Comparing Software Engineering to Computer Science

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A couple of previous posts have looked at the differences in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, from my simple perspective and from a new student viewpoint.  Below are some (updated) comments from an academic expert viewpoint, as prepared by Prof. Patrick Lam in the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering (and the Associate Director of the Software Engineering program).  If there are questions or comments, I’ll ask him to respond.  Note that at Waterloo you can apply to both Software Engineering and Computer Science.  They are treated independently for admissions, so you could get two separate offers.

Comparing the BSE in Software Engineering to the BCS in Computer Science

Our Bachelor of Software Engineering degree is an accredited computer science degree, and BSE students take many of the same CS core courses as BCS students. In addition, Software Engineering (BSE) students also take computer engineering (CE) courses and the engineering core, thus satisfying the requirements to be a CEAB-accredited Engineering programme. Like all engineering students, BSE students follow a rather regimented programme and learn about the physical world. BCS students enjoy more flexibility.

Employment outcomes from the BASc in Computer Engineering, the BSE, and the BCS are broadly similar. What you get out of a university education depends less on your specific courses and more on what you put into your courses, your interaction with peers, and your work experience. However, the programmes do differ. To help you choose which programme is the best fit for you, here are some of my personal observations about cohorts and courses. Continue reading →

Computer vs Software vs CS

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What is the difference between Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Science?  This is a perennial question and generates a lot of interest from potential applicants.  I had a post on this topic (and there is some very good discussion in the comments section that follows).

Some of our incoming first year engineering students have recently produced a nice blog post on the differences.  Since they recently went through the process of researching, comparing and contrasting the programs, it provides a unique perspective from an  applicant’s point of view.  Have a look at their post and blog here.

Note that at Waterloo, if you have interest in Software Engineering and Computer Science, you can apply to both and potentially have two different offers .

If You Want to Be an Entrepreneur, Don’t Go to Harvard | LinkedIn

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Below is the introduction from an interesting article on LinkedIn (follow the link at the end for the complete thing).  Essentially, his thesis is that the most “elite” or “prestigious” colleges/universities cost so much that your entrepreneurial options after graduation are limited (in the title, “Harvard” is used figuratively to represent expensive schools).  He recommends going to a cheaper school that you can more easily afford, so you don’t build up a crushing debt.  (I’ll add that universities with paid internships or co-ops are a good way of minimizing debt too!).  The article is well worth reading.

August 16, 2013

Vivek Wadhwa

Fellow, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University

My greatest disappointment after joining academia was to see my most promising students accept jobs at Goldman Sachs or McKinsey. Engineering students with ambitions to save the world would instead become financial analysts—who used their skills to “engineer” our financial system. Or they would take grunt jobs in management consulting—another waste of valuable talent.

Why would they sell their souls? Because they had no choice, the burden of debt they amassed while getting their degrees was just too great. They had six-figure student loans to repay and couldn’t take the risk of joining a startup or founding their own business.

…(click link below for the rest)

via If You Want to Be an Entrepreneur, Don’t Go to Harvard | LinkedIn.

Students’ use of laptops in class found to lower grades – The Globe and Mail

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Below is an article summarizing a study that measured the potential negative effects of bringing a laptop to lectures, i.e. you end up with lower grades.  The study confirms what many professors informally observe, and what has been measured in other studies, such as a couple described in this document from Stanford’s website.

For note-taking in engineering classes, laptops are almost useless.  Pen and paper may be old-fashioned, but it’s still the quickest and easiest medium for quick sketches, free body diagrams, derivations of equations full of Greek symbols, etc.  We recommend (and some professors insist) that you leave the laptops at home or in your bag.

