AmberR
If I study electrical engineering in college, would I have the skills for computer engineering as a career?
I am a senior in high school, about to make my final decision on which college/university I will attend. One of which only offers electrical engineering as a major, but I know I want to pursue a job in computer engineering. I asked the question to help me in my decision. Would it just be safer to go to the college that actually offers study in computer engineering? #engineering
4 answers
Aaron G.
Aaron’s Answer
First off excellent decision to choose either electrical or computer. Simply put from my experiences as an EE, electrical engineers make for awesome computer engineers. However, the reverse it not always true. An electrical engineering degree is generally broader and will focus on both electrical and computer topics, while a computer engineering degree will tend to focus more on the software and algorithms side. I have colleagues who graduated as EE's and are now CE's and are extremely successful.
On another note, I would think about where you see yourself after college. Do you want to be a hardware or control systems at GE or Raytheon, or do you want to be a software developer at Bloomberg or Google? The safest bet is to choose a university that offers both, because usually your courses are identical for the first two years. After you have become acclimated, you can decide which path you would like to pursue.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Aaron
Engineer87
Engineer87’s Answer
I was an engineering major in college and now I hire engineers and programmers for my businesses.
The best way to get started learning computer engineering is to start learning how to program using free languages like Python, Ruby, and Perl. That will give you a great basic understanding of computer engineering, and prepare you for getting ahead in college. Not all of computer engineering is taught in electrical engineering courses, so it’s important to take some computer science courses too.
Jean Noel Sanchez
Jean Noel’s Answer
Whether it is "safer" to attend the school with a dedicated Computer Engineering degree depends on what specific area of computer engineering you want to go into and how flexible the Electrical Engineering curriculum is at the other school.
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## How EE and CompE Overlap
Computer Engineering was born out of Electrical Engineering. Think of the field as a spectrum:
$$\text{Pure Electrical} \longleftrightarrow \text{Hardware/Embedded (CompE)} \longleftrightarrow \text{Pure Software (CS)}$$
An EE degree covers almost all the core physical and hardware foundations of CompE:
* **Digital Logic Design:** How logic gates (AND, OR, NOT) build processors and microcontrollers.
* **Circuit Theory & Signals:** How electricity moves through chips, transistors, and circuit boards.
* **Semiconductor Physics:** How silicon chips actually work at a physical level.
### The Key Difference: Software Depth
* **Computer Engineering:** Teaches low-level hardware *plus* extensive software development (data structures, algorithms, operating systems, object-oriented programming in C/C++, and software engineering).
* **Electrical Engineering:** Focuses heavily on hardware, power systems, electromagnetics, and signal processing—often requiring only 1–2 basic programming courses.
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## Which Path Is "Safer"?
### Option A: Going to the School with a Computer Engineering Major
**This is the safer, more direct path** if you want to work on embedded systems, FPGA design, computer architecture, firmware, or low-level software out of the gate.
* **Pros:** You don't have to "hack" your degree. The required curriculum automatically guarantees you learn computer architecture, data structures, and operating systems.
* **Best for:** Students who want a clear, structured roadmap into hardware/software integration without worrying about fitting outside courses into their schedule.
### Option B: Majoring in Electrical Engineering (EE) to pursue CompE
**This is still a very safe, fully viable path**, provided you take advantage of electives. Thousands of software, firmware, and hardware engineers hold EE degrees.
* **How to make EE work for CompE:**
1. **Use your technical electives:** Take courses in Data Structures & Algorithms, Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, and Microcontrollers/Embedded Systems.
2. **Learn C and C++ deeply:** CompE relies heavily on these languages for low-level programming.
3. **Pick CompE-focused capstone projects:** Work on robotics, microcontrollers, or FPGA projects for your senior design project.
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## Decision Checklist for Your Choice
Before deciding against the school that only offers Electrical Engineering, check these 3 things about their program:
1. **Does the EE department offer a "Computer Concentration" or "Track"?** Most EE departments allow you to specialize in computer systems during your junior and senior years.
2. **Can EE students take Computer Science courses?** At some universities, CS courses are locked to CS majors only. Make sure EE students can easily register for CS classes like Data Structures and Operating Systems.
3. **What do graduates from that EE program do?** Look up alumni on LinkedIn from that department—you will likely see many working as Firmware Engineers, Embedded Software Engineers, and Hardware Engineers.
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## The Bottom Line
If both universities are roughly equal in cost, location, and reputation, **the school with the dedicated Computer Engineering major will give you a smoother, more tailored experience.**
However, picking the EE-only school is **not a mistake or a risk to your career**. EE is one of the most respected engineering degrees in the world, and employers view EE and CompE graduates as largely interchangeable for hardware, embedded systems, and low-level software roles.
Ryan Ebel
Ryan’s Answer
Pick a school that has all the fields of study that you may want to graduate with. i recommend looking at course catalogs and graduation requirements. Find classes that you will find interesting.
Electrical Engineering is a more general degree which can focus on computers, signal processing, power, robotics, etc...
Computer Engineering is more specific which means that electives will be prescribed.
Computer Science is focused on the theory of programming, because today both the Electrical and Computer Engineer need to be able to program to some extent.
All of these degrees are challenging, and I recommend picking the one that inspires you. I had a deep desire to learn how to make computers, electrical circuits and radios work. This helped me to get through the difficult math classes, and some of the classes that I did not enjoy Mechanics.
I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering while focusing on electives such as C++ Programming, Data Structures, Algorithms, and VLSI Design (Microchip Design). Later, I followed up earning a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. This has led to an interesting post military career in a chemical plant where I am responsible for the Programmable Logic Controllers and the Plant's Power Distribution System (138kV Sub-Station down to 480V Motors).
I hope that this helps.
Ryan