Computer Engineering
Program Director Carlos R.P. Hartmann, 406B Center for Science and Technology, 315-443-5807, Fax 315-443-2583;
hartmann@ecs.syr.edu.
Faculty Ercument Arvas, Howard A. Blair, Per Brinch Hansen, Steven J. Chapin, Biao Chen, C.Y. Roger Chen, Shiu-Kai Chin, Ioana L. Coman, Wenliang (Kevin) Du, Ehat Ercanli, James W. Fawcett, Prasanta Ghosh, Amrit L. Goel, Carlos R.P. Hartmann, Can Isik, Philipp Kornreich, Jay Kyoon Lee, Duane L. Marcy, Kishan G. Mehrotra, Chilukuri K. Mohan, Ruixin Niu, Jae C. Oh, Susan Older, Lisa Osadciw, Daniel J. Pease, Frederick W. Phelps, Leonard J. Popyack Jr., James S. Royer, Tapan K. Sarkar, Ernest Sibert, Q. Wang Song, Pramod K. Varshney, Hong Wang
Computer engineering is a relatively new discipline that is gaining popularity with the recent proliferation of digital computers in our daily lives. A computer engineer is able to work in the fields of digital systems, software engineering, and design automation. Computer engineers develop new applications of computer techniques, which provide increased speed, reliability, and ease of use. In new applications such as computer-controlled spaceship flight systems or nuclear power plants, ultra-high reliability must be assured in the design and testing. These are some of the challenges available to computer engineers.
The educational objective of the bachelor of science in computer engineering (BSCE) program in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at Syracuse University is to prepare well-rounded graduates that are ready for work and ready for change.
- Well-rounded graduates of the BSCE program are known by their professional competence, innovative thinking, ability to work individually and in diverse teams, leadership abilities, communication skills, and integrity.
- Graduates of the BSCE program who are ready for work are engaged in applying the knowledge acquired in their major, combined with their problem solving abilities, to produce feasible solutions to problems, in a timely manner, which are deemed important in industry, government, or academia.
- Graduates of the BSCE program who are ready for change exhibit the intellectual flexibility necessary to solve new problems in innovative ways by integrating multiple viewpoints from several disciplines in search of the best possible solutions.
This program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Engineering design is taught in each of the four years of the computer engineering program. Beginning with
ECS 101 in the first year, students are required to formulate solutions to a variety of open-ended projects. As the students progress through their sophomore and junior years, the projects increase in complexity requiring additional creativity and knowledge. Finally, in the senior year the students are required to complete a major design project that builds upon their mastery of the fundamental concepts of mathematics, basic sciences, the humanities and social sciences, engineering topics, and communication skills.
In addition to successfully completing the requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, graduates from this program must also achieve the following educational outcomes:
• an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
• an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
• an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
• an ability to function independently and on teams
• an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
• an understanding of professional, ethical, and safety considerations
• an ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a
global, environmental, and societal context
• a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
• a knowledge of contemporary issues through a broad liberal arts education
• an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for
engineering practice
• an ability to think critically as evidenced by skills in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, argumentation, and reflection
• an understanding of principles of construction of computing systems
• an understanding of abstraction and refinement of computing systems
• an ability to predict and reason about design correctness and performance of computing systems
• an ability to use methods and practices to design correct and reliable computing systems
• an ability to test and verify that computing systems are correct and reliable
Program Components
The computer engineering program has four fundamental components: mathematics and sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities, and general education. Within each component, a liberal number of courses have been set aside as electives in order to allow students, with the guidance of their advisors, to customize their education according to their personal and career objectives. A summary of required and elective credits within each component is as follows:
Math and Science 33 required, 0 elective, 33 total credits;
Engineering Education 48 required, 0 elective, 48 total credits;
Technical Electives 0 required, 15 elective, 15 total credits;
General Education 12 required, 9 elective, 21 total credits;
Social Science and Humanities 6 required, 6 elective, 12 total credits;
Total credits 129
Elective Courses
In order to maximize the flexibility of the computer engineering curriculum, while maintaining its structure, electives have been divided into the following categories.
