Making Sense of Computer DegreesBy Andrea YustCopyright 2011 Homeschool Programming, Inc. From Homeschool Programming, Inc.'s March, 2011 Newsletter |
Understanding your Undergraduate OptionsThere are a daunting array of similarly-named college degrees awaiting your budding computer programmer! This article will shed some light on the differences between the most common computer-related degrees:
Computer ScienceThe classic Computer Science (CS) degree is what most people think of when talking about computer programmers. Computer Science courses will include all major areas of programming, from theory to applications. Students may learn about low-level assembly, higher level lenguages, databases, network programming, object-oriented programming, operating systems... the topics are quite varied!Within a university, some CS degrees are run through a College of Engineering, while others have a dedicated College of Computer Science, or perhaps even support a CS degree through a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences! As you might imagine, the College that sponsors the degree will influence the nature of the courses. So a CS degree from the College of Engineering may include more low-level technical and hardware-related courses, while a CS degree from a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may focus a bit more on topics such as management and ethics. Here are some example Computer Science degree descriptions: Cal Poly Georgia Tech University of Florida Southern Polytechnic Computer EngineeringComputer Engineering (CE) degrees include a mixture of hardware and software courses. Not only will students learn many major programming topics, but they will also be exposed to the digital wizardry that makes computers work "under the hood". Topics may include low-level circuit design, processor architecture, digital logic arrays, computer architecture, robotics, and general electrical concepts.Check out these example Computer Engineering degree descriptions: Cal Poly Georgia Tech University of Florida Electrical EngineeringWhat's Electrical Engineering (EE) doing on this list? Doesn't that have more to do with analog circuits, power lines and radio signals? In some cases yes! But students can usually opt to focus electives on the same computer-related topics that a Computer Engineer might cover. Electrical Engineering may also cover semiconductors, transistors, and the building blocks of processor and circuit board design. Some students select the EE degree in order to be formally taught the "harder" electrical subjects and are comfortable picking up programming concepts on their own!Every major engineering school offers an Electrical Engineering degree: Cal Poly Georgia Tech University of Florida Software Engineering,
The terms Software Engineering, Information Technology, and Computer Engineering Technology
mean different things to different people, so it's important to carefully read the details of a particular program. However,
generally speaking, Software Engineering involves some computer programming but focuses more on the programming process,
including management, organization, and software lifecycles. Information Technology may deal more with how computer systems
and networks interconnect and function together. Computer Engineering Technology degrees likely include core Computer Engineering topics
with more emphasis on making things work in real scenarios instead of settling for theory alone. |
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