Differences Between CS and CIS

The table below categorizes some of the differences between the CS and CIS degrees.

	Computer Science	Computer Information Systems
General	More theoretical. Students take several more CS courses that are more theoretical in nature.	More applied. Accounting, Economics, Management and Marketing classes are required.
Math	Six math courses are required including two Calculus courses and three others that require a background in Calculus: Probability and Statistics, Linear Algebra, and Operations Research or Numerical Analysis.	Four math courses are required including two in "Business Calculus" (which is much less rigorous than Calculus) and an algebra-based Statistics course.
Science	Three lab-based science courses are required. These science courses are the "major's versions" of Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. Two of the courses must be in the same area.	Two lab-based science courses which come from a broader range of courses than CS (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Physics) are required. These courses are not as in depth as the ones required by the CS degree.
Foreign Language	None required.	None required.
Jobs	As well as preparing a student for jobs in the business and government environment, a CS graduate would have an edge over CIS in jobs in Engineering, scientific, or more pure science fields.	Geared more towards software development jobs in the business and government environment.
Graduate School	The CS degree adequately prepares graduates for graduate work in CS or CIS.	A CIS graduate would be prepared to enter a CIS/MIS graduate degree program. However, the CIS graduate would probably require more mathematics to enter a graduate CS program.