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Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: freshman pain ()
Date: September 23, 2012 09:34AM

I don't think business calculus covers trig. Why are the math requirements for computer engineering and computer science more stringent?

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: Olde Farte, II ()
Date: September 23, 2012 09:42AM

"IT" is a business course (for example, Information Systems Management - IFSM - was the business computer course many many years ago - COBOL was THE programming language the course(s) used).

Computer Science is...you know...a math-heavy science curriculum, especially at some of the higher levels.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: CNE ()
Date: September 23, 2012 01:00PM

So real engineers can snicker when IT guys call themselves "engineers."

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: IFSM vs. CMSC ()
Date: September 23, 2012 02:15PM

One is for tool-users. The other is for tool-builders.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: Eye Tee ()
Date: September 23, 2012 06:31PM

freshman pain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't think business calculus covers trig. Why
> are the math requirements for computer engineering
> and computer science more stringent?


Because CS graduates end up doing more sciencey stuff like, uh, programming in C# or Java whereas IT graduates end up, uh, programming in C-shar... never mind I lost my train of thought.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: Olde Farte, II ()
Date: September 23, 2012 07:15PM

Eye Tee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Because CS graduates end up doing more sciencey
> stuff like, uh, programming in C# or Java whereas
> IT graduates end up, uh, programming in C-shar...
> never mind I lost my train of thought.

No.

Because CS graduates should end up doing software development, building APIs, tools, or simply cool software for their companies or clients.

And IT graduates end up maintaining systems, maintaining netwroks, NOT developing software but PERHAPS fixing software that is broken or MAYBE enhancing it.

At least, in an ideal world.

=========

Having typed that, of course, I admittedly have worked with history majors programing major systems more than a few times. And been hired as a "senior" programmer only to end up fixing someone else's totally broken code.

Such is life.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: eesh ()
Date: September 23, 2012 07:22PM

Olde Farte, II Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Eye Tee Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Because CS graduates end up doing more sciencey
> > stuff like, uh, programming in C# or Java
> whereas
> > IT graduates end up, uh, programming in
> C-shar...
> > never mind I lost my train of thought.
>
> No.
>
> Because CS graduates should end up doing software
> development, building APIs, tools, or simply cool
> software for their companies or clients.
>
> And IT graduates end up maintaining systems,
> maintaining netwroks, NOT developing software but
> PERHAPS fixing software that is broken or MAYBE
> enhancing it.
>
> At least, in an ideal world.




Yeah, CS majors are more about theory, all the IT programs I have seen have more vocational and hands-on classes.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: it_aint_cs ()
Date: September 23, 2012 08:42PM

With regards to programming ability - IT guys may be fine at building scripts but I wouldn't trust them (there are always exceptions though) to do much more beyond that. There's nothing wrong with that. Likewise, I wouldn't trust a CS major to build a network. Again, exceptions apply to that too.

Advanced mathematics and beyond open many more doors. For example, try writing signal (e.g. voice) processing libraries with just business mathematics. Or -- how many graduates from "IT" programs are writing analysis algorithms for financial trading? You won't find too many - these are heavily math based.

In reality, for many jobs you don't need the mathematics expertise.

IT guys aren't engineers. CS majors aren't typically (professional) engineers either, but at least have more of the engineering/science background via physics, advanced math, etc. so they can work in more scientific fields.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: Don't do it ()
Date: September 23, 2012 11:18PM

Don't do engineering or computer science. There's a very high dropout rate in unis across the US. Calculus II is a notorious weedout class with a passing rate of 1 per 7 students in many classes. The math requirements for computer science and engineering is too harsh!

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: Just curioz ()
Date: September 23, 2012 11:23PM

What the fuck is discrete math?

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: if you're dumb ()
Date: September 24, 2012 05:02AM

Don't do it Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't do engineering or computer science. There's
> a very high dropout rate in unis across the US.
> Calculus II is a notorious weedout class with a
> passing rate of 1 per 7 students in many classes.
> The math requirements for computer science and
> engineering is too harsh!

Please add ".. if you're dumb" to the end of each sentence above.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: Do it ()
Date: September 24, 2012 07:27AM

Don't do it Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't do engineering or computer science. There's
> a very high dropout rate in unis across the US.
> Calculus II is a notorious weedout class with a
> passing rate of 1 per 7 students in many classes.
> The math requirements for computer science and
> engineering is too harsh!


Yes, don't do anything that might be hard and guarantee yourself a long term well paid career.

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Re: Why are IT majors only required to take Business Calculus while engineering and computer science majors have to take Calculus III and Discrete Math
Posted by: Olde Farte, II ()
Date: September 24, 2012 08:21AM

Just curioz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What the fuck is discrete math?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrete_mathematics

Computers, (usually) dealing with digital arithmetic (and hardware), are an environment where discrete math rules.

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