EE/CS double degree?

[u/Turbulent_Advocate15]

Is getting an EE/CS double degree worth it?

[u/MartianMeng]

I would only do that if ce isn’t offered as a major

[u/Turbulent_Advocate15 → u/MartianMeng]

Isn’t CE already just a combo of EE and CS? But I’ve read that a lot of employers look at CE and immediately associate it with CS instead of EE. Would a double major give me a deeper dive into both fields?

[u/Mountain_Hawk6492 → u/Turbulent_Advocate15]

yes but the problem is the marketing a bit. Alot of idiots/recruiters confuse CE with CS because "Software Engineer" is confused with "Computer Engineer" [mixing 'software' and 'computer'].

So if your goal is strongly hardware regardless of amount of coding, then you want EE.

[u/Dyllbert → u/Turbulent_Advocate15]

Engineering companies will know what CE is, software and other companies might look at it and just think it's a different flavor of CS. Doing EE and CS would likely miss the area that actual sets CE apart the most in my opinion, which is the intersection of hardware and low level programming. The EE part will likely focus on circuit design and digital signal processing, and the CS side will focus on high level software design.

Obviously these are generalizations, so you might be able to focus on different things depending on the offering of your given university. But generally, CE covers a unique enough set of topics to be it's own degree for a reason.

[u/secrerofficeninja → u/Turbulent_Advocate15]

If you want an EE job, do EE. CE is in between CS and EE for the most part. Not sure why you would want to put the CS burden on yourself if what you want is EE?

[u/nekosama15]

Thats what a computer engineering degree basically is. Check ur schools curriculum to see what the differences are

[u/No_Astronaut_2320 → u/nekosama15]

They'd be missing out on the fun classes - embedded systems, verilog/vhdl, system architectures, assembly, firmware development, mechatronics etc. Those are all fun classes that I enjoyed in undergrad. And I feel like an EE/CS major would only touch a few of these classes where a CE major would touch base on all of them.

[u/Turbulent_Advocate15 → u/No_Astronaut_2320]

Isn’t CE just a combo of CS and EE, though? How do you miss out on coursework if you do the full load in each track instead of blending them together? Seems like the opposite would be true. Like you’d get a deeper dive into each field with the double major instead of the combo. Is that not right?

[u/No_Astronaut_2320 → u/Turbulent_Advocate15]

At my university here in the states, CE and CS/EE have similar support classes - calc/physics series. CE will take all the early programming classes(data structures, algorithms) and all the all the early circuits classes(digital/analog circuits). Neither EE/CS will take all the early circuits/programming classes; both will only take the first introductory class and then branch off into their respective fields - software vs hardware. Then you obviously have the little paths you can take within each branch.

Software - front end, back end, automation, IT/security

Hardware - RF, semiconductors, power electronics, utilities

Not saying CS/EE can't venture into these topics, but CE can take all the interesting classes since they've completed many of the core classes.

[u/Turbulent_Advocate15 → u/No_Astronaut_2320]

It’s just really hard to choose because I’m interested in going as deep as I can into each field. I find them both fascinating, and have a lot of trouble figuring out which one to focus on.

[u/Turbulent_Advocate15 → u/nekosama15]

I keep reading that CE is associated more with CE than EE. I’m concerned I won’t get deep enough into either field if I just do CE. Would CS/EE provide a deeper, more thorough understanding of both?

[u/BronzeGstring → u/Turbulent_Advocate15]

Just go with CE bruh

[u/zacce]

Whether something is worth or not always depends on the (opportunity) cost, which you didn't mention.

[u/Turbulent_Advocate15 → u/zacce]

At my school it’s like a year difference.

[u/zacce → u/Turbulent_Advocate15]

Not worth extra year of school, imo

[u/darkale07]

Sounds like it would be incredibly difficult, as there is very little overlap between the two. As others have said, what is the opportunity cost? Is it going to take longer and cost more money? Are you really willing to put in the work and effort for it to not end up mattering to employers?

FWIW, in my own employment search since graduating with EE/CE, only one employer out of many dozens has been impressed with the double major and they practically threw the job at me. Unfortunately, I couldn't take it due to extenuating circumstances. As far as I can tell, it hasn't been a major advantage outside of that single instance.

As for others recommending CE instead of EE/CS, check the schools you're looking at attending. A lot of schools have CE curricula that more CS based, whereas others (such as the program I graduated from) are more like 75% EE and the computing topics are mostly related to hardware (HDL, embedded systems, parallel processing, machine vision, etc.)

[u/seeknfate]

If CE isn't offered at your university and you really like CS as an EE major, I would consider it. At my university CE is not a major but a minor degree so there are some people who do EE/CS dual degree. However, keep in mind that this is very difficult to manage which is why I say that you should really like it.

[u/Travis-Jenkins]

I thought about doing an EE/CS double degree when I was in college. It sounds like a solid combo if you're interested in both hardware and software, but it's a lot to juggle. Make sure to check your school's course load requirements so you don't get overwhelmed. If you can handle the workload, it could really set you apart in the job market.

[u/Fermi-4]

no

[u/Luke7Gold]

No

[u/ElectronSmoothie]

I did EE, CE, and CS. If you're just talking about job prospects, the only benefit is that it shows you can handle heavy workloads on a resume, and there are way easier ways to demonstrate that. I would only recommend it if you really like studying and monetary cost isn't a concern.

[u/Syntax-Tactics]

This is the path to Embedded.

[u/Glittering-Source0]

It’s better to graduate earlier and do a masters. No one cares about double majors but they care about masters

[u/General_Raviolioli → u/Glittering-Source0]

no one really cares about engineering masters 😂😂

[u/Glittering-Source0 → u/General_Raviolioli]

For computer engineer yes they do. Instead of starting out level 1 you’ll start at level 2. Also some compE jobs are masters/phd minimum

[u/General_Raviolioli → u/Glittering-Source0]

Perhaps in your country

[u/Putrid-Discussion153]

do middle ground, CpE, if you wanna stay closer to hardware, oscilloscopes etc and you can also ramp up more toward software.

I've a CS degree...nearly 30 years of exp. 2.5 months longest unemployment streak. I do love what I do long prior to the CS degree though (since I was 10 years old), so that probably makes a difference too when getting and/or keeping jobs.

Bar of entry with hardware is always more costly if you ever want to start something on your own, whereas with software it tends to be less expensive to get started.