The Subdisciplines of
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Suggested Programs of Study in Computer Engineering

The Computer Engineering curriculum is structured to give a student flexibility to plan a program that meets his or her goals, whether they involve an emphasis on architecture, circuits, or software. The following are suggested programs of study in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Computer Systems, and Systems and Computation. These are not comprehensive listings, but rather alternative ways the student in Computer Engineering may select technical electives to emphasize a particular area of interest. Students should also watch for interesting new ECE 398 and ECE 498 courses.

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Advances in technology have made possible the construction of intelligent systems for many applications such as robotics and automated experts. The electives suggested below cover the major areas of artificial intelligence, including natural language understanding, knowledge acquisition, reasoning, computer vision, and robotics.

Semester 7 ECE 448, ECE 470, ECE 489.
Semester 8 ECE 486

Computer Systems

The courses suggested below provide students interested in the design and analysis of computers with a breadth of knowledge in a variety of rapidly advancing areas. The technical electives emphasize the fundamentals of computer design including the topics of VLSI systems, computer architecture, computer networks, and integrated circuits.

Semester 6 ECE 443.
Semester 7 ECE 412, ECE 462, ECE 482.
Semester 8 ECE 425, ECE 438.

Systems and Computation

The effective application of computers, from microprocessors to multiprocessors, requires the integration of both hardware and software into a coherent system. The suggested program below provides students with a broad foundation in the design of computer systems and their applications. The technical electives emphasize various aspects of the fundamental tradeoffs between hardware and software in the implementation of algorithms.

Semester 7 CS 427, ECE 412.
Semester 8 CS 423, CS 473.