How do Employer's/Graduate Schools View an Area of Focus?

[mm1988]

For those you that have a Liberal Arts Degree from Excelsior, how do employer's view an area of focus? How would I even market it on my resume. Can I list my Area of Focus, like a major? I am not familiar with this type of program, most colleges offer Majors. Excelsior does not have a Computer Science major. I have been doing computer programming for years, and I see that with several of the jobs you need a computer science degree. My first Area of focus is Computer Science, and the other Area of focus is Mathematics.

Is this virtually worthless to the employer, or would the liberal arts degree with the areas of focus be the same as having a major? I'm planning on getting a master's degree in Computer Science or Management Information Systems. I was looking at the Computer Science degree from Thomas Edison college; but I'm kinda short on time, since I'm deploying in a few months.

Also, do graduate schools view an area of study as a major? For example, if they want a specific major as a prerequisite to start the master's degree program, such as mathematics.

[NAP]

To add some info for other responders:

An Area of Focus at EC is 15 lower-level and 6 upper-level credits in one subject. I consider it to be similar to a minor. (A major is about 33 credits at EC.)

How would you handle a minor on an application for work or school?

[valsacar]

Why not do their IT degree?

[ryoder]

Here is my recommendation. Go to the graduate program of your choice and check the undergrad requirements for courses. These courses will have to be taken as a masters student prior to taking advanced graduate classes. Make sure that your liberal arts degree includes these courses at a minimum and I think you should be fine.

Here are the undergrad prereqs at FSU.
CS@FSU: UG CS Prerequisites

# COP 4530 Data Structures
# COP 4531 Algorithm Analysis
# CDA 3100 Computer Organization I
# CDA 3101 Computer Organization II
# COP 4610 Operating Systems
# COT 4420 Theory of Computation

# MAC 2311 Calculus I
# MAC 2312 Calculus II
# MAD 2104 & 3105 Discrete Math

# STA 4442 Introductory Probability I


My take on this is that you require for most CS grad degrees: computer organization, data structures, algorithms, operating systems, calc II and discrete math

So when doing your BALS make sure to have these and I think you will be ok. Don't quote me on that. My BSBA CIS didn't include these and I am planning on taking computer organization and operating systems for my BA in Natural Science at TESC.

[Thor]

Perhaps one can list it on their resume as such:

Excelsior College, Albany, NY
B.A. Liberal Studies, Computer Science


Is that a possibility? Just something to think about. I'm not sure if the big 3 allow one to have a "focus/concentration" if they are going for L.S./L.A. but that would be nice to know.