B.S. in Computer Engineering

B.S.  IN  COMPUTER ENGINEERING
The objective of the undergraduate program in computer engineering is to prepare students for productive careers as professional engineers and to provide a base for graduate study and for lifelong learning in new and developing specialties. We expect graduates will have attained the following achievements within a few years after completing the program:

1. Contributing Professionals
Graduates are expected to have become contributing professionals who apply fundamental engineering knowledge and analytical problem solving skills in a wide variety of practical applications.

2. Well-Rounded Citizens
Graduates are expected to have become well-rounded citizens who rely on their engineering education to serve society with an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities.

3. Effective and Responsible Collaborators
Graduates are expected to have become effective and responsible collaborators who function well in diverse team environments. Some graduates will have emerged as leaders in their field.

4. Intellectual Growth
Graduates are expected to have exhibited intellectual growth and pursue continual innovation in their field. Those graduates who are especially talented and motivated to pursue a graduate degree should be successful at entering and completing graduate studies.

  The degree program in computer engineering fosters the achievement of these objectives in two ways. First, the curriculum as a whole is comprised of:

• a coherent program of required courses in basic science, mathematics, and engineering science, including laboratory experience in the use of modern equipment for measurement and design;
• education in the humanities, social sciences, ethical principles and management, with special attention to the development of effective written and oral communication skills;
• elective coursework in several of the major subdisciplines of electrical and computer engineering, to encourage individual interests and to provide opportunity to gain further knowledge in these subdisciplines; and
• experiences that facilitate the development of problem-solving, teamwork and engineering design skills with the aid of modern analysis and design tools, and experiences that encourage students to become active alumni and to develop a commitment to lifelong learning.

Basic and required courses are taken during the first two years, along with some introductory professional courses, including an engineering laboratory. Laboratory courses are required in both of these years with a strong emphasis on engineering design. The third and fourth years include both required and elective technical courses.

The Clarkson Common Experience is addressed in the first year with the Clarkson Seminar and a course in one of the required knowledge areas. Five knowledge area and/or university courses are required over the four years of study, and one of these knowledge area courses must be in economics. The Clarkson Common Experience is designed, in part, to develop communication, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills and an understanding of the social, ethical and economic implications of an engineer’s work. 

Second, the computer engineering program is constructed so that each student develops a working knowledge of engineering design based on a broad spectrum of concepts, principles, and techniques balanced in hardware, software, and systems, along with a strong set of communication and teamwork skills. This is done through a program of study with the following outcomes:

• In the required courses, students are expected to master fundamentals of hardware and software design. Sound software engineering principles are introduced and reinforced with required courses that treat object-oriented design, data structures, standardized components, and system software. Hardware design principles are introduced in a course that treats hardware concepts and analysis that is followed by work in logic design and laboratory experiences in which students must design and build small systems using standard logic circuits and programmable logic devices. Elements common to hardware and software are stressed and hardware/software tradeoffs are addressed in this segment of the curriculum. 
• Students gain experience working in modern software development environments and using modern design tools.  In the required course sequence, students learn C/C++ and the Standard Template Library, gain experience with VHDL and modern simulation environments in hardware design, and use programmable logic devices in their design projects.
• Students develop their teamwork and communication skills. They do so in part through course work that requires them to communicate effectively in written form and in part through course-work involving team-based design, written communication of their design decisions, and oral presentation of their work. The design experiences require that students work in teams of varying size, collaborating with others on teams whose composition is determined by their instructors. By participating in team-based problem solving of this kind, with individuals whom they did not choose as teammates, students learn to work with a diverse group of individuals in multiple situations, thereby developing their teamwork skills.
• Students develop the ability to design an integrated hardware/software system to meet desired specifications. They engage in a major design experience that emulates an industrial design environment. In this design experience, students design and implement the hardware and software components of a digital system. This team-oriented task demands that students learn to work with others in completing a system design that meets specifications on time. The system specifications often require that students interact with individuals from other disciplines to design an acceptable product. 
• Students engage in activities that foster development of an appreciation for the importance of extracurricular and community involvement. They are actively encouraged to become involved with professional societies, service organizations, and other extracurricular activities and are also encouraged to take advantage of the close interpersonal environment that the department fosters. We also encourage our students to obtain significant industrial level experience prior to graduation, either through an internship or by participating in the Co-op program. Further, we encourage our students to participate in engineering projects on campus, through undergraduate research, suitable on-campus work experience, and technical extracurricular activities such as the solar car team or the US First Robotics competition.
  
   

  Computer Engineering Curriculum
  FIRST YEAR (See Common First-Year Curriculum in Engineering)
  SOPHOMORE YEAR
  First Semester			Second Semester
  Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.	Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
  MA232	Differential Equations	3	MA231	Calculus III	3
  ES250	Electrical Science	3	EE211	ECE Lab I	3
  ES260	Materials Science	3	EE221	Linear Circuits	3
  EE261	Intro to Programming		EE264	Intro to Digital Design	3
  	and Software Design	3	EE361	Fundamentals of
  	KA/UC Elective1	3		Software Engineering	3
  		15			15
  JUNIOR YEAR
  First Semester			Second Semester
  Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.	Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
  MA381	Probability	3	MA346	Applied Algebra	3
  EE321	Systems and		EE316	Computer Engineering
  	Signal Processing	3		Junior Lab	3
  EE341	Microelectronics	3	EE360	Micrprocessors	3
  EE363	Generic Programming		EE462	Software Systems
  	& Software Components	3		Architecture	3
  EE365	Advanced Digital			KA/UC Elective1	3
  	Circuit Design	3
  					15
  		15
  SENIOR YEAR
  First Semester			Second Semester
  Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.	Course	Title	Cr. Hrs.
  EE416	Computer Eng.			Professional Electives3	6
  	Senior Lab	3		KA/UC Elective1	3
  EE464	Digital Systems Design	3		Undesignated
  EE466	Computer Architecture	3		Electives4	6
  	CS Elective2	3
  	KA/UC Elective1	3			15
  		15

 ¹ Knowledge Area or University Course Electives
There are a total of five courses which must be taken to cover six knowledge areas. At least one of these courses must be a University course. University courses are interdisciplinary courses that cover two or more knowledge areas. One of the knowledge area electives must be an economics course, EC350 is recommended.

² The Computer Science Elective must be selected from computer science courses numbered 300 or higher that are taught in Computer Science, or CS 242.

³ The Professional Electives are ECE courses numbered 300 or higher, or other engineering course if approved by the ECE Department. 

⁴The Undesignated Electives are fulfilled by college level courses that do not contain a significant amount of material already covered elsewhere in the student's program. 

See Academic Requirements for details of the Clarkson Common Experience including the First-Year Seminar, the Clarkson Seminar, Knowledge Area (KA) courses, University Courses (UC), and related requirements.

Professional Specializations
The courses offered by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering can be grouped into the following subdisciplines, with each subdiscipline including a combination of required and elective courses at the undergraduate level. Note that a number of these courses cross disciplines, such as EE427, which is a signal processing course and also has a strong software component. A complete description of all courses, including graduate-level courses, can be found in the annual publication Courses. Qualified undergraduate students are encouraged to take graduate level courses within their area of interest. Undergraduate students enrolled in 500-level courses must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0, and permission of their advisor and their department chair. To enroll in a 600-numbered course, undergraduates must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0, and must have permission of their advisor, department chair, and the dean of Engineering. See Professional Concentrations in Engineering.