2011-2013 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog (with addenda) [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Computer Engineering
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Program Directors:
Ramesh Karri and Haldun Hadimioglu (undergraduate)
Ramesh Karri (graduate)
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering offer a Computer Engineering Program for the degree of Bachelor of Science . The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering also offers a Computer Engineering Program for the Master of Science degree .
Computer Engineering Profession
As digital computer use pervades daily life, computer engineers have designed computers and devised applications to improve the efficiency and quality of nearly all activities in business, industry, government, education and entertainment. Computer engineering draws heavily on electrical engineering topics, including electronic circuit design and analysis of physical communication and control systems, and on computer science topics, including logic design, system architecture, computer software and algorithms.
Computer engineers are in the midst of exciting times with unlimited, rapidly expanding opportunities. Engineers interact with and design supercomputers and the ubiquitous personal and portable computers. Computer engineers also play a key role in networking computers with other computers and intelligent devices. Computer engineers undertake a range of projects—from designing specialized computer hardware and reconstructing the human genome, to monitoring and controlling industrial plants and the environment, to computer graphics, robotics and the design of biomedical devices and computer networks. In addition, computer engineers design and develop hardware and embedded software-hardware systems. Importantly, computer engineers collaborate on projects that advance biology, medicine and nanoscience.
The Computer Engineering Program provides an outstanding, cutting-edge education in computer systems with emphasis on hardware and software. Toward that goal, the Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments incorporate the latest market and technology trends and combine the traditional disciplines of electronics, communications, control and computer programming with newer courses that include Cyber Security, Nanoscale Circuit Design, Parallel Computers, Image Processing, Biomedical Instrumentation, Web Search Engines, Wireless Networks, Peer-to-Peer Networks, SoC (System-on-a-Chip), VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) and Game Development.
NYU-Poly has developed a strong design faculty through sponsored research programs, many of which are coordinated in NYUPoly’s Center for Advanced Technology in Telecommunications (CATT), Information Systems and Internet Security (ISIS) Lab and Wireless Internet Center for Advanced Technology (WICAT).
Additional information about computer engineering careers can be found here.
Undergraduate Program
The Computer Engineering, B.S. gives a broad-based background in computer engineering to prepare students for immediate employment as entrepreneurs or in industry and government or for graduate study.
Goals and Objectives
The undergraduate program achieves the following objectives for students:
- Graduates are expected to be engaged and advancing in their professional careers in a profession that utilizes their NYU-Poly degree, in Computer Engineering or other career path, that include industry, academia and governmental or nongovernmental organizations.
- Graduates are expected to be seeking continuous professional development and life-long learning through graduate school studies, continuing education credits and/or professional registration.
The BS program includes analysis and design courses in major computer engineering areas that build on fundamental courses in mathematics and science. Many courses include hands-on laboratory components. A variety of electives provide depth and specialization, many in commercially viable areas such as high-speed networks, databases, embedded control systems, VLSI, image processing , computer and network security and Web search.
Since most current engineering design is computer facilitated, the department includes computer-aided design (CAD) programs in many undergraduate courses to emphasize possibilities for large-scale design, corrections for unmodeled complexities, trade-offs among performance criteria and real-time simulations. The senior design project challenges each student to integrate analytical and design concepts from earlier courses to design a device or system to meet specified performance requirements.
The program recognizes that communication and interpersonal skills are essential to a successful career. Students are required to take writing-intensive courses and electives in the humanities and social sciences. They also develop those skills in design-course team projects. The Computer Engineering Program stays current with market changes through the CATT Industrial Affiliates Program, hiring professors and parttime adjunct teachers with industrial experience, frequent contacts with alumni, review of professional journals and by encouraging faculty to work in industry part-time or while on sabbatical. Where possible, classroom work challenges students to apply knowledge to current design situations. The curriculum, reflecting industry’s need for the engineering-systems approach, employs senior projects in control and robotics, advanced hardware design, imaging and embedded controllers. Economic aspects of engineering are addressed by allowing undergraduates to choose electives such as economics/finance, psychology and ethics. Cost evaluation is required in design projects for EG 1003 Introduction to Engineering and Design . Senior projects emphasize time management and planning. EG 1001 Engineering and Technology Forum examines the impact of technology on society. EE 1012 /CS 1012 Introduction to Computer Engineering introduces students to the field of computer engineering. Exceptional undergraduate students may do advanced study in two programs:
Up-to-date information about program requirements, course offerings, senior project topics and research projects is available here from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering here.
