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Difference between Computer Science and Computing?

Sorry if this has been posted a million times.

What is the difference? Which one has the better reputation? Is software engineering linked more towards computer science or computing?

Thanks in advance.

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Reply 1
Computer Science -theoretical focus
Software Engineering - software development focused
Computing - Leaning more towards ICT.

A 2nd opinion would be good though.
Reply 2
The difference between Computing and Computer Science is that one university chose to call it one thing and another chose to call it another.

See also: Informatics.

CS/Computing/Informatics departments are notoriously crap at telling you what exactly their subject name means.
Reply 3
CS requires serious thought into theroy and how to make the stuff, computing is how to break the stuff lol.
Tipitman
CS requires serious thought into theroy and how to make the stuff, computing is how to break the stuff lol.


:laugh:

I thought computing was just a comp sci but more practical, and you get an MEng at the end of it

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/ugprospectus/facultiesanddepartments/computing/coursestructure/computingcourses
Reply 5
its the same! set for computer science u can specialise
Reply 6
not much diference
Reply 7
trance addict
:laugh:

I thought computing was just a comp sci but more practical, and you get an MEng at the end of it

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/ugprospectus/facultiesanddepartments/computing/coursestructure/computingcourses


There's no Computing at York and the Computer Science course has several mandatory practical elements. That and the Software Engineering course is CS with an additional year and more specialisation in the second.

What it comes down to is that CS is a rubbish name and everyone thinks they can do better, but hasn't managed to yet :p:
Reply 8
I think that *usually* computing is less mathematical than CS. More stuff about being a techie like network configuration and stuff like that.

But sometimes it's the same subject as CS but with a different name. Imperial's computing course is probably one of the most highly regarded CS courses around.
Reply 9
You'd be best to look at the indivudal prospectuses to see what the module differences are.
Reply 10
trance addict
:laugh:

I thought computing was just a comp sci but more practical, and you get an MEng at the end of it

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/ugprospectus/facultiesanddepartments/computing/coursestructure/computingcourses


Yeh depends where you go, but if we are going for pure meaning, a comp sci would make the stuff under instruction of a software engineer (until the cmp sci had experiance) only for the computing student to break it and send it back to the comp sci.

Isn't the development process fasinating lol.
Reply 11
Erm, that doesn't sound like any definition I've ever heard of.

A Computer Scientist isn't a code monkey.
Reply 12
-Em-
Erm, that doesn't sound like any definition I've ever heard of.

A Computer Scientist isn't a code monkey.


Nah there not lol, but in general they are the ones who build stuff from the ground up, doesn't have to be code. Could be new applications of tecnology like AI, mind it does normally mean working with code it doesnt have too.

Where as a computing student if we are going on pure definition would be the one who uses the tecnology on a day to day situation.
Reply 13
Since when did Computer Scientists necessarily build things?

I disagree with the idea of Computer Scientist being a step in the food-chain of technology.
Reply 14
-Em-
Since when did Computer Scientists necessarily build things?

I disagree with the idea of Computer Scientist being a step in the food-chain of technology.


Where did I say step, they are all integral to each other. It's the same in a healthcare profession, doctors generally do diagnosis and surgons generally cut people open.

Thats not to say a compsci cannot change there area of course they can but this thread is about diffrence and on a pure definition level, compsci's work with the inovation and computing apply it.
Reply 15
It's the same in a healthcare profession, doctors generally do diagnosis and surgons generally cut people open.


That's a crap analogy, and you're getting it backwards. A software engineer is the one that does the building. You know, because they have engineer in their name.
Reply 16
Ghost
You'd be best to look at the indivudal prospectuses to see what the module differences are.


Agreed. Computer Science at one uni may have a different emphasis than Computer Science at another.
Reply 17
laser
That's a crap analogy, and you're getting it backwards. A software engineer is the one that does the building. You know, because they have engineer in their name.


If you had done some reading above you would see I said they did and compsci's do it after some experance. That said systems guys normaly design the stuff they don't write the majority of the code they may write some not all.

And yes it was but it was the best I could think of at the time lol.
Reply 18
I honestly don't have a clue what you mean by a Computer Scientist.

Do you mean a Computer Scientist in the literal sense, or someone who's done a CS degree?
Reply 19
-Em-
I honestly don't have a clue what you mean by a Computer Scientist.

Do you mean a Computer Scientist in the literal sense, or someone who's done a CS degree?


Im going by literial, someone who has a CS degree means nothing to be honest and the content varies so much.

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