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Category
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2006 Jobs
|
2016 Jobs
|
New Jobs
|
Total Openings
|
Growth
|
B.S. degrees
|
|
| Computing (15-1000) |
3200
|
4006
|
807
|
1524
|
25.2%
|
574
|
|
|
Computer software engineers, applications (15-1031) |
507
|
733
|
226
|
300
|
44.6%
|
|
| Computer software engineers, systems (15-1032) |
350
|
449
|
99
|
150
|
28.2%
|
||
| Computer systems analysts (15-1051) |
504
|
640
|
146
|
280
|
29.0%
|
||
| Database administrators (15-1061) |
119
|
154
|
34
|
47
|
28.6%
|
||
| Network and comp sys admins (15-1071) |
309
|
393
|
83
|
154
|
26.9%
|
||
| Network and data comms analysts (15-1081) |
262
|
402
|
140
|
193
|
53.4%
|
||
| All engineering (17-1000) |
1512
|
1671
|
160
|
505
|
10.6%
|
647
|
|
| Biomed engr (17-2031) |
14
|
17
|
3
|
6
|
21.1%
|
???
|
|
| Chem engr (17-2041) |
30
|
33
|
3
|
10
|
7.9%
|
52
|
|
| Civil engr (17-2051) |
256
|
302
|
46
|
114
|
18.0%
|
94
|
|
| Elec engr (17-2070) |
291
|
306
|
15
|
82
|
5.0%
|
213
|
|
| Mech engr (17-2041) |
226
|
235
|
9
|
57
|
4.2%
|
144
|
|
| Other engr (17-xxxx) |
695
|
778
|
84
|
236
|
11.9%
|
???
|
|
| Life sciences (19-1000) |
258
|
292
|
33
|
103
|
12.8%
|
809
|
|
| Physical sciences (19-2000) |
267
|
309
|
42
|
109
|
15.7%
|
181
|
|
What are the salaries like after I graduate?
The average yearly starting salary for a BS graduate in computer science is about $51,500. Overall, chemical engineering is usually highest (at about $53,500), and then computer science, computer engineering, finance, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering are closely grouped. Salaries in computing for more senior people are generally among the best of all professional occupations.
What about internships or part time jobs?
About three-fourths of the undergraduates in our programs have part time jobs in computing during their time at USC. The work includes web design, network administration, systems administration, applications programming, and all other aspects of the computing profession. Some students work on campus, while others work at local businesses. The fact that Columbia is one of the population and business centers of the state is a benefit in this regard.
I'm interested in computing but I'm not sure whether to do Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Computer Information Systems. What's the difference?
There is actually relatively little difference in "the computer science major" among the three degree programs. Computer Engineering (CE) students take more computer science, including two more hardware courses, than do the Computer Science (CS) students, and Computer Information Systems (CIS) students take less than the CS students. The real difference, though, is in the courses outside the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The CIS students take a full minor in Business Information Management. The CE students take what amounts to a minor in electrical engineering. The CS students have an "applications area" that allows them to choose a second area of focus. There are a number of suggested applications areas that can be found on the departmental website.
The computer engineering program, like other engineering programs, is more "technical" than the other two in that it requires more mathematics and more physical science than the other two programs.
Which program would be right for me?
Computing should be viewed as a horizontal discipline. Relatively few people get jobs in which the computer itself is the object of study. Most people get jobs in computing that require them to use computing technology to solve problems. For the CIS majors, these will be problems of managing and controlling the flow of information in a business. Much of computer engineering, in contrast, involves the use of computers to interact in real time with devices in the real world. These could be sensors delivering data for analysis, or switches that control the electric power grid, or network hardware in the internet or a corporate computer network. CS majors, in choosing an application area, should consider some other area of study that interests them to which they can apply their knowledge of how to compute things.
What kind of a computer do I need at USC?
There is no formal computer requirement in the department or the college. Nearly every student (98% or more) arrives on campus with some computer, and increasingly these are laptops. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and we have no recommendation for one over the other. Buy a Mac.
We run seven instructional computer labs in the college. One good reason for doing this is that the college can guarantee that the software and hardware are appropriate for students in their classes (and thus also we don't have to try to negotiate the best possible price for the many different packages that students would have to buy).
On the other hand, most of the software that students need is free. In the first year course we use the free version of Java and use primarily the Eclipse IDE, although other IDEs are also free. This allows you to download what you need onto your local machine.
Our recommendation on hardware is that you buy an adequate CPU, but that you certainly do not need to pay the premium price to get the latest and greatest chip set. The currently best chip will only be about 10% faster than the next best and yet will cost you several hundred dollars extra. This just isn't worth the expense; the second or third best processor will be more than adequate.
We recommend that you spend a little more to get some extra disk. Upgrading from a 60 or 80 gigabyte disk to a 250 gigabyte disk is on the order of $30, and this will mean that you should never run out of hard disk.
The two places where you should consider spending more, if you can, is in memory and in the monitor. Most modern applications are memory hogs, and if you can afford to get 2G of RAM, this will make your computer work better. Microsoft Vista is unlikely to work very well without at least 2G of RAM.
Finally, if you are getting a desktop, get the largest monitor you can afford. This is the part of the computer that you, the user, will notice the most. You will be spending a lot of time staring at a screen, and the larger the screen the easier it will be for you.
We have no real recommendation regarding Windows, Linux, or Macintosh. Nearly all the packages we run will run on all platforms. By the time you finish your degree you will have worked on both Windows and on Linux machines, but it is not essential that your personal machine be either or both. Our first year is run on Wintel boxes, the second year switches to Linux, and then upper level courses are run on whatever is appropriate for that course.
Finally, the college and department are not planning for an institutional switch to Vista until summer of 2008. We cannot guarantee that all the software we need will be Vista-ready for Fall 2007, and we are always reluctant to make any major changes in the middle of the academic year. We will have to be accommodating personal machines that arrive loaded with Vista, but that's not the same as making the institutional switch.
