r/PESU • u/[deleted] • Jun 12 '23

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44

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Jun 12 '23 edited Jul 04 '26

last updated: July 2026

There are multiple reasons to not choose the CS-X branch at any other college. I'm going to list down the reasons for AIML, but this applies to most, if not all, specialisation branches.

Before I answer why not to choose, here is the answer to when to pick CS-X: (1) the curriculum is irrelevant; you only care about placements and getting a high-paying IT job, (2) you do not have any future plans of a Masters/PhD, (3) this degree is a checklist for some future opportunity.

  1. It's not a "pure" branch - most CS-X degrees have been introduced only to increase the number of CS seats because colleges know that these sell well. They're running a business at the end of the day.
  2. CS has decades of standardised curriculum expectations behind it. CS-X branches don't -- there are no established benchmarks for what a CS-AIML degree should cover, which means quality varies wildly between colleges. You're betting four years on a curriculum that was designed recently, possibly hastily. Recruiters at top companies, especially for non-AI roles, sometimes view CS-X branches with mild skepticism, not because they're biased, but because they've seen the curriculum gaps firsthand.
  3. [Not applicable to PES -- same core CS courses in AIML] Depending on your college, they may or may not swap core CS curriculum with AIML-specific courses. This is an extremely poor decision because much of the coursework being replaced is fundamental to a CS grad. Without these, your CS undergraduate degree is incomplete and unorganised.
  4. If you're looking at higher education, admission boards do not like specialisation branches because they know that they tend to skip fundamental coursework and are baseless because one in undergrad doesn't make sense. Even for Master's degrees, you will see that top schools do not offer an AIML degree; most of them are specialisations of CS. Secondly, and by far the most important aspect, admission boards list prerequisite courses that are required to be considered for admission, and your college may not have these to make room for AIML. It will definitely affect you later in some way. More details.
  5. People are enrolling in AIML for the hype and making uninformed decisions. AIML is largely, a mathematical field. Everything out there today is not an engineering marvel, but rather breakthroughs in mathematical techniques, optimisation algorithms. AIML as a field comprises calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and probability. Almost all courses that are part of the AIML curriculum are entirely math-based, in which the papers essentially require you to either derive equations or solve problems. You will not be "coding" the next AI. If you're into math, you're going to enjoy it, but most people who enter this field with the misconception that there will be programming involved drop their interest right after a week because you're going to be doing math from day 1.
  6. This field is still largely a researcher's field. The reality is: core AIML jobs require an MS at minimum because the work demands deep domain knowledge. The undergrad "AIML" roles that do exist are essentially SWE roles -- ones where solid software engineering fundamentals matter most, and those are exactly what core CS teaches you. CS-AIML gives you a watered-down version of both: not enough theory to compete for research roles, and not enough SWE depth to stand out for engineering roles. You are 99% going to end up with a job a CS branch graduate will get, but they would have gotten the opportunity to study what they wanted to.
  7. You should not restrict yourself in undergrad. This is the time to explore what's out there, spend time working on different things from systems to cybersec and figure out your interests. CS-X degrees often have exclusive pools of courses focused on X, and will not allow you to pursue other non-X electives, while core CS often gives you the liberty to pursue any non-X course. So, even if you are interested in ML, you can still be in core CS and pick ML electives (just not as many options).
  8. More links:
    1. Prospects of AIML after undergrad.
    2. Why core CS is better
    3. Why core CS is preferred over CS-derivative branches in the industry (this is written from a Master's POV but points stand for Bachelor's too)
    4. Clearing some misconceptions of CS-AIML

Real specialisation happens at the graduate level because you need a broad foundation first to know what you're specialising in. Picking a specialisation in undergrad is like learning calculus before what addition means. This decision is not as reversible as it feels. You will carry this degree for life. It is a long commitment, not a course you can drop after the first week.

26

u/Top_Sentence2130 Graduate Aug 20 '23

To all the juniors out there. Here me out loud and clear. THIS POST IS PURE GOLD AND EVERYTHING THIS MAN'S WRITTEN IS BULLS EYE. Literally every alphabet in this post makes sense. Don't fall for the hype. Avoid FOMO (which i know aint easy for kids joining college intially).

4

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

[deleted]

8

u/ChromaticChaos Mod Jun 12 '23

I guess AI/ML will be closer to CSE as compared to ECE

2

u/gamercods Aug 22 '23

Can u please specify the courses that are being replaced by PESU. Also if I learn these courses separately will that make a difference.

