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What does a computer engineer do?

What's more important degree for a software engineer a Bachelor's in Computer Science or Master's in Computer Science?

  • Having recruiting lots of software engineers for years now I run into this issue often. So even though a degree does not make a better engineer in an of itself, in your experience (either as an engineer, hiring manager, technical manager), what do you hold in higher regard and why?

  • Answer:

    Bachelor, by far. CS Bachelor students usually have a sampling of the entire field of Computer Science, including: Algorithms & Data Structures Computer Design (Logic, Gates, ALU, Fetch Decode & Execute, Caching, Assembly Language) Operating Systems Compilers Other Electives (Computer Graphics, Graph Theory, Information Processing, Computational Statistics, etc.) As well as the underpinning in Mathematics to understand how computers are made. CS Masters candidates (who don't have an undergraduate degree in CS) can come from many varying backgrounds, and the basic curriculum for a Masters in CS is not well defined.  It could include very theoretical topics, or very lightweight topics (UI or UX design, for example). Thus, candidates with just an MS in CS probably aren't going to be your strongest when it comes to pure coding.

Steve Lacy at Quora Visit the source

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I generally agree with Steve above but I would also not dismiss candidates with related engineering background like EE, CPE. Also, there will always be exceptions. Sometimes, you can find an excellent candidates who has BS in English, Econ or didn't finish 4-year college at all but that 's a rare case.

Natthapol Wongsaroj

Having known Master's students that came from other disciplines when I was a BS student, and been in many classes with them, let me tell you the dirty secret. There just isnt much difference between a top BS student in CS and an MS student in CS, especially if they came to their MS from an unrelated field.  They end up taking the same classes. Look at what they actually studied and how they did, not their degree initials.

Jeff Kesselman

I would think a Bachelor’s degree is more relevant for a career in software engineering. A Master’s degree is more theoretical and meant for academic and/or research careers. A BS in computer science is well equipped to provide you all the competencies needed to solve real world computing problems. Additionally, some schools may offer CS degrees with emphasis in areas like programming, networking, etc. which provide graduates specialized training in these IT functions. The computer science degrees at CollegeAmerica are a case in point. In addition to programming and networking, the school offers its CS degree with emphases in social media technology and information systems security. http://www.collegeamerica.edu/

Sharon Lee

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