Computer Science Degrees: Top Careers

A degree in computer science offers more top career choices than any other discipline today. Computer science degrees can lead to a career as a computer software engineer, computer hardware engineer, computer systems analyst, database administrator, computer and information systems manager, computer scientist, operations research analyst, mathematician, an atmospheric scientist, computer scientist teacher and even a video game designer. Just about every one of these positions requires a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited technical school, college or university.

Depending on your lifestyle, you may choose to complete your degree on-campus or throughhttp://www.best-technical-schools.com/articles/online-computer-science-degrees an online degree program. Students that prefer to work full-time while completing their degree usually choose the online option. When considering technical schools or universities, whether online or on-campus, you should pay close attention to elements ranging from admission standards and accreditation to curriculum and history. For example, admission standards are usually the same for accredited traditional programs and accredited online programs.

An accredited school will request information such as test scores, transcripts, recommendation letters, statement of purpose, and samples of your work if applicable. If the school does not request this information, chances are it has not been accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It is important to keep in mind that employer’s prefer candidates with a computer science degree from an accredited school. You may check the accreditation status for all schools at www.ed.gov.

After checking the admission requirements and accreditation, check the school’s curriculum. According to Best-technical-schools.com, top online technical and traditional schools should have similar curriculums. The standard curriculum for computer science degrees (Bachelor of Science in Computer Science) typically requires 360 units or 124 credit hours divided into the following sections:

-Computer Science

-Mathematics/Probability

-Engineering and Natural Sciences

-Humanities and Arts

-Required Minor

-Free Electives

Major courses may include but are not limited to introduction to data structures, principles of programming, introduction to computer systems, algorithm design and analysis, foundations of software engineering, database applications, computational discrete mathematics, computer networks, and probability and computing.

To begin your search for top technical schools, traditional computer science degree programs and more, try college directories such as Best-technical-schools.com or search through sites such as Princetonreview.com, or U.S. News & World Report college rankings. For detailed salary information for your chosen field, a great place to look is BLS.gov. You can also find out about education requirements, job outlook, and more. Good luck!