Bachelor/Master of Engineering in Electronic and Computer Engineering

The first two years of the programme is common to all students on the programme and will provide a strong practical and theoretical foundation in computing and programming languages, software, digital and analogue electronics, electrical science, and engineering mathematics. During these first two years of the programme, students will be guided towards their choice of a major option to be undertaken in the years three and four of the programme.

In years three and four of the programme, students select one of the available BEng major options, and decide whether they would want to graduate with a BEng degree award or continue their studies into a fifth year to graduate with a MEng degree award. There is also the opportunity to choose a General option, where students can select modules from the various major option streams rather than specialising on a single major option.

Work experience is obtained through an eight-month period of Cooperative Education (Co-op), which is an integral part of the programme. Co-op will provide students with real-world industrial experience and practice. This will be taken in the summer at the end of second year and the first semester of the third year of the programme.

In year four, the final year of the BEng programme, students aiming to graduate with a BEng degree will undertake a major individual project, which in general aims to solve a real-world problem. The project involves advanced design and implementation work, and builds confidence by putting into practice the skills and knowledge that have been acquired throughout the programme of study.

Master of Engineering (MEng) Track (year five). The MEng track enables students to gain a broader and deeper understanding of a range of advanced topics in electronic & computer engineering including integrated circuit (IC) design, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptography and security, data forensics, and network security, amongst others. Students will also undertake a major individual project. Students will select the MEng track in year three of the programme, and will study the MEng track subjects in year 4.

Major Options

Computer Engineering

Computer engineers will work in important application areas that include mobile phone systems, gaming, medical diagnostic and monitoring equipment, the Internet, edge devices, smart transport and energy management systems. Material covered in this option includes:

• Software - software engineering, distributed and real-time software design, advanced operating systems, language processors
• Digital Electronics - integrated circuits (ICs), computer architectures
• Control – advanced control systems, machine vision
• Data and Telecommunications - networks, communications, protocols, security
• Signal Processing - digital signal processing, coding theory

Electronic Engineering

Electronic Engineers have brought us mobile phones, digital cameras, security systems, improved weather forecasting, electronic medical devices and so many other things that we now take for granted. Material covered in this option includes:

• Electronic Circuit Design - integrated circuits (ICs), analogue circuits, digital circuits, mixed-signal circuits
• Data and Telecommunications - networks, communications, protocols
• Electrical Engineering - power systems, power electronics, electromagnetics
• Control - advanced control systems, sensors and actuators
• Signal Processing - signal processing, VLSI signal processing

Electrical Energy Engineering

Recent times have seen a worldwide shift towards a refocused commitment on the topic of energy. Electrical energy power engineering is an important element of this activity and there is an increasing need for engineers in this discipline to work on new solutions for the electrical energy grid based on wind, solar, ocean, wave and other renewable forms of energy. Material covered in this option includes:

• Electrical Engineering - power systems, power electronics, electromagnetics
• Physics - thermal physics, mechanical energy, electrical energy
• Control - advanced control systems, sensors and actuators
• Environment - advanced electronics for the built environment

Robotic Engineering

Robotics is an exciting area of computer-controlled technology. Robotic applications are found in space exploration, deep-ocean systems, transport, product manufacturing, medical equipment, entertainment systems etc. Material covered in this option includes:

• Robotics - advanced robotics systems, artificial intelligence, machine vision
• Control - advanced control systems, digital control systems
• Software - software engineering, distributed and real-time software design
• Automation - industrial automation, sensors and actuators

General Option

This General option is aimed at students who have a broad interest in the areas of electronic and computer engineering, and want to explore several topics of the prescribed major options.

LM118 Programme of Study in more detail

Students will initially register for the LM118 BEng in Electronic and Computer Engineering degree programme and can opt to study for four years (BEng degree) or five years (MEng degree). The LM118 programme is broken into two parts:

Part 1: Years one and two are common to all the degree options.

Part 2: Years three and four for all degree options have some common modules, but the programme has been designed to offer specialist modules in each option area.

Students who opt to complete the programme after four years will graduate with a BEng degree award. For students who opt to continue onto the MEng degree track will transfer onto the LM806 MEng degree at the end of year four rather than graduating with the BEng degree award:

• Year 5 (year 1 of the LM806 programme) offers specialist modules that can be selected by the student.