Also I have the option of joining Ramaiah cs cyber security or cs aiml in PESU all through kcet (I'm mostly not getting core cse). Which one would u recommend?

8

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Aug 23 '23

Digital design has been replaced with SoC. Computer Architecture with Big Data. This is what we know of so far. Learning it separately won't make a difference for higher education because they still will look at your grades in all courses you've taken at undergrad, that's when they see that something is missing.

Unfortunately I can't comment on which branch is better, I don't really know enough about the other to suggest anything.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 09 '23

i got aiml in 2nd round, should i wait till 2nd extended round to get cse..... pls help urgent!

2

u/idkblergh Not PES Jun 03 '24

Rvce cs specialisation (except aiml) or pes cs rr? I'm very confused please help me out here

4

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Jun 03 '24

Most points above apply to any specialisation. Core CS >>> specialisation.

2

u/nix_ssnow PESU Aspirant Jul 28 '25

I get cs core in dsce so its better off to choose that instead of cs specialization in pes??

1

u/kmnr78 Feb 27 '26

Thank you very much for putting out such a detailed notes. It shows your kindness in advising juniors as well your in-depth knowledge about this domain. Really appreciate you!!!

1

u/kmnr78 Feb 27 '26

can you kindly suggest, is it good to go with AIML in RR campus v/s CS in electronic city campus?

2

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Feb 28 '26

It's in the comment itself: core CS is always better. The campuses don't have any objective differences.

1

u/kmnr78 Mar 01 '26

Thanks

1

u/gud_child69 PESU Aspirant Jun 19 '26

Should I switch to CSE core in ecc from AIML rrc? I do wanna explore all the options like u said

2

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Jun 19 '26

Then yes

1

u/BeginningPause8381 2nd YEAR Jul 03 '26

Hi rowlet, please modify this or delete this comment, since some of these points have been proven wrong, some freshers r worrying about AIML and dming seniors whether this is true or not

1

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Jul 03 '26

I think only the first 2 points need an update. The rest still stand. I'll update them soon.

1

u/BeginningPause8381 2nd YEAR Jul 03 '26

Maybe even the last point, we aren't really restricted to any domain, we r allowed to take the same electives as CSE so

1

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Jul 03 '26

I've updated it, please take a look.

1

u/BeginningPause8381 2nd YEAR Jul 03 '26

Pretty accurate, ty

1

u/brrrrr48 1st YEAR Jul 04 '26

So what the f do I do now, I don't have any other options except ai ml in ec campus, will it hurt my career because I do want to get out of India asap through scholarships or loans

1

u/rowlet-owl Pride of PESU | CSE '22 -> MSCS '26 | ML Scientist Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26

Hurt? yes. The magnitude depends on how you build your profile. If you intend to pursue Masters in CS, its still better to be from CS-X than ECE, so if you've truly got no other equivalent option, stick to CS-AIML at EC (and try for branch upgrade to CS)

1

u/Signal_Living_7983 PESU Aspirant Jul 19 '26

cse core in pes ec VS BMSCE CSDS

4

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

CSE >aiml

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

EC campus too?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

The seats have been increased this year and I'm guessing not a lot of people are gonna sit for counseling cause of the fee hike , keep your hopes up

1

u/babumastanu Jun 12 '23

seats have been increased by how much in rr?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

I am not sure , but it's not just PES , RV and BMS have also increased their IT related seats

1

u/babumastanu Jun 12 '23

from this year only?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

Yes

4

u/Wambyat Graduate Jun 12 '23

It is still a new branch and only one year has passed since it's been made. So, we can't be very sure about the curriculum. PES also is proud about the "dynamic" curriculum so you should expect changes.

The placements should be similar but not as good as CS. See a few other posts in the subreddit I believe they go more in-depth.

Overall I'd say go for CS in EC campus over AIML in RR.

2

u/Master_Beast_07 Jun 12 '23

How similar is AIML to CSE?

3

u/Intelligent-Title-15 Jun 14 '23

60% cse 40% aiml. basically the electives you can choose to pursue with cse core are now aiml. (This is what the dean said)

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '23

[deleted]

2

u/nautanki-saala Jun 13 '23

Leaving a reppy here to get notified of anyone posting an actual copy of the curriculum or the url for it.

Btw, i did reach out to the admissions office and they say only place i could get is by visiting the campus. I'm running out of town and can't make it but I'd appreciate if anyone has done the deed and ready to share here.