Communication Theory vs. DSP? Differences?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the differences between Communication Theory and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) as potential course selections for students. Participants explore the focus, applications, and mathematical aspects of each course, as well as their relevance to career goals in electrical engineering.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that Communication Theory focuses on creating and sending signals while addressing noise, whereas DSP is concerned with reconstructing signals efficiently for digital systems.
  • One participant notes that Communication Theory is primarily mathematical, while DSP has a broader scope that includes applications beyond communication, such as audio and image processing.
  • There is a mention of the overlap between the two courses, particularly regarding Fourier analysis and filters, but differences in the use of probability in Communication Theory versus DSP.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about their career goals and how each course might align with various fields within electrical engineering, such as RF, optics, and controls.
  • A participant shares personal experience, stating that taking both courses is beneficial and that an understanding of Random Signals and Noise is essential for grasping either subject deeply.
  • Another viewpoint highlights the philosophical aspects of Communication Theory, questioning the nature of signals and noise, contrasting it with the mechanical focus of DSP.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the two courses are distinct but have overlapping content. However, there is no consensus on whether taking both courses would be redundant, as opinions vary on their interrelation and necessity.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about their career paths and the implications of choosing one course over the other. There are also mentions of specific mathematical concepts and tools used in each course, but no detailed resolutions on how these affect learning outcomes.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering courses in electrical engineering, particularly those interested in communication systems, digital signal processing, and their applications in various fields.

DrummingAtom
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I have a choice between these two courses next semester and I want to learn a little more about them before I make my decision. Does DSP construct a received signal? While Comm. Theory would focus on creating the signal and dealing with noise?

Thanks
 
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Comms Theory is like it says the theory of communication. It is primarily mathematical. DSP is also a mathematical theory but it is of wider scope the Communication Theory. DSP is everything from coding for communications, to audio processing, image processing and more.

They are quite different courses. What are your career goals? In communication theory you will sometimes use DSP to demonstrate algorithms, but really you're more likely to use MATLAB. In DSP you'll also use MATLAB but you'll have a different (but overlapping) focus.
 
Thanks for the reply.

I'm not exactly sure of my career goals yet because I still know so little about all the different EE fields. If I had to guess though it would be RF, optics, DSP, controls, or even straight software.
 
Go to campus bookstore and spend some time looking through the required books and see which one peaks your interest the most. This is what I did (albeit years ago).
 
the_emi_guy said:
Go to campus bookstore and spend some time looking through the required books and see which one peaks your interest the most. This is what I did (albeit years ago).

Thanks for the reply. Actually, I did check out some books but I'm still having trouble deciding which to take.

From what I gathered Comm. theory would be creating and sending a signal knowing that the channel might be noisy and then understanding what that signal is upon received with the added noise. DSP seems like only putting the signal back together in the fastest most efficient way possible with the end result of that signal being used in a digital system. I searched for related jobs too and most of the results I've found said either Comm. theory knowledge and/or DSP. If I only took one of these classes would it matter in terms of jobs?

I'm considering taking both courses as of now; would that be redundant? Both courses seem to have a lot of overlap in terms of Fourier stuff and filters. But I noticed that Comm. theory seems to use a lot of probability while DSP does not.
 
DrummingAtom said:
I'm considering taking both courses as of now; would that be redundant? Both courses seem to have a lot of overlap in terms of Fourier stuff and filters. But I noticed that Comm. theory seems to use a lot of probability while DSP does not.

They aren't redundant at all. I took both myself. You'll eventually need to take an intensive course in Random Signals and Noise to really understand either Comms theory or DSP.

The way to really figure out what you want to do is to take classes in everything. It's hard to tell without getting your hands dirty if you'll like something.
 
To me at least, communications theory is more philosophically interesting. What is a signal, and what is noise?

Digital signal processing is more the mechanics of coding and decoding from one kind of format into another. Highly mathematical.
 

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