Here's a list off the top of my head based on various names of degrees that I've seen perusing various colleges and universities. Bear in mind, the names and curricular content of the degree programs are subject to fluctuation and variability over time. Computer Science Software Engineering Computer Hardware Engineering Information Technology Management Information Systems Computer Information Systems Computer Networking Now here's some real examples from two colleges that I have attended and attained degrees from: Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN : Undergraduate: Computer Application Development, Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) Computer Forensics, BAS Computer Information Technology, Bachelor of Science (BS) Computer Science, BS Graduate: Computer Science, Master of Science (MS) Computer Science, PSM (Professional Science Master's) University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN : Graduate: Master of Science in Data Science Master of Science in Information Technology Master of Science in Software Engineering Master of Science in Software Management Master of Software Systems MS\MBA Dual degree In my opinion and experience, as a person who holds a Master's degree, a Bachelor's degree, two certificates, and an Associate's degree, when evaluating what kind of degree to go after, keep in mind that degrees are mostly meaningless scraps of paper in the end. Will you remember a 10th of the crap that they taught in college 5 years after you graduate? The most efficient and economical path in my opinion is to attend a community college and finish generals and all that crap, and then transfer to a 4-year program at a school that particularly is oriented towards transfers from Associate's programs. Finish a computer science related degree in the smallest amount of time possible, fewest amount of credits and courses (for example, if you can complete a graduate degree in 10 courses instead of 14, you're much better off with the 10 course degree). There is literally no benefit other than wasting more time and money for 4 additional courses, no matter how esoteric and cool sounding. Remember, degrees in the end are nothing but resume padding. In the computer science industry in particular, having a Master's degree doesn't mean jack shit, as most people can get by with just a Bachelor's degree. I graduated with a Master's degree and I still had to climb the corporate ladder like everyone else, starting with shoveling shit entry level jobs before I had built enough experience to be taken seriously by management and recruiters and was also able to negotiate my salary to a fairly decent level to be able to pay off my fucking student loans (and it'll still take me 4 - 5 years to do so). The most important thing is to obtain an entry-level job as a software developer or software engineer right away, so you can start a career as a programmer. Otherwise you might be stuck doing QA, a form of glorified computer janitation where your technical knowledge and skills aren't used to the fullest potential as they would if you were a true developer or software engineer. Once you land your first job, you will likely be stuck in that field for the rest of your career because companies and their drone recruiters will pigeon hole you into that career path. For example, Bob got a job as a software engineer, he'll be a developer the rest of his career. Bill got a job as a QA Analyst, he'll be QA the rest of his career. Look at Jane's LinkedIn profile, last five years history, all Business Analyst positions. In my advice, stay away from esoteric sounding degrees like Computer Forensics. These are mainly an academic response to the mass market stupidity and popularity of shows like CSI. Unless you have a job offer lined up for after you graduate with a law enforcement agency, most actual and realistic job opportunities will be as described in the following. Now on to the actual jobs. There are a finite number of actual jobs in computer science, and they have very specific titles: Software Engineer\Developer Quality Assurance Analyst\QA Engineer Automation Analyst\Automation Engineer (considered part of QA) Business Analyst Project Manager IT Specialist\Generalist\Helpdesk Network Engineer\Technician Software Architect\Data Architect Database Administrator Entry-level are usually Software Developers and QA. I have seen some rare Associate Project Management as entry-level, but generally experienced Developers can move on to Project Management or Software Architects. QA can move into management. There are most specialist positions like BA's and DBA's, it is possible to move from one area to another, but as always entry-level is a bitch and extremely hard to get into. The most lucrative of these in terms of challenge and ability to use computer science, is software engineer, software developer. QA gets to use computer science in daily job, but only like 25% of it. Automation Engineers, maybe more like 60%. Database Administrators are basically 100% SQL and relational database management theory. The most boring of these jobs would in my opinion be Business Analyst. Completely non-technical. Be in meetings 75% of the day, write down technical software requirements and prioritize them by ranking in Excel or SharePoint. In my opinion the worst track to pursue would be IT\Helpdesk\Network Engineers, as these are not considered true computer science occupations, most like ancillary corporate computer support (not to step on anyone's toes here, as these positions are still valuable to the business of course). But job satisfaction is pretty low, and stress is pretty high, from what I've heard from entry-level IT\Helpdesk people I've spoken with. As for what degree prepares one for which of the aforementioned career tracks, it's all up for grabs. Computer Science is the most general catch-all degree, and most people in the industry have this degree. However, this degree is packed chock full of hard, unnecessary math courses because of the youngness and immaturity of academia as a discipline that is able to keep up with the fast moving computer science industry. If you want to be a developer, I would recommend start looking into courses on web development with languages such as HTML\CSS\JavaScript, as well as stuff like client\server model and such. If you want to be a database administrator, master the hell out of relational database management systems theory and SQL, and spend less time on web development or other languages. SQL specialists will spend their careers doing nothing but SQL, ERD diagrams, database tuning and such. In my opinion nowadays all the entry-level jobs are in QA, it's really fucking hard to get a job as a true developer or software engineer, and part of that is the fact that HTML\CSS\JavaScript and mobile development with iOS isn't being taught in schools, which still to this day tend to focus more on esoteric bullshit theoretical subjects, with "hard" courses like data structures and database stuff being the true "weed-out" courses for people who won't be able to hack it in the field because they're not technical enough. If the industry is truly such that 75% of people will only be able to find jobs in QA after graduating, then the most logical and efficient course is to take the easiest route possible and just get something that sounds computer sciency, even something like Management Information Systems, which is a handful of computer science mixed with general business management and administration. You can avoid the unnecessary brainfuckingly hard math courses, since in the end the outcome is the same, you can actually be smart about it and decrease your pain and suffering in the academic journey. Also, if you're offered a fulltime position your senior year, it is in your best interest to take the fulltime position, put educational attainment on hold if necessary. My rationale: corporate recruiters only look at recent\relevant experience in evaluating whether to toss your resume\application in into the trash bin or pass it on the hiring manager, and from everything that I've seen in the professional working world, a recruiter\hiring manager would take someone with 5 years of experience and "street smarts" performing that job, any day, over a newly minted college graduate who only has 1 - 2 years of experience, or no experience. College degrees, "internship" experience, mean fuck all to them. Since that is the case and the truth, if you can get your foot in the door while only still a junior or senior, GTFO of college immediately, take the job, work your way up the corporate ladder, and maybe finish your degree later by taking night classes and online classes just to have that B.A. under your belt if you truly want to just for the sake of having a fucking degree. More on reddit.com

