Top IT certifications and degrees to help you advance your career
What is the difference between a degree and certification?
Degrees take longer to complete and cost more money to attain than certificates but provide a more well-rounded education and broader perspective on IT and science industries.
As an example, the course catalog at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, provides a clear example. It offers two undergraduate degrees and one certificate in computer science.
To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) in computer science, candidates must complete 48 to 49 credits from 15 courses. These include eight required computer science courses (e.g., Introduction to Java, Applied Discrete Mathematics, and The Structure of Higher-Level Languages); three required mathematics courses (e.g., Probability and Statistics); one capstone course, one applied computer science elective, one theoretical elective, and one additional elective from either the applied or theoretical list.
To earn a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in computer science, you must complete a minimum of 73 credits from 23 courses. These include 12 required computer science courses (including Social Issues and Ethics in Computing and Introduction to Software Engineering), four mathematics courses, four physics courses, one science elective, and two computer science electives (e.g., biology and chemistry).
To earn a certificate in computer science at University of Massachusetts, you must complete at least 24 credits from seven courses including five required math and computer science courses, one computer science elective, and one application elective.