2001: A New Degree Program in Computer Engineering

A New Degree Program in Computer Engineering

by Richard Messner

In the past twenty years or so, the digital computer has become an integral part of American (and global) society. In addition to its earlier scientific, industrial, and business processing functions, the computer has entered the daily consciousness of almost every individual. This change has accelerated in the last ten years so that now most Americans own or have access to a personal, hand-held, or laptop computer, which is linked to millions of others through the World Wide Web (WWW). In addition, computers have impacted people in a myriad of indirect ways, from health care, to automobiles and VCRs, to the power grid and to our national defense. Such innovations will inevitably continue. For example, Web connected computers are already being designed into automobiles, and as "intelligent" systems reach maturity, they will become a more integral part of our daily lives. This information revolution is due primarily to the reduced cost and increased processing power of computers and to the development of the Internet. It is interesting to note that computers and digital electronics are probably the only consumer areas that have consistently improved their performance/price ratios over time. This is primarily due to breakthroughs in developing microscopic high-speed integrated circuits and new computer architectures, and in developing advanced communication systems (fiber optics, satellites, etc.) with the protocols to efficiently transmit data. Electrical engineers initially did this work, and they continue to be heavily involved in many aspects of these areas. As the technology evolved, the field of computer science was developed to specialize in the scientific study of computer systems, primarily from a software viewpoint. More recently, the field of computer engineering was initiated to "bridge the gap" between electrical engineering and computer science—that is, to combine the most essential engineering and hardware aspects of computers with the most essential scientific and software aspects. It is clear that there is a need for students educated in areas that bridge the bounds of both Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. These students will be Computer Engineers!

In the 1970’s, the Department of Electrical Engineering at UNH changed its name to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and introduced an elective option in Computer Engineering as part of its Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) degree. The purpose of the name change was to emphasize the department’s interest and strength in Computer Engineering. The purpose of the option was to provide a visible means for electrical engineering students to concentrate their energies in this area if they so desired. At that time, there were very few Bachelor of Science programs in Computer Engineering (BSCE). However, that picture has drastically changed. There are currently eighty-two BSCE programs housed in U.S. electrical engineering departments, and both the number of programs and the number of students involved are growing. Students are seeking out degree programs in Computer Engineering. In addition, national and New Hampshire studies and projections indicate that Computer Engineering is expected to be one of our fastest growing professions. No four-year undergraduate degree programs in Computer Engineering currently exist in New Hampshire. Thus, in the spring of 2000, the University of New Hampshire Electrical and Computer Engineering Department appointed a faculty committee to study the feasibility of establishing a BSCE degree program. The committee was chaired by Professor John Pokoski and included as members the following faculty members; Frank Hludik, Andrew Kun, Richard Messner, and Andrzej Rucinski. After several months of hard work the committee put together a proposal to be presented to the ECE faculty who unanimously approved the submission of the proposal to the College, which approved it in May of this year.

The objective of the proposed program in Computer Engineering is to prepare students for productive employment as computer engineers and for graduate work in computer engineering and related subjects. Within this context, the faculty has agreed upon and operates under the following five broad objectives. The students should:

Be able to reason, to analyze and design engineering systems, and to solve engineering problems,

Possess the tool subjects and skills which will enable them to practice effectively as engineering professionals,

Possess broad education in the basic sciences which enables them to learn and develop new tools to solve the problems which will continually arise,

Have an understanding and concern for life and humanity and how these relate to their profession and their own code of ethics,

Appreciate the fact that education is a life-long and continuous process.

These objectives are integrated into the program through a core curriculum broadly based in mathematics, science, and basic electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science courses. A set of university general education requirements, which provide breadth and depth, complement this core curriculum. A junior-senior course sequence that includes design methodology, professional (non-technical) topics and a capstone project are required of each student. Finally, a strong set of professional elective courses provides the student flexibility in professional areas of concentration.

The objectives listed above are simply a minor modification of those for the electrical engineering program that has been in place for the past twenty-five years. The program will also satisfy ABET accreditation criteria.

The degree requires that students take eighty-nine credits of prescribed coursework. These include 32 credits of mathematics and science, 16 credits of computer science, 17 credits of electrical engineering, and 24 credits of computer engineering. In addition, they must take 12 credits of professional electives (selected from a prescribed list), and 28 general education electives. Twelve of these general education credits are automatically included in the prescribed mathematics and science courses required of Computer Engineering students. In the senior year students are also required to complete a team based senior capstone project related to computer engineering.

The curriculum has been designed to have a freshman year that is essentially in common with that of the Computer Science program. This will make it easier for students to switch from one to the other as they discover their true interests. Also physics, traditionally taken in the freshman year by ECE students, is delayed until the sophomore year, and three basic electrical engineering courses normally taken by ECE students in their sophomore year are taken in the junior year by the Computer Engineering students. This allows more room for computer science and computer engineering courses in the first two years. This, in turn, should aid with retention, or at least allow students to decide early if they have selected the appropriate major. In addition, the early computer science and engineering courses serve as building blocks for the courses that follow.

Computer engineering courses are integrated through each semester of the curriculum, providing further motivation for the students. The electrical engineering courses in the junior year provide the basic background in electrical circuits, electronics, and systems to understand basic electrical principles, as well as to elect additional electrical engineering courses. The engineering design sequence in the junior year introduces the student to design techniques and other professional topics, such as engineering ethics, quality, engineering and society, and report writing.

The senior year is more flexible, and includes three professional electives, plus a capstone project. The capstone project must be a team project. It will serve to involve students with many aspects of proposal development, the dynamics of teamwork, timelines, interdisciplinary work, design, prototyping, budgeting, and oral and written presentations. The list of professional electives is designed to give the student a guided method of selecting courses that would be most appropriate to the student’s professional interests. The student's advisor must approve each elective. At least one must be an advanced computer engineering course. One may be from a list of three business administration courses. (The list was developed in consultation with Professor Craig Wood of the Whittemore School.) Two may be advanced electrical engineering or computer science courses.

Overall, the program has been developed to provide the student with both breadth and depth in computer engineering education. The mix of basic mathematics, science, computer science, electrical engineering, and computer engineering courses will provide a base for learning advanced topics now and in the future. Newly developed courses, such as "Embedded microcomputer-based design" and "Computer networks" will provide expertise in state-of-the-art topics that are critical in today’s computer industry. The Department feels that this program will be a huge success. Currently, the proposal has been approved by the President and Provost of UNH and it is anticipated that Trustee approval will be given in September 2001. Upon approval it is anticipated that the first entering students in the program will arrive in the fall of 2002.

(This article was extracted from the ECE Department's proposal for a Computer Engineering degree, which is currently awaiting trustee approval.)