Advice on changing my major to comp engineering

College Majors Engineering Majors
21

<p>I’ll remind everyone that whohuh is the one who was asking the original question, so it’s the information he provided that I will use as a reference.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You don’t want to take “math” (probably you mean the continuous-variable analytic math, like calculus) and physics.</p></li>
<li><p>The Comp. Eng. curriculum requirements include 4 more “math” and 3 more “physics” courses than the Comp. Sci. curriculum requirements do.</p></li>
<li><p>Therefore, ceteris paribus, you should not major in Comp. Eng.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Moreover, the “architecture” classes that you’re probably interested in taking probably don’t have any of those math or physics courses as prerequisites anyway. That means you’ll be able to take all but the most physics- and math-based courses in the Comp. Eng. curriculum anyway.</p>

<p>CS focuses on discrete math and software at a somewhat higher level than does CE. But you can take electives in some of the lower-level architecture and software-engineering courses. For instance, here’s what I’ve taken over the years in computers/electronics as a CS major:</p>

<p>(Programming Fundamentals / Basics)
Introduction to SE
Programming I
Programming II (or Data Structures)
Software Construction</p>

<p>(Theory)
Programming Languages
Discrete Mathematics
Algorithms
Formal Language Theory</p>

<p>(Software Engineering)
Software Modeling and Design
Real-Time and Embedded Computing
Software Process
Software Quality Assurance</p>

<p>(Architecture)
Digital Logic Circuits
Computer Organization and Assembly Language
Operating Systems
Computer Networks
Computer Architecture</p>

<p>As you can see, a CS major has afforded me a broad exposure to fundamentals of computing. I can’t imagine a CE major getting much more than that… perhaps more on the EE side, but that stuff just doesn’t appeal to me as much as the theory and SE.</p>

22

<p>I agree with everything you just said. I just disagreed with (maybe, aka had a weird fixation with) the claim: “compE has a lot to do with physics”.</p>

<p>Yeah, you take a few intro classes and learn a little, but not enough for it to be very useful. The meat of the degree has very little to do with physics.</p>

<p>edit: actually nvm i reread the thread. that’s not what you said. my bad~</p>

23

<p>lol yikes, i just read the opening post. sorry whohuh. I was so blinded by my obsession to show that compE isn’t about physics that i missed your question.</p>

<p>how far along are you in your degree? it may be the case that your credits do not transfer (for example, at my school, the ece department doesn’t let the intro cs programming course replace the intro ece programming course because the intro cs programming course SUCKS). </p>

<p>if you are far along and your credits won’t agree well with the CS program requirements, then it may be worth it to tough it out for a few more courses until you hit the meat of the compE curriculum (which I add has very little to do with physics : ) ).</p>

<p>if you aren’t very far along, then switch to CS.</p>