I think it is up to the employer to decide what constitutes a "relevant subject area".

If the employer is a florist and they are looking for a DBA, then they might say that a major in "flower arranging" is a relevant subject area if the candidate has also taken one or two options in computing (or has a proven interest and ability in computing).

Anyway, in my original comment regarding "good grades in a relevant subject area", I certainly didn't mean that employers should only consider CS graduates. (That was a false assumption on the part of one or two of the readers.)

I just wanted to say that I believe academic qualifications are a very good way to measure someone's knowledge and ability to learn, and I don't see any reason to invent a new system (which would surely be just as imperfect).

Simon