Though programming is taught in Computer Science that is not what is about.

Trashman

Sylice wrote: »

If you cant handle the mathematics for CS then go for Information Technology. However, if you're decent at math and understand the concepts etc, then go for the CS degree.

Im going for the I.T degree with a concentration in Computer Networking, here:
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-tecs/techsystems/upload/BS_in_ICT_14_flyer.pdf

Nice program indeed.
Even a bit of Health & Exercise involved

Doyen

If the mathematics is too much for you yet you are still interested in computer science, I would recommend looking for applied computer science degree or maybe a bachelor of the arts in computer science degree. They are still computer science degrees, yet don't involve some technical classes and sciences like physics. The bachelor of arts may require less credits, but they typically require a secondary language as a requirement.

bbugyi200

Sylice wrote: »

If you cant handle the mathematics for CS then go for Information Technology. However, if you're decent at math and understand the concepts etc, then go for the CS degree.

Im going for the I.T degree with a concentration in Computer Networking, here:
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-tecs/techsystems/upload/BS_in_ICT_14_flyer.pdf

This does really look like an excellent program. I love how they prepare you for your CCNP. That really pinpoints my career goals.

Thanks for your response Sylice.

Sylice

bbugyi200 wrote: »

This does really look like an excellent program. I love how they prepare you for your CCNP. That really pinpoints my career goals.

Thanks for your response Sylice.

No problem. But remember, a degree alone wont get you far. Get certs, interns and show your skills off at job fairs.

Doyen

Sylice wrote: »

No problem. But remember, a degree alone wont get you far. Get certs, interns and show your skills off at job fairs.

Great advice

We get so concerned about degrees, we forget how we have to compliment it with certs, experience, and career networking.

TechGuru80

CS...you basically create what you need a computer to do.

IT...in a lot of cases use commercial products dealing with the interaction between the business and technology.

If you have no degree it won't matter much for a while when doing general education but in many cases some classes might overlap. CS generally requires high level math courses by the departments.