<p>I think you're still slightly confused yourself, actually.  All of the fields below have a great deal of overlap because they are in similar parts of the world</p>

<p><strong>Computer Science</strong>: Computer Science is the broad study of computational systems, which can be a little frustrating, because people often use the term to describe some specific subset.  If you major in "computer science" at a university, it is not at all clear what you will be studying after a few intro courses until you inspect the curriculum. It is perfectly possible to get a CS degree without studying almost any content from the other fields outlined below. However, <em>all of those terms</em> could possibly be called "computer science" depending on the context.</p>

<p>I (and some others) hold that Computer Science is purely the branch of mathematics that deals with computation. Some people try to keep things less ambiguous by adding the word <em>theoretical</em> before CS to indicate the mathematical field, but this is not always the case. (Take a look at the <a href="http://cs.stackexchange.com">Computer Science Stackexchange</a> to get a sense of what I would term "CS".)</p>

<p><strong>Software Engineering</strong>: The art and science of creating good software.</p>

<p><strong>Information Technology</strong>: The field concerned with the hardware and software infrastructure that manages networks and data.</p>

<p><strong>Computer Engineering</strong>: a field that mixes Electrical Engineering with Software Engineering.</p>

<p><strong>Mechatronics</strong>: a field that combines Computer Engineering with mechanical engineering.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-16T13:31:53.433Z
2018-10-19T18:40:36.663Z
2018-10-19T18:40:36.663Z
Ben I.
<p>For a beginner who wants to walk down the path of programming and developing and etc. <strong>What is a <em>brief</em> explanation of the differences of the two</strong>?</p>

<p>To clarify, Computer science is CS while software or computer engineering is IT what is the simple difference between IT and CS? Thank you</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-18T15:29:44.037Z
I think that answers to this question would be more useful if you could be explicit about *why* you have this question, or equivalently what the *context* to the question is. Are you, for example, comparing two university courses to decide which to apply for?
Peter Taylor
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-18T15:57:57.090Z
@PeterTaylor i am willing to save my valuable time :)
Salmush
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-24T20:55:53.693Z
In a nutshell: Computer engineers design computing machinery. Computer scientists study the possibilities of what can be accomplished by using computing machinery.
Solomon Slow
<computer-history><programming>
What is the difference between computer science and computer engineering in brief
# What is the difference between computer science and computer engineering in brief

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-10-16)

For a beginner who wants to walk down the path of programming and developing and etc. **What is a *brief* explanation of the differences of the two**?

To clarify, Computer science is CS while software or computer engineering is IT what is the simple difference between IT and CS? Thank you

**Tags:** computer-history, programming

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think that answers to this question would be more useful if you could be explicit about *why* you have this question, or equivalently what the *context* to the question is. Are you, for example, comparing two university courses to decide which to apply for?  
> **username_0**: @PeterTaylor i am willing to save my valuable time :)  
> **username_2**: In a nutshell: Computer engineers design computing machinery. Computer scientists study the possibilities of what can be accomplished by using computing machinery.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-10-16. Score: 7

I think you're still slightly confused yourself, actually. All of the fields below have a great deal of overlap because they are in similar parts of the world

**Computer Science**: Computer Science is the broad study of computational systems, which can be a little frustrating, because people often use the term to describe some specific subset. If you major in "computer science" at a university, it is not at all clear what you will be studying after a few intro courses until you inspect the curriculum. It is perfectly possible to get a CS degree without studying almost any content from the other fields outlined below. However, *all of those terms* could possibly be called "computer science" depending on the context.

I (and some others) hold that Computer Science is purely the branch of mathematics that deals with computation. Some people try to keep things less ambiguous by adding the word *theoretical* before CS to indicate the mathematical field, but this is not always the case. (Take a look at the [Computer Science Stackexchange](http://cs.stackexchange.com) to get a sense of what I would term "CS".)

**Software Engineering**: The art and science of creating good software.

**Information Technology**: The field concerned with the hardware and software infrastructure that manages networks and data.

**Computer Engineering**: a field that mixes Electrical Engineering with Software Engineering.

**Mechatronics**: a field that combines Computer Engineering with mechanical engineering.


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