What are the main differences between CS and CSE at SCU? I know the curriculum is a bit different, but in the end, aren’t the degrees very similar, especially to an employer?
Computer Science is within the math department at SCU, whereas CSE is Computer Science within the engineering department. Courses required are very different, and I am not in industry so cannot address that…but check out each major and requirements and you will get the idea of the differences. Not all schools are set up this way for CS, so it is good to pay attention to the differences…
CS within Mathematics:
https://www.scu.edu/mathcs/academic-programs/major-in-computer-science/
CSE:
The Computer Science and Engineering program features a balanced core, emphasizing the engineering aspects of software and hardware as well as the mathematical foundations of computation. Majors can also choose to concentrate in Information Assurance, Web Technologies, or Robotics.
An employer won’t even be able to tell the difference in the degree itself - I wouldn’t worry about that. What matters is your coursework and what you know at graduation, which an employer will care about.
If you’re planning to work in CS and don’t have any specific field in mind, the CSE degree seems a bit more useful here in terms of the CS courses required.
Unless you either know you want to go into a more mathematical subfield or really despise some part of the CSE requirements, I would go with CSE.