Comp Eng or Comp Sci?

[TMcMahon51]

I'll be getting off my **** come later this year, and finally getting back to college, and I've been wondering for a while which is it I want to do.

People have been talking me into either Comp Sci, or Comp Eng, based on me saying I want to work in the game industry/development of open source software. The issue is, I've been having problems finding out which career paths I would end up with for either.

This isn't so much as asking people to argue which is better, as I plan to do both (minor in one and major in the other).

On one hand, I do like the hardware aspect of Comp Eng, but on the other hand, what does that end up helping to accomplish in the long term, while dealing with software could possibly be more beneficial, and easier to get a job for?


I need to finally make up my mind here soon, and all the questions are just turning my head to mush. =\

[mips]

On one hand, I do like the hardware aspect of Comp Eng, but on the other hand, what does that end up helping to accomplish in the long term, while dealing with software could possibly be more beneficial, and easier to get a job for?


I would go the Comp Eng route. It gives you a broader knowledge based for one. An understanding of hardware could be usefull in programming especially with embedded stuff etc.

At the end of the day you should choose what "YOU LIKE/ENJOY" and not what other people say.

[Bölvaður]

you already answered your self in the end of the post.

c. sci. major
c. eng. minor

[Thelasko]

While I was in college, I had a friend that was majoring in computer science, and one that was majoring in computer engineering. They had many classes together. The university even went through the trouble of giving the same class two different names. Aside from some differences in core classes, it was basically the same major.

You may want to use the core classes to decide your major. I think computer science was required to take a foreign language as part of its core to fulfill the college of arts and sciences' requirements. I think computer engineers were required to take statics and dynamics to meet the college of engineering's.

This is likely to be different from school to school.

[Simian Man]

It does depend on your school. Some universities put CS in the engineering college. These schools are more likely to have the two majors share classes and so on. Other schools (like mine) have CS in the Arts & Sciences college. In this case, CS is more likely to have more in common with math than engineering.

If you want to do game development, definitely go for Computer Science. You get a firmer background in algorithms, data structures, discrete math and linear algebra. All of these things are extremely important in most areas related to games. If you do decide on CE, at least make sure you take courses on these areas, even if not required to.

[Thelasko]

It does depend on your school. Some universities put CS in the engineering college. These schools are more likely to have the two majors share classes and so on.

My school was the other way around. CS was in arts and sciences but shared classes with CE.

I honestly don't understand why the college of engineering would do something like that. They would probably just call them both computer engineering with a "focus" on one or the other. The Computer engineering program at my University was "The Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering" and was broken into several subsections. The primary was, of course, computer and electrical. Within computer engineering you had two more subsections. Those were, Computer engineering (software) and electrical and computer engineer (hardware). The software focus was basically the same as computer science.

Looking at the school's website, it looks like they have completely reorganized.

I would say it highly depends on the university.

[SomeGuyDude]

Having piddled with both (before I dove out entirely and went with a pair of liberal arts degrees...) I'll say if what you want is to get into programming, Comp Sci. Now I've seen schools offering Software Engineering, and if you can get that, do it.

CE is hardware. You'll be taking classes on circuit boards and the like. CS will put you in Java/Assembly/C# courses.

[Thelasko]

As a side note, I heard recently that an associates degree (2 year!) in computer science provides the highest return on investment than any other degree. Including an MBA! Considering you are going back to school, it sounds like a good option.

[betrunkenaffe]

As stated earlier.

Major: Comp Sci
Minor: Comp Eng

I have Comp Sci, the Comp Eng took courses with us however most of their stuff focused on hardware while ours focused on software.

Confirm that the Comp Eng doesn't have a software section, if it does, do more research.

[TMcMahon51]

Thanks for the replies. :)


@Thelasko, if that's true, I might just go for the AS in Comp Sci, and transfer over for the BA in Comp Eng.


The place I'll be going to has transfers to RIT, after two years, which is where I'd be finishing off (decent school to have on your record =D).

[dbbolton]

I started out in the Engineering department's CS program at my university. Its curriculum was based around application, not theory or abstraction. Naturally I hated it- so much so in fact that I'm now out of CS entirely.

[cardinals_fan]

The place I'll be going to has transfers to RIT, after two years, which is where I'd be finishing off (decent school to have on your record =D).
...and an excellent place to find coops and internships.

[TMcMahon51]

...and an excellent place to find coops and internships.


Which is one of the reasons I was looking at it. It's one of the best schools for Comp Sci/Eng in the state, and far easier to get into than, say, Drexel, or MIT.

[mips]

MIT.

Apparently if you go to MIT you don't have much of a life or so I read. A more relaxed pace with better weather would be my choice, CalTech comes to mind ;)