I see very few, if any, laptops in the lectures for the fourth-year (senior) courses I teach.  Since fourth-year students are the ones who successfully got through the first three years, that’s probably a good hint for first year students. Continue reading →

Chances for 2014

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The 2014 Admissions brochures for Engineering and other programs have recently been uploaded.  Last year, for the first time, we included a table showing admission probabilities (“chances”) for different programs and grade ranges.  It seemed to be well-received and many people found it to be useful, so we revised and updated a new one for 2014.  Below is a copy of it (sorry about the image quality).  This is based on the 2013 results and as usual we caution that 2014 may be different, since it all depends on the competition level (which is unknown in advance). Continue reading →

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to speak at University of Waterloo

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Here is an interesting development, for those on-campus in September.

Jack Dorsey

WATERLOO, Ont. (Wednesday, August 14, 2013) – Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and one of the youngest tech executives in Silicon Valley, will address students and local entrepreneurs at the University of Waterloo this fall.

Dorsey, who launched his second successful startup, Square, in Canada last year will tell a 675-strong audience about entrepreneurship and how Square created a culture that inspires anyone to be an entrepreneur and leader.

The 36-year old will also meet some students and entrepreneurs at a private lunch to discuss entrepreneurship and see firsthand the quality of Waterloo students.

“Jack Dorsey started a new communications movement when he launched Twitter and changed the world for millions of people. He’s continued to blaze the technology trail with Square, which is starting to transform how we make payments. ” said Pearl Sullivan, dean of engineering at Waterloo. “Waterloo is recognized as a leader in technology and innovation. We are very honoured that Jack Dorsey is making our University the first stop on his Canadian visit. We live and breathe entrepreneurialism here at Wat

via Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to speak at University of Waterloo | Waterloo News.

Comparing Starting Salaries

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People are sometimes interested in “Return on Investment” (ROI) or “value” of their university education, and part of this analysis needs the expected salary after graduating.  Data within Canada seems difficult to find, so I sometimes look at surveys like that produced by NACE (the National Association of Colleges and Employers) in the US.  Their most recent result (April 2013) is available here in summary form (the full version requires a paid subscription, which I don’t have).

Summarizing the results for 2013, we see the reported average starting salaries for various broad areas (rounding off to the nearest $1,000):

Business:  $54,000
Communications:  $43,000
Computer Science:  $60,000
Education:  $40,000
Engineering:  $62,000
Health Sciences:  $50,000
Humanities & Social Sciences:  $37,000
Math & Sciences:  $43,000
Overall:  $45,000

In many universities, engineering and computer science tuition are among the highest of the programs, so it’s good that their starting salaries are the highest too, on average.

The survey also shows average starting salaries by industry sector.  The sector labelled “Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction” had the highest value, at $84,000, while “Finance & Insurance” had the lowest at $53,000.  I think the first one is skewed by a pretty small number of highly paid jobs though, since there were only 1,100 new grads in that sector versus 100,200 in the Finance sector.

I don’t know how relevant or useful that information is on an individual level, but it’s interesting to look at.

Ideas start here

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Here’s a nice short video about innovation at Waterloo. Our Creative Services department always does a nice job on various materials, including this video. I like the part about “Bring us your curiosity…imagination…drive”. I think that nicely captures the spirit of the types of students we hope to attract to Engineering.

bethbohnert

Script and concept: Beth Bohnert
Production: Creative Services, University of Waterloo

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A Guide to University Nomenclature

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For new university students the academic world is probably rather confusing, partly because it is large, complex, and uses terminology that secondary school students have not likely encountered.  Here’s my quick reference guide to some of that jargon.  It’s somewhat specific to Waterloo, but many North American universities use something similar.  (In the interest of brevity, I’ll gloss over some details and hope that my colleagues don’t mind.) Continue reading →

Pre-University Homework

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For those who just finished high school and are starting university in September, here is some homework to complete over the summer.  It’s specifically for those starting Waterloo Engineering, but might be useful for other programs and universities too.  It’s not compulsory, and you won’t get any marks for it.  But if you do it, you’ll find yourself ahead of the class and much less stressed in September/October and beyond. Continue reading →