Difference between Software engineering and computer science

[AryaYawe1]

Hi just wondering for when i go into university, what is the difference between software engineering and computer science.

Thanks

[dcstar]

Hi just wondering for when i go into university, what is the difference between software engineering and computer science.

Thanks

This is not a General Help" forum for questions like this or even for how to cook an egg, it is quite clearly for:

General Help
All your general support questions for Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu.

[Iowan]

Might make a good Community Cafe topic, though...
so moved!

[PurposeOfReason]

Simple, software engineering is just what it sounds like, you're a programmer. Computer science is not the science of computers, it is the science of computing. Take that for what you will.

[betrunkenaffe]

Computer Science would be programming and development of software for computers with some details of hardware and how it works. Computer Engineering focuses more on the hardware however also includes software development.

[McRat]

The last word is looking at at the req courses, but in general:

Science is theory. Engineering is applying what science teaches us into problem solving for the real world.

A "Computer Science" course could be "Data Structures". A Software Engineering course could be "Coding with SQL for business".

[AryaYawe1]

Thanks for the help

[blueturtl]

This should explain the difference:

http://www.sanitarium.net/jokes/getjoke.cgi?59

:P

[Khakilang]

To me computer science is for programming and development of software and software support and maintenance and computer engineering are mostly involve developing firmware for circuit board including computer motherboard, NIC card, router, switches etc.. and also developing those hardware for different software platform. Either way you need to learn both to give you an edge in the computer industries.

[Johnsie]

I studied Software Engineering. We shared alot of our modules with Computer Science students. The classes we took that were different from the CS students were mainly focused on software design and programming. Software design and analysis were a really big part of that.

[Gretgir]

This should explain the difference:

http://www.sanitarium.net/jokes/getjoke.cgi?59

:P

Whoever made this joke is seriously stupid and retarded.

Object Oriented Design and concerns with Market/User friendliness are Software Engineering, NOT Computing Science.

Computing Science is concerned with the relevant mathematical science inherent to computational processes, such as automata theory, algorithm analysis, computational complexity theory, computational model theory and the logical aspects of operating systems, circuits, networking and AI.

The "computer scientist" in this lame joke of yours is actually a software engineer. Go learn things before you post them around like that.

It is a fact that most CS majors end up becoming software engineers, but that's only because that's where the money is at, that doesn't mean the intellectual field inherent to their major course is about any of that crap. Unfortunately, though, most people will confuse that, to the point where they think CS is exclusively about developing software, to which I can only answer "DUHR".

Another problem is that most CS courses in the USA have vocationalized in such way that any of the relevant Computer Science being taught in them was removed to be replaced with software project rubbish, in an attempt to make the major more "market friendly", to the expense of not teaching the relevant science that gives Computing Science its name.

So, if you're going to make assumptions, make them about the major courses, not the intellectual discipline. The latter is a mathematical science, and the former is rubbish.

[jhonan]

The "computer scientist" in this lame joke of yours is actually a software engineer. Go learn things before you post them around like that.
If you had a Tardis you could travel to Finland and go back a year into the past to deliver your post personally.

[DZ*]

Computing Science is concerned with the relevant mathematical science inherent to computational processes, such as automata theory, algorithm analysis, computational complexity theory, computational model theory and the logical aspects of operating systems, circuits, networking and AI.

Good grief. Computer scientists study entities that they themselves invented!

[3Miro]

Good grief. Computer scientists study entities that they themselves invented!

As opposed to Mathematicians or Literature Majors or Engineers? Computers are man-made and hence if you study them you study something that we made and the best people to tech it is the people that made it.

Computer Science is more theoretical Software Engineering is more practical.

[DZ*]

As opposed to Mathematicians or Literature Majors or Engineers?

I was thinking more of Political Science and "The science of things divine" :-) But surely, when I think of Literature majors, science is not the first thing that springs to mind.

And mathematics is arguably not science either.

[cap10Ibraim]

as a computer science student
computer science means more math classes


This should explain the difference:

http://www.sanitarium.net/jokes/getjoke.cgi?59

:P
:P

[cap10Ibraim]

The last word is looking at at the req courses, but in general:

Science is theory. Engineering is applying what science teaches us into problem solving for the real world.

A "Computer Science" course could be "Data Structures". A Software Engineering course could be "Coding with SQL for business".

actually computer science take both classes you pointed to

[3Miro]

I was thinking more of Political Science and "The science of things divine" :-) But surely, when I think of Literature majors, science is not the first thing that springs to mind.

And mathematics is arguably not science either.

I guess we were talking about different things. There is nothing wrong with studying things that you came up with, especially if they are some of the most useful things we have ever invented. However, if you want to compare Computer Science to Physics or Chemistry then CS is more like Math: part of Science, but not a Science in itself.

[DZ*]

There is nothing wrong with studying things that you came up with, especially if they are some of the most useful things we have ever invented.

There is nothing wrong about Computer Science, it's just that it's neither about computers nor about science :P

[3Miro]

There is nothing wrong about Computer Science, it's just that it's neither about computers nor about science :P

Good one:p

Although, it would have been better if it were true.

[Barrucadu]

Good one:p

Although, it would have been better if it were true.

I would agree that computer science isn't about computers, computers are merely involved to some extent. I think it's completely possible to do the theoretical side of computer science without touching a computer at all.

[phrostbyte]

People who major in Computer Science often end up as Software Engineers.

Some schools will let you major in "Software Engineering" and basically take less math courses.

[ErikNJ]

People who major in Computer Science often end up as Software Engineers.

Some schools will let you major in "Software Engineering" and basically take less math courses.

Other schools will offer a BA or BS in Computer Science. The BA has fewer science/math courses than the BS.

[3Miro]

I would agree that computer science isn't about computers, computers are merely involved to some extent. I think it's completely possible to do the theoretical side of computer science without touching a computer at all.

Computer Science is about making efficient algorithms. I would say it is more Math than anything else, but I am a bit biased as I have BS in CS and Ph.D. in Math.

The algorithms are ultimately implemented on computers and the computers are currently the best tool that we have, but CS is theoretical and does not depend on the existence of computers. You can ultimately trace some of the algorithms back to Newton, long before there were computers.

The above may vary of course as different schools may have different programs.