In August, 2007, an article on aol.com said, “Computer science is now hip and chic, thanks in part to high job availability and salary potential. According to the National Science Foundation, computer science graduates at the bachelor’s level are more likely than graduates in other fields to be employed full time after graduation, and upon entering the workforce, they are rewarded with higher salaries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics reports the median annual earnings of computer applications software engineers who worked full time in May 2004 were about $74,980. The middle 50 percent earned between $59,130 and $92,130. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $46,520, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $113,830.”

Brooklyn College has the largest computer science program in CUNY, and the department is also recognized for excellence. An outside evaluation by a group of distinguished computer science faculty ranked Brooklyn College’s Computer and Information Science (CIS) Department as one of the best in the New York metropolitan area. The faculty is actively engaged in research in which students may become involved. Moreover, we offer relatively small classes and excellent computing facilities.

The prospective student should understand that “computer science” is quite different from “data processing” or simply “programming.” In our programs, we stress the practice of computing, but we are also concerned with the underlying theory and the mathematics of computation. These concerns are not usually present in a program that exclusively emphasizes the use of computers in commercial installations. We try to make the student a competent programmer and analyst, but we also want to provide an understanding of the theoretical foundations of our subject. This balanced program of commercial, scientific, and theoretical courses enables our graduates to grow professionally and to keep pace with rapid changes in the field. In the Information Systems major, we also include knowledge of the business world and of accounting and finance. In the Multimedia major, we include familiarity with the arts and with web design.

Students who graduate from our program are prepared for a variety of endeavors, either for graduate school leading to a career in the academic world or research or for management positions in industry, or for entry into the business community. Graduates of the Brooklyn College CIS Department are teaching at a number of prestigious universities, working at Microsoft, Google, Verizon, AT&T, Citibank, IBM, Metropolitan Life, National Grid, Con Edison, the Port Authority, CBS, J. P. Morgan Chase, and other major corporations.

For information on potential careers in computing, please see the ACM Careers website.

Advice to Transfer Students

Students who plan to transfer to Brooklyn College and major in CIS are advised to take courses in Java, C++, or C, precalculus or calculus, and other courses that are equivalent to courses in the Brooklyn College CIS majors. Transfer students who receive advanced elective credit for courses at other institutions must nevertheless take an additional 24 advanced elective credits (numbered CISC 2000 or higher) *at Brooklyn College*. Students in a community college who wish to transfer to Brooklyn College are strongly advised to obtain an A.S. or A.A. degree, rather than an A.A.S. degree. Students coming to Brooklyn College with an A.A. or A.S. degree will be exempt from nine lower-tier Core courses at Brooklyn, but students with an A.A.S. degree will likely have to take a good number of these courses. Transfer students who have taken a programming course but who have not taken a course in Java before transferring should take CISC 1170 before taking any other CIS course at Brooklyn College numbered above 2820. Students planning to transfer to Brooklyn College should consult a transfer advisor at their school, or email one of the Deputy Chairs (addresses on the cover) to make sure their community college program is appropriate for their goals. After transferring, transfer students should consult a Deputy Chair as soon as possible for counseling and evaluation of credits.