“I want to study computers” is no longer enough to define a student’s goals, even at the undergraduate level. Choices are abundant—and have also evolved so quickly that even the savviest individuals are likely to need an update on how to match academic program options with their specific career ambitions.

Education in IT areas (information technology, including computers as well as other digital devices such as cell phones) began expanding and diversifying rapidly in the 1990s. The many new applications and challenges associated with the Internet, microchip technology, and worldwide reliance on digital devices mean that computer professionals are taking on more varied roles, some more specialized, some more interdisciplinary. One recent task force report on computer curricula concluded that “dozens and perhaps hundreds” of types of computer-related degree programs now exist to prepare such professionals.

Among these, the report defined five base disciplines: computer engineering, software engineering, computer science, information technology, and information systems.

Computer Science

Academic programs in computer science, the original and broadest “computer study” field, are offered by almost all U.S. colleges and universities at every level. At most institutions, computer science programs developed within departments of mathematics in the 1960s or 1970s, then split away within the next decade or two (some remain housed in joint departments of mathematics and computer science, or, less frequently, as a unit within electrical engineering or other departments).

Traditionally, computer science study has been based on providing students with a theoretical understanding of computers, teaching them the logical thinking, algorithms, and mathematics-based creativity that are key for developing and improving information technology. Degrees vary widely from institution to institution with programs typically designed to prepare graduates to become information technology inventors, entrepreneurs, or academic researchers who will go on to study new ways to use digital technology and to make such technology work better and more efficiently.

Information Technology

Sometimes used as a broad term covering all areas of digital computing and communications (as it is frequently within this article), information technology also has a more specialized meaning within higher education. Degrees in information technology typically provide students with the knowledge and hands-on skills to support an organization’s day-to-day technology support needs. Practical experience and opportunities for professional certification in areas such as network installation, computer security, and the major operating systems and software in current use are vital parts of the curriculum. Responsibilities of graduates might include such areas as choosing hardware and software products appropriate for a particular organization; installing, maintaining, and securing computer equipment and networks; and designing and updating Web sites and other multimedia resources.

Students interested in preparation for such careers should be aware that their choices are not limited to programs specifically titled as issuing an “information technology” degree. As degree-level study the direction is relatively new and different institutions use different titles. Many institutions just call the degree “computer science” with some using other terms—look at individual program content.

It should also be noted that it remains very common to move into an information technology support career from traditional, research-based computer science programs. Especially as information technology changes so rapidly, employers expect to invest in continuing education for their hires and to train them on the specific software packages and equipment in use in their particular organizations. Information technology graduates will have a head start on some of this training that will be attractive to employers but employers are also likely to appreciate the broad-range understanding and flexibility that result from a strong education within a research-based computer science department.

Information Systems

While information technology professionals serve an organization’s day-to-day technology needs, information systems professionals offer expertise in planning long-term technology strategy. They also link general management and technical staff, ensuring that needs and possible technical or process solutions are clearly communicated between the two groups.

About one thousand information systems degree programs exist in the United States. Most commonly the degrees are based within business schools. As with information technology programs, a variety of degree titles may be used, but what defines the field is the combination of computer course work with business course work that covers all organizational functional areas.

Degrees granted in computer information systems usually have the strongest technology focus while degrees in management information systems sometimes place a greater emphasis on organizational and behavioral principles. (There are also more specialized programs such as those that focus on information systems in healthcare organizations or other specific types of enterprises.) However, it is important to look at specific programs’ curricula to be sure what the course range and emphasis is.

Software Engineering

Despite the degree title, software engineering degrees are most commonly offered within computer science departments. Instruction may also be offered by computer or electrical engineering departments, through interdisciplinary instruction, or by dedicated software engineering departments, about thirty of which currently exist in the United States. Some programs that award degrees in this area do not include the word “engineering” in the degree title (for instance the degree may be titled as “software development” or “computer programming”). Such differences in degree title do not generally indicate differences in program quality or emphasis.

Software engineering focuses on the study of rigorous methods for creating, refining, and maintaining reliable and efficient programming for computer users (a professional need that has become increasingly pressing as software is used for an ever-widening range of functions, including many in which software “bugs” are likely to prove very expensive or even physically dangerous for users). Instruction in computer science, mathematical, and engineering areas is provided along with courses in such areas as project management, software requirements and specification, and software testing and quality assurance. Practical experience in creating software that will actually be used is a vital part of study and undergraduate degree programs in the field generally include group projects, internship opportunities, and a final-year individual capstone project in software development. Graduate-level study is usually necessary for advancement in this field.

Computer Engineering

Virtually every U.S. institution that has a school of engineering (over 550 schools) will also offer a degree focusing on computer engineering. Beginning in the mid-1970s with the creation of microprocessors, this field began to emerge from electrical engineering departments as a discipline of its own, a process that accelerated in the 1990s as programmable microchips became important in many types of devices. However, in many institutions, computer engineering continues to be treated as a specialization within the electrical engineering degree or to exist as a joint program between computer science and electrical engineering departments. This is generally a matter of the particular institution’s historical structure and does not indicate anything about the program’s focus or strength.

Computer engineers design digital hardware and systems as well as programming the computer chips that control or connect digital devices. (They do not typically focus on software programming for human users). Course work covers such topics as digital circuits, control systems, instrumentation, and microprocessor systems. Team projects and internships are an important part of computer engineering programs. As in other engineering disciplines, only about one-third of students complete their undergraduate programs within four years, with five years being a more usual length. Graduate study is valuable and is necessary for some positions.

Other Options

Under the umbrella of these five core disciplines and spreading out to gather knowledge from other fields, a plethora of other types of information technology-focused academic programs exist. Information science moves beyond an information systems degree’s typical focus on specific business or organizational problems to look at how knowledge in general can best be organized, manipulated, and retrieved (it is often studied in association with library science). Instructional technology focuses on how computer and other multimedia resources can be used most effectively to promote human learning. Graduates with graphics design, Web design, animation, and game design degrees combine artistic and technical know how. Information assurance degrees prepare professionals to protect software and networks from hackers and viruses. Artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and knowledge engineering researchers work to make machines “smart” in a more human way. Study in informatics is growing rapidly in importance because of the need to interpret, analyze, and integrate the vast amounts of data produced by today’s academic and industrial research.