<p>Hi guys,
I am really interested in all kinds of networks(the Internet, wireless networks, protocols, multimedia, routers, switches, transmission, switching, software, hardware, ect.). I dream of building routers(software, hardware). However, I am not sure which major is best for my interests. I am thinking of Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. Which of the two majors places more emphasis on Networking? I checked the websites of many universities, but couldn't figure it out.... Any ideas, suggestions or links with materials to read? </p>
<p>You would want to become a EE or ECE major for that. Digital Communications is an area you could choose to focus on, and also applied Electromagnetics is very important for wireless networking. Both of the the above are EE topics.</p>
<p>Hi morfinx,
I figured out that EE will provide basics in electronics(hardware). But what about the software part? Networking involves lots of protocols, operating systems, security and so on... Will EE prepare me for that?</p>
<p>As an EE you will be primarily concerned with hardware and low-level software (i.e. firmware, drivers). The high level networking applications are generally computer scientists' domain. That is not to say an EE cannot write high level software, but it is less common. You WILL have to take programming classes as an EE, more so if you are a ECE/CE.</p>
<p>Let me list all the GRADUATE ECE courses taught at Georgia Tech under the technical interest area of Telecommunications:</p>
<p>Satellite Comm and Navigation Systems
Random Processes
Digital Communications
Advanced Digital Communications
Personal and Mobile Communications
Information Theory
Coding Theory and Applications
Computer Communication Networks
Performance Analysis of Comm Network
Wireless Networks
Broadband Networking
Computer Network Security
Broadband Access Networks (Hybrid Fiber-Coax Communication Systems)
Multimedia Communications: Signal Processing, Networking, Applications, and Standards
Advanced Communication Theory
Sensor Networks</p>
<p>When I as a HS student I was very interested in networking as I took CISCO's CCNA certification and whatnot. I moved away from it in college however. As an undergraduate EE major, your education is pretty broad and you won't be able to do any significant specialization. If you really to specialize in one area, you should count on going to graduate school.</p>
<p>"As an undergraduate EE major, your education is pretty broad and you won't be able to do any significant specialization. If you really to specialize in one area, you should count on going to graduate school."</p>
<p>peter_87, these guys are right about EE, but if you do want to work with OS, security, and the like, then you could get into computer engineering so you could that kind of experience. They are right about specialization being pretty scarce at the undergraduate level, but some schools allow "concentrations" with in the major to have a slight specialization, but it's just taking your engineering electives and using them for certain classes. Also if you find out that you want to work more into software, the transition between CpE and CS is much easier than between EE and CS.</p>
<p>You also might want to check out maybe a minor in information science...I know at Cornell (where I'll be next year) has a major called Information Science, Systems, and Technology in the Engineering college - it is very open-ended and can basically be tailored to networking and building network hardware. It doesn't seem like a very common program, however, so you'd have to check at your school.</p>