How to Choose Between College CS and IT Majors: Which One is Right for You?

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Note: This article was written by Miranda Scardina

Juniors and seniors in high school reach a difficult point in their student lives where they’re faced with figuring out the answer to the question: “What am I doing after high school?” For many, the answer to this is going to college. However, once that’s decided, choosing which major they want to pursue in college is another stressful decision.

For those that want to enter the world of CS, choosing a college major can be especially confusing. Many colleges offer different CS majors that all have to do with computers and programming, but it can be extremely tough to decide which of the various majors to pursue. This is largely in part because many do not completely understand the differences in coursework and job paths that each CS-related major could bring. To help with this, I will be going over the most common types of CS majors:

Computer Science degree:

This major is what most people will think of when they think about a degree in CS. In the Computer Science degree, you learn how to use programming skills in various languages to improve the operations and organization of computers, enhance information system protection, as well as refine existing computer products and services. Choosing this degree will guide students into a specific field of CS such as A.I, virtual or augmented reality, security, etc.

Computer Engineering:

In this major, both the hardware and software of computers are taught in order to be able to efficiently merge the two. This will allow the student to create whole computer systems using electrical engineering, and apply knowledge and skills learned to formulate solutions and innovations in technology. As in the name, this field includes more field work, building, and designing, as well as programming computer systems. Simply described as electrical engineering x computer science.

Data Science:

In this major, students are taught statistics and how to use computers and code to analyze, organize, and manipulate data. With these skills, students of the data science major can propose calculated decisions, strategies, and plans for businesses and any other kind of organization based on data. Those who can read outcomes and make predictions from analyzing data (data scientists) are highly valuable in any organization.

Software Engineering:

A software engineering degree focuses on the technical skills students will need as professionals after they graduate. They will learn how to design whole software systems and maintain them. This is different from the Computer Science degree and Comp. Engineering as it focuses on the computation theory of programming, writing algorithms, and developing software programs to run a computer system or solve a problem. Courses in this class will also teach web design and networking.

Now that the commonly confused IT majors have been explained, I would like to add that:

1. Choosing a major is a big decision, but it is not absolute! If after some time in one major you decide it is just not for you, majors can be switched after going through a rather simple process (depending on which major you’re switching to). Therefore, choose your major based on what you will enjoy and would like to do in the future, but if it turns out you don’t want to pursue that anymore, changing majors is quite a common occurrence, so don’t overstress!
2. Getting a bachelors and/or masters in one degree can open up multiple paths. For instance, if a student chooses to major in Computer Science and they get their degree, they do not have to go into A.I. or cyber security. Getting a degree in CS can also lead to becoming a software engineer, even if they did not major in software engineering. Businesses are looking for all kinds of people with all kinds of skills and experiences, so do not think that your future career is limited to something most commonly done with your degree. Pursue your passion!