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Should I get a bachelor, double major, or masters?

To stay competitive in the work force and earn a high salary, which route should I take regarding my degree. I had three options:
1. Get a bachelor's in Computer Engineering and either do an internship or a co-op during college.
2. I major in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering and Computer Science
3. I get a master's in Computer Engineering #computer-science #computer-engineering #electrical-engineering

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Thank you comment icon To give you the most accurate advice, the answer depends heavily on your career goals, your budget/timeline, and the industry you want to enter. Anuj Gupta
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Swathi’s Answer

I think getting a bachelor's degree in CS and pursuing an internship/co-op during college gives you a feel good entry into the world of IT. You'll soon realize if you like working in IT or not. During your internship, if you feel like you're lacking skills that can be picked up in any of the graduate courses, I'd first try to get into those. If not, try a BS-MS degree.
Compensation wise, someone with a Master's degree gets paid slightly higher than those with a Bachelor's.
Work experience matters a lot more in IT. So, getting some under your belt while in school will be a huge plus.

Here's my experience :
I went down the Bachelor's + Master's degree route in computer science. I did a few research projects during my Bachelor's and wanted to get more experience in the research field before I decided if I wanted to continue with a PhD or work in the industry. So, I pursued Master's with a Thesis track which I could convert to PhD.
If you have similar interest in research, I'd recommend doing a Thesis track.
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Kumar’s Answer

Option 1 (Bachelor’s + Internship/Co-op) is your best route for a high salary and staying competitive.

In tech, actual work experience heavily trumps extra degrees. A single major with a strong co-op or internship gets you into the workforce early, builds a professional network, and proves you can write production code or design real hardware.

Double majors often delay graduation, adding debt without a proportional salary bump. A master's is great later if you want to specialize in complex fields like cryptography or VLSI design, but it’s rarely needed for an entry-level competitive edge. Focus on hands-on experience first.
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Joanne’s Answer

Honestly, I think experience gives you an advantage.


If you get hired with a good employer, they could offer tuition assistance programs and your graduate degree could be free.


Work hard -- think internship, coop, experience.
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Daniel’s Answer

Agree with Joanne here. Opt first for single bachelor's, and pick up as much work experience as possible. When graduating look for good full time opportunities. If you don't find anything, can fall back to another year or two of internship while picking up a master's degree.


Regarding your specific decision, I have all three of the undergraduate degrees that you're talking about (BEE, BCompE, BS CS). It was not a wise choice, and didn't really help much, beyond personal interest.
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