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Computer Engineering

Computer engineering, the fastest growing engineering field for the past few years, is a very broad discipline which addresses the relationship and interactions between software and hardware in solving real engineering problems. This includes such diverse areas as: biomedical devices, home automation, games and toys, environmental controls, automobile control systems and intelligent vehicle highway systems, industrial robotics, voice/speech recognition, computer intelligence, networking, and cellular communications.

The phenomenal growth in this field has been fueled by rapid advances in integrated-circuit microprocessors and solid-state memories, which have brought about enormous computing power in small packages and at low cost. The telephone provides a perfect example of the integration of the newest technologies in a large, complex, electronic system controlled by computers and micro-processors. Fiber optics, networking and wireless communications are among the many technologies incorporated into the telephone system in recent years. Computers have been added to control the system and provide many specialized custom services. One of the most important tasks of the computers is to determine the best path for routing a call and to complete the connection to the destination. In an example from the senior design project, several computer engineering students completed a project sponsored by a company which is one of the main suppliers of switching equipment to the telecommunications industry. This project involved a huge amount of object-oriented code written in C++ and dealt with what is called flexible service logic. This technology implements a flexible, modular method for providing and maintaining customized services.

What sets computer engineering apart from either electrical engineering or computer science is that it combines expertise in both electronic hardware and software design. The computer engineer has the understanding to evaluate the possible trade-offs between hardware and software and to provide the best system at the lowest cost, that is, the optimum design for a computer-based system,. In different jobs or at different times, the computer engineer may focus more on software or on hardware, but an appreciation for the integration of the two is always implicit in the work. While design is the heart of the engineering profession, computer engineers perform other functions in research and development, manufacturing, technical sales, management, and teaching.

The computer engineering program emphasizes three broad technical areas: computer architectures, software design, and applications of microprocessors; communications and digital signal processing; and microelectronic design, layout and fabrication of digital integrated circuits. The undergraduate curriculum takes the student through the engineering and computing sciences, introduces design methodology, and culminates in a major design project. In a national survey of engineering schools published in 2001, NC State’s computer engineering program placed among the top twenty programs in the country.

Computer Engineering has as its educational objectives to produce graduates who:

  • will be able to utilize mathematics, science and engineering to identify, formulate, analyze and solve electrical and computer engineering problems. By engineering here we mean the skills, tools, and experimental techniques involved in the practice of engineering.
  • will be able to design electrical system components, or processes to meet desired needs. This objective includes the ability to work effectively on interdisciplinary teams and to communicate effectively with team members to achieve design objectives.
  • will demonstrate the ability to engage in lifelong learning in their profession as well as in contemporary issues of importance to the communities in which they live and work.
  • will have an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibility, and have the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context.

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