<p>I am a high school senior and having trouble deciding on a major. I am interested in and very good at programming, but would also prefer to work more on applied concepts rather than theoretical. Can you guys provide any insight as to the distinctions between these majors and what each specifically involves?(namely between CE and EE. and CE and CS) I an also planning to get my MBA after getting my undergrad degree. Will an MBA better complement one of these majors than another? Thanks!</p>
<p>EE is very heavily hardware and CS is very heavily software. CpE is in the middle leaning a bit closer to the EE side.</p>
<p>All three majors are highly theoretical, so I don't think you'd be able to escape from that.</p>
<p>Since you like programming you probably want to work on something digital, so CpE or CS would be the best choice.</p>
<p>as for the MBA it depends what ya want to do. if ya just want to do IT work, just get a MIS degree as they show to get just as many jobs as CS students, and the hardware side will never help you.</p>
<p>wat do you mean the hardware side will never help?</p>
<p>If you want to do IT, you will never be designing circuits. You will never brake out a soldering iron. You just replace the parts, and replacing parts is not something they teach you in CE. </p>
<p>when we talk about hardware we mean the circuits and mechanisms that make them work.</p>
<p>Software engineers can participate in developing embedded systems, where it's helpful to have the ability to understand the end product, i.e. the thing that contains the computer. Think of automobiles, in which many microcomputers control various sub-functions. Engineering at this level can be less theoretical and more applied. At times you'll end up in a lab working with hardware engineers, production engineers, etc. troubleshooting problems.</p>
<p>Get a sense of which major matches your eventual interests. Have a look at course selections for these majors at your prospective school. Look at the course descriptions. Consider how much hands on lab work is done in each major. CS will involve a lot of computer programming and little hardware design experience. EE will involve non-computer topics like antennas and power engineering. CE will focus on computer electronics and programming. I hope you'll ask more questions once you've viewed the courses.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I think CE is the right route for me. I have another question. My dad works finance and the more I talk with him and learn in AP macro in school, the more I am becoming intrigued with finance/economics. I really don't know which I'll like more. I've also been reading a lot about MFE programs. If CE isn't really what I want to do for the rest of my life, will it be hard to gain acceptance to an MFE program with a degree in CE? Or, what other majors are a good route to MFE? Thanks.</p>
<p>You might want to look into computational finance, also. I know CMU has a program in it.</p>
<p>You might want to consider a J.D. instead of an M.B.A. Patent law is very lucrative and easy to get into if you have a BS CSCI (not BA), EE, or CE undergrad. However, an M.B.A. is also an excellent choice.</p>
<p>This thread was from 2007 he's probably made up his mind by now.</p>