Re:“Computer science is not about computers”
by otabdeveloper4 on Sunday May 30, 2021 @03:13AM
(#27331269)
Yes. Indeed in much of the world outside the USA there isn't even such a label as "computer science"; the stuff that's taught as "computer science" in the USA is taught under some sort of "math" label.
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I studied it under the name of "Informatik" (Germany), which seems to be the most commonly used word in Europe.
The Wikipedia article for "Computer Science" has relevant information, quote (some line breaks added):
In the early days of computing, a number of terms for the practitioners of the field of computing were suggested in the Communications of the ACM—turingineer, turologist, flow-charts-man, applied meta-mathematician, and applied epistemologist. Three months later in the same journal, comptologist was suggested, followed next year by hypologist. The term computics has also been suggested.
In Europe, terms derived from contracted translations of the expression "automatic information" (e.g. "informazione automatica" in Italian) or "information and mathematics" are often used, e.g. informatique (French), Informatik (German), informatica (Italian, Dutch), informática (Spanish, Portuguese), informatika (Slavic languages and Hungarian) or pliroforiki (πληροφορική, which means informatics) in Greek.
Similar words have also been adopted in the UK (as in the School of Informatics of the University of Edinburgh). "In the U.S., however, informatics is linked with applied computing, or computing in the context of another domain."
In Portugal, there is some time to spend with such matters during the 5 year long that an Informatics Engineering degree takes (certified by the Engineering Order).
Since Bologna, it got levelled to Masters, but most still take the 3 + 2 years, not to be left behind the older generation that had 5 + 2 for Master.
So plenty of time to go down into the subjects that USA consider computer science.
However for those that want to really go down the rabbit hole of computer science as seen on USA, the appropriate degree is Applied Maths into Computing.
As seen on USA? European CS degrees are generally more comprehensive because we do all the humanities already in high school which leaves more time for math and it is more common for people to continue with a masters degree.
Well, from what I know about them anyway.