Discrete Mathematics?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by rancho1, Jan 11, 2004.

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  1. jmcmurry

    jmcmurry New Member

    etech


    I took it, like i said, 5 years ago. I had no other math coursework done, and the Prof, Dr Metzger helped every step of the way to get me through the course....no guarantee he does the same now. If you are uncomfortable taking it, then yes do the pre-req, but all such classes will have this requirement, although as in the case of UND they do not "Require" that you take it (the pre-req)

    (man i have fat fingers...had to edit typo's)
     
  2. rancho1

    rancho1 New Member

    OK, I will look into that course.
     
  3. etech

    etech New Member

    Thanks jmcmurry..

    BTW racho1, I was looking at MIS degree requirements and I dont see anywhere mentioned that they accept IT certifications to satisfy any requirements. do you know if they would take Microsoft, CompTIA towards MIS degree ? how many credits ?
     
  4. rancho1

    rancho1 New Member

    Excelsior does not give any core credit for It exams for the MIS major, but it looks like they would give "free elective" credit for the IT exams for any major.
    Would be the same amount of credit as listed on the itdegree.com web site.
     
  5. etech

    etech New Member

    does anyone know if a MIS undergrad degree holds the same value as a BSCIS for employment in Computers/IT ? in case If I cant get through Discrete Math :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 14, 2004
  6. Pete

    Pete New Member

    In the computer field, what holds value is your skill set. If you want to be a kernel developer, get a degree in CS preferably a masters. This is probably non-negotiable. If you want to practice code-fu, get a degree in what interests you --- be it philosophy, math or English -- and learn to program on the side. Just my opinion. I find it humorous how people on this board debate the ins and outs of MIS/CIS/CS when I know so many people without degrees or unrelated degrees working as software engineers and in other IT related roles. If I were to sling a cat from my office at work, the odds that it'd hit someone with a computer related degree is about .25 :)

     
  7. etech

    etech New Member

    definitely dont want to be a core programmer. I have done Sys. Admin for a number of years but want to get into scripting probably shell, perl and some RDBMS (DB2, Oracle) and middleware administration. May also look into software testing and QA.
     
  8. dmprantz

    dmprantz New Member

    Just a brief comment:

    The SWT discrete course does NOT have any pre-reqs. I took it and never had to prove to them that I had them.

    That said, any one who takes any discrete course without being up and current on algebra is just asking for trouble. You'd be expected to know it. Further, I would highly recommend taking Calculus before discrete, as most schools have that as a pre-req.

    One other note, SWT being a public school in Texas has some weird requirement for having to have many GenEd courses before you can enroll. I think I got out of this some how, but call the DL department to verify that you won't have problems with that.

    I found the SWT course okay. The instructor was great, but I found much of the content out of place and poorly taught. That's MNSHO, YMMV.

    Daniel
     
  9. Pete

    Pete New Member

    I've worked in software testing before ... most of my former coworkers didn't (and still don't) have degrees or related degrees.

    How have you done SA work and not learned perl and shell scripting? Must be Winders admin ... though perl is great for that, too. I taught myself perl a while back and still use it occasionally. IMO perl is a great replacement for shell script (which I only see used for startup/shutdown scripts, etc. nowadays).

    I think you can get by with a half of shelf of O'Reilly books whatever computer field you get into ... unless you really want to pursue a degree in CIS/MIS. I enjoyed a couple of the IT /programming related courses I've taken over the years, however, most were yawners ...

    But to the topic, don't let discrete math deter you from pursuing the degree you want (or perceive that you need). It's a tough course for some because it involves proofs. If one has an inflated GPA, it may let some air out even if you work your butt off. Before you chose a course, check out the popular and lucid text Kenneth Rosen. You may find that even if you don't have all the pre-reqs, it's self-contained.

    Good Luck.

     
  10. chris

    chris New Member

    Discrete math

    (A+B)+C = D

    Where:
    A = married person
    B = married person
    C = Other Man/Woman
    D = Trouble

    Actually, isn't that algebra? :D
     
  11. Pete

    Pete New Member

    Re: Discrete math

    This is the original 'relational' algebra.
    Here is a rigorous proof of the nature of women.
    :)
     
  12. etech

    etech New Member

    simple.. I have done mostly Windows admin. Recently did some Unix admin and little perl scripting but no heavy scripting/programming. I will check out those maths courses and atleast give them a try.
     
  13. rancho1

    rancho1 New Member

    Finite Math vs Discrete Math

    Are they interchangable? I notcied I couldn't find any discrete math classes locally, but I saw that "finite math" courses listed in local colleges had a course description that seemed pretty similar.
    Has anyone fulfilled Excelsior's discrete math requirement for the CIS degree with a finite math class?
     
  14. Pete

    Pete New Member

    Re: Finite Math vs Discrete Math

    I would say no.

    Finite math courses are normally a smorgasbord of (pre-calc or no calc reqd) math topics: prob, stats, finance, linear equations, etc. This course is usually geared toward biz and social science majors.

    Discrete Math (or Discrete Structures) is a logical progression of topics that lead to a set of basic tools that aid in analysis and construction of computer algorithms.

     
  15. Laser100

    Laser100 New Member

    Indiana State University (ISU)

    Indiana State University offers a variety of math course at a distance. They also have a CIS degree.

    Check out the website at:

    http://web.indstate.edu/

    Paul
     
  16. etech

    etech New Member

    Re: Indiana State University (ISU)

    I could not find any CIS degree at ISU ?
     

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