Computer Science vs. Computer Engineering, and other stuffs

[neuroscientist]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between computer science and computer engineering?

Also, has anyone double majored in CS and something else (besides math)?

I heard it's way hard to balance quality ECs as a computer science major, much less a double major, but in doing research in medical imaging, I've really become interested in pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a bioinformatics emphasis along with my neuroscience major. Feasible?

 

[neuroscientist]

Bump

 

[Captain Fantastic]

Feasible? Yes. Crazy? Yes.

Are you more interested on the software side or the machine architecture side. There is a lot of interplay between the degrees, but I think this is the fundamental question.

 

[OldBlue]

maybe you could consider adding comp sci as a minor? then take the bioinformatics classes in addition to that? might give you more time than the double major while allowing you to explore your interests.

x2 on the "feasible yet crazy" remark

 

[talbo]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the difference between computer science and computer engineering?

Also, has anyone double majored in CS and something else (besides math)?

I heard it's way hard to balance quality ECs as a computer science major, much less a double major, but in doing research in medical imaging, I've really become interested in pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a bioinformatics emphasis along with my neuroscience major. Feasible?

Electrical engineering is hardware while computer science is software and computer engineering is somewhere in the middle where they learn the best of both worlds. CS majors dont need to learn circuits at my school except basic circuits from physics classes. Computer engr do take circuits courses as well as systems/signals courses. I did engineering and I dont think it was hard to balance activities, but CS does have a lot of projects.

 

[edmadison]

The answer to your question depends on your school. I was a CS/History double major. Thats 36 hrs of History and 33 hrs of CS + 11 hrs of math for a total of 80 hours. On top of that I had 20 music hrs. That left me only 40 hours for everything else. I'm a non-trad so I didn't have pre-reqs, but if I did, it would have been another 30-40 credits, add in a few core requirements and you're done. I found CS easy, but very very time consuming. With the exception of some of the game theory/simulation classes which were very math heavy, most of my classes were programming heavy. Thus, if I did not procrastinate and set aside enough time, I could get in the high 90s. I think you can likely do it, but you must be carefull about your schedule. You wouldn't want to be taking two project heavy CS classes (like Operating Systems) along with Orgo and Physics, both with labs.

Ed

 

[bretticus]

As other posters have said, CS is going to involve more high level programming, and it is much more math/algorithm based. These people usually work with several languages like Java, Lisp, C++, etc. Some CS majors also probably work on web apps also -- PHP, Ruby, MySQL databases, etc. I was a CompE major, and I took some basic CS classes, plus operating systems. Most of my classes were in lower level hardware though -- microcontrollers, signals, digital signal processors, etc. My senior project was a pulse oximeter, which fit in nicely with med school applications. Pretty much all of the programming we did was in C or assembly, as these are really low level. Graphical interfaces were also less important, it's more along the lines of programming interrupt handlers or setting registers for the devices that you need to control. A robot, cell phone, or iPod would be something that would have CompEs working on it. We did not get into things like power, EMag, or detailed analog circuits, as those area are typically EE.

 

[neuroscientist]

Thanks a bunch for the great information. I'm beginning to think that a CS minor may be the correct approach.

You see, I've always had a fascination with computers, both hardware and software. However, I would really like to learn more about programming, languages, the internet, networking, security, etc. Does a minor seem like a better approach for this. Additionally, as I look at the minor my institution offers, it appears that I can take a couple of upper-tier electives to fulfill interests, and alas Bioinformatics is one of these electives!

So, for what I would like to learn, do you think a minor could meet my expectations?

Thanks again.

 

[zogoto]

Thanks a bunch for the great information. I'm beginning to think that a CS minor may be the correct approach.

You see, I've always had a fascination with computers, both hardware and software. However, I would really like to learn more about programming, languages, the internet, networking, security, etc. Does a minor seem like a better approach for this. Additionally, as I look at the minor my institution offers, it appears that I can take a couple of upper-tier electives to fulfill interests, and alas Bioinformatics is one of these electives!

So, for what I would like to learn, do you think a minor could meet my expectations?

Thanks again.

If you're going into medicine, doing a full CS major probably isn't worth it. A lot of CS classes will have you doing full-on development projects and stuff, which build experience so that CS majors can get jobs at companies (there is no such thing as "residency" in the corporate world, so universities need to train engineers to actually be able to do something by the time they graduate). You do not need this experience. If you're looking to just learn the theoretical stuff, a minor would be good. A lot of people I know are doubling in neuro and CS (many of them are pre-med), because of the upcoming applications of artificial intelligence (my school has a huge CS dept. and the AI division is a major part of it). Bioinformatics is also a very important field, and if you ever want to have research possibilities as a doctor, knowing some bioinformatics could help a lot.

 

[mdmarty]

If you want to major in CS, then I would go with Bioinformatics. You get to do all the fun theoretical and programming stuff along with a good amount of biology, while cutting out the (boring) EE and hardware stuff. I was a bioinf major and ALL of my interviewers were very interested in my computer experiences.

Having said that, there are only a few schools that have reputable bioinformatics faculty and divisions. Make sure your school's bioinformatics program isn't just biology classes mixed in with some programming classes. There should be some kind of continuum.

 

[bretticus]

If you want to major in CS, then I would go with Bioinformatics. You get to do all the fun theoretical and programming stuff along with a good amount of biology, while cutting out the (boring) EE and hardware stuff. I was a bioinf major and ALL of my interviewers were very interested in my computer experiences.

Having said that, there are only a few schools that have reputable bioinformatics faculty and divisions. Make sure your school's bioinformatics program isn't just biology classes mixed in with some programming classes. There should be some kind of continuum.

Some of us find EE and hardware interesting... 😉

I would go with whatever your level of interest is. If you are really interested in computers and programming, there's probably no reason you can't do a CS double major. As I mentioned, I did CompE and am very happy I got to. If, however, it is just a "hey that's cool" kind of thing, a minor might be for you. Alternatively, you could do a minor that you are really interested in, but it would keep your workload down quite a bit. Med schools do not care one way or the other, and you don't really get bonus points for double majoring. Good luck.

 

[circulus vitios]

Thanks a bunch for the great information. I'm beginning to think that a CS minor may be the correct approach.

You see, I've always had a fascination with computers, both hardware and software. However, I would really like to learn more about programming, languages, the internet, networking, security, etc. Does a minor seem like a better approach for this. Additionally, as I look at the minor my institution offers, it appears that I can take a couple of upper-tier electives to fulfill interests, and alas Bioinformatics is one of these electives!

So, for what I would like to learn, do you think a minor could meet my expectations?

Thanks again.

If you're interested in the internet, networking, and security, think about doing an Information Systems minor instead of a Computer Science minor. Computer Science is more the math and theory of programming, while Info. Systems is stuff like web design (CSS/XHTML), working with Cisco routers, network security, etc.

 

[akmedman]

I am a cs major and must say CS is very demanding and takes a lot out of you... but if you love to think, love being challenged intellectually, it is a GREAT major!

IMO i think you should take a few classes and see how you feel. For people who haven't been exposed to theoretical math and algorithm development, it is hard to really know if it is for you. Try it out, and if you like it... do it! Also CS varies A LOT from school to school. Some focus on theory, some focus on low level stuff, etc.

But yeah... its been a hard few years balancing my CS with premed, but I feel prepared for the things that will get thrown at me later in medical school/my career.

hope that helped.