Advice on changing my major to comp engineering

<p>If I hate math and physics should I still pursue this path? I'm really in to programming and computers in general and really want to learn more about software creation. But the core requirements are setting me back a little, I was planning on taking all my math and physics classes at a community college but does this look bad when I apply for jobs and stuff? How much do upper division courses depend on this stuff? I'm mostly going to take design&development classes, mess with circuits,etc.</p>

<p>I'm positive the courseload is going to be tough after I finish my core requirements and all that but since I like the subject I should be fine right? Any advice would be appreciated!</p>

<p>If you just want to do software, why not do a CS or SE degree. CE will require lots of superfluous physics and math classes, including:</p>

<p>Calculus classes
Differential equations classes
Applied math classes
Physics classes
Electricity and magnetism classes
Circuits classes
etc.</p>

<p>If you want to do software, go to CS or SE. I don’t know why you’d jump to CE, except that it has computer in the name and software runs on computers.</p>

<p>I wanted to do SE but its not offered at my school and CE seemed the closest to it. Doesn’t CS deal with more theory and languages? If there is any major closest to creating software and building the hardware that goes with it, please point me in the right direction =D</p>

<p>I’m not too worried about finding a job, since I plan to start my own business anyways but I want the opportunity to be surrounded by facilities where I can learn more and build things. I want to build things like computers or robot minions to take over the world, yes I totally sound like a kid right now but its always been something I’ve wanted to do and have a passion for. I have enough web programming experience already and I develop websites so I’m not all that interested in CS.</p>

<p>If you don’t care for physics, CS will be infinitely better for you. And you’ll do more software in CS than in CE anyway.</p>

<p>Yes, it’s more theory and languages, but you’ll like that better than physics and circuits, right?</p>

<p>thanks AMT I’ve assessed that I realized yea I would probably kill myself taking all those physics and math. but one more thing if I wanted to get a job doing software/hardware creation can I still do that with a CS degree? Aren’t CE degrees more flexible with jobs and stuff?</p>

<p>CompE doesn’t require much physics. In compE, usually you are working at an abstraction level higher than the physical level. EE’s dabble with the physics of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. </p>

<p>CompE is just a degree in CS with some of the theory cut out, and put in its place are more courses on computer architecture and computer systems. Not a lot of physics. I don’t know why people keep saying that.</p>

<p>If you want Hardware you need to stick with CE.</p>

<p>lol mixed advice, so is it fine if I take those math and physics courses at a community college. will it effect the other stuff I have to learn? I don’t think I’ll need a lot of math on the job if I get a job but I just need to survive the next 3 years. Also I was thinking of minoring in something so if I stick with CS should I minor in CE? Does that even change anything in the job application process? I was thinking of minoring in Finance because I might learn something useful for the future. Which would be better?</p>

<p>OP, I have a question: Once your robot minions take over the world, what sort of policies would you enact as the world dictator? Because if our views on issues align, I may have the proper finances to support your operation.</p>

<p>Anyways, on a down note, I’m afraid the US government may have to be pro-active here and assasinate you before you start on your conquest for domination. Assuming you haven’t already started. Or, if I disagree enough with your prospective policies, I’ll be the one to end your reign of terror (be afraid, very afraid… I’m a vigilante).</p>

<p>Im major in CPE. In Cmp Engineering, you will learn about everything about Electronic design for Digital Circuits, Embed System and Mircolectronics bla bla bla. At my school, I only need to take those classes below which are really programming :
_ C for engineer 3 units + lab 1 unit
_ Object-Orient Programming using C++ or Matlab 4 units
_ Data Structure for Electrical/Computer engineer 4 units
_ Application Development Using Java 4 units
_ Software Engineering 4 units
_ Computer network 4 units + lab 1 unit
Electrical Engineering major doesn’t need to take that but they take
_ Introduction to Power Engineering 3 units + lab
_ Material Science 3 units
_ An upper course in Semiconductor 4 units
_ An upper course in Network Analysis 3 units
_ Communication System 4units</p>

<p>I took calc/physics at CC and transferred into cmpe. I didn’t have any problems but I loved math and had an interest in physics. In general if you don’t like working with numbers this probably isn’t the best path. Keep in mind that EE is a focused area of physics.</p>

<p>Also, taking these classes at CC will not impact your job prospects. Potential employers only care what kind of degree you have, where you got it, and which schools you have attended. In fact you could just leave CC off your resume once you apply for jobs. They aren’t going to ask to see transcripts, upon highering, from a school you briefly attended.</p>

<p>Huh. At my school, the Comp. Eng. majors have to take several units of physics and low-level hardware type stuff (circuits, etc.) As far as math goes, there are more required math classes of Comp. Eng. majors than for C.S. majors.</p>

<p>A degree in CS is at least as flexible as one in CE. You’ll have plenty of job opportunities anyway.</p>

<p>If you want to do hardware, you’re going to have to suck it up and realize that to do hardware right, you’ll need to dabble in physics and some analytical math. There’s no getting around it.</p>

