"this is an important question" I'm not so sure about that. I'm not very concerned with the labels. I think it's fair to say it might be in a gray area, and ma

"this is an important question" I'm not so sure about that. I'm not very concerned with the labels. I think it's fair to say it might be in a gray area, and maybe she me day in the future it will resolve into one or the other. It's probably useful to understand why "engineer" is attached to the field in the first place. I think it's because CompSci programs often grew of of Electrical Engineering programs: that's where a lot of programming started, way back. When Comp Sci went it's own way as a distinct field, it kept the "engineer" association even though it almost completely ( especially today) lost much emphasis on EE. When I was looking at grad programs 20 years ago, even then a Master's degree at a very good tech University only had a single required EE course. Entry requirements for those not in CompSci undergrads we're 4 courses: discrete math, assembly, a grad-level fast paced intro to programming, and a course dedicated to algorithms. EE knowledge wasn't required or emphasized at any level. So programming has strong roots in engineering, but expanded beyond it. I'm fine with this gray area.