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It depends if the CS department is in an engineering college/school as part of the larger institution. In colleges without engineering programs, its often in a

It depends if the CS department is in an engineering college/school as part of the larger institution. In colleges without engineering programs, its often in a liberal arts and sciences school.

dragonwriter 10y ago
Often, "liberal arts and sciences schools" offer both liberal arts (B.A.) and sciences (B.S.) degrees, the former having more breadth requirements and the latter more depth in the major field; quite often they offer both types of degrees for some STEM fields. IME, which may not be representative, Computer Science is far less likely to have B.A. programs than either Math or most physical sciences.
- tzs 10y ago
  BA vs. BS can be quite confusing in STEM fields. In the United States, there is no standard for how they differ. All of the following exist in the wild: • BS only. (Caltech, for example. In fact, Caltech only offers BS for everything. Even English majors--and yes, there is an occasional English major at Caltech--end up with a BS). • BA only. UC Berkeley is an example in this category for math and physics. • Both are offered, with identical coursework and requirements. You can have whichever you want. Some will even for a small fee give you two diplomas, so you can use whichever seems appropriate for the situation. • Both are offered, from the same department, with different in-major coursework and aims. One may be aimed toward students aiming to go into research, and one toward those aiming to go into teaching, for instance. • Both are offered, from different departments. For example, UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Sciences offers a BA in chemistry, and the College of Chemistry offers a BS in chemistry. Computer science can be taken at Berkeley in the College of Letters and Science for a BA, or in the College of Engineering for a BS. • Both are offered, with the same in-major coursework, but differ in out-of-major requirements. So, the BA and BS would require the exact same science and math courses, but the BA has specific breadth requirements to produce a well rounded education, whereas the BS lets you take pretty much what you want as long as you satisfy the math and science requirements and any general requirements of your school. I generally just say that I have a bachelor's degree in mathematics. If someone thinks they need to know if it is a BA or a BS, I ask what they are really trying to figure out.

It depends if the CS department is in an engineering college/school as part of the larger institution. In colleges without engineering programs, its often in a liberal arts and sciences school.

dragonwriter 10y ago

Often, "liberal arts and sciences schools" offer both liberal arts (B.A.) and sciences (B.S.) degrees, the former having more breadth requirements and the latter more depth in the major field; quite often they offer both types of degrees for some STEM fields. IME, which may not be representative, Computer Science is far less likely to have B.A. programs than either Math or most physical sciences.

tzs 10y ago
BA vs. BS can be quite confusing in STEM fields. In the United States, there is no standard for how they differ. All of the following exist in the wild: • BS only. (Caltech, for example. In fact, Caltech only offers BS for everything. Even English majors--and yes, there is an occasional English major at Caltech--end up with a BS). • BA only. UC Berkeley is an example in this category for math and physics. • Both are offered, with identical coursework and requirements. You can have whichever you want. Some will even for a small fee give you two diplomas, so you can use whichever seems appropriate for the situation. • Both are offered, from the same department, with different in-major coursework and aims. One may be aimed toward students aiming to go into research, and one toward those aiming to go into teaching, for instance. • Both are offered, from different departments. For example, UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Sciences offers a BA in chemistry, and the College of Chemistry offers a BS in chemistry. Computer science can be taken at Berkeley in the College of Letters and Science for a BA, or in the College of Engineering for a BS. • Both are offered, with the same in-major coursework, but differ in out-of-major requirements. So, the BA and BS would require the exact same science and math courses, but the BA has specific breadth requirements to produce a well rounded education, whereas the BS lets you take pretty much what you want as long as you satisfy the math and science requirements and any general requirements of your school. I generally just say that I have a bachelor's degree in mathematics. If someone thinks they need to know if it is a BA or a BS, I ask what they are really trying to figure out.