<p>Can someone explain the difference between these three majors for me? Which one is what most schools call computer engineering?</p>
<p>LOL, well, it can be a bit confusing. </p>
<p>It's not possible to do a "pure" computer engineering degree; you're going to have to mix in some of other fields in as well.</p>
<p>If you want to have a focus on software as well as hardware, then computer engineering and computer science has that. But consider that it's a computer science degree, if you don't want half your major to be in software and CS.</p>
<p>Electrical engineering has a computer engineering and computer architecture specialization, meaning that you can pick all your elective courses (half the degree really) to be in computer engineering. However, expect the other half of the degree to include circuits, electromagnetism, electronic devices, and other more pure "EE" topics rather than computer engineering.</p>
<p>Electrical Engineering (Computers) just means that you satisfied all of the specialization requirements in computer architecture and engineering, and so you can tack on the "computers" title to the degree (ordinarily the area of specialization is not indicated on the diploma)</p>
<p>Ew. Just major in Communication. (i know, i know, constructive post eh?)</p>
<p>@jbusc - thanks that helped a bunch.</p>
<p>@margaritasalt - haha uh, what the hell? I take it you don't like engineering.</p>
<p>Just too stupid and/or lazy to understand it, really. ;)</p>
<p>Just in case you want a second opinion... (I am not an expert!)</p>
<p>Electrical - just electrical engineering classes
Electrical (Computer) - electrical engineering with a specialization in computers
Computer Engineering and Computer Science - somewhat like a double major of electrical engineering and computer science, but with fewer EE classes and about the same amount of CS classes
Computer Science - just computer science classes</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore in CECS.</p>
<p>If you want, there could be remarkable overlap between the degree programs; you don't have to choose "between" the degrees if you have the option of taking essentially half the same curriculum to graduate.</p>
<p>For example, CECS majors have to take tons of computer engineering; EE101, EE201L, EE357, EE457, EE454L, EE459L, etc., plus probability (EE364 or MATH 407) and linear algebra (EE 241 or MATH 225)</p>
<p>If you're a EE major, you're not <em>forced</em> to take any of those (except EE101 and EE364), if you don't want to, in fact you can actually avoid every single computer engineering class. But you could take computer engineering, and make computer architecture your area of specialization (which is slightly different from the EE(computers) degree)</p>
<p>In fact, there are not that many required EE classes different between the EE degree and the CECS: EE's have to take(in addition) EE202, EE301, EE330, EE338, and EE470 or EE348, whereas CECS would take EE 328x, CS201, CS271, CS303, CS 377, and CS402 and some elective 400-level CS or EE classes.</p>
<p>I'm sure I'm missing a few, and I'm too lazy to actually write the course names, if you're interested they're in the catalogue at <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2006/%5B/url%5D">http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2006/</a> under "Schools" -> "Viterbi School of Engineering"</p>