The OP's question was already answered, but to further explain, the type of Computer Science degree you get is based on which school runs the computer science faculty at the institution. Usually it will be either a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSc), or a Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS). As an example, I went to Carleton University in Ottawa, It has a school of Computer Science, and therefore awards bachelor's degrees in Computer Science (BCS). When I was looking into universities I also considered the University of Ottawa, from what I remember it runs the computer science faculty through the school of Science. Therefore they give Bacherlors of Science in Computer Science (BSc). The programs were almost identical. Really it's just how the University structures their faculties. Neither would be more or less applicable to a programmer's application.
Question About CS Degrees?
So my question is...Would an employer still accept that? jjd, I read your explanation and I understand it totally...but this isn't really specializing in CS, more like teaching Game Development in general...Would it still be acceptable?
There really are no hard and fast rules. I can imagine someone hiring you as a programmer if you had this degree assuming you could also demonstrate that you have the required programming ability. Having said that, IT is not really about programming so if I was looking for a programmer and I have dozens of resumes to filter there is a good chance that you are not going to even get a phone interview unless you have something else in your resume that catches my attention. This is where things like a portfolio or previous experience are relevant.
There is a lot of good advice on these forums about the relative benefits of the various courses out there. I would also recommend visiting Tom Slopers website; he has a lot of great advice there. My recommendation, if programming really is your thing, is to do a BS in computer science. The reason is that the knowledge you gain there, although more abstract or theoretical, will be more general and enduring. You will be able to use it in a whole host of fields, not just game programming. Beware of taking courses where you learn about specific technologies because those come and go rapidly. The fundamentals of computer science will give you tools for understanding technologies.
-Josh
--www.physicaluncertainty.com
--linkedin
--irc.freenode.net#gdnet
@Tom Sloper Well, that program in particular appeals to me because it teaches multiple disciplines across different things like Design, Programming Audio and Art. All parts
of Game Development interest me so...That's kind of why. Also, I always thought somewhere down the line I might hopefully be able to get into a more Design oriented role...but I don't
know of that's how it even works in the real world. Can you just switch roles like that?
@Hodgman Oh I see, yeah I've heard that IT is more focused on...well...IT. xD So for programming, CS seems to be
better. And yeah...those marks...xD. Thanks for the help :D
@cardinal So it's all just a matter of names. In the end it's still the same? Well that clears a lot of things up. Thank you :D
@jjd Yeah, everywhere I go says to make a portfolio..which I plan on :P. And yeah I've heard that all the current
Game Dev programs are more focused on today rather than in general, that's what was kinda making me think
whether I wanted to go to UoiT or not. And yes, I've read some of the articles on Sloperama
and they're really helpful! :D Thanks for the help :P
-Adnan Zaman
1. Well, that program in particular appeals to me because it teaches multiple disciplines across different things like Design, Programming Audio and Art. All parts
of Game Development interest me so...That's kind of why.2. Also, I always thought somewhere down the line I might hopefully be able to get into a more Design oriented role...but I don't
know of that's how it even works in the real world. Can you just switch roles like that?
1. Good reason.
2. Yes, you can. Read the FAQs.
-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com
Well I actually graduated from the University of Toronto with a BS in CS, and I'm a game designer now so I guess I'll pipe in
It is a fine start if you want to be a game developer. The important thing is to
1) Get some coop experience through their PEY program that puts you on a 16 month term with a company. In this day and age it's better for your prospects to stay another year at university and have this 16 months of work experience than to just finish in 4 years with 0 experience. Especially because the pay for PEY is not bad at all (average is around 45k annually, and you get all the taxes back due to school credit) and there are some nice companies (MS, IBM, EA). Not a lot of game companies outside of EA, but the important thing is just coding experience during university.
2) Try to do some game stuff on the side by yourself, because the school does not focus on game development at all. They have 3d graphics courses and a terrible game design course, but this will be 4th year. Also they focus on python/java and not C++ (although they do C) so you will have to pick that up by yourself.
I don't want to turn this into University of Toronto thread, but if you're in Canada, there and Waterloo are probably the best places to go if you want to be dev in games. Even though the programs are weak in terms of being specific to games, the general technical education is regarded as the strongest that Canada offers. Going to a lesser tier school like UoIT because they have a program that is called game dev is not the way to go. To be a game dev you need a general dev education + stuff on top. The foundation is actually more important than the game specific stuff on top. Finally, a lot of things change during university. If you find that in the end you no longer want the lifestyle that comes with being in the industry, it's much better to have an actual CS degree.