BS in Computer Engineering
Florida Institute of Technology
Key Information
Campus location
Melbourne, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 21,173 / per semester
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
Introduction
What is a Computer Engineering Degree?
Computer engineering, quite different from computer science, is focused on the design and analysis of computer hardware, software, operating systems, and computer networks. In addition to a strong foundation in programming and software design, students seeking a computer engineering degree gain a complete understanding of complex computer systems and are provided with multiple opportunities to design, build, and test their own.
Whether you want to develop new methods of automation, design high-performance software, or engineer new robotic technologies, a computer engineering degree from Florida Tech develops a strong background in engineering, programming, and electronics. New technical electives also allow you to specialize in unique career-track subfields such as systems engineering, nuclear technology, and energy engineering, making you a hot prospect in the eyes of future employers.
World-Renowned Faculty, and One-on-One Attention
As one of the top computer engineering schools in the country, Florida Tech’s academic environment fosters innovation and exploration. Florida Tech boasts small classes and low student-to-faculty ratios, with most classes taught by PhD-level professors whose greatest interest is helping students succeed.
Because of our small classes, Florida Tech professors can offer students personalized attention and are easily accessible for assistance and advice. We have a diverse faculty with specialties in a variety of areas who are active in teaching and research and occupy important roles in professional organizations. Many of our faculty members have won Florida Tech teaching and research awards served on national and international committees and worked with institutions around the world.
Our faculty includes an IEEE Fellow, an IEEE Life Fellow, a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Signal and Imaging Systems Engineering.
Accreditation
The undergraduate computer engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-Tech Corridor
Florida Tech is the perfect place for a computer engineering degree. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.
The area has the fifth-largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.
Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.
Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations
In addition to research and computer engineering internships, students can join professional organizations:
- Florida Tech's student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (known as FIT-IEEE) competes in robotics competitions and professional conferences.
- Eta Kappa Nu is an honor society designed to recognize engineering and computer sciences, students, for outstanding academic achievements during their time at Florida Tech.
- High-achieving students may also become members of Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honor society.
Students can also participate in student government or over 100 other student organizations on campus.
Curriculum
Gain Practical Experience
Due to the rapid pace of technological advancements, the field of computer engineering is always changing. This makes it a highly interesting, challenging, and lucrative field of study.
Florida Tech is listed among the Fiske Guide's “Engineering/Top Technical Institutes” and Parade Magazine’s “College A-List in Engineering.” Because of the school’s focus on integrated lab experiences, internships, peer-group study, and faculty-led or international research opportunities, students who seek a computer engineering degree from Florida Tech demonstrate through practical application their mastery of the curriculum and are able to enter a variety of competitive career fields.
Seniors take courses in computer architecture, virtual instrumentation, and Internet programming. This includes a design project in collaboration with a team of peers who design, develop, prototype, and present a complex engineering system. Additionally, graduates with a computer engineering degree can design complex computer systems.
As a result, students get practical experience, an expanded professional network, and perhaps even a pre-graduation job offer.
Curriculum
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, the 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 assumed 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 during 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 systematic 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.
Freshman Year
Fall (16 credit hours)
- CHM 1101 General Chemistry 1 or BIO 1010 Biological Discovery 1 and BIO 1030 Introduction to Biotechnology
- COM 1101 Composition and Rhetoric
- ECE 1551 Digital Logic
- FYE 1000 University Experience
- MTH 1001 Calculus 1 or MTH 1010 Honors Calculus 1
Spring (16 credit hours)
- COM 1102 Writing About Literature
- ECE 1552 Computer Design
- MTH 1002 Calculus 2 or MTH 1020 Honors Calculus 2
- PHY 1001 Physics 1
- PHY 2091 Physics Laboratory 1
Sophomore Year
Fall (18 credit hours)
- ECE 2111 Circuit Theory 1
- ECE 2551 Software/Hardware Design
- MTH 2201 Differential Equations/Linear Algebra or MTH 3200 Honors Differential Equations
- PHY 2002 Physics 2
Select the first HUM Core Course:
- HUM 2051 Civilization 1: Ancient Through Medieval
- HUM 2141 World Art History 1: Pre-History to Early Global Awareness
- HUM 2211 British Literature and Culture
- HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1
- HUM 2331 American History: Pre-Columbian to Civil War Era
- HUM 2551 Survey of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Spring (17 credit hours)
- ECE 2112 Circuit Theory 2
- ECE 2552 Software/Hardware Integration
- MTH 2001 Calculus 3 or MTH 2010 Honors Calculus 3
- PHY 2003 Modern Physics
Select the second HUM Core Course:
- HUM 2052 Civilization 2: Renaissance Through Modern
- HUM 2142 World Art History 2: Early Modern to Post-Colonial
- HUM 2212 British and American Literature 1 (may not be repeated for credit)
- HUM 2213 British and American Literature 2
- HUM 2332 American History: From Reconstruction to the Present
- HUM 2552 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy
Junior Year
Fall (18 credit hours)
- ECE 3111 Electronics
- ECE 3541 Digital State Machines
- ECE 3551 Microcomputer Systems 1
- ECE 3553 Multifarious Systems 1
- MTH 2401 Probability and Statistics
Spring (17 credit hours)
- COM 2223 Scientific and Technical Communication
- CSE 2410 Introduction to Software Engineering
- ECE 3240 Junior Design
- ECE 3552 Microcomputer Systems 2
- ECE 4112 Digital Electronics
- Technical Elective Credit Hours: 3
Senior Year
Fall (18 credit hours)
- CSE 4001 Operating Systems Concepts
- ECE 4241 System Design 1 (Q)
- ECE 4551 Computer Architecture
- Humanities Elective (HU) 3000-level or higher recommended Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective (ECE/CSE) Credit Hours: 3
- Social Science Elective Credit Hours: 3
Spring (12 credit hours)
- ECE 4242 System Design 2 (Q)
- ECE 4561 Computer Communications
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Technical Elective Credit Hours: 3
Total Credits Required: 132
Career Opportunities
Career Outlook
The US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that job applicants with a computer engineering degree from an accredited program will have better chances of finding a job. For those interested in pursuing a computer engineering career, the Bureau’s Occupational Outlook Handbook provides detailed information about hundreds of occupations, including entry-level education, overall working environment, and employment prospects.
According to the Bureau, employment of computer engineers is projected to grow by nine percent through 2020. Job growth is expected to occur in computer consulting firms as manufacturers increasingly contract out the design of the hardware. Many hardware engineers work closely with software developers when designing computer products.
Facilities
English Language Requirements
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