Computer engineering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For engineering of other types of hardware, see Mechanical engineering. Computer engineering is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer hardware and software.
Computer engineers are involved in many hardware and software aspects of computing, from the design of individual microcontrollers, microprocessors, personal computers, and supercomputers, to circuit design. This field of engineering not only focuses on how computer systems themselves work, but also how they integrate into the larger picture. Computer engineers are also suited for robotics research, which relies heavily on using digital systems to control and monitor electrical systems like motors, communications, and sensors. In many institutions, computer engineering students are allowed to choose areas of in- depth study in their junior and senior year, because the full breadth of knowledge used in the design and application of computers is beyond the scope of an undergraduate degree. Other institutions may require engineering students to complete one or two years of General Engineering before declaring computer engineering as their primary focus. Due to increasing job requirements for engineers who can concurrently design hardware, software, firmware, and manage all forms of computer systems used in industry, some tertiary institutions around the world offer a bachelor's degree generally called computer engineering.
Both computer engineering and electronic engineering programs include analog and digital circuit design in their curriculum. As with most engineering disciplines, having a sound knowledge of mathematics and science is necessary for computer engineers. There are two major specialties in computer engineering: software and hardware. Computer software engineering.
Some software engineers design, construct, and maintain computer programs for companies. Some set up networks such as .
Others make or install new software or upgrade computer systems. Computer software engineers can also work in application design. This involves designing or coding new programs and applications to meet the needs of a business or individual.
Computer software engineers can also work as freelancers and sell their software products/applications to an enterprise/individual. This can range from circuit boards and microprocessors to routers. Some update existing computer equipment to be more efficient and work with newer software. Most computer hardware engineers work in research laboratories and high- tech manufacturing firms.
Electrical and Computer Engineering. News & Events; Programs. Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer. Illinois Institute of Technology. CS @ ILLINOIS offers a number of different undergraduate degree programs and a minor in Computer Science. Students in the College of Engineering may opt to complete a Software Engineering Certificate or one of our Fifth Year. Computer engineering is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer hardware and software.
Graduate, Online and Professional Programs. Engineering at Illinois has 15 programs ranked in the top 5. Electrical & Computer Engineering. Computer Engineering Schools in Chicago, Illinois Site Evaluation. There are 3 computer engineering schools in Chicago, Illinois. The largest computer engineering school in Chicago, by student population, is DeVry University. Although computer engineering exists at the intersection of electrical engineering and computer science. 8 Illinois Total Employed 1120 19.0%. Schools with Computer Engineering Programs.
Some also work for the federal government. According to BLS, 9. Approximately 3. 3% of their work requires more than 4. The median salary for employed qualified computer hardware engineers (2. Computer hardware engineers held 8. USA. Examples include work on wireless communications, multi- antenna systems, optical transmission, and digital watermarking.
High- speed network design, interference suppression and modulation, design and analysis of fault- tolerant system, and storage and transmission schemes are all a part of this specialty. Engineers in this field develop new operating system architecture, program analysis techniques, and new techniques to assure quality. Examples of work in this field includes post- link- time code transformation algorithm development and new operating system development. According to the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center, individuals working in this area, .
Examples include aircraft design, the plasma processing of nanometer features on semiconductor wafers, VLSI circuit design, radar detection systems, ion transport through biological channels, and much more. Examples include shared- channel wireless networks, adaptive resource management in various systems, and improving the quality of service in mobile and ATM environments.
Some other examples include work on wireless network systems and fast Ethernet cluster wired systems. Projects such as designing processors for multi- threading and parallel processing are included in this field. Other examples of work in this field include development of new theories, algorithms, and other tools that add performance to computer systems. The gathered three- dimensional information is then implemented to perform a variety of tasks.
These include, improved human modeling, image communication, and human- computer interfaces, as well as devices such as special- purpose cameras with versatile vision sensors. Embedded systems are found in many devices from a small FM radio to the space shuttle. According to the Sloan Cornerstone Career Center, ongoing developments in embedded systems include . Engineers working in this area work on enhancing the speed, reliability, and energy efficiency of next- generation very- large- scale integrated (VLSI) circuits and microsystems. An example of this specialty is work done on reducing the power consumption of VLSI algorithms and architecture.
Other work in this area includes computer vision development such as recognition of human facial features. Sometimes a degree in electronic engineering is accepted, due to the similarity of the two fields. Because hardware engineers commonly work with computer software systems, a background in computer programming usually is needed. Therefore, many continue learning throughout their careers. This can be helpful, especially when it comes to learning new skills or improving existing ones. For example, as the relative cost of fixing a bug increases the further along it is in the software development cycle, there can be greater cost savings attributed to developing and testing for quality code as soon as possible in the process, and particularly before release.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), . However, some of the work will be outsourced in foreign countries. Due to this, job growth will not be as fast as during the last decade, as jobs that would have gone to computer software engineers in the United States would instead go to computer software engineers in countries such as India. Computer Engineering 2.
Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering(PDF). Retrieved December 1.
Computer System engineering has traditionally been viewed as a combination of both electronic engineering (EE) and computer science (CS). Retrieved April 2. A modern car contains many separate computer systems for controlling such things as the engine timing, the brakes and the air bags. To be able to design and implement such a car, the computer engineer needs a broad theoretical understanding of all these various subsystems & how they interact.^. Retrieved September 2.
University of Arkansas. Retrieved September 2. Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved September 2.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Archived from the original on July 2.
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