Computer Science (CS) is more about the software side of things—programming, algorithms, data structures, and understanding how software operates. It’s kind of like learning the magic spells that make computers do incredible things. Computer Engineering (CE), on the other hand, bridges the gap between electrical engineering and computer science. It's more hardware-focused but still dips into software. CE covers the design and development of computer systems themselves—how to build the actual machines and circuits that run the software CS guys create. So, if you like the idea of writing code and designing complex software systems, CS might be your path. But if you're interested in creating the gadgets and gizmos that use that software—think robotics, embedded systems, microprocessors—then CE could be the way to go. It’s all about whether you want to craft the spells (CS) or the wands (CE)! More on reddit.com

Computer Science is NOT PROGRAMMING Computer Science IS lots of things, but it is not programming. Before you do a computer science degree you should get ready to learn a lot of math, and a lot of programming. More on reddit.com

1.) Computer Science focuses on computation, which may sound obvious but it's different than just programming. You'll learn the low-level concepts behind how a computer operates (things like operating systems), theoretical applications of computers, and you'll have lots of focus on data structures and algorithms. You'll also do a lot of programming. Math is more important to Computer Science majors than a major like software engineering, but please don't let it scare you away. You'll most likely have to do at least two years of calculus, but if I can do it you certainly can. 2.) Most computer science majors go on to develop software. You can work at innovative companies like Google or Facebook. But software development is not your only option, you can go into research to study cutting edge technologies like machine learning or quantum computing. Computer Scientists are essentially just very talented individuals who can solve problems using computers. And yes... your salary will be quite high compared relatively to other new grads. 3.) If your HS has it, take AP Computer Science. It's a great way to get your feet in the water and find out if it's something you might like. The course is very similar to a freshman level programming course, and often your college will accept the AP credit as a replacement to your intro course. I would also try to finish as much math in HS as you can, I had to take Algebra and Trig at my university which set me behind a bit. More on reddit.com