Accounting Applied Associate Degree In In Science, compsci degree names ?
I hope someone can answer this. I see that Regents has a four year
bachelor's degree in computer technology.
Is this equivalent in the US to a computer science degree?
My main concern here is that when I see the word technology I envision
soldering irons and oscilloscopes, whereas a science degree implies a
lot more theoretical and mathematical work. Is this distinction the same
across the US, or is a four year 'computer' degree the same, whether
computer tech or science?
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) provides an
explaination of the difference between an engineer and an engineering
technologist on their web site (http://www.abet.org/tac/9899TACr.html):
I.E.2.a. Engineering technology is a part of the technological field which
requires the application of scientific and engineering knowledge and
methods combined with technical skills in support of engineering activities;
it lies in the occupational spectrum between the craftsman and the
engineer at the end of the spectrum closest to the engineer. The term
"engineering technician" is applied to the graduates of associate degree
programs. Graduates of baccalaureate programs are called "engineering
technologists."
I.E.2.b. An engineering technology program is a planned sequence of
college-level courses designed to prepare students to work in the field of
engineering technology. The term "college-level" indicates the rigor and
degree of achievement required.
I looked at the degree descriptions on the Regent's web site and it looks to
me as if they are using the word "technology" roughly the same way ABET uses
it. It appears to me that their BS in computer information systems is
not quite as rigorous as a typical BS in computer science.
Their BS in computer technology emphasizes how to build computers while
their BS in computer information systems emphasizes how to use computers.
It seems to me that there are three main baccalaureate-level computer degrees
in the U.S. lately -- computer science, information systems and computer
technology.
Computer science programs were historically part of math departments (or, in
some cases, electrical engineering) and the typical curriculum reflects it.
It's usual for a BS in CS to include calculus through differential equations,
numerical analysis, linear algebra, discrete mathematics, a year or two of a
lab science (chemistry and/or physics), and a bunch of courses like analysis
of algorithms, formal grammars/automaton theory, and others that are
essentially continuations of discrete mathematics. It's the most theoretical
of the bunch. Regents College used to offer a BS and a BA in computer science
in its liberal arts program -- I haven't seen the liberal arts book for
awhile.
Information systems programs are somewhat newer and grew out of business
programs. In many cases, it's an area of specialization within a business
degree just as accounting or marketing or human resources might be. Regents
has an information systems specialty within its business program. Like the CS
program, this one includes some programming and systems analysis. Instead of
the math/science stuff there would be a core business program (business law,
marketing, principles of management, accounting, finance, economics,
production management and a couple that I've probably forgotten.) I've seen
some places make a distinction between "computer information systems" and
"management information systems" where CIS seems to be kind of a hybrid
between the IS and CS degrees.
I believe Regents degree you're talking about is "bachelor of science in
applied science and technology" (BSAST). I'm not sure about the historical
antecedents of these -- maybe another poster can shed some light on them.
Around here (Great Lakes area, USA) I first noticed them in what we used to
call "feeder schools" for the big state universities. These started out as
two-year colleges offering associate degrees or the first two years of a BS/BA
program, and when some of them grew into separate four-year colleges these
were the among first four-year degrees that they offered.
Employers around here seem to like bachelor's degrees with "applied science"
or "technology" in their titles, because the curriculum fits pretty closely
what they want entry-level employees to do. I suspect the Regents BSAST is
the best fit for people wanting credit for things like Novell, Microsoft and
A+ certifications ("best fit" meaning most credit applied to required courses
rather than electives), but I don't know for sure since I haven't seen the
Regents technology book in awhile, either.
On the down side, the "applied science/technology" degree is the one most
likely to be considered a "terminal" degree, and someone planning graduate
study soon after receiving it might be disappointed to find that they need a
lot of additional undergraduate coursework to be fully admitted into a grad
program.