Computer vs. Electrical vs. Software Engineering (and Computer Science)

Electrical, computer and software engineering are often taught in the same department and share early coursework, which is why their names get used loosely. They are distinct degrees, though, and they sit next to a fourth field, computer science, that is accredited under a different set of standards altogether. This guide uses ABET's published criteria to show where the lines fall, then looks at how the three engineering majors appear in online programs.

Electrical and computer engineering: one ABET family

ABET writes a single set of program criteria for "Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s), and Similarly Named Engineering Programs." IEEE is the lead society, and CSAB cooperates for computer engineering programs. Both majors must cover probability and statistics, mathematics through differential and integral calculus, science, and the engineering topics (including computing science) needed to analyze and design complex electrical and electronic devices, software, and systems containing hardware and software components.

The difference is in the extra requirements tied to the program title:

• Programs with "electrical" or "electronic(s)" in the name must include advanced mathematics, such as differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables and discrete mathematics.
• Programs with "computer" in the name must include discrete mathematics.

The concentrations schools offer make the split concrete. Florida International University's online BS programs are a good example: its computer engineering concentrations include computer architecture and microprocessor design, embedded system software integration, and networking and security, while its electrical engineering concentrations include communications, power and energy, and autonomous systems and control.

Software engineering

Software engineering has its own ABET program criteria, with CSAB as lead society and IEEE cooperating. The curriculum must include computing fundamentals, software design and construction, requirements analysis, security, verification and validation; software engineering processes and tools for developing complex software systems; and discrete mathematics, probability and statistics.

Because it is accredited by ABET's Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC), an accredited software engineering bachelor's must also meet the general engineering criteria that apply to every EAC program: at least 30 semester credit hours of college-level mathematics and basic sciences with experimental experience, at least 45 semester credit hours of engineering topics, and a culminating major design experience. The University of Arizona describes its online software engineering curriculum as drawing on systems engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and software engineering, with a foundation in calculus, physics and discrete math.

How computer science differs

Computer science is not an engineering degree in ABET's structure. CS programs are reviewed by ABET's Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) under the computing criteria. Those criteria require at least 40 semester credit hours of computer science, with substantial coverage of algorithms and complexity, computer science theory, programming language concepts and software development, plus at least 15 credit hours of mathematics and statistics (including discrete math, probability and statistics) and coursework in a non-computing science. There is no requirement for the 45 credits of engineering topics or the engineering design experience that EAC programs carry.

Our directory covers engineering degrees only, so computer science programs are not listed. If you are deciding between software engineering and computer science, the clearest question is whether you want an engineering degree, with its math, science and design requirements, or a computing degree centered on theory and programming.

What the online options look like

In our directory (October 2026), 51 programs list electrical engineering as a major, 38 list computer engineering and 19 list software engineering; a combined ECE program counts toward both electrical and computer (how we count). Browse each group under electrical, computer and software engineering.

At the bachelor's level, a few examples show the range:

• FIU's online BS in Electrical Engineering and BS in Computer Engineering are each 128 credits, available fully online according to FIU, and end with a two-semester Senior Design capstone. FIU's catalog states both are ABET accredited.
• National University's BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering is offered online in four-week courses, one at a time. Students in online lab courses order lab kits before the term starts, and the university states the program is accredited by the EAC of ABET.
• Penn State World Campus's online BS in Software Engineering is 126 credits, includes a senior-year capstone with industry partners, and is described as accredited by ABET's engineering commission. Students complete entrance-to-major requirements in calculus, physics and chemistry.

At the master's level, electrical and computer engineering are frequently combined into one ECE degree. Purdue's online MSECE, for example, is a 30-credit, course-based program requiring at least 15 credits of ECE coursework, with seven focus areas that include computer engineering, power and energy systems, and VLSI and circuit design. Purdue's online MS in Software Engineering is offered by the same ECE school and requires at least 18 credits of ECE and computer science coursework. Graduate programs like these are rarely ABET-accredited, and that is normal rather than a warning sign.

Licensure differences

If a Professional Engineer license is part of your plan, the three majors are not in the same position. NCEES offers an FE Electrical and Computer exam, and its PE exam list includes three electrical and computer exams: Computer Engineering, Electrical and Electronics, and Power. The current PE exam list does not include a software engineering exam.

NCEES also notes that boards generally require PE candidates to hold an EAC/ABET-accredited bachelor's, that most states require four years of acceptable experience, and that candidates typically pass both the FE and PE exams, while many states offer additional paths. Requirements are set by each state board, and it is the board in the state where you plan to practice, not your school, that decides whether your degree counts. See Engineering Licensure and Online Degrees for the full process.

Choosing between them

• Electrical if the focus areas you care about look like communications, power and energy, controls, or circuits and microelectronics, and you are ready for the heaviest named math requirement of the three.
• Computer if you want concentrations like computer architecture, embedded systems and networking, where hardware and software meet.
• Software engineering if your goal is designing, verifying and maintaining complex software systems within an engineering degree.
• Computer science if you want a computing degree centered on algorithms, theory and programming, accredited (when it is) by the CAC rather than the EAC.

Whichever you pick, confirm the ABET status of the exact program and delivery mode, and read the prerequisite math and science list before you apply.