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computer engineering: Information and Much More from Answers.com

  • ️Fri Apr 21 2006

Computer engineering (also called Electronic and Computer engineering) is a discipline that combines elements of both electrical engineering and computer science.[1] Computer engineers are electrical engineers that have additional training in the areas of software design and hardware-software integration.[citation needed] In turn, they focus less on power electronics and physics. Computer engineers are involved in many aspects of computing, from the design of individual microprocessors, personal computers, and supercomputers, to circuit design. This engineering monitor the many subsystems in motor vehicles.[2]

Usual tasks involving computer engineers include writing software and firmware for embedded microcontrollers, designing VLSI chips, designing analog sensors, designing mixed signal circuit boards, and designing operating systems.[citation needed] Computer engineers are also suited for robotics research,[citation needed] which relies heavily on using digital systems to control and monitor electrical systems like motors, communications, and sensors.

The terms hardware engineering and hardware engineer are also used, referring to the opposite of software engineering.

Computer engineering as an academic discipline

The first accredited computer engineering degree program in the United States was established at Case Western Reserve University in 1971; as of October 2004 there were 170 ABET-accredited computer engineering programs in the US.[3]

Due to increasing job requirements for engineers, who can design 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".[citation needed] Both computer engineering and electronic engineering programs include analog and digital circuit design in their curricula. As with most engineering disciplines, having a sound knowledge of mathematics and sciences is necessary for computer engineers.

In many institutions, computer engineering students are allowed to choose areas of in-depth study in their junior and senior year, as the full breadth of knowledge used in the design and application of computers is well beyond the scope of an undergraduate degree. The joint IEEE/ACM Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering defines the core knowledge areas of computer engineering as[4]:

The breadth of disciplines studied in computer engineering is not limited to the above subjects but can include any subject found in engineering.

See also

References

  1. ^ IEEE Computer Society; ACM (December 2004). Computer Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering, pg. iii. Retrieved on 2006-04-21. “Computer engineering has traditionally been viewed as a combination of both cool computer science (CS) and electrical engineering (EE).” 
  2. ^ Trinity College Dublin. What is Computer Engineering. Retrieved on 2006-04-21., "Computer engineers not only to understand how computer systems themselves work, but also how they integrate into the larger picture. Consider the car. 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."
  3. ^ IEEE Computer Society; ACM (December 2004). Computer Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering, pg. 5. Retrieved on 2006-04-21. “In the United States, the first computer engineering program accredited by ABET (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) was at Case Western Reserve University in 1971. As of October 2004, ABET has accredited over 170 computer engineering or similarly named programs.” 
  4. ^ IEEE Computer Society; ACM (December 2004). Computer Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Computer Engineering, pg. 12. Retrieved on 2006-04-21. 

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