Jul 17, 2008

CS / IS in BITS

B.E(Hons.) CS stands for Computer Science and IS for MSc(Tech.) Information Systems. These two disciplines are popular streams taken by students who have interests in computers, computer applications and software technologies. I am posting here a note written by one of the alums of BITS-Pilani. Some of the info might not be applicable to the coming batches as they (BITS administration) have given more flexibility to C-group courses. Also the course structure might have been be modified recently. Here are the views:

I completed my B.E. (in computer science) from BITS Pilani in 2000. Campus recruitment for the IS guys was almost the same as the B.E. Computer Science people. But there is a difference between B.E. C.S. and M.Sc IS. There was almost no "hardware" course in IS. e.g.:

- Digital electronics, microprocessors

- Computer Architecture/Organization.

The IS guys studied "software engineering", while the CS guys did not. Plus, during the first two years, the emphasis on "basic engineering" was not that strong in I.S. As far as elective courses go, (apart from the hardware related courses) the IS guys can take all the courses that the CS guys can take. Few years back IS was not considered to be a good option to choose but, as I mentioned at the start, it has now become one of the most popular streams and most companies coming for recruitment did not treat them on par with other disciplines.(Especially when they were looking for software knowledge.)The I.S. guys also went to very good universities for their M.S.

Finally, it's not easy to get I.S. in Pilani. (Since the recruitment is almost identical to C.S., this branch was highly desirable. It was almost, C.S./ EEE, then I.S.).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it possible due to the flexibilities of the campus that a student from a different stream like BE mech or eee do some courses from an Msc dual stream like IS ? Also, talking of electives, how exactly is the selection done ? As in is there a selection process for the more sought after elective ?

The Unreasonable Man said...

Deepak , This blog really is a nice initiative on your part to allow the aspiring BITS candidates to get to know what they might be getting into and stuff.
However , going forward , it would be nice if personal prejudices be kept aside while penning down the information.
Statements like "CS guys used to think IS courses are watered down versions etc etc" are highly biased and do not give any valuable info to the reader for whom the blog is intended. Ironically it can cause more confusion to the candidates who might not know that IS and CS are equivalent in BITS. The same information could have been imparted by avoiding such prejudiced statements..

All the best
Regards

DeEpAk said...

Hi, rightly pointed out, I have updated the contents.