Undergraduate Degree Requirements
The BS program in computer engineering gives students broad preparation for a career in computer engineering in any of its specialization and readies them for immediate employment in industry, business and government, or for further graduate education. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
The table at the end of this section outlining the Typical Course of Study for a BS shows a sample semester-by-semester program for students entering as freshmen in fall 2009 or later. The notes accompanying the table are an essential part of the table. Students are responsible for making themselves aware of changes made in this program after this catalog is published. Those changes are posted outside the department’s advising offices and on the department’s Web page. (Students who started their studies before fall 2009 should consult the department’s advisers and Web pages for program and course requirements applicable to them.)
Senior Design Project
The two-semester Senior Design Project allows students to focus on an application of computer engineering. In the first semester, students concentrate on hardware and/or software. They develop skills using specialized laboratory equipment and computer-design packages and are introduced to techniques for planning projects and making effective presentations. They also learn to balance design requirements such as performance, safety, reliability and cost effectiveness.
In the second and final semester, students design, build or simulate and test a device or system to meet prescribed engineering specifications. Informal and formal written and public oral presentations help prepare students for professional careers. Design-project students frequently work in groups or pairs to develop interaction skills essential to good engineering.
Graduation Requirements
The Institute requires a 2.0 GPA in all courses and specifies other general requirements in the section “Undergraduate Degree Requirements and Academic Policies,” which describes the core curriculum for all engineering majors, including placement procedures in writing, mathematics and programming; course credits by transfer and advanced placement; and credit by examination.
To graduate, students must (1) have a C-grade or better in CS 1114 , CS 1124 , CS 2134 and CS 2204 and in EE 2013 and EE 2024 and (2) have a technical GPA of 2.0 based on all courses prefixed EE, CS or EL. Seniors may elect graduate courses labeled EL 5XX3, but not CS 5XX3. To enroll in other graduate courses, student must meet required department GPA standards and adviser approval.
Students are expected to meet degree requirements in effect at the time when they first enrolled in a NYU-Poly program. Those requirements apply as long as a student remains in good standing and less than eight years have elapsed since entering the program. The period for unchanged requirements is proportionately less for a transfer student.
Good Standing, Probation and Disqualification
Students who fail to meet Institute GPA requirements or other conditions of adequate progress toward completing a degree are put on probation. (See the Undergraduate Academic Requirements and Policies ” section in this catalog for more details.) Students on final probation may not register for courses in one semester until grades are available from their previous semester’s courses, and they are limited to a reduced number of credits per semester. Students who improve academic performance are removed from probation and returned to good standing. Continued poor academic performance can lead to final probation and, eventually, disqualification from the Institute. To remain in good standing in the undergraduate Computer Engineering Program, students must:
- Maintain, term-by-term and cumulatively, a technical GPA (based on EE/EL and CS Earn a C- or better in CS 1114 , CS 1124 and CS 2204 and in EE 2013 and EE 2024 ; and
- Fulfill all course pre- and co-requisites.
Students who face difficulties, whether educational or personal, should consult their instructor or a departmental adviser at the earliest possible time. Students who do not meet program conditions are placed on departmental probation.
Probation conditions may require students to:
- Repeat courses, including courses in which they received transfer credits and courses in which they received a C grade or less at NYU-Poly;
- Specify their credit load and permissible withdrawals; and
- Take other remedial programs.
Students who fail to meet departmental probation requirements, fail three times to earn the required grade in any one course or do not conform to the University Code of Conduct are subject to disqualification from working toward a bachelor’s in computer engineering or taking further computer engineering courses. Actions taken depend on individual cases. Disqualified students may appeal in writing. Students also may apply for readmission after two terms (fall, spring or summer) have passed if they can demonstrate an improved chance of success.
Dual Undergraduate Majors
With departmental permission, students may earn a single bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering. This degree requires a total 142 credits rather than the usual 128 required for individual bachelor’s degrees.
Senior Thesis
Undergraduate computer engineering students wishing to do a Senior Thesis (BS thesis) instead of Design Project (DP) must:
- Complete 6 total credits of Senior Thesis (EE 397 );
- Complete EE 4001 , “ECE Professional Development and Presentation”;
- Make a presentation to their thesis adviser, with attendance open to other students and faculty; and
- Bind their thesis according to university guidelines for MS and PhD theses.
Note: Such students need not register for Design Project I or Design Project II.
Before registering for Senior Thesis, the student must find a faculty member to serve as thesis adviser. In addition, students must have a 3.0 GPA in order to register for Senior Thesis instead of Design Project.
Additional notes:
- The Senior Thesis must be design oriented.
- The 6 credits of DP-1 and DP-2 are replaced by 6 credits of Senior Thesis (EE 397 ).
- Students are advised not to take all 6 credits of Senior Thesis during a single semester.
