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From: dwgordon@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Dwight W. Gordon)
Subject: Re: CS and CompE (was Re: most respected chinese SCIENTISTs)
Message-ID: <1991May16.202233.17134@maverick.ksu.ksu.edu>
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References: <1991May12.224331.20754@lynx.CS.ORST.EDU> 	<1991May14.190239.1330@cs.yale.edu> <13371@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> <WINDLEY.91May16090750@panther.ted.cs.uidaho.edu>
Date: Thu, 16 May 91 20:22:33 GMT
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windley@ted.cs.uidaho.edu (Phillip J. Windley) writes:


>In article <13371@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> stlin@stevelin.Eng.Sun.COM (Steven Lin) writes:

>   The difference is obvious: Computer engineering major students have to
>   meet the requirement of hardware design courses (of course software
>   courses too). On the other hand, the CS students do not have the
>   requirement to take hardware design courses. This does not mean that a
>   CS major has no capability to take hardware courses and later becomes a
>   hardware designer. And a CE major can be a software designer if he
>   wishes to do so. The difference tells that CS is oriented to software
>   and CE is oriented on hardware, and the faculty and equipment will be
>   significant different in schools for these two fields.

   Actually, at Kansas State, our CompE's are oriented to the bridge
that spans both the hardware and software points of view.  IMHO they
can program (but not as well as a Software Engineer), and they can
design and deal with hardware (but, perhaps, not as well as a "die
hard" EE).
   Previous graduates have found themselves in departments dominated
by either extreme.  One graduate, now at HP, told me that he was the
only person with hardware experience in his department (a department
full of Software Engineers).  Others have found themselves programming.

>...

>The biggest problem in my mind is that no one (faculty) I know feels
>comfortable recommending that a student major in CompE.  The problem is
>that there just aren't that many jobs advertised for CompE majors.  Thus,
>everytime a CompE grad goes to an inteerview they have to start by
>convincing the interviewer that they really do have the background to do
>the job.  Interestingly enough, the company that put so much pressure on us
>to offer a CompE degree didn't even list CompE in the degrees they were
>interested in interviewing this year.

  It's the same way here!  Companies request EE's with extensive
digital design and software experience, but they don't want a CompE!

- Dwight -

--
Dwight W. Gordon, Ph.D.                     Kansas State University
dwgordon@matt.ksu.ksu.edu             Electrical and Computer Engineering
dwgordon@ksuvm.bitnet                             Durland Hall
Phone 913-532-5600; FAX 913-532-7810        Manhattan, KS 66506-5105
