Technical professionals working in the fields of IT, networking and telecom are typically called software engineers and hardware engineers. A software engineer is a person who are doing the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers and networks work. The hardware engineer encompasses the electronic engineering and electrical engineering fields, with subspecialities in analog, digital, or electromechanical systems. Software and hardware engineers are typically graduated from Universities with a bachelor degree or a master degree in related fields.

Education of a software engineer

About half of all Software engineers have computer science degrees. A small, but growing, number of practitioners have software engineering degrees. A standard international curriculum for undergraduate software engineering degrees was defined in the document Software Engineering 2004 (SE2004) (formally call Computing Curriculum Software Engineering (CCSE)). In the U.S., many universities offer software engineering degrees, which teach both computer science and engineering principles and practices. The first software engineering Master's degree was established at Seattle University in 1979. Since then graduate software engineering degrees have been made available from many more universities. Doctorate program in Software Engineering is also offered in some universities in the US. Additionally, many online advanced degrees in Software Engineering have appeared such as the Master of Science in Software Engineering (MSE) degree offered through the Computer Science and Engineering Department.

In the field of Management information system (MIS), some practitioners have business degrees. In embedded systems, some practitioners have electrical or computer engineering degrees, because embedded software often requires a detailed understanding of hardware. In medical software, some practitioners have medical informatics, general medical, or biology degrees. Some practitioners have physics, mathematics, science, engineering, or technology degrees. Some have philosophy (logic in particular) or other non-technical degrees.

Education of a hardware engineer

Hardware engineers typically are electrical and electronics engineers who typically possess a college degree with a major in electrical/ electronics engineering. The length of study for such a degree is usually three or four years and the completed degree may be designated as a Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Applied Science depending upon the university.

The degree generally includes units covering physics, mathematics, project management and specific topics in electrical and electronics engineering. Students then choose to specialize in one or more subfields towards the end of the degree. The typical courses for an electric and electronic student may include: electromagnetics, network theory, Electronic devices and circuits, Signals and systems, Control systems, Communications, etc.

Some electrical engineers also choose to pursue a postgraduate degree such as a Master of Engineering, a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering or an Engineer's degree. The Master and Engineer's degree may consist of either research, coursework or a mixture of the two. The Doctor of Philosophy consists of a significant research component and is often viewed as the entry point to academia.

How to apply a US University for the Under-graduate program, as an International student?

High school students can apply to either four-year liberal arts colleges or universities. Some may attend community colleges, who admit all students with high school diplomas, in preparation for transfer to a four year university. Students may apply to many institutions using the Common Application. There is no limit to the number of colleges or universities to which a student may apply, though an application must be submitted for each. Fees are generally charged for each admissions application, but can be waived based on financial need.

Each college evaluates students by its own criteria and decides whether to extend an offer of admission (and possibly financial aid) to the student. The majority of colleges admit students to the college as a whole, and not to a particular academic major, although this may not be the case in some specialized programs such as engineering and architecture. The system is decentralized: each college has its own criteria for admission, even when using a common application form.

Criteria include standardized test scores (generally ACT and/or SAT), class rank, grades (as shown in the high school transcript), degree of extracurricular involvement, and leadership potential. Many colleges also rely on personal essay(s) written by the applicant and letters of recommendation written by the applicant's teachers and guidance counselor. For international students, additional English tests are usually required, such as IELTS & TOEFL.

Undergraduate students should decide their major in the second year in school. If you are interested to become a software engineer, make sure to choose computer science, software engineering and other related fields. To become a hardware engineer, you should choose electric, computer and electronic (ECE) department or related fields such as physics.

How to apply a US University for the graduate program, as an International student?

University under-graduate students (typically junior students – third year in college) can apply to the graduate programs (Master or Ph.D) of universities in the US. There is no limit to the number of colleges or universities to which a student may apply, though an application must be submitted for each. Fees are generally charged for each admissions application, but can be waived based on financial need.

Each department of a college evaluates students by its own criteria and decides whether to extend an offer of admission (and possibly financial aid) to the student. The system is decentralized: each department of a college has its own criteria for admission.

Criteria include standardized test scores (generally Graduate Record Examination or GRE), class rank, grades (as shown in the University/college transcript). Many colleges also rely on personal essay(s) written by the applicant and letters of recommendation written by the applicant's teachers and guidance counselor. For international students, additional English tests are usually required, such as IELTS & TOEFL.

If you are interested to become a software engineer, you should apply for for computer science, software engineering and other related departments. To become a hardware engineer, you should choose electric, computer and electronic (ECE) department or related fields such as physics.