What is the difference between:

Information Tech - Software Development versus Computer Science


I can only afford and attend to a local college and they are the best so far I've read.

you'll have to look at the curriculum. schools often have different names for similar degrees.

my guess: the former focuses more on coding and the latter more on theory.

A Computer Science degree focuses on the science and theory of computing. The majority of the courses will be heavily rooted in the math and principles behind different areas of computing.

Information Technology degree focuses on the practical applications of computing (eg the business concerns). The majority of the courses will be centered around applying existing computing components (both software and hardware) to real world scenarios. Like maintaining DBs, Network design/analysis, Information security, etc.

Software Development/Engineering degree focuses primarily on the in's and out's of the software development lifecycle. Like an IT degree, it will focus on the practical applications of software development.

There are, of course, overlaps in the above 3 degrees. Computer Science is more general and theory based. And then IT and SE would be derivatives of CS. Which one is better is completely up to you and what you choose to do with your career.

Thanks for the answer guys.


I do want to get my CS degree though.

Is it possible to get the IT: Soft Dev then get my masters in CS?

You could do that but you'll be stuck taking extra pre-reqs for the CS MS program that you would have taken had you just done a CS BS.

Yeah, such a fucked up dilemma

In my opinion I would go with CS. The math and theory help a lot with the problem-solving skills that most companies look for, and the software development is something you can build on after you set up your foundation in computer science.

With CS you definitely won't be a stranger to coding and you probably won't have a very difficult time learning software development

I want to do CS, but CS isn't online in most schools. So I will keep looking for CS. CS is the degree that I want. Just wanted to see if it's comparable.

Comparable? Yes. But to what extent? Software development is merely a subset of Computer Science.

That's like saying you are a mechanic because you can change a tire. Changing tires is part of automotive mechanics, sure. But if that is all you know it's not going to do you too good.

Precisely what I thought, plus the course load was way different. I did not really like it. I rather do Computer Science. So I'm finding different schools. Of which, I think I found one that is relatively priced too and within my distance.

gpc.edu

I'd rather go to

gsu.edu

but too expensive and commute would be a bitch everyday.