Ask HN: Do employers care whether my Computer Science degree is a B.A. or B.S?

[ISloop]

Yes, it's a serious question. I'm a community college student who is applying this fall to transfer into a University of California. Although most universities offer CS as a B.S. degree, some offer it in BOTH B.S. and B.A. The B.S. degree would require me to stay an extra year to finish a math class and the physics series, however I've been in CC for too long and would like to transfer as soon as possible.

I was thinking of going for the B.A. degree, but I would like to know if that would put me at a disadvantage later on when I'm applying for jobs. Thanks.

[ja27]

I don't think any of the bosses I've ever had would realize that there's a difference. Maybe 1 in 100 would even think to find out why the letter is different. I would probably notice and there's a slim chance I'd ask what's different about it out of curiosity but it wouldn't make much of a difference to me. The fact that you're the kind of person that even knows the difference would be more important to me.

[mikegerwitz]

Many employers do not even care if you have a degree.

I remember when I applied for my first full-time, non-freelancing job. I do not have a degree (I had been in the field for long enough to feel that I had significant experience), so I would not bother looking at postings that requested one. Therefore, I did not bother submitting my resume to my that employer.

Instead, a headhunter found my resume, the company interviewed me and they ended up hiring me. I was fairly close with the person responsible for hiring me, and he stated that the degree never crossed his mind. Instead, they looked at the source code for one of my free software projects at the time and thought that I would be fit for the position.

I was later actively involved in the interviewing process for new candidates, and a degree was the last thing on any of most our minds. In fact, when asking for code samples, we found that many with degrees had only elementary knowledge because they only completed what was necessary for the course, but did not apply themselves any further.

That said, these were the opinions of my employer; others may not feel the same way. If you are able to provide extensive examples of your work to your employer (e.g. source code if you are applying for a programming position), that is likely to be more representative of your ability than a degree that only says "Yeah, (s)he completed this course."

[tomg]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: They do not.

[brudgers]

You can always take the math and physics at UC after you are admitted. Universities tend to be pretty flexible about such things. You could also take them at a community college or other institution over a summer after you are admitted.

The first big thing is to get your associates and get to the university.

Good luck.

[ISloop]

Thanks. Unfortunately admissions are extremely competitive, and I hear only the people with high GPA + all finished pre-reqs get in. I figure if I get accepted somewhere, I'd rather focus on the CS/programming material than finishing classes that are irrelevant to my major.

[brudgers]

What I am suggesting is that it is not likely to be particularly difficult to get faculty support to switch from a BA to a BS once you are in the department.

[jimmahoney]

My experience from other science fields suggests that the difference between a BA and a BS may be as much about the school as the academic program. I went to MIT, which gives BS for music and other humanities. My wife went to Middlebury, which gave her a BA in chemistry, as they do in all the sciences.

A bachelor's degree - BA or BS - is more about your particular courses and program of study than anything about the letters.

I'm still in academia - at a liberal arts college, marlboro.edu - and don't have much experience with what employers want. But my CS students - most with BA's - seem to be doing fine.

[tsuyoshi]

Some employers say they want a BS. But it usually just means they didn't consider that CS BA degrees exist. Hardly any employers ever actually verify you have a degree at all. Usually the ones that split hairs over this stuff are places you don't want to work at, because it boils down to: this hypothetical employer cares whether you took another two classes.

Case in point: when I applied to grad school it did seem to be a big deal that I have a BA and not a BS. I took this (among other things) as a sign I didn't actually want to go to that school...

[jshintaku]

I maybe wrong but I believe it depends on what you want to do with your degree. If you want to do video game programming I would think that the core physics coursework would be a definite prerequisite. I'm pretty sure more hardware related firms might also look into your science coursework as well. This will probably be less important if you want to pursue web programming or something more high level.

[JoeAltmaier]

I don't care if you even have a degree. Your interview may not even involve schoolwork, unless you bring up a project.

We're hiring at our startup, Sococo. Check it out, now or when you graduate.

[ISloop]

Thanks for the feedback. Although I'm not experienced enough in programming to be valuable anywhere, I will definitely look into your startup when I significantly improve my skills.

I have another question. I see you're located in Mountain View. I'm assuming you receive a lot of applications from top tier universities such as Stanford and Berkeley. Is the degree still not that important?

Assuming you get two applicants of equal ability, one is from a top tier college and the other from...let's say a CSU college. Would you be biased towards the more elite applicant?

Sorry if these questions are silly. I'm really interested in the recruiter's perspective though.

[JoeAltmaier]

All of our applications are from references or cold calls. We don't filter anything, at least as far as I know.

I'm from a state U. Our chief Architect completed his degree decades after leaving college. Our VP of Eng. has no degree. Humility aside, all are top-knotch professionals with years of experience.

Of course we also have PhD's and Stanford graduates. Because they rock. But other people rock too.

We'v hired unknown people based on personal references, and we have a great team. Enthusiasm, smarts, a willingness to jump into a chaotic environment and swim like mad to stay afloat are all more important than technical credits.

[geoffsanders]

How does a degree in computer science be anything but a B.S.? It would seem a bit contradictory the other way, or in the least a misnomer...

[tonyjwang]

I have a friend who got her BA in CS at Yale. She's now in law school and unable to apply for the patent bar because of it, which isn't a big deal since she'll be a patent litigator, but it is an odd wrinkle in the system.

[benholmen]

No.

Find something interesting to work on while you're in school. You'll gain experience and have something to talk about in job interviews.

[20120406]

I have a ba in computer science from cornell and it hasn't been a problem. Initially wanted to be a philosophy major.

[ISloop]

So did your curriculum involve a decent amount of liberal arts classes mixed with CS classes? Do you think your understanding of computer science is as solid as the people who did the B.S. program?

[sumukh1]

Considering that a lot of employers state that they want a CS Degree OR equivalent experience you should be fine.

[lifeinafolder]

If I were you, I would be bothered about bigger issues about joining such a company.

[jister]

I don't think they would but it would be a big plus if you have a DEGREE.