<p>Perhaps you could provide a link to your university’s curricula for the two majors. Then we can make a more informed judgment about which field you should go into.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Designing hardware isn’t just fabricating chips and manufacturing circuit boards. There are aspects of its design that are divorced from the physics (design at the gate level, FPGA programming, etc). CompE curriculum (at least at my school and I’m pretty sure at most places) focuses on those things. Yeah, sure the gate-level abstraction isn’t perfect, and CompE’s may have to know a little bit about the physical limitations of the circuits they use to design hardware, but they don’t spend much time battling physics. There are layers of abstraction.</p>

<p>A EE degree is what you want if you are interested in modelling semiconductor devices, manufacturing them and integrating them into circuits.</p>

<p>At my school, and I’d imagine some others, Comp. Eng. majors take a healthy selection of EE and E&M courses. That’s why I stress the importance of the OP telling us where to get the information actually relating to the curricula he’s considering.</p>

<p>Only when we can look at a list of courses can we make an informed judgment as to the amount and difficulty of physics and mathematics that each curricula requires.</p>

<p>Well, since Computer Engineering is in the engineering college, at my school CompE’s may have to take the introductory series in physics and mathematics. (CS majors in the college of engineering do as well, and I wouldn’t call it a waste of time for them if they are planning on specializing in scientific computation) </p>

<p>At my school, on top of that, they do take a course in E&M, a course in semiconductor devices, and a course in circuits, signals & systems. So your point about having to slog through courses that aren’t super relevant to computer engineering is valid. </p>

<p>My point is that once you hit the CompE courses you’ll stray from the physics and work with abstraction layers on top of that. I would not say that physics and circuits are the emphasis of a CompE curriculum.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>At Georgia Tech there is a HUGE emphasis on circuits for cmpe…so much so that they advise you not to double major in EE.</p>

<p>thanks everyone for you input! I decided to try for the CS major and minor in CE. </p>

<p>At my school the hardest core requirements are:</p>

<p>For CS:
-Calc I
-Calc II</p>

<p>For CE:
-Calc I
-Calc II
-Vector Calc
-Differential Equations
-Analytical Math
-Probability & Stats
-Intro to Mech Phys
-Electro & Mag Phys
-Optics & Thermo Phys</p>

<p>lol the funny thing is if I take CE as my minor I only need half of those reqs and I can take that at a CC and then I get to take the classes I want.</p>

<p>Here is CPE core requirement as I know:
Introduction to Electrical Engineering/Lab
C for Engineers/Lab
Discrete Structures
Introduction to Combinational Logic/Lab
Introduction to Sequential Logic/Lab
Network Analysis I/Lab
Network Analysis II/Lab
Electronic Devices and Circuits/Lab
Object-Oriented Programming
Elecromagnetic Fields
Data Structures for Engineers
Introduction to Disctrete Time Signals & System
Comp Simulation of Dynamic Systems/Lab
Control Systems Engineering/Lab
Prob, Stats, & Random Processes for ECE
Electronic Design for Digital Circuits/Lab
Introduction to Microcontrollers/Lab
Computer Organization/Lab
or Microprocessor I/Lab
Digital Design using Verilog HDL/Lab
or Digital System Design Using VHDL/Lab
Computer Architecture/Lab
Operating Systems/Lab
Applications Development using Java
Computer Networks/Lab
or TCP/IP Internetworking/Lab
Professional Topics for Engineers
and Senior Design Team Project
Software Engineering</p>

<p>The only physics-ish courses in that list are:</p>

<p>[sic] Elecromagnetic Fields
Electronic Devices and Circuits/Lab
and maybe Electronic Design for Digital Circuits/Lab (this could be an IC course which goes a little bit more into the physical aspects of circuits, or it could be a VLSI course where a lot of the physics is abstracted away)</p>

<p>The rest have nothing to do with physics or thinking about circuits in a physical sense.</p>

<p>Here is EE cores. I think ECE not too many Physics:
Introduction to Electrical Engineering/Lab
C for Engineers/Lab ECE
Introduction to Combinational Logic/Lab
Introduction to Sequential Logic/Lab
Network Analysis I/Lab
Network Analysis II/Lab
Electronic Devices & Circuits/Lab
Object-Oriented Programming
or Programming for Engineering Application
Elecromagnetic Fields
Introduction Discrete Time Signals & Systems
Computer Simulation of Dynamic Systems/Lab
Network Analysis III
Control Systems Engineering/Lab
Introduction to Power Engineering/Lab
Prob, Stats, & Random Processes for ECE
Linear Active Circular Design/Lab
Introduction to Semiconductor Devices
Introduction to Microcontrollers/Lab
Communications Systems/Lab
Professional Topics for Engineers
Team Project

  • 21 units for Specified Elective Program such as Digital System, Mircoelectronics, Power Enginering, Communication, Radio, Robotics & Control, Illumination…</p>