What's a good IT degree to get

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by tsimmns92782, Jul 14, 2015.

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  1. tsimmns92782

    tsimmns92782 New Member

    Besides Compuer Science does it really matter? Will a degree in information technology be looked at better than one in CIS or MIS or just information statements or cyber security? Also, does anyone on here have a degree in CIS from Thomas Edison State College and if so has it helped your career?
     
  2. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    i think title don't play as much of a role as compared to the modules you've studied in your degree program.

    just saying.
     
  3. tsimmns92782

    tsimmns92782 New Member

    What modules should I be looking for in the program? I know the basic ones are C+, and advanced C+. Do you think the modules from TESC CIS program are quality courses or even the ones for the MIS requirements at Columbia College in MO?
     
  4. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    it depends on what you want to do. perhaps you should research the different job fields within IT and see what each of them desire from a college graduate. then u could try to sequence your degree as close to it as possible.

    TESC is good in a sense, it let's you test out many of the classes to hasten your college time. But i'm not sure if the CIS program let's you test out everything. You might want to compare some school's IT programs and see what they offer. You can look into Oregon Tech's online degree in IT, Minot State University's online degree in Management Info Sys, and University of Florida's online degree in Computer Science. Have a look at the 3 and see how they are different and what they have that are the same. You'll roughly find a 'common core' that all IT practitioners must learn, and then there's the 'specialization' that you can develop on your own.
     
  5. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Normally in the IT world does not matter, but most employers in my own experience prefer someone with Computer Science major. Especially, in the world of scripting language; python is really favorable for those folks in IT.
     
  6. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    You can completely test out of TESC's CIS program, but it's not a CIS major. It is a business administration degree with 18 credits in CIS. That is different from majoring in computer science, computer information systems, or information technology. If you don't have any experience in the field or haven't done much self-studying outside of completing your degree, the BSBA in CIS is not going to give you that much computer knowledge. Employers may not care much that you didn't actually major in CIS, but they will care if you don't have much IT knowledge. The federal government usually prefers computer science and engineering over IT and IS degrees.
     
  7. tsimmns92782

    tsimmns92782 New Member

    Thanks for the replies. I really just want a degree and maybe a Masters to be able to apply for the Federal Government jobs at the GS 9 level where you can substitute education for experience. Not that I will even land one, but the degrees would help. I realize Computer Science is the best to have but like Sanatone mentioned engineering might be useful as well. For this I have considered the CS degree at Tesc Or get a degree in anything and then try the online CS degree from OSU. Does anyone have experience from the SOftware engineering degree from ASU. I could go the IT route at AMU, but not sure how much it would help in the job process. I have other training that could always help me with a job doing aircraft maintenance, but eventually want the govt IT jobs. I have also looked at the CIS programs at Columbia College and the MIS degree there also all at Minot State University. I guess I just truly don't know which degree besides the CS Ones would be the best. I would like to avoid CS at this point as most of my previous credits are GE and business so knocking out something fast is my ideal option to be able to check the box.
     
  8. tsimmns92782

    tsimmns92782 New Member

    Also, since my degree from my previous B & M school is terrible should I be taking some lower level GE classes that I still need somewhere like Clovis CC or AMU to help the GPA? I'm planning on taking ENGLISH II and Programming I and public speaking along with a science and history this upcoming semester. If I took them at Clovis CC would they be able to transfer to most schools like possibly ASU if I went that route.
     
  9. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    I took some ASU computer science classes online. It's assignment based + mid year/final year exams. The exams are done on your own laptop/PC. they will have you install a program that locks your computer so you won't be able to access websites and other programs, and only have access to the exam itself. i'm considering finishing a software engineering degree at ASU since I've already done alot of the lower level credits for their program. but at $500/hour, it's expensive. If you are a florida resident, you can consider UF's online in Computer Science, it's $100/hour for in state and $500/hour for out of state. or University of Illinois @ Springfield, they have a computer science program online. It's $350/hour.

    ASU has a credit evaluation system you can use to check if the courses you take will transfer in.

    https://webapp4.asu.edu/transfercreditguide/app/home

    You submit your course you intend to take from your home college with the syllabus. ASU will get back to you to see what does the course transfer into.
    To graduate from ASU, you need to do 30 credits in residence. So if you can take/find 90 credits of classes outside to do that will transfer in, you can/could cut your cost down.
     
  10. RacerBoy

    RacerBoy New Member

    don't have much knowledge about that you written. But I want to know about cyber security. Can someone help me about this.
     
  11. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  12. Lavendar

    Lavendar New Member


    Hi! Did ASU use camera for the proctor program (software) besides the lock down browser? Thank you for your reply.
     