Technical Electives
Students fulfill 15 credits of technical electives by completing at least one of the tracks specified below. Each track is completed by taking at least 15 credit hours of courses specified by the track:
Hardware Systems (HWS) Track
Students must take the following courses:
CSE 464 Introduction to VLSI Design
CSE 561 Digital Machine Design
CSE 565 Digital Design Test and Verification
Students select at least one of the following courses:
| CSE 591 |
Topics in Computer Systems Engineering: Topics Related to Hardware |
| CIS 400 |
Introduction to Computer Security |
| CIS 543/ELE 516 |
Control of Robots |
| ELE 333 |
Analog Circuits |
| ELE 346 |
Semiconductor Devices |
| ELE 351 |
System and Signal Analysis |
| ELE 424 |
Transmission Lines for Computer and Communications |
| ELE 431 |
Analog Circuits and Systems |
Students select at least one technical course, 300-level or above, from the Department of EECS or from the Department of Mathematics
Software Systems (SWS) Track
Students must take the following courses:
CIS 453 Software Specification and Design
CIS 454 Software Implementation
Students select at least two of the following courses:
| CSE 482 |
Principles of Software Engineering |
| CSE 483 |
Windows Programming |
| CSE 581 |
Introduction to Database Management Systems |
| CSE 588 |
Translator Design |
| CSE 591 |
Topics in Computer Systems Engineering: Topics Related to Software |
| CIS 352 |
Programming Languages: Theory and Practice |
| CIS 373 |
Introduction to Automata Theory |
| CIS 400 |
Introduction to Computer Security |
| CIS 401 |
Multimedia Systems and Tools |
| CIS 425 |
Introduction to Computer Graphics |
| CIS 467 |
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence |
| CIS 473 |
Logic and Computability Theory |
| CIS 500 |
Programming in Java 5.0 |
| CIS 543/ELE 516 |
Control of Robots |
| CIS 581 |
Concurrent Programming |
Students select at least one technical course, 300-level or above, from the Department of EECS or from the Department of Mathematics.
Hardware/Software Systems (HSS) Track
Students must take the following courses:
| CIS 453 |
Software Specification and Design |
| CIS 454 |
Software Implementation |
| CIS 464 |
Introduction to VLSI Design |
| CSE 561 |
Digital Machine Design |
| CSE 565 |
Digital Design Test and Verification |
Interdisciplinary (INT) Track
Reason: To allow students who are pursuing a minor or a second major to take more courses outside of the Department of EECS.
Requirements to complete this track:
• Student must be awarded a minor or a second major in a discipline outside of the Department of EECS, excluding a minor in mathematics*;
• Student may substitute up to 9 credits of technical elective courses to fulfill this minor or second major;
• All of the remaining credit hours (six or more) of technical electives must be taken from one of the following tracks:
•
Hardware Systems (HWS) Track: In this case, student needs to take at least two core courses of the HWS Track if the remaining number of credits of technical electives the student must fulfill is 6 credits, or all the core courses of this track if the remaining number of credits of technical electives required is more than 6;
•
Software Systems (SWS) Track: In this case, student needs to take at least all the core courses of the SWS Track.
The Computer Engineering Program Committee will determine if a specific
CSE 591 course can be used to fulfill one of the tracks.
• Students can fulfill the requirements for a minor in mathematics within 129 credit hours required by the BSCE program if they opt to fulfill the Hardware Systems Track, the Software Systems Track, or the Hardware/Software Systems Track.
Social Sciences and Humanities Electives
This 6-credit requirement may be fulfilled by any combination of courses listed in the social sciences division or humanities division of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Non-Engineering/Computer Science Electives
The purpose of this 9-credit requirement of non-engineering/computer science elective courses is to provide students with a broad educational experience in a diversity of subjects. These elective courses—either by themselves or in combination with social science and humanities electives—present an attractive opportunity to complete one of the many non-technical minors offered in the University.
Courses that cannot be used to satisfy this requirement include technical courses offered by (or crosslisted with) the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), remedial math courses, and courses with engineering or computer science content that are taught by academic units outside of ECS. A complete list of non-conforming courses appears in the Computer Engineering Undergraduate Student Handbook.
