| Major Code: 7042 |
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science |
| Delivery Mode(s): Classroom |
Admission Status: Undergraduate |
| Location(s): Main Campus - Melbourne |
The goal of the computer engineering major is to provide the student with a total learning experience. The program is designed to expose the entire spectrum of computer engineering concepts from the basic building blocks of transistors and gates, through the progression of embedded controllers, computer architectures and high-performance digital signal processors. Computer engineering majors develop an extensive knowledge of hardware, along with a strong education in programming techniques to provide them with a complete understanding of computer systems. In the senior year, students design, build and test computer systems as part of their senior design course.
The educational objectives for computer engineering are to produce graduates who will establish themselves as practicing professionals who will engage in advanced studies in engineering or a related field; display awareness of the importance of opportunities for lifelong learning; excel in the global marketplace, and demonstrate the ability to work successfully as members of professional teams and function effectively as responsible professionals.
A major component of the computer engineering major at Florida Tech involves hands-on learning. The computer engineering student begins taking computer engineering courses during the freshman year. The freshman-level courses include programming and interfacing an embedded microcontroller. Laboratory experience is integrated into most of our classes. In the junior year, students are introduced to interfacing with a high-performance digital signal processor.
In computer engineering, a strong focus is on the mastery principle. It is assured that computer engineering students not only know the material critical to engineering but also can demonstrate mastery of the material, which is the goal of everyone in the program.
During the freshman and sophomore years, students learn the basics of computer engineering along with college-level mathematics and physics. In addition, courses in computer design with hands-on laboratory experience are taken both terms of the freshman year. In these courses, students program and create an interface to an embedded microcontroller.
Throughout the sophomore and junior years, students learn basic analytical techniques of the engineer—ways in which the engineer views physical situations and uses mathematical techniques to design basic subsystems. Many of the courses taken by students at this level offer integrated laboratory experiences. In this way, students can visualize the practical aspects of the various theories they encounter.
During the senior year, students continue to build their knowledge base to develop a system approach to engineering design. Through electives that emphasize applications using digital signal processors, students may explore various topics within computer engineering for which they have developed specific interests.
Degree Requirements
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering must complete the minimum course requirements as outlined in the following full-time curriculum. Deviations from the recommended program may be made only with the approval of the student’s advisor and concurrence of the department head, in accordance with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria. Students may complete these requirements on a part-time basis.
Proficiency in certain key areas is of primary importance to success as computer engineers. For this reason, a student who receives a grade of D in any of the following courses is strongly urged to repeat the course to attain a grade of at least C:
Students must successfully complete a minimum of 90 percent of all the courses listed below under the freshman and sophomore years before they will be allowed to register for upper-level (3000/4000) courses.
Computer engineering majors who have completed 24 credit hours and have not passed COM 1101 Composition and Rhetoric will register for this course in the next available semester. Students who have completed 48 credit hours and have not passed COM 1102 Writing About Literature will register for this course in the next available semester.
The engineering science elective is limited to courses that help develop an appreciation of other branches of engineering. Courses that are acceptable as humanities/social sciences electives are identified as such in the Course Descriptions section. Definitions of electives for engineering programs are presented under Undergraduate Academic Information .
