{"id":9913,"date":"2019-12-23T11:52:32","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T19:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/?p=9913"},"modified":"2023-02-09T05:44:13","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T13:44:13","slug":"computer-science-vs-computer-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/computer-science-vs-computer-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Computer Science vs Computer Engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Computer science vs computer engineering: what’s the difference? Computer science is the study of computer systems and software, whereas computer engineers focus on physical machines and computer components.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students looking to head down the technology path may be confused by the options. It isn\u2019t uncommon to get lost in the terminology and become even more overwhelmed by all the options. This guide breaks down how computer science and computer engineering differ, what skills you need for both, and what jobs you can land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Computer Science?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Computer science is<\/a> the most common field for anyone who wants to learn about technology. It\u2019s also incredibly broad. The field involves the study of computer systems and how these systems work and process information. Computer scientists use code to translate English into languages the computer can comprehend.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CS is a general-purpose field, allowing students to learn the theoretical basis of problem-solving. Although many CS courses teach specific languages, the tech skills<\/a> that students learn are transferable to a variety of jobs. For example, graduates of CS bootcamps or university programs have gone on to work with operating systems, build databases, and improve human-computer interactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Computer Engineering?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Computer engineering focuses more on the physical aspects of computers. The \u2018engineering\u2019 portion really emphasizes skills in designing and building hardware. This includes components like the monitor, keyboard, disk drive, and central processing unit (CPU). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Computer engineering courses involve a lot of electrical engineering and practical physics to understand the circuitry behind computer hardware. In this way, it may seem more specific, but computer engineering skills can apply to seemingly unrelated jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a computer engineering background, you can be a general mechanical engineer, industrial engineer, or electrical engineer. Because a lot of engineering jobs<\/a> overlap, becoming a computer engineers can fork into a variety of pathways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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