Program of Study
First Year, Fall Semester
First Year, Spring Semester
| ECS 102 |
Introduction to Computing |
3 |
| MAT 296 |
Calculus II
|
4 |
| PHY 211 |
General Physics I |
3 |
| PHY 221 |
General Physics Lab I |
1 |
| |
Social science/humanities elective |
3 |
| |
Non-engineering/computer science elective |
3 |
| |
|
17 |
Second Year, Fall Semester
Second Year, Spring Semester
| MAT 521 |
Introduction to Problems and Statistics* |
3 |
| ELE 232 |
EE Fundamentals II
|
3 |
| ELE 292 |
EE Lab II
|
1 |
| CSE 261 |
Digital Logic Design |
3 |
| WRT 205 |
Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing |
3 |
| CSE 382 |
Algorithms and Data Structure
|
3 |
| |
|
16 |
Third Year, Fall Semester
| CSE 281 |
Computer Organization and Assembly Language |
3 |
| CSE 397 |
Computer Lab I |
3 |
| ELE 331 |
Digital Circuits and Systems
|
3 |
| MAT 485 |
Differential Equations and Matrix Algebra |
3 |
| |
Social science/humanities elective
|
3 |
| |
|
15 |
Third Year, Spring Semester
| ECS 392 |
Ethical Aspects of ECS |
3 |
| ELE 558 |
Data Metworks: Basic Principles
|
3 |
| CSE 381 |
Computer Architecture
|
3 |
| CSE 398 |
Computer Lab II |
3 |
| WRT 307 |
Advanced Writing Studio: Professional Writing |
3 |
| |
|
15 |
Fourth Year, Fall Semester
| CSE 497 |
Senior Design Project
|
3 |
| CSE 486 |
Design of Operating Systems
|
3 |
| |
Technical electives
|
6 |
| |
Non-engineering/computer science elective
|
3 |
| |
|
15 |
Fourth Year, Spring Semester Credits
| CSE 497 |
Senior Design Project
|
1 |
| WRT 407 |
Advanced Workshop in Professional, Technical, or Disciplinary Writing |
3 |
| |
Technical Electives
|
9 |
| |
Non-engineering/computer science elective
|
3 |
| |
|
16 |
Total 129
*
CIS 321 Introduction to Probability and Statistics (4 credits) may be substituted if a student does not want to pursue a mathematics minor.
Minors
The computer engineering curriculum is flexible enough to allow a student to complete minors without taking additional credits or by taking only a few extra courses. Today’s computer engineers work in an environment where they are expected to know not only computer hardware and software, but also material from a collection of other subject areas–from device technology or computer science to management and how computers affect the world. The computer engineering curriculum responds to this need by providing students with a strong basis in the fundamentals of computer engineering coupled with additional courses drawn from electrical engineering and computer science. There is also an opportunity to broaden the scope of a student’s education.
Minor in electrical engineering (EE)
Students majoring in computer engineering are required to take 11 credits of EE courses independent of the track the students are completing. By taking 9 additional credits of 300-level or above EE courses, a student can earn a minor in EE. Of these 9 credits, 6 are to be taken in addition to the 129 credits required by the computer engineering curriculum, unless students are completing the Interdisciplinary Track. In this case, students must take all 9 credits in addition to the 129 credits required by the degree.
Non-technical minor
A student who would like to complete a non-technical minor has 6 credits of social sciences and humanities electives and 9 credits of non-engineering/computer science electives, which can be used toward any one of more than 70 minors offered at Syracuse University. Since these minors usually require 18 credits, students need to take (depending on the minor) 3 to 9 credits beyond the 129 credits required by the computer engineering program, unless students are completing the Interdisciplinary Track. In this case, students do not need to take any credit beyond the 129 credits to complete this minor.
Minor in mathematics
The computer engineering curriculum requires students to take 21 credits of courses from the mathematics department. This does not quite meet the requirements of a mathematics minor. To complete a minor in mathematics, students must take two math courses, either
MAT 331 or
MAT 485, and either
MAT 525 or
MAT 526. These two courses can be taken as non-engineering/computer science electives. Therefore, students may complete a minor in mathematics within the minimum 129 credits required by the computer engineering program.