Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2019-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Computer Engineering, B.S.


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Computer Engineering is a branch of engineering that combines software and electrical engineering to develop computer systems. Computer engineers are involved in the hardware development process, designing and building hardware systems; and they are involved in the software process, designing and building the operating systems and applications programs for those systems. These skills are vital for today’s pervasive computing environment, where we are surrounded by systems built from discrete components, microcontrollers, embedded Systems-On-a-Chip, and reconfigurable logic devices.

The curriculum is designed to be a four-year, 120-credit-hour engineering program. The curriculum meets or exceeds national Computer Engineering academic standards. Generally, the curriculum requires 20 credits of computer engineering, 12 credits of computer science, 8 credits of elective/internship credit, 23 credits of mathematics, 20 credits of physics and engineering, and 39 credits of general education and basic science.

Students will learn how to program machines in a variety of languages, including C, Java, and Assembly languages; they will use CAD tools to design, build, and test printed circuit boards with microcontrollers, write software for their board, and integrate into existing systems; they will develop software for System-On-a-Chip systems using embedded operating systems and applications frameworks, they will build applications for mobile phones, and they will implement common algorithms on Digital Signals Processors; and they will use EDA tools to program reconfigurable FPGA devices for high-performance applications. Throughout this work, students will use sound engineering practices to guide their development processes.

Electives (8 crs.)


8 credits of CMPE, ELEC, ENGR, or SWE courses at 300 level or higher, internship, or CS course with departmental approval.

  • CS or Engineering Elective/Internship

General Education (45 crs.)


Foundations (15-16 crs.)


Foundational courses coupled with other experiences provide students with their core First Year Experience, providing opportunities to develop the requisite quantitative, analytical, written communication, and oral communication skills needed to succeed while in college and throughout life after college. Five program goals express the purpose of these foundational courses and how they support student success.

Interconnections (9 crs.)


This curriculum will provide students with opportunities to explore human behavior, social interactions, and global communities through humanities and the social and behavioral sciences. Open discourse about the causes and consequences of human behavior and thought, and the interconnectedness of societies revealed by examining traditions and structures, provides a pathway to mutual respect and tolerance in a diverse world.

Three program goals express what we will do for students. Each goal has an associated rubric that outlines what we expect students to learn or accomplish. Students must complete three (3) courses in this curriculum, with at least one (1) course being a diversity course (‘D’ rubric) and at least one (1) course being a global perspectives course (‘G’ rubric).

Citizenship & Responsibility (6 crs.)


This curriculum will provide students with opportunities to consider the function and development of institutions, as well as their own responsibilities in society. Tools for development of students as informed and responsible citizens can include study of principles and research in social science, analysis of the development of social and political systems and practices, application of critical analysis and reasoning, and contemplation of ethics and values. Each goal has an associated rubric that outlines what we expect students to learn or accomplish.

Students are required to complete two (2) courses (or their equivalents) in this curriculum, with no more than one (1) course being attributed with the same program goal.

Citizenship


Guide and prompt students to understand responsible citizenship through the development of ideas of citizenship and rights, how society protect or fails to protect basic rights, and avenues for individual or collective action.

Ethical Reasoning


Guide and prompt students to identify ethical theories or guidelines and apply appropriate ethical reasoning to reach conclusions and support moral judgments.

Critical Reasoning


Guide and prompt students to use appropriate critical analysis and reasoning to explain and analyze concepts, and apply concepts to issues to determine significance or value.

Natural World & Technology (9 crs.)


This curriculum will provide students the opportunity to learn how new knowledge is created by applying scientific principles and technology to address historical and contemporary questions. Two program goals express what we will do for students. Each goal has an associated rubric that outlines what we expect students to learn or accomplish.

Students must complete 3 courses in this curriculum, with at least two (2) courses (or their equivalents) involving the natural world (‘N’ rubric).

Creativity & Expression (6 crs.)


This part of the curriculum will provide students with opportunities to explore artistic and literary disciplines and their modes of expression, considering the processes by which artistic works are imagined and created as well as the analytical tools for describing and appraising works of art and literature. Each goal has an associated rubric that outlines what we expect students to learn or accomplish.

Students must complete two (2) courses (or their equivalents) in this curriculum, with one (1) course being a literature course (‘L’ rubric)and one course in either the arts or creativity (‘A’ or ‘C’ rubrics).

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