Senior Honor Students
Each spring, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering selects senior honors students with high GPAs who will complete their degree requirements in the following academic year. Such students are listed as honor students in that year’s commencement program and are given special permission to substitute courses in their senior year. Most often these students substitute more advanced graduate courses in place of usual requirements in the same study area. Transfer students are eligible for this designation after they complete half of the credits needed to satisfy NYU-Poly degree requirements (e.g., 64 of 128 total credits).
Transfer Students
Transfer credits for courses taken at other schools are based on evaluation of content and level. Students completing the same program at another school, but in different years, may receive different amounts of transfer credits. Students should consult with a computer engineering undergraduate adviser for current information.
Transfer students must arrive and present their records for evaluation at least one week before the regular registration period of their first semester at NYU-Poly. Transfer credits are awarded only for courses completed with C grades or better. Qualified students from two-year pre-engineering programs, such as those at liberal arts and community colleges, may fulfill the requirements for the BS in computer engineering in two additional years. Since pre-engineering programs vary, a prescribed program is not possible; consequently, students should consult with an NYU-Poly undergraduate adviser at the beginning of their pre-engineering program.
Guidance for Undergraduate Students
Instructors help students in their courses during hours posted on their doors or by appointment. Students taking project or thesis courses work closely with faculty project advisers. Computer engineering advisers in the undergraduate ECE office are available to advice on courses and program adjustments resulting from academic needs or personal problems. The Office of Special Services sponsors a peer-tutoring program. The Polytechnic Tutoring Center provides drop-in tutoring. Personalized career counseling is available at the Career Management Center. The EG 1001 Engineering and Technology Forum and EE 1012 /CS 1012 Introduction to Computer Engineering introduce students to NYU-Poly and its curricula. Fellow students are an excellent source of advice on adjusting to the Institute environment and the demands of an engineering program. In addition to meeting students in class, students are urged to meet others who can offer experienced advice by joining clubs such as the student branches of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) professional societies or other technical, sport, religious and ethnic clubs.
Students are encouraged to meet with other students to form study groups. In doing so, they benefit both from explanations provided by others and by the deeper understanding they get when they explain a concept or technique to someone else.
Undergraduate Advising
Undergraduate advising information is available on the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s website. Students should consult that page for further details on honors, probation, approved electives, projects, elective concentrations, course offerings, senior project topics and other interests. Curriculum and prerequisite changes, new courses, special sections and other last-minute announcements are also posted on the bulletin boards outside the Office of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Information
All students are responsible for keeping informed about current procedures and regulations. Descriptions of undergraduate electrical engineering and computer science courses used in the Computer Engineering Program are in the program sections of this catalog.
Graduate Program
The Computer Engineering, M.S. educates professionals in computer engineering by offering graduate courses that meet the current and projected needs of industry and government in the metropolitan New York area and beyond. The program promotes computer engineering through basic and applied research by faculty and students in collaboration with industry and government agencies.
NYU-Poly’s MS program in computer engineering targets two important needs:
- The program leads to a terminal degree for students intending to round out their education and seek employment.
- The program provides the tools and background to carry out self-directed research for students planning a PhD. Outstanding students should apply for financial aid, including research fellowships, teaching fellowships or partial tuition remission. Students who wish to continue graduate study toward a PhD in computer engineering may do so in the PhD in the Electrical Engineering Program.
The electrical engineering and computer science faculty’s research and teaching interests include computer networks, VLSI design and CAD, verification and testing of VLSI systems, embedded systems design and computer architecture. The MS in Computer Engineering focuses on the principles and concepts underlying the design and integration of computer hardware and software into components and systems.
Modern society’s need for sophisticated and efficient electronically controlled systems and devices is increasing exponentially. Advanced studies in computer engineering provide a needed bridge between the Institute and industry. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering develops and administers an exceptional academic and research program in computer engineering with strong focus on telecommunications, computer networks and microelectronics.
Goals and Objectives
The MS program in computer engineering prepares graduates to practice computer engineering at an advanced level. The program’s specific goals and objectives provide students with:
- Opportunities to specialize in primary subdisciplines of computer engineering (VLSI, High-Speed networking, etc.), or to achieve breadth across a number of the sub-disciplines;
- Analysis and design knowledge necessary to design general-purpose as well as specialized application-specific computer hardware;
- Knowledge and skills to design embedded software-hardware systems;
- Exposure to state-of-the-art computer engineering techniques and technologies such as new computer architectures and design styles; and
- A basis for continued lifelong learning in the profession.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the MS program requires a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering or computer science from an accredited institution. Students not meeting these requirements are considered individually for admission and may be admitted after completion of courses to remove preparation deficiencies, including courses in logic circuit design, state analysis and synthesis techniques, computer architecture, data structures and algorithms and C or C++ programming. ProgramsNon-DegreeBachelor of ScienceMaster of Science
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