  13. nyvrem

    nyvrem Active Member

    hihi !

    nope, just a lock down on your laptop.
     
  14. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    This is a bit off-topic but it would be helpful to me (and maybe others) ifsomeone could make a concise summary statement on the distinction between Computer Science and Information Technology as fields of study and careers. There are times when it seems that people use the terms interchangeably and yet Iknow they are not identical. Thanks.
     
  15. Rifleman

    Rifleman New Member


    [​IMG]

    The above is pretty useful. EE/CE may develop a piece of hardware, CS may develop a programming language, SE may create software, and IT/IS will implement that technology for an organization's end goals. This is certainly simplified. Can someone with an IT/IS degree end up in a software development role? Yes. But they won't be developing hardware (CE) or designing a compiler (CS). Likewise, a help desk/IT person that resolves issues with your machine at work is unlikely to be a EE/CE/CS/SE.

    A bare minimum CS degree would cover discrete math, data structures, assembly language, operating systems, and algorithms. An IT degree will cover a variety of subjects depending on the institution (not the case for CS), as the term itself is fairly broad. This often covers the latest (hopefully) technology that is being used in the wild. An operating systems course in a CS degree will discuss things like polling, scheduling, memory management, file systems, etc. A similarly titled course in an IT program could cover some of these things, or focus more on using the command line to leverage the operating system's power. Very different types of courses with similar titles.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 30, 2015
  16. novadar

    novadar Member

    Unless said EE/CE/CS/SE degree is not from a "known quantity" institution in the field. Pure Product Development positions recruit from the top institutions (Cal Tech, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and others I've left off). You will definitely find EE/CE/CS/SE folks in IS/IT jobs if their program was from Named Directional State University. They will work right along side Liberal Arts majors. My point is that while there nothing wrong with EE/CE/CS/SE majors, don't get one from a school without a name in the industry for those majors. You will be just as well off with MIS/IT or even, heaven forbid, History or Philosophy.
     
  17. Rifleman

    Rifleman New Member

    I never said otherwise. However, I have never met someone with an EE/CE/CS degree serving as a level one help desk tech. Never. There may be outliers, but that certainly is not the norm. Now are they working in the "information technology" field? Yes. That's a pretty broad industry.


    I wholeheartedly disagree. This is straight crazy talk. There are many, many development positions available, more than enough to go around. You do not need to go to a top 50 school to secure these jobs. A degree in history will not prepare you to secure a software engineering position out of school. Nor will philosophy. Can you get a help desk job with a history degree and some industry certifications? Probably, yes. Can you slide right into a dev position after majoring in CS from an otherwise unmentionable state school? Yes, and you have a much better chance at doing so than someone who majored in English.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 31, 2015
  18. novadar

    novadar Member

    No crazy talk here dude. I work for a major software company, one of the "wise old men" of the industry, there's hardly anyone in our Development positions (Software Engineer) who went to a lower tier school. Product Management, Sales Engineering and Services are chock full of History, English and other majors and of course plenty of MIS/IT folks. I have a History undergraduate degree. I used to think I was an exception but the more folks I get to know better and "LinkedIn" I see other liberal arts degrees. I can almost guess the majors by the quality of the professional writing I encounter and ability to explain how our software works. Some of the best Sales Engineers and Consultants we have are "Liberal Arts" folks.

    Sure we can broadly define development jobs and yes there are plenty at smaller companies (nothing wrong with that) but if one is dreaming of the 100K starting salaries as a developer -- I mean core products not Web/UI/UIX, they need to go to a brand-name school.

    YMMV. I've gotten tons of miles out of my History degree and MPA.

    Keep truckin Rifleman.
     
  19. LifeLearn

    LifeLearn New Member

    A few of my friends have had pretty successful careers without any certificates or degrees at all. Back when they started it wasn't necessary and they were hobbyists turned professional when demand was high. One of then got into the industry because he was there as a mail guy but a VP saw him help one of the programmers fix his code and offered him a job. This type of stuff probably never happens anymore.

    They are all in stable jobs and earning and 7 figure salaries, and not in Silicon Valley or NY. Now they are considering getting a degree because so many jobs these days require a BS in Computer Science just to get past the screening. I wonder how much value there is in getting a BS when you already have 20 years of experience.

    The lesson I learn from this is that you may not need a BS in CS/EE/CE to get a job today, but this could change in the future. If you intend to be in the industry for a long time, your options may be limited if you don't have the right degree. It almost doesn't matter what school it's from at that point. It just helps you to get through the screening.
     
  20. yak342

    yak342 Member

    A BS in Computer Science would be a good degree to earn. 7.5 years ago, I earned a BS in Computer Science through FSU's distance learning program. After I graduated, I started working as a software engineer and I'm still doing that now.
     

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