What are the best majors at Stony Brook for someone interested in computer science?

At Stony Brook, the strongest major for CS-related jobs and internships is Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. It gives you the most direct preparation in algorithms, data structures, systems, software development, and recruiting pipelines, and it is the major employers will most immediately recognize for software engineering roles.

If you are interested in computing but want a slightly different angle, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Information Systems, and Electrical and Computer Engineering are the main alternatives worth considering. Applied Math and Stats can be very strong if you like theory, data, machine learning, or quantitative work, especially if you add substantial programming coursework. Information Systems is usually better for students interested in business tech, databases, systems analysis, or IT-oriented roles rather than the most technical software engineering jobs.

Electrical and Computer Engineering is a strong option if you are drawn to hardware, embedded systems, robotics, computer architecture, or lower-level programming. For pure software internships, though, CS is usually the most straightforward fit. If your goal is mainstream software engineering, backend development, AI, or general tech internships, CS is the best major to prioritize.

One practical thing to know at Stony Brook is that access to the CS major can be competitive, so some students look at related majors as backup options. If that is part of your thinking, choose a backup that still builds coding depth, not just general tech exposure.