Degrees in Computing
Do you want to help build the next generation of mobile phones, tiny media players, or advanced medical tools?
COMPUTER ENGINEERING (CE) students study the design of digital hardware and software including communications systems, computers and devices such as phones, MP3 players, DVRs, alarm systems, x-ray machines, and even laser surgical tools. Increasingly, CE specialists integrate customized hardware and embedded software, to improve existing technologies and invent new ones.
Do you love to solve puzzles? Invent new ways of using computers? Or exchange theories about new ideas?
COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) spans the range from theory to practice to cutting edge inventions. CS makes graduates aware of new technologies and new ideas and is a foundation for many different computing careers. Computer scientists do varied work. They design and build software and create efficient solutions to real-world problems in fields such as robotics, computer-enhanced vision, and digital forensics. Individual computer science programs allow students to specialize in one or more of these fields.
Do you enjoy finding better ways to get things done using computers? Are you interested in understanding how computers can make businesses work better?
INFORMATION SYSTEMS (IS) specialists design computing solutions that provide companies, non-profit organizations and governments with the information they need to achieve their goals. IS employs computer systems to implement and improve the way organizations work. IS professionals combine their knowledge of computing and organizations to bridge the gap between technical and business specialists. Most IS programs are found in business schools, and may go by such names as management information systems, computer information systems, or business information systems. All IS degrees combine business and computing topics, but the emphasis between technical and organizational subjects varies.
Are you the one everyone calls when they want their own web site? Are you the troubleshooter everyone turns to when their computer acts weird?
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) professionals make a living solving, supporting, troubleshooting and designing – from web sites to networks, in organizations ranging from business and government to schools, health care, and more. IT specialists possess the ideal combination of knowledge and practical, handson expertise to support both an organization’s technology infrastructure and the people who use it. They’re responsible for selecting hardware and software products appropriate for an organization. IT professionals create and manage web sites and networks to provide a secure, efficient, and productive environment for everyone.
Directors, composers, and architects see the big picture — do you? Creating software products involves a lot more than just writing code...
SOFTWARE ENGINEERS (SE) see the whole picture, too – the life cycle of a product, including efficiency and reliability, meeting customers’ budgets, proper testing, and maintenance. Large, expensive software systems often play a vital role in safety-critical applications and are made up of many smaller building blocks. Software engineers combine experience in computer science, engineering, and math to design, define, and organize many aspects of a complex software product. Software engineering courses are offered both within computer science study and as separate degrees. Both share some courses in common, and CS graduates who want to head up large development projects increasingly pursue software engineering in graduate school.
Do you want to design and make animated movies, create special effects, design and develop video games, or create interactive web sites?
DIGITAL MEDIA (DM) professionals embrace the latest digital technologies that surround our everyday lives: video games; visual effects in blockbuster movies; digital audio and video; motion graphics and
interfaces on Web sites and DVDs to name just a few. Digital media is all around us, in constant flux. Drexel's interactive program in Digital Media lays the foundation upon which students may launch exciting careers and become pioneers in the next generation of the digital world. Integrating traditional design techniques and cutting-edge new technologies, the Digital Media program is designed to educate creative innovators and visual problem solvers in areas of theory and practice.
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(Adapted from the ACM Computing Degrees and Careers web site)