Programs
Computer Engineering
Computer Engineering Mission Statement
Computer Engineering focuses on the design, analysis and application of computers and on their applications as components of systems. The UCSC Department of Computer Engineering sustains and strengthens its teaching and research program to provide students with inspiration and quality education in the theory and practice of computer engineering.
Program Objective
The UCSC Computer Engineering program prepares graduates for a rewarding career in engineering. UCSC Computer Engineering graduates will have a thorough grounding in the principles and practices of Computer Engineering and the scientific and mathematical principles upon which they are built; they will be prepared for further education (both formal and informal) and for productive employment in industry.
Program Description
The Department of Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), offers B.S., B.S./M.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs. The areas of research include VLSI design and packaging; CAD; high-speed network design; network protocol design; field programmable gate arrays; parallel computation; image processing; storage, retrieval, and transmission; computer architecture; and interconnection modeling and design.
The computer engineering faculty members enjoy a close relationship with the applied mathematics and statistics, computer science, electrical engineering, and computational biology faculty members. Faculty members carry out joint research projects, supervise students, and teach courses outside their own departments. The department has many ties to nearby industry, employing computer professionals as visiting faculty members and arranging for students to gain practical research experience through work in industrial labs.
Graduate students start the program with core courses in computer architecture and algorithms and then proceed to thoroughly study their area of specialization. The M.S. degree can be completed in one to two years. A Ph.D. degree is usually completed in five to six years. After completing the course requirements, students must pass an oral qualifying exam and write a dissertation. Part-time study is available for students desiring to continue working in industry during their studies.
The computer engineering program, leading to a B.S. degree in computer engineering, has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) since 1988. The program’s emphasis on problem solving provides both excellent training for future engineers and a strong background for graduate study.
Because the field is so broad, four specialized tracks for completing the undergraduate program have been identified: systems programming, computer systems, networks, and digital hardware. Descriptions of these tracks follow in the section on major requirements.
Many computer engineering students continue their education through the M.S. degree. The Department of Computer Engineering offers an accelerated combined B.S./M.S. degree in computer engineering that enables eligible undergraduates to move without interruption to the graduate program. Interested computer engineering majors should contact their adviser for more details.
Every major and minor must have a computer engineering faculty adviser, assigned by the SOE Undergraduate Advising Office, and with that adviser must formulate a program of proposed course work that meets the major or minor requirements.