<p>I am now wavering between CS and EE. I know that CS is more about software and EE is more about hardware. But do you guys know what classes that I should take to differentiate between them then decide which I really major in?
Which is more quantitative? As I want to work in consulting later, I want to show recruiters my quantitative skills. Which is better for an MBA ? (just in case I like them both)</p>
<p>It has nothing to do with what degree you want later. What are you more interested in. If you want the easier route and like programming, do CS. If you like hardware do EE or CE which involves more higher level math. That’s what it boils down too. </p>
<p>If you want an easy route to an MBA do CS. But that’s if you like programming. One of the best degrees for an MBA would probably be Industrial Engineering actually.</p>
<p>@Lookin4ward: I’m not sure I’d agree that EE involves “higher level” math… there’s a thread going on right now about which engineering involves the most math, and it seems like CS and EE are about equal in this respect. Also, at any decent school, CS and EE will be tough degrees to complete… not sure I’d make a blanket statement that any STEM major is easier/harder than any other. babyboom’s question is about interest and utility, not difficulty.</p>
<p>@babyboom: To really differentiate, you’ll need to take at least two courses - one to give you a flavor of EE and one to give you a flavor of CS. Fortunately, there should be enough overlap between EE and CS that you have some time to make up your mind, and the course(s) you take for the one you end up not choosing can probably count as electives for the other (or towards a minor, or at least they’ll have been good for you).</p>
<p>The kinds of courses that come to mind are things like: introduction to {computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering}, the introductory programming sequence for CS (2-3 courses in Java/C++/Scheme/etc.), analog/digital circuits courses (+ labs).</p>
<p>You might even be able to get an idea from courses you’ve had or that you’ll take early in college. If you like the part of physics that deals with E&M and doing calculus & differential equations, odds are that you’ll enjoy EE and do pretty well. On the other hand, if you liked geometry (the proof-based stuff you did in high school), algebra, logic puzzles and games (including board games, card games, etc.), and the parts of calculus that dealt with limits and sequences/series, you would probably like CS.</p>
<p>If you give us more information about what courses you’ve taken (including HS) and enjoyed, and what courses you could take to help you differentiate between CS and EE (and SwE and CpE), please feel free. Also, I think there are curriculum guidelines published by the ACM or IEEE or perhaps ABET that lay out what the curriculum would be like for different majors, in terms of what kinds of stuff these people do.</p>
<p>You can become a consultant as either a CS or EE major. Whereas the baseline EE degree is probably more “quantitative” in the sense that you do math with calculators rather than with symbols, you can easily make a CS degree highly quantitative by focusing on any number of specialties (scientific computing, numerical analysis, high performance computing, etc.)</p>
<p>As far as the MBA thing goes, I’m not particularly qualified, but I think that you can get into an MBA program with either (just be careful to take all the necessary courses from business… some places require e.g. business statistics or econometrics to get in).</p>
<p>
Not really - there might be some fluff courses (aka “freshmen seminars”) that might give you some minor feel one way or the other, but the coursework itself is usually very intense and often restricted to those in the major. In other words, you probably cannot take enough courses to really understand one of the majors without actually being in it.</p>
<p>What school are you attending? That might help.</p>
<p>
Both are very quantitative, although if you are primarily interested in consulting I would suggest comp-sci - no great reason or experience with this, I just think that understanding the software might be more useful in a career where you are not expected to actually work on equipment.</p>
<p>
Either/or. MBA programs like both majors just fine.</p>
<p>If you want to go into “quantitative business”, then why not do something like industrial engineering, operations research, or applied math with an appropriate selection of applied courses (e.g. statistics, economics, finance, computer science)? (and if you want to go to graduate school in business, consider an MFE program instead of an MBA program)</p>
<p>@aegrisomnia EE def has more math than CS. I don’t need to read a thread to know that. A lot of CS programs (not all) don’t even require calc 3. Most computer science courses you will never use vector calculus. If you go into computer graphics, there will be a lot and matrix algebra, but for the most part, you wont use a lot of math that you learn. </p>
<p>For EE you will HAVE to take courses in signal processing and antenna design. </p>
<p>I agree with ucbalumnus, if you want to go into business consulting, industrial engineering and operations research are your best bet.</p>
<p>The amount and type of math in EE and CS will vary depending on which subarea. Cryptography in CS can use abstract algebra and number theory, for example. Within EE, signal processing and communications are some of the heavier math using areas.</p>
<p>@Lookin4ward: Still, I don’t think you’re taking a very expansive view of things. Most decent CS programs require students to prove things about algorithms, evaluate series and take limits of sequences, have a passing familiarity with graph theory and formal logic (to include formal languages and automata), in addition to (usually) having to take two semesters of calculus and linear algebra. While I’ll agree that differential equations, linear algebra (of the kind you’re referring to) and vector calculus are usually strictly optional in CS, CS students are being exposed to lots of other kinds of mathematics. Given that a lot of what EEs do could be seen as more physics than math (i.e., using mathematics to understand nature), I think it’s entirely reasonable to call into question your beliefs. Maybe you should read more than you think? Just a thought.</p>
<p>In the science thread, someone asked about doing Physics and CS. I feel that the following answer I gave there can be used for this question also…</p>
<p>Why don’t you wait until the end of your sophomore year and decide?..by then, you will have a better understanding of your interests. The first two years of either CS or EE will be the same. Here is a sample plan:</p>
<p>Freshman-Fall Semester
- Calculus I
- Programming I (procedural or object-oriented)
- Chemistry
- English Composition I
