Software Engineering vs Computer Science: Which one should you pick?

If you’ve contemplated taking a course or beginning a career in technology, you may be confused about where to begin. When you research various tech industries, you may discover that many of your career paths have overlapping responsibilities.

Think about software engineering or computer science, for example. How do they differ? The two fields use programming and deal with software, so where do they diverge? In this article, we’ll look at software engineering vs computer science, explore how they differ and highlight the critical components of each. 

Software Engineering vs. Computer Science 

To decide which path is best for you, it’s necessary to understand more about each field. Software engineering entails applying engineering principles to computer hardware and software to solve problems in real life. Computer science is the process of applying scientific principles to computer software. Computer science is a broader and more abstract field with theoretical rather than practical applications. Let’s look a little deeper into each one. 

What is software engineering? 

Software engineering includes designing, developing, maintaining, testing, and evaluating computer software. Other job titles for software engineers include computer programmer, software designer, and software developer. 

Essential software engineering skills

The skills you need to acquire to become a software engineer include practical knowledge about hardware and software development. Having a firm understanding of mathematical concepts, mechanical physics, and basic engineering principles is also helpful. Software engineering coursework focuses on analysis, design, and problem solving within the software. 

Software engineers also need to learn various programming languages like Java, JavaScript, SQL, C++, and Python. For interactive web pages, JavaScript is the most common programming language you will need to learn. 

What is computer science? 

Computer science involves the study of computers and computational systems. Computer scientists theorise and calculate aspects of software and software systems during the software development phase. 

Since computer science is mostly a theory-based field, it can be applied to a wide range of job niches. Computer scientists may also work in the fields of artificial and machine intelligence, database systems, computer networks, security networks, mathematical analysis, and many others. 

Essential computer science skills

Computer scientists require skills related to abstract principles. The required coursework is rigorous and includes computational programming, math, and physics. 

In computer science, there are two main niches: theoretical and practical. A practical computer scientist uses computer science to deal with real-world problems, typically using data analysis or machine learning. 

As traditional scientists, theoretical data scientists have an academic focus. This niche aims to further our understanding of computer systems and make technological breakthroughs. Many computer scientists work with artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies in this field.

Is there any overlap between software engineering vs computer science?

In both professions, problem-solving is a critical skill. Whether you’re programming or designing software, you’ll need to be able to identify problems and devise a strategy for resolving them. Both require a lot of troubleshooting; therefore, attention to detail is equally important.

Computer scientists may also study software engineering principles; however, these are usually the only shared characteristic between the two fields of study.

What are some key differences between software engineering vs computer science?

Even while there are some similarities between computer science and software engineering, many significant differences set these two professions apart. The job functions of these two positions are one of the most important contrasts. 

Computer scientists employ computer languages, statistics, and other mathematics to speculate on the most effective ways to construct, program, and apply software. In contrast, software engineers may develop, build, test, and evaluate software and its applications. Other differences between these two occupations include the following:

1. Courses 

Students who study computer science often take courses that focus on the computation, analysis, storage, and integration of data and data systems in computer programs and software. Software engineering is concerned with applying these ideas to computer product design, interaction, performance, and other functional elements.

2. Career options

A computer science degree can lead to various professional opportunities in the information technology business, ranging from website development to working as a game developer. With a degree in software engineering, a candidate’s professional path might be specialised to specific roles in developing and constructing software applications and programs.

3. Job responsibilities 

The typical day-to-day duties of a computer scientist are to analyse and monitor new computer programs, either as an employee of a software firm or consulting for different companies. The job description of a computer scientist might include maintaining company security networks, data systems, or other computing systems that are essential to the functioning of a company. While a similar company might employ a software engineer, they may specialise in designing and developing the specific software programs their organisation would require.

4. The interaction between hardware and software

Computer scientists are involved in the interaction between computer hardware and software programs. An example of this would be a computer scientist creating a software program that works with specific computer hardware. On the other hand, a software engineer only deals with creating, maintaining, testing, and producing the actual software product. 

5. Software development and design

Another area where computer science and software engineering might diverge is program design. When it comes to software design, a computer scientist may use theories and algorithms to figure out how a program works, how it should be constructed, and how to use programming languages to make it function. Software engineers may use the facts and analyses of a computer scientist to create the framework for a given program

Software engineers also often work with specific program requirements when designing software, while computer scientists work with mathematical calculations and computer languages when designing a program.

Planning your next steps

No matter which path you choose, the skills related to both industries are in high demand. If you’re looking to break into the software engineering field, book a career consult to learn more about our Software Engineering program.