2017-2018 Undergraduate Course Catalog

Nov 21, 2024

2017-2018 Undergraduate Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Computer Engineering, BS

Program Director

Jennifer Graham
315-443-2652
eecsugradadmit@syr.edu

Faculty

Howard A. Blair, Tomislav Bujanovic, Ilyas Cicekli, Nihan Cicekli, Stephen J. Chapin, Biao Chen, C.Y. Roger Chen, Shiu-Kai Chin, Jun Hwan (Brandon) Choi, Wenliang (Kevin) Du, Sara Eftekharnejad, Ehat Ercanli, Makan Fardad, James W. Fawcett, Prasanta Ghosh, Jennifer Graham, Mustafa Cenk Gursoy, Can Isik, Mina Jung, Mehmet Kaya, Andrew Chung-Yeung Lee, Jay Kyoon Lee, Duane L. Marcy, Patrick McSweeney, WonKyung Park McSweeney, Chilukuri K. Mohan, Jae C. Oh, Susan Older, Vir Phoha, Qinru Qiu, James S. Royer, Tapan K. Sarkar, Q. Wang Song, Sucheta Soundarajan, Jian Tang, Yuzhe (Richard) Tang, William C. Tetley, Pramod K. Varshney, Senem Velipasalar, Li Wang, Yanzhi Wang, Edmund Yu, Reza Zafarani

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (BSCE) program at Syracuse was originally established in 1969 through the former Department of Electrical Engineering and was the second such program of its kind in the nation. This program has been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) since 1973. Currently the BSCE program is housed in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) which is a department in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (E&CS).

Computer Engineering (CE) at Syracuse University has two primary foci: Computer Hardware Design: including an understanding of design methodologies for electronic circuits, digital systems, computer architecture and integrated circuits, and Computer Software Design: including an understanding of design methodologies for algorithms and data structures, operating systems, and a wide variety of software applications across various computer languages. In addition to design methodologies, test and verification principles are studied, as well as performance estimation and the underlying computation theory. There is an excellent opportunity in laboratories to put the theory and design methods into practice by using digital components, design simulators, and microcontrollers.

Part of the department’s mission is to enable CE graduates to use computer engineering and other knowledge to solve relevant societal problems as described by the BSCE Educational Objectives. This is accomplished by a rigorous curriculum that prepares students to achieve the BSCE Educational Outcomes prior to graduation and the BSCE Educational Objectives after graduation.

Educational Objectives for the BSCE Program

The educational objective of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (BSCE) program in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at Syracuse University is to prepare well-rounded graduates that are ready for work and ready for change.

Well-rounded graduates of the BSCE program are known by their professional competence, innovative thinking, willingness to further enhance their education, ability to work individually and in diverse teams, leadership abilities, communication skills, and integrity.
Graduates of the BSCE program who are ready for work are engaged in applying the knowledge acquired in Computer Engineering, combined with their problem solving abilities, to produce feasible solutions to problems, in a timely manner, which are deemed important in industry, government, or academia.
Graduates of the BSCE program who are ready for change exhibit the intellectual flexibility necessary to solve new problems in innovative ways by integrating multiple viewpoints from several disciplines in search of the best possible solutions or applying their knowledge to different professional disciplines.

This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org

Student Outcomes for the BSCE Program

In addition to successfully completing the requirements for the BSCE program which are described further on in this handbook, graduates from this program must also achieve the following educational outcomes prior to graduation:

(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering

(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data

(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability

(d) an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams

(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility

(g) an ability to communicate effectively

(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context

(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning

(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues

(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

(l) an ability to verify design correctness and evaluate performance of computing systems.

BSCE Requirements

Program Components

The BSCE program has four fundamental educational components: mathematics and sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities, and general education. A liberal number of courses have been set-aside as electives in order to allow students, with the guidance of their advisors, to customize their education according to their personal and career objectives. A summary of required and elective credits within each component is as follows:

Math and Science Education:

33 required, 0 elective; for a total of 33 credits;

Engineering Education:

49 required, 18 elective; for a total of 67 credits;

General Education:

9 required, 12 elective; for a total of 21 credits;

Social Science and Humanities Education:

3 required, 6 elective; for a total of 9 credits.

