I’m currently a high school student looking into colleges. I have an interest in computer science and computer engineering.
I have done some research online, and most articles only go as far to explain the differences and similarities between CS and CE. (Hardware focus vs software focus).
I am equally interested in either field, so my question is, which is better to study in college (to pursue a Bachelor’s degree)?
Most universities have CS and CE as separate majors, with CE in the engineering college and CS in the engineering college and/or arts+sciences college. I heard getting accepted into the college of engineering as a CE major is many times harder than getting into arts+sciences as a CS major, because of the competitiveness of the applicant pool. Is this true?
Would I be able to pursue a masters degree in Computer Engineering if I have a bachelor’s in computer science? Vice versa? Which change, from CS to CE or from CE to CS, would be easier to do for a master’s degree? I know doing a double major with engineering is very difficult (is this true?)
Also, for those in the know, can you also touch up on some similarities and differences between CS and CE in terms of specific curricula? How does ABET-accredited programs play into this?
I know this is a lot of questions, so thanks a ton in advance!
Neither is better, they are just different. It comes down to preferences, which I know doesn’t help you.
This is all school specific and varies completely by school. In general, it would hold true, but I can think up plenty of cases where it isn’t. CS is actually separating from both engineering and arts/sciences and becoming its own college at many schools. Some schools do admissions by college, some by major, others by neither. Some CS majors are harder to get into than their engineering counterparts. I wouldn’t focus on this until you select schools/programs. In the end, neither is really that much harder than the other to be admitted to.
You could probably switch easily between both. If you want to go CS to CE, a program which requires more science class bases would probably be better. ABET accreditation would help there, which normally is not important for CS majors. In general, neither of these subjects really require a masters. You are correct, a double major in engineering is very tough.
ABET and engineering in general means more specific requirements. ABET is crucial for engineering but really doesn’t matter for CS at all. A CS major will dabble in CE for a class or two usually, and vice versa.
It sounds like you would be best to look for combined programs in both if you are truly interested equally in both sides. Programs like the below exist at a decent number of schools. Note, combined, not double.
