<p>For my math major i am required to take some form of comp sci class, but i have an option of taking "Introduction to Engineering and Computer Programming" instead of intro to computer sci. </p>
<p>Is there any difference in content between these two courses? I am assuming they both go into programing(c++, java, c# etc) But which one would be more beneficial for math majors?</p>
<p>Typically those “Introduction to Engineering and Computer Programming” classes are made for non-CS majors. At my school they also did a couple of weeks on Matlab (most of the class was C++).</p>
<p>I don’t really know what you need out of the class, but I believe you’d be best off with the CS course, rather than the Engineering.</p>
<p>While that depends on what precisely you’ll be doing, the former would probably be more useful to you. A class called “Introduction to Computer Science” is probably going to be a lot more about the theoretical aspects of computer science.</p>
<p>This might mean that you have both a Computer Engineering and a Computer Science major at your school. In which case the Intro to Engineering/Comp Programming" is going to be a CE class probably covering Boolean algebra, transistors, combinatorial logic, maybe even circuits.</p>
<p>CS, in this case, would probably focus more on data structures, computer languages, and simple algorithms. </p>
<p>Personally, I’d find CS more interesting if I wasn’t an engineering major.</p>
<p>The latter sounds like the CS class I had to take last semester (for non-CS-major engineers), “Intro to Computer Sciences for Scientists & Engineers”. It focused on programming solely through Matlab, since that’s a job skill we can use in our jobs. Throughout the course, the teacher compared how a certain thing would be coded in Matlab vs C/C++, but we never actually learned it–it was more just to show us how Matlab was more concise than the others.</p>
<p>Are you attending Texas Tech?</p>
<p>The Introduction to Engineering and Computer Programming course looks like a standard intro to CS course: [Texas</a> Tech University :: Whitacre College of Engineering :: Electrical and Computer Engineering :: Courses :: EE 1305 - Introduction to Engineering and Computer Programming](<a href=“http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ece/courses/1305.php]Texas”>http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ece/courses/1305.php)</p>
<p>Can you ask an academic adviser about the difference between the courses before signing up for classes?</p>
<p>at my school, most engineering programming consists of mat lab. In aero e, it’s fortran 90. In com sci, it’s Java, and later C++</p>
<p>Do they not have course descriptions in your college…?</p>
<p>they do but they aren’t very specific: intro to electrical engineering and com sci: “An introduction to the fundamentals of computing and structured programming for electrical engineering”</p>
<p>intro to com sci: An introduction to the field of computer science for majors. Computer ethics issues facing computer science professionals are addressed. Students will also learn concepts of computer programming with an emphasis on problem solving, critical thinking, logical reasoning, design and implementation techniques.</p>
<p>The link I posted gives the following syllabus for Intro to engineering and comp sci:</p>
<p>
Looks like a normal CS class to me, both in choice of topics and programming language. That’s why I suggested you talk to someone at your school who might be familiar with the specific courses or the instructors. (I usually choose courses by professor rather than by topic. A good lecturer will make any topic appealing, while a boring or overdemanding professor can spoil the most interesting topic.)</p>
<p>thanks! i was looking for that. being a novice in programing, is there a disadvantage in not having taken a formal CS class in highschool. I taught my self basic c+. i have never heard of the other subjects on the list though.</p>
<p>That’s strange.
If you know C++ then you should know almost everything on that list.</p>
<p>i said “basic c++” but i guess it’s more appropriate to mention that i only went as far as making a calculator… lol but i can teach myself more during the summer</p>
<p>Ah, I see.</p>
<p>Well a lot of what it’s listed is pretty simple (well, for I’m assuming they won’t go to deep in an intro class) if you’re worried about whether you’ll be okay–you can google most of the topics mentioned and see if you understand some of it. Or any book on C++ is almost guaranteed to cover all of those subjects.</p>
<p>The only background typical intro cs classes need is basic math which, given your major, you hopefully possess. I would not worry, the concepts you listed are normal and basic.</p>