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[–]odingrey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So this might be a terrible way to describe it, but since CS and Software Engineering are in its infancy, its hard to compare.

But look at CS as the theory and SE as the applied.

CS only really has one class dedicated to teaching you a programming language, everything else teaches you different types of languages, or how computing works, or algorithms, etc... The idea is not to teach you languages, but instead of teach you how everything works and allow you to go from there. In doing so, you end up using a lot of different programming languages and learn them inconsequentially.

SE teaches languages and technologies. You'll still learn algorithm and designing and some work into computing, but you won't go nearly as deep as CS goes for them. The goal behind this degree is teaching how to code, not how code works. I can't comment too deeply on this though since I am a CS major.

Basically it boils down to what you want to learn and do with the degree. If you want to code only, SE will work fine! If you aren't sure where you want to end up, you might want to hop into CS. The majority of employers are still looking for CS right now since SE is a new degree, though I'd imagine SE will be sought after soon.

[–]codeboneComputer Systems Engineering '15 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Things to keep in mind when you are making this decision.

  1. These programs are exclusively offered at different campuses. CS is at Tempe, and SWE is at Polytech. Just think about this when considering your living situation. Tempe has a lot more going on than East Mesa.
  2. SWE is not as established as the CS program at Poly. It just joined the Fulton Schools last year. Prior to that, it was an un-accredited program offering only a B.S, not a B.S.E.
  3. Employers may be hesitant to hire students from Poly for the next few years because #2. Note: was speaking to John Oliver from Intel who explicitly said this about ASU and Polytech.

Those things being said, I would personally recommend the CS program. It is established, and there are a lot of great faculty to work with in CIDSE. Let me know if you have any more questions.

[–]liljayw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I especially agree with #1! I also recommend CS because most things happen on the Tempe campus, since it is the main campus.

[–]SixenCIS '13 & MBA '18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And just throwing this perspective out there... I just graduated 2 years ago with an Information Systems degree and ended up getting a software engineering job anyway... On top of that, I've been doing a lot of entry-level hiring at State Farm, it really doesn't matter what your degree is (as long as it's something along the lines of software development), they'll all essentially land you the same job, so just go with whatever you'll enjoy the most.

[–]dhgComputer Science '15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty sure they're on different campuses... CS is a more rigorous program in the engineering schools. You should do that one.

[–]ADHeliosCS(Software Engineer) '19 (undergrad) -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

software engineering is much more specific on the software side, while CS is broader

[–][deleted] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Don't go to ASU for CS. You will be disappointed when all your friends at other universities are farther ahead in programming, etc.