Bachelor of Computer Science or Bachelor of Software Engineering?

Most schools that I am familiar with only offer computer science degrees. In my experience, employers are specifically looking for people with degrees in computer science and candidates with degrees in software engineering are rare.

Additionally, software engineering skills are much harder to evaluate during an interview and, especially for entry level candidates, interviews for software engineering positions typically focus on algorithms and other computer science topics. Counter-intuitively, a degree in computer science might actually actually be better for getting a job as a software engineer than a degree in software engineering.

Finally, I have my doubts about academic institutions' ability to effectively teach software engineering principles. Let academic institutions cover the more academic aspects of software engineering, aka computer science. Pick up software engineering skills from tech companies who specialize in it via paid internships.

In my experience ...

software engineer - little more specialized .. little more coding

computer science - broad, but you will pick up some programming courses (if you can learn how to code well in one language, just take the concepts with you to the next language

Personally, I don't care to code (I can .. have .. and will ...) but it's not a favorite task.

Lately trends seem to be all about 'Big Data' and security. (I thrive in the Big Data realm). Some schools offer courses in that arena.

Joanne

Realize that the term software engineering is sometimes over-applied. Some companies choose to use the title software engineer even if a particular position does not require engineering. Also, some programs that are titled software engineering are not accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). For this reason, there is some confusion among future software developers about the distinctions between programs.

Some schools offer separate tracks in computer science and software engineering. The two tracks will generally include some common courses, but a different overall architecture. Both computer science and software engineering programs are accredited by ABET. Computer science falls under the banner of the Computing Accreditation Commission, though, while computer engineering is the responsibility of the Engineering Accreditation Commission. There are significant differences in requirements. Software engineering programs include a design project; through this project, a future software engineer displays his or her ability to apply engineering principles in the real world. The senior project may be very applicable to a software engineer’s future work.

Students and graduates of computer science and software engineering programs cite a variety of differences. Courses in computer science often place greater emphasis on the theoretical. They emphasize algorithms. Traditionally, they have been considered good preparation for graduate level research. According to the BLS, they also prove useful for systems software engineering.

Some graduates report that computer science courses include more mathematics. This is not always the case, however. At Auburn University, Calculus III is listed as a requirement for the software engineering degree (as of the 2010 – 2011 school year) but not the computer science one. Both programs include some computer electives which allow candidates to tailor the program to meet individual goals.