- A General Education course</p>
<p>Freshman-Spring Semester
- Calculus II
- Programming II (procedural or object-oriented)
- Physics I (mechanics)
- English Composition II
- A General Education course</p>
<p>Sophomore-Fall Semester
- Calculus III
- Discrete Structures
- Physics II (electricity & magnetism)
- Electric Circuits
- A General Education course</p>
<p>Sophomore-Spring Semester
- Differential Equations
- Linear Algebra
- Computer Organization
- Digital Circuits
- Physics III</p>
<p>Yeah, Physics III, Calculus III and Differential Equations are a little extra for just a CS major but you would be able to take any Numerical/Computational CS electives later on.</p>
<p>Yeah, the object-oriented programming courses may be a little extra for just an EE major (you probably would take more procedural programming for only EE) but hell, you would have a pretty sound programming foundation.</p>
<p>Take that sample 2 year and then decide which way you want to go.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. I did not expect you guys are so so so so helpful like this with long comments.</p>
<p>I am right now an international student at Vanderbilt. My school does not have an Industrial/Operations Research major…I am now thinking of major in EE and minor in CS as they are pretty similar in terms of courses, but the cost is that I may not be able to take liberal arts classes that help me improve my writing and communication skills for a consulting job. I like consulting just because it is kinda business-related and good for my long term goal of doing a start-up in engineering in my country. My belief may be wrong as I am just a college student without any experience in CS or EE or consulting. </p>
<p>Although I am doing pretty well at the school (may be 4.0 with easy courses like Cal 1, Intro to Chem, Intro to Econ, and an Engineering seminar…), my chance to have a consulting job is pretty slim, as I am international. I am also open to the possibility of working for an engineering company before getting an MBA. It seems to be easier to get into an engineering firm than into a consulting group for me…but in the future, it’s harder to get into a top MBA, isn’t it?</p>
<p>May be I am unnecessarily worried too much about the future…</p>
<p>Take the intro programming class required by CS majors, which is probably also required by EE majors. If you like programming and can imagine yourself doing that as a job and would like to dig more into the theory behind fast computing (AI, algorithms) or would like to know more about how the computer works and different ways to optimize it (compilers, OS, CPU design), go for CS.</p>
<p>If you find yourself liking programming, but not seeing it as a career and would like to dig into the low level processes behind how computers or electronics work by studying signal processing, robotics, large scale systems, or semi-conductor technology, go for EE.</p>
<p>The difference between math seems as follows:
CS and EE require much of the same lower division math courses (Calc, Multivariable Calc, Linear Algebra, DiffEq (sometimes not CS). CS requires discrete math and EE uses more “traditional” math more intensely. Both can use probability for modelling and simulation.</p>
<p>You know, Vanderbilt does have a computer engineering program, which will allow you to explore CS and EE at the same time in a single program. It’s at least worth thinking about.</p>
<p>Undergrad I would say they use about the same level of math…just different types. CS is more theoretical and discrete math, while EE is more analysis/applied math.</p>
<p>Graduate level EE requires a lot more math than CS.</p>
<p>But if you’re interested in both, think about CE where you’ll likely take half CS and half EE courses.</p>
<p>^ Unless you’re doing theoretical CS, in which case, you can’t be doing more math than that (unless you’re in a math program, perhaps). Theoretical as in complexity, computability, algorithms, etc. A lot of CS research is in quite non-mathematical areas, however… maybe every EE graduate specialty requires a lot of math? I can’t really say.</p>
<p>Yeah…considering the first computer scientists were mathematicians, theoretical CS really is just a subfield of math. A lot of the big problems like P vs NP and subfields like quantum computing concern both CS and math people.</p>
<p>Lookin4ward, I take it you’re a EE person? Saying CS is the easier route seems a little condescending–yes, I’m a CS major. In fact, let’s be frank here I’m a little offended. Having taken only a few classes in EE, I don’t have much experience in it but I’d say it does involve a lot of math. It probably uses math more (i.e. more required classes incorporate mathematical concepts) because programming does not necessarily require math, and I know a few programmers who are horrible at math. However, like another person in that aforementioned math thread said, we should differentiate computer science from software engineering.
Computer science requires a different set of math skills, more along the lines of discrete math, like logic and graph theory. You mentioned the graphics field, which uses matrices heavily, but unless I’m mistaken you are not familiar with other more mathematical fields in CS. Topics like algorithms and automata theory are less based on numbers but still use mathematical concepts. Cryptography, as someone else mentioned, uses number theory. Artificial Intelligence uses matrices and probability heavily. In fact, a machine learning course I took last quarter used the most intense math I’ve ever seen (and a physics major, really smart girl, said that it was as mathematical as some of her higher level physics courses). And machine learning, from what I’ve heard from a EE PhD guy, uses the same math as signal processing (his specialty) but just applies it differently.
While I agree that you can get by CS–scratch that software engineering–with minimal math, the same can be true for EE. At least that is the case in my school, which allows us to choose tracks. Just because it doesn’t use calculus, which EE uses a lot and what we are most familiar with from high school, doesn’t mean it CAN’T get mathematically intense. Now I know fields in EE can get intense in math too, and I really respect signal processing. But when I hear you say EE uses higher level math, I’m not sure that is true. Logic, graph theory, set theory, number theory, matrix theory, and probability theory, usually taken in the context of proofs, is not what I’d consider lower level math. Now if you said CS uses less math than Math or Physics, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Actually, you can see some of the AI videos online (<a href=“http://www.virtualprofessors.com/machine-learning-stanford-cs-229-andrew-ng[/url]”>http://www.virtualprofessors.com/machine-learning-stanford-cs-229-andrew-ng</a>) and tell me what you think.</p>