Information science is about the management of information whilst computer science is about, well, computers! With the evolution of computers as the core of information processing, the subject has become more and more about how to use computers (automation) to manage information. There is the distinction, computer science is about the engineering of computers whilst information science/Informatics is about the use of automation (computers included) to manage information.


In my opinion, we are moving from the stage where computers were the centre of the business to a more business oriented nature, i.e. how can computers help the business, by looking more at information (which is the business), information sciences prepares you for this. If you wish to have a more business oriented as opposed to techie tag, then, information science is for you.


I find that IS graduates are more versatile and are able to communicate, integrate and be part of 'management' more easily, perhaps their more rounded (read generalised) training does this.


Comp science graduates on the other hand are essentially engineering graduates and form the hard core IT persons behind the curtain, able to get things running but (a stereotype here) not able to elucidate their needs and align them to the business, but hey, it all depends what you want.


In terms of money, comp science graduates normally get hired faster but the long term career prospects (Money and promotion) are more for the IS graduate, many hard core ICT related jobs have the proverbial glass ceiling, with the highest you can raise in an organization being an IT Manager (Only 1 position per organisation) whilst if you are more versatile, you can branch out to other areas in the organisation (information, communications, programme etc) at the same IT manager level. Figure out the odds....

My Two Zim cents.

It is not BSc. Information Science it is BSc. Informatics. or they are just the same

During my days at high school, there was only one university - UoN - but we still got 4 choices of courses. I filled the four spaces on my application form with the same course.

When I handed-in the form, the headmaster called me to the office to find out why I was "wasting my choices" with just one course. my response was something like "I am going to university to study this course; if I am not admitted for it, then I won't go".

Many years later, I became a lecturer at one of our local universities, and I used to get shocked at the sight of parents escorting their {so-called} "children" to enroll at the university. The "child" would sit clueless at the lawn as the parent rushed from office to office doing the paper-work. Gosh! Are these the leaders of tomorrow?

Good point but should never be broadly applied as you had advocated.


And how does that address the concern I raised on your position above based on an arbitrary legal age?

I was an information science major but I dropped out when I finally was in a position where if my father refused to pay for my tuition for a parallel degree program in IT/Comp Sci. I could just tell him "pia mimi naeza jilipia" ,but good thing he saw my point and well he is still responsible for my education.

Here's my opinion,the kenyan version of IS is total bull,I can tell you for a fact it's a librarianship degree course and just got renamed to IS for aesthetic purposes,nowadays they are calling librarians doing the same job as the librarians of old ati information managers/custodians yet kazi ni ile ile tu ya kupanga vitabu n its not like am hating its just that JAB tricked me and I wasted almost 2 years of my life doing this.So unless that is the target career path then achana naye.Somehow though employers still get fooled and pool together IS/IT/Comp Sci. majors in an interview room for the same job and frankly given the level of computer dandarism I saw in those classes I really dont know how some of these people get employed.

I ended up choosing IT over Comp Sci. coz well for one it was not an MIT admission so sikuwa nataka pressure and yet in that future job interview room I could see an IT major who had it easier and probably had a first class degree and only had to work half as hard as I did for my second class upper.

So unless your daughter is hardcore geeked up and by this I mean she can already write code,she should not pressure herself getting into Comp Sci.The pressure is only worth it if its MIT or Stanford and akina Berkley.
If she's fascinated with ICT,a Bsc. in IT will just be as good good and she'll probably make the cut and she'll have an easier college life trust me on that.
Also have her understand that she's only doing it for the paper coz in my year now as an IT major,I haven't learned anything that I can apply with all the money making things that I do with computers.