Total Credits 130

A Typical Program of Study Presented by Semester

First Year, Fall Semester

Total Credits: 17

First Year, Spring Semester

CSE 283 - Introduction to Object-Oriented Design
MAT 296 - Calculus II
PHI 251 - Logic
PHY 211 - General Physics I
PHY 221 - General Physics Laboratory I
Social Science/Humanities elective 3 credits

Total Credits: 17

Second Year, Fall Semester

Total Credits: 16

Second Year, Spring Semester

Total Credits: 18

Third Year, Fall Semester

CSE 381 - Computer Architecture
CSE 397 - FPGA and Microcontroller Design Laboratory
CSE 484 - Introduction to Computer and Network Security
ECS 392 - Ethical Aspects of Engineering and Computer Science
Non-Eng./Comp. Science Electives 3 credits **
Social Science/Humanities elective 3 credits

Total Credits: 18

Third Year, Spring Semester

CIS 321 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics *
CSE 398 - Embedded and Mobile Systems Laboratory
CSE 486 - Design of Operating Systems
Technical Electives 3 credits
Non-Eng./Comp. Science Elective 3 credits

Total Credits: 16

Fourth Year, Fall Semester

CSE 491 - Senior Design Project I
WRT 401 - Advanced Workshop in Technical Communications: Design Methodology
Technical electives 9 credits
Non-Eng./Comp. Science Electives 3 credits **

Total Credits: 15

Fourth Year, Spring Semester

CSE 492 - Senior Design Project II
WRT 402 - Advanced workshop in Technical Communication: Prototyping and Construction
Technical electives 6 credits
Non-Eng./Comp. Science Electives 3 credits **

Total Credits: 13

Total Credits: 130

Note:

*CIS 321 can be waived if a student takes both MAT 521 and MAT 525 .

**At least 6 of the 12 credits must be from the College of Arts & Sciences.

General Information

Note that you cannot take CIS 554 - Object Oriented Programming in C++ , to fulfill any requirement in the Computer Engineering undergraduate program. This is because a considerable amount of material covered in this course overlaps with the material covered in the core course CSE 283 - Introduction to Object-Oriented Design .

Note that CPS courses cannot be taken to fulfill any of the requirements for the Computer Engineering undergraduate program. These courses are designed for non-majors in Computer Engineering or in Computer Science.

Elective Courses

Technical Electives

Students fulfill 18 credits of technical electives. Out of the 18 credits, at least 6 of them must be selected from the Group A courses, which are yearly determined by the Computer Engineering Program Committee. The list of Group A courses will be given to the student during one-on-one advising.

Remaining Technical Electives

The remaining technical electives can be selected from any CSE, CIS, or ELE courses, 300-level or above, including courses offered under special topics.

Some examples are listed below:

Pursuing a Minor or Second Major Outside EECS

Objective: To allow students to have a more broad education by being able to take more courses outside of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS).

Requirements to complete this track:

Student must be awarded a minor or a second major in a discipline outside of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), excluding a minor in Mathematics;
Student may substitute up to six credit hours of technical elective courses to fulfill this minor or second major, while still meeting the requirement that at least 6 credits are selected from the Group A courses.

Social Sciences and Humanities Electives

This 6-credit requirement may be fulfilled by any combination of courses whose contents are in the social science and humanities area. A glossary of course designations with such contents can be found in the Humanities Division and the Social Sciences Division of the College of Arts and Sciences with the exception of the following Anthropology - Physical courses: ANT 131 , 331, ANT 431 , 432, and ANT 433 . These glossaries are given in The College of Arts and Sciences section of the Undergraduate Catalog.

Non-Engineering/Computer Science Electives

The purpose of this 12-credit requirement of non-engineering/computer science elective courses is to provide students with a broad educational experience in a diversity of subjects. Out of the 12 credits, at least 6 credits have to be from the College or Arts and Sciences or contain the nature of Arts and Sciences. Moreover, technical courses offered by (or cross-listed with) the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), courses with pass/fail grades, CPS courses, and 100-level courses in CHE, MAT, and PHY cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. IST courses will require permissions from academic advisors.

Minors

The Computer Engineering curriculum is flexible enough to allow a student to complete minors without taking additional credits or by taking only a few extra courses. Today’s computer engineers work in an environment where they are expected to know not only computer hardware and software, but also material from a collection of other subject areas-from device technology or computer science to management and how computers affect the world. The computer engineering curriculum responds to this need by providing students with a strong basis in the fundamentals of computer engineering coupled with additional courses drawn from mathematics, electrical engineering and computer science. With the core courses in MAT and ELE, BSCE students normally are no more than 9 credits away from completing a minor in Electrical Engineering (ELE) or Mathematics (MAT).