EE vs Comp Eng, vs Comp Sci for best career Trajectory & Grad school opportunities

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I need wisdom for those with experience.</p>

<p>I want to study Engineering and I was thinking about EE (I'm comfortable & good with math & physics)... but I was wondering in today's world which major is the best as a foundation. I see so many people entering into Computer Engineering and Computer Science, I was wondering if I am missing something since I am essentially a dumb geeky kid with no life experience.</p>

<p>I want a degree that will allow me to be a solid professional contributor and eventually a leader in this technical world. So I want to be strong professional asset that can also have good success going into graduate school (whether it be MBA or technical)...</p>

<p>I know it depends on so many things but I was wondering what you guys think. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>I’d take a look at classes offered in each of the departments. See which look the most interesting to you. That’s likely to be the degree that’ll help you reach your goals.</p>

3

<p>There are great opportunities in EE, CE and CS right now. I think you should do what you find interesting.</p>

4

<p>There really is no major field of study that is somehow inherently better than the rest you have mentioned. There may be some that have better job prospects in 4 or 5 years when you graduate, but predicting that is nigh on impossible. For example, the people entering computer science in 1997 probably thought they had excellent career prospects riding the wave of tech startups and internet companies. Then in 2000 the dot-com bubble burst and those guys had a much harder time of it getting jobs in 2001 until the economy recovered.</p>

<p>The best advice then is to not try and predict something that even the best economists have a hard time doing. You are better served by figuring out which of those degrees is most interesting to you and following that path. You will be more motivated to learn about and spend time studying material that interests you, and the better grades and higher enthusiasm for the topic will serve you later in job interviews.</p>

5

<p>Guys… I appreciate that we can’t predict the future and its all about doing what each individual determines what is best for them. But I haven’t been admitted anywhere yet … and not only do I not know what college I will be admitted to , I’m still struggling with the opportunities that each field of study offers.</p>

<p>As a high school kid I have a perception for what I believe each major offers and as I drill into each field I notice that each major has people describing the greatness of what they do.</p>

<p>So … now I’m trying to get a little better understanding.
For example:

  • EE is very broad and theoretical but is the beginning point for using physics and math as tools to solve a huge number of odd ball problems.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>computer engineering is more focused and connects both processing hardware & software to solve problems.</p></li>
<li><p>computer science lives inside the computer…and covers things like programming languages and logic and the human to machine interface .</p></li>
</ul>

<p>so if this was a ven diagram then:

  • EE is everything
    – Computer engineering is a subset
    — Computer Science is a subset of Computer engeering.</p>

<p>So I was wondering if EE gives me the broadest background and maybe a slightly better foundation to build off of…at least those are the thoughts running thrpough my brain…am I off track?</p>

6

<p>FWIW I’d consider computer science to be a subset of math rather than computer engineering, although there definitely some overlap between the two. I’m enrolled in a computer science program.</p>

7

<p>Here are the definitions of the respective disciplines from my university web site.</p>

<p>EE:
Electrical engineering is the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism toward the design of new and better electronics and electronic systems. Students earning an electrical engineering degree may specialize in unique career-track subfields such as electromagnetics, physical electronics, systems and information processing, or wireless systems.</p>

<p>Whether you want to invent and patent new technologies, design laser scanning systems or engineer electronic solutions to modern problems, an electrical engineering degree will get you there.</p>

<p>CompE:
Different than computer science, computer engineering is focused on the design and analysis of computer hardware, software and operating systems, as well as computer networks.</p>

<p>In addition to a strong foundation in programming and software design, students seeking a computer engineering degree gain a complete understanding of complex computer systems and are provided with multiple opportunities to design, build and test their own.</p>

<p>Whether you want to develop new methods of automation, design high-performance software or engineer new robotic technologies, a computer engineering degree develops a strong background in engineering, programming and electronics.</p>

