Electrical Engineering and Computer Science/Engineering?

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>I'm very confused as to how these to work together. Is it possible to get BoS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, or are they both separate? How does it work? Is it a degree that teaches Electrical Engineering but more focus on computer science?</p>

<p>What about Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering?</p>

<p>I'm trying to find a program that I could major in where I can work with circuits. Get hands-on with how hardware and software work and interact and also learn the computer science fundamentals, or whatever it's called.</p>

<p>Bottom-line, I'd like to build stuff and program things to work with what I build. So is an EE enough? Or should I compliment it with Computer Science?</p>

<p>This was taken from University at Buffalo website:</p>

<p>Should I pursue computer science or computer engineering?
Scientists and engineers are both interested in the nature of things, in understanding how ideas and objects in the world fit together. But in general, they seek to understand the nature of reality with different ends in mind: the scientist seeks this understanding as an end in itself, the engineer in order to build things. Thus CS is closer to the underlying theory of computation, with its roots in mathematics, and CEN is closer to the design of physical devices, with roots in physics and chemistry as well. Students with an urge to build things, to measure how things work in the laboratory, those attracted to physics and chemistry as well as mathematics, should seriously consider CEN. Students with an interest in the true nature of symbols, information and their manipulations, the forms and limits of algorithms and data structures, should consider CS. Of the three great divisions in computing, namely theory, software and hardware, to a first approximation theory goes with CS, hardware with CEN, and software with both, but mainly with CS. The more general the software, the closer to CS; the more hardware-specific, the closer to CEN. Thus a student interested in creating his own new general-purpose computer language would best be served by a CS degree program, while one interested in designing a software interface for a new high speed serial device by the CEN degree program. Students undecided between the CS and CEN programs are urged to discuss the matter in depth with academic advisors within the CSE department, the College of Arts and Sciences (which administers the CS programs), and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (which administers the CEN program).</p>

<p>After reading that, I see that CEN is what I should study. Then it talks about how CS focuses on "a student interested in creating his own new general-purpose computer language would best be served by a CS degree program," and I start to change my mind. Right now, I just don't have a clear vision as to where I would best fit. I'd like to learn what these major teaches but not sure what label would best suit me. At the end, they're just labels and I just very interested in learning what these course has to teach.</p>

<p>What can I do then to take CEN and maybe down the road pick up CS? Or read some books and research paper covering CS as to supplement me not going for a CS degree?</p>

<p>Please lend me some insight. I'm willing to provide any information needed for the community to help me understand where and what it is that I want to go/do. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>The paragraph you posted is a very good overview of the differences. To a first approximation, I would say this is accurate.</p>

<p>Perhaps what you need is somebody with some experience of what CS entails, what EE entails, and what CE (comp. eng.) entails, to say a little bit about what they like most about their majors. That way, you can make a more informed decision… one with a personal touch. It sounds like you have access to most of the facts of the matter… curricula, that is.</p>

<p>I am in CS. The reason I am in CS is because I do not care for hardware. I am a double CS/Physics major, so it’s not an ability issue - I feel comfortable enough with physics and applications of math to pick up the theory, at least, of EE.</p>

<p>My favorite parts of CS are the following:

  • Theory. These tend to be very mathematical in nature. They involve proofs, which largely distinguishes CS from engineering. Algorithmic analysis, formal languages, etc. These are the CS major’s bread and butter.
  • Software. These tend to be general-purpose problem solving courses, where you are given a little background on a simplified problem from some domain, and you design a solution, implement it, and test it to make sure it works. </p>

<p>What courses were not my favorite?

  • Courses about hardware. Computer organization, architecture, digital logic circuits, etc. I did well in these, and turned my disinterest into an impetus to try harder. I feel like I learned a lot in these classes, got a lot out of them, and they have made me a more well-rounded individual; doesn’t mean I have to do them for fun, doesn’t mean I love doing them, but there you go.
  • Courses about specific applications in CS. Operating systems, networks, compilers, etc. It’s interesting to see how other people have decided to implement certain systems based on theory courses, but on the other hand, it’s more fun to me to look at the theory and use that to do it myself. These sorts of things are large, complex, and largely pre-existing… again, I take these as an opportunity to make myself more well-rounded.</p>

<p>A nice thing about CS is that it’s pretty straightforward to double-major in, say, mathematics, or physics, or business, or even liberal arts. Not that you have to, but if you have a second area of interest, you can pursue it. With something like EE or CE… well, you could still do it, but generally those programs are more rigid in structure.</p>

<p>Am I happy with CS? Yes. I would have been happy with math, statistics, or perhaps even philosophy as well. I think CS was my decision because I liked programming and, of the majors listed above, has better job prospects.</p>

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<p>I’ve been reading several posts on this same exact topic: computer science, computer engineering, Electric and Electronic Engineering, etc. Some users have said that taking Electric Engineering would be beneficial as I’ll be learning about hardware and programming too along the way. Compared to Computer Science, it’s mostly about theory, analysis, and whatnot.</p>

<p>Seeing as Electric Engineering will have a lot of hands-on experience, it seems the most likely choice since it cannot be learned independently without going through great hassle. Computer Science seems like it can be learned with books and the Internet later on if I ever wanted to know a bit more. What do you guys think of this?</p>

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<p>My vote is for EE with the CS minor. You can supplement the minor with electives in OS, Architecture, Embedded systems, Data Structures, and maybe compilers. </p>

<p>Your second option is probably computer engineering. With that you might be weak in Analog and Mixed-Signal circuits especially if you fill up your electives with software classes. </p>

<p>CS doesn’t really deal with HW. If you want to design compilers and operating systems go with CS.</p>

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<p>"Seeing as Electric Engineering will have a lot of hands-on experience, it seems the most likely choice since it cannot be learned independently without going through great hassle. Computer Science seems like it can be learned with books and the Internet later on if I ever wanted to know a bit more. What do you guys think of this? "</p>

<ul>
<li>I think you’re simplifying things a little bit. Yes, making things in CS (programs, proofs) doesn’t require special equipment, whereas making circuits, robots, etc. does. That’s true. But for theory and everything like that - you know, what companies will be hiring you for, aka what you learned in college - CS and EE are about on par when it comes to learning them at school or independently, and if anything, CS is harder to study independently (I would say).</li>
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<p>Some college like university of louisville are setup where you get both a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the same time</p>