Suzanne and Walter Scott, Jr. Bioengineering Building

Aerospace engineering is a broad and dynamic field that centers on the design, construction, and science behind aircraft and spacecraft. Intended for undergraduate computer engineering majors, the aerospace concentration offers students a computer engineering degree foundation and specialized training in the aerospace discipline. Coursework will focus on applications of key computer engineering principles in the areas of computer systems, programming, deep-space communications, robotics, flight avionics, and more. These courses will enable and encourage students to solve complex engineering problems in aerospace such as improved safety-critical hardware design, real-time software programming, satellite communications, and remote sensing methods. Computer engineering students concentrating in aerospace will experience first-hand the necessity of their major in innovating new solutions to support humanity’s ascent to the stars.

Approaching innovation from a holistic perspective is key to advancing our hyper-connected world. The interdisciplinary embedded and IoT computing concentration takes a bird’s eye view of computer engineering to help students understand how electronic devices, software, and networks function together to enable end-to-end solutions. Take a smart home, for example. Rather than designing one aspect of the solution, such as the temperature sensors on a thermostat, this concentration will help students design and optimize software and hardware technologies across the entire spectrum to enable an integrated, smart system. Centering on the science and design of both hardware and software for computing systems across applications ranging from medical imaging tools to wearable electronic devices, students will work on complex engineering problems such as improving energy-efficiency in mobile devices, integrating artificial intelligence into computing platforms, and developing solutions for reliability and security in safety critical applications. Coursework focuses on applications of key computer engineering principles in the areas of computer architecture, embedded systems, internet-of-things (IoT), machine learning, computer security, software algorithms, and more.

Networking is a rapidly evolving field that focuses on the ubiquitous connectivity of people, machines, and things. Whether shopping online, using GPS navigation, or connecting with friends on social media, our online activities are on the rise – and we are straining our technology infrastructure with the mind-boggling amounts of data we generate every day. Combining topics from electrical engineering, computer science, and mathematics, this concentration will teach students how to optimize and bolster network systems that process the ever-growing volume of data we produce through our high-tech gadgets and applications. Experiencing first-hand the innovative technologies that fuel the digital information revolution, students will work on complex engineering problems, such as emerging 5G/6G networks, deep-space communication, Internet of Things, and social networks. The concentration offers an electrical and computer engineering foundation with specialized training in the networks field. Coursework focuses on applications of key engineering principles in the areas of digital systems, communication systems, robotics, embedded systems, cybersecurity and more.

Very large-scale integration, or VLSI, is the process used to design and create computer chips that enable everything from smart watches to virtual reality applications. This concentration offers students a foundation in computer engineering with specialized training in the VLSI and microelectronics disciplines. VLSI focuses on developing advanced electronic circuits and systems to compute massive amounts of data and turn it into meaningful information. For example, when sensors on self-driving cars collect data to assess the vehicle’s surroundings, such as lane markings, pedestrians, and road signs, VLSI provides the “smarts” to turn that sensing data into actionable insights to control the car. Coursework in this concentration focuses on applications of key computer engineering principles in the areas of digital systems, computer-aided design, integrated circuits, embedded systems and microelectronics, computer networks, and more. These courses will enable and encourage students to design, analyze, optimize, and implement components, circuits, and systems that are essential in our daily lives.