<p>CS:
Computer science focuses on the fundamental theory of computing. It’s more than just programming, encompassing the fundamentals of algorithmic thinking and how to design, develop and test software and information systems.</p>

<p>Whether you want to develop new methods of human-computer interaction, design intelligent systems or program high-powered software applications, a computer science degree develops a strong background in computer systems with experience in programming and information management.</p>

<p>Computer science students can choose from a variety of sub-fields for their computer science degree including:</p>

<pre><code>Artificial intelligence
Human-computer interaction
Computer architecture
Graphics
Databases
Operating systems
Computational science
</code></pre>

8

<p>Thank you HyperionOmega. I appreciate what you said. I was wondering if Computer science drifted to the engineering side or stayed on the applied math side and touched things like math & logic.</p>

9

<p>Your Venn diagram is wrong. EE and CE have an overlap, CE and CS have an overlap, and CS and Math have an overlap (by this point CS has grown enough that it’s not a complete subset of Math).</p>

10

<p>Some CS programs are more to the math side, some are more to the applications side. IMHO a good program teaches you both.</p>

11

<p>You venn diagram is wrong. CS is too broad, it is actually broader than EE. Computer Engineering is a subset of EE and CS(mostly EE in my school). A correct venn diagram would be CS and EE overlapping with Computer Engineering circle in the middle. Choose the one you like the most and don’t worry about jobs. It is not like you are majoring in history or any other unemployable major.</p>

<p>A class that will help you know if like EE is electric circuits and for CS it would be data structures and algorithms</p>

12

<p>I’ll agree with others to go down whichever path you find the most interesting. </p>

<p>But, I will also say that if you have interests in all of them, you should consider doing EE. (Of course, I’m biased since I’m a EE.) But, I know a lot of people who started out in EE who are doing CE and CS type jobs, on equal footing with those who had a CS degree. But, you really can’t get a EE job with a CS degree. So, I think the EE degree is more flexible.</p>

13

<p>Thank you. I was hoping for flexibility once I begin working and growing as a professional.
I don’t want doors to be closed because I’m not the “right type”.</p>

14

<p>You should definitely check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (available online, just search for it). Nobody can predict the future, but there’s at least a method to their madness - and you can accurate current figures and make up your own mind as to what that means.</p>

<p>EE, CmpE and CS should all be decent choices. I wouldn’t necessarily do EE because it’s more “flexible”. You’ll miss out on a lot that would make you a better software developer, if that’s what you really want to do. The software industry is doing really well right now, but if it tanks, one might reasonably expect that non-CS degree holders will have a harder time breaking into the field.</p>

15

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<p>An EE degree doesn’t really help for software type of jobs unless they are on embedded software. If the OP likes both EE and CS maybe he should go with Computer Engineering</p>

16

<p>God, this is tough…when it comes to this stuff I’m surprised how I feel like an idiot. I just have no real world experience… I know that I’m realy good in math & physics and I am comfortable with computers but don’t want to be a servant to a computer. .I see computers as a tool to be used as part of a broader system solution.</p>

<p>you guys have been really helpful… thank you.</p>

17

<p>All three degrees are great and provide good opportunities. I recommend you start with Computer Engineering because it will let you know whether you like or hate EE and CS. If you hate one you can switch to the other. I know some people that switch from EE to CS and they are graduating 1 year late.</p>

18

<p>What exactly is software engineering? How does it compare to computer science or computer engineering?</p>

19

<p>A software engineering degree is very similar to a CS degree except some of your upper level math / CS electives are replaced with software process classes.</p>

20

<p>@PAYNE101,</p>

<p>Since you’re still in high school, I don’t think you should worry about this too much yet. There are some things you can do that will give you an idea of what you want to pursue at a college or university. For example, you can join an open-source project, and/or download one of the app development kits available for the various platforms that exist (e.g. iPad, Android), and work on something that seems interesting to you. If it turns out not to be interesting, there are other types of kits available for hardware development, etc.</p>