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Last Updated: August 20, 2021

Specializations Under Computer and Information Sciences

Candidates who wish to pursue a degree in computer science will be surprised to see the number of specializations that are being offered under the field. Each of these specializations will often have branches of their own which will be full-fledged courses in some universities and some others will also be provided as certification courses. The field of computer science has been growing exponentially over the past few decades with a degree in any branch under it providing high-paying jobs.

Candidates must know about the most popular fields under computer science so that they will be able to choose a field according to their interest and excel in it by advancing their knowledge within the field. Candidates can be interested in visual design, technical training, analyzing data, game design, robotics, etc. only to find that the field has advanced enough to have a separate course in its name. This helps candidates choose institutions that focus on the particular field of study or career they want to be associated with without losing years by doing a general computer science degree before specializing.

Choosing the Right Specialization

While choosing the right specialization under computer science, candidates must analyze their own interests and understand the kind of workspace they want to be a part of. The kind of field they choose will determine the departments they will have to collaborate within their work life. Choosing the right field will help candidates mesh with departments that can further develop and enhance their skillsets within their own field. They can do this by incorporating methods that are common to these other departments.

It is commonly misunderstood that taking a degree in computer science will involve only writing codes and programs. But while most of the work may seem technical in nature, programming and coding involve a lot of creativity and problem-solving skills that candidates will have to learn during their college years. Candidates will also have to be at ease while collaborating with other teams since the size of the team can vary according to the project. This is where candidates will also have to have leadership qualities, adaptability, communication skills, etc.

At the end of the day, candidates will be able to choose a course of their liking when it comes to choosing a specialization. The interests of candidates can often be split into having an eye for visual design, back-end operations, technical expertise, and data analysis. Each of these broad interest groups has different kinds of career possibilities. Candidates who have a creative streak will be able to function best in visual design-related courses, candidates with an eye for technicalities will be able to shine in courses related to back-end operations, etc. Choosing the right specialization will then include a careful assessment of one’s own abilities, skills, and career options.

Popular Specializations in Computer Sciences

While there are tons of different kinds of specializations offered by different universities all over the world for computer science, the most popular courses are the ones that offer the best career packages for candidates. These include the specializations that can provide candidates with both career opportunities and possible career growth over the duration of time.

The 10 most popular specializations under computer science and the career options each specialization provides are as follows-

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is the field of study and practice where candidates will have to create systems that stay at par with human intelligence. This includes the creation and enhancement of abilities like problem-solving, prediction-making, and task-completing in systems. The machines or systems will have to be constantly adapted according to the data that has been collected with time. To take this specialization, candidates will have to be well versed in subjects like probability, statistics, automata, and programming languages. Candidates who wish to take a bachelor’s degree in the course will be able to complete it within a duration of 4 years. A master’s degree will have a duration of 1-2 years depending on the institution the candidate is opting for.

The subjects that are generally dealt with through this course are- Career Options
The most popular career options are-

Machine Learning

Machine Learning is a subset of Artificial Learning and is concerned with the creation of systems and machines that can equal human intelligence and perform the functions they have been made for. The difference between Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is that in the latter, the system will be required to process accessible data for creating changes to oneself. They should be able to learn for themselves by processing the data available to them and through the generation of feedback in a trial and error method thereby eliminating the necessity of programmers.

The subjects that are commonly taught under machine learning are- Career Options
The career options after studying machine learning are-

Data Analytics

This field of study comes somewhere in between the fields of information technology, business, statistics where candidates will be taught to collect, store, process, and safeguard data for the enhancement of businesses. The primary focus of the subject is in tracking the trends that can be found from existing data thereby predicting negative outcomes and preventing them.

The subjects that are generally taught under the field are as follows- Career Options
The career options available to students who have specialized in the field are-

Networks

This course deals with the functioning of both wired and wireless networks. The exchange of information through the networks can be either with internal or external stakeholders. The skills that the candidates will acquire from the course include diagnosing network issues by troubleshooting them and sometimes even designing and creating networking architecture. Candidates who take up the subject will be dealing with subjects like- Career options
The career options that will be available for candidates with a specialization in Networking are-

Database Management

This field of study focuses on aspects like database development and business intelligence. This implies that candidates will focus on the upkeep and management of organizational data. The range of skills candidates will develop include the creation of relational databases, SQL statements, entity-relationship diagrams, among others. While candidates will be able to take a bachelor’s and master’s degree in this field, they will generally be required to have different certifications for the kind of career they want within the field.

The course content for this subject varies from institution to institution but the general subjects offered under this field are- Career Options
The popular career options for students who have specialized in database management are-

Cyber Security

Candidates who plan to study Cyber Security will be introduced to the various ways of security management associated with systems and networks. They will have to learn about topics ranging from the hardware descriptions of systems they handle to topics like data mining and risk management. In careers associated with this field, candidates will have to assess and analyze Cyber Security risks, create defense systems against possible threats, examine and test systems for malware, etc.

The subjects that come under this field of study are- Career Options
The popular career options that candidates can opt for are-

Other Specializations under Computer Science

Considering the vast nature of Computer Science, it can easily be inferred that there is n number of fields under this broad topic. While some candidates opt for a general course under computer science, it will always benefit candidates better if they try to gain specializations during the duration of their bachelor’s or master's. If candidates cannot take up specializations during their course of study, they will be able to do certification courses to avail similar jobs.

A few other specializations under the field of computer science would be-

Computer Science Degree Programs