The Ultimate Guide to Computer Engineering (TU) and BSc.CSIT (TU)

Every year +2 graduates in Nepal who are interested about computers in general, face a great difficulty in choosing what they should study. Computer Engineering (TU) or BSc.CSIT (TU). While there’s no definite and an exact answer for that as each of these courses have their own pros and cons, this post tries to make it easier for you to decide which is the right course for you. So, let’s get started.

What is Computer Engineering?

It is the combination of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. So, computer         engineers are electrical engineers who specialize in software and hardware design. It is closer to design of physical devices, with roots in physics and mathematics. Computer Engineers deal with the physics of semiconductor so that they may design hardware from circuit level.







What is Computer Science?

It is basically the combination of Applied Mathematics along with Electrical Engineering. The roots of Computer Science is very close to Mathematics and engineering and much closer to the underlying theory of computation. Computer Scientists write software, design databases and secure the data processed by the hardware to make sure that the whole computer system works fine.





If you don’t understand yet, here’s a clearer example.

Consider a company that makes Computers. The computer Engineers (and Electrical Engineers) design the chips and the various other components so that they work properly. The computer Scientists write the Operating System that manages the overall hardware so that applications run smoothly.



Now that you’ve understood what the two disciplines means you probably have clearer idea on the two subjects. So basically computer engineering is more inclined towards hardware and computer science is more inclined towards software.



BScCSIT in Nepal

It is a 4 year, 8 semester course affiliated to TU. It is a mixture of Computer Science, Information Technology as well as Electrical Engineering. This course covers minimum of 126 credit hours, meaning you can add more credits by giving more exams.

The minimum credit hours are divided as:

Computer Science = 75 credit hours

Natural Science = 12 credit hours

Management = 6 credit hours

Mathematics = 6 credit hours

Technical Writing = 3 credit hours

Project + Internship = 9 credit hours

Electives = 15 credit hours



Computer Engineering in Nepal

It is also a 4 year, 8 semester course which is affiliated to TU. Some of the core courses that you’ll be studying in this course are:

Programming

Operating System

Software Engineering

Database Management System

 Artificial Intelligence







Pros of studying Computer Engineering

1. It’s the most reputed degree as compared to BScCSIT.


2. You get the title of an Engineer if you apply for one at NEC(Nepal Engineering Council)


3. Due to the demand, you won’t have to worry about getting a job.


4. The government of Nepal put more budget into computer engineering than BScCSIT.


5. There are more scholarship options as compared to BScCSIT.

Cons of Studying Computer Engineering

1. There are a lot of unnecessary subjects throughout the course which you’ll have to study.


2. It is a very old course as compared to BScCSIT. The CSIT courses gets updated regularly when compared to Computer Engineering.


3. Since the course was designed by Electronical Engineers, it covers less computer stuff when compared to electronics.

Pros of studying BScCSIT

1. It is a very new course and gets updated regularly.


2. There aren’t any unrelated subjects that you gotta study with the exception of few.


3. It is a more job-oriented course.


4. You have many electives. You can add more electives to gain more credit hours.


5. There is an internship program in the 4^th year which will help you in your career.

Cons of BScCSIT

1. One of the biggest cons is that you do not get an ‘Engineer’ title. However, rumors are suggesting that CSIT people are trying to sort this out with the NEC.


2. There aren’t many scholarship options if you studied at a private school.


3. The exam results get published pretty late for the first 3 years.

Well there you have it. I hope this guide helps you deciding which course will fit your need. Be sure to comment if I missed anything.