new for 2007

Interdisciplinary Programs

The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science offers Bachelor of Science degree programs in Computer Engineering and Telecommunications Engineering. These programs are delivered by faculty from the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and are led by Program Heads, Drs. William Pervin for the Computer Engineering Program and Andrea Fumagalli for the Telecommunication Engineering Program.

Computer Engineering (B.S.)

Faculty

Professors: Poras T. Balsara, Cyrus D. Cantrell III, Ramaswamy Chandrasekaran, Kamaran Kiasleh, Vojin Oklobdzija, William J. Pervin, Carl Sechen, Hsing-Mean (Edwin) Sha, Kang Zhang, Si-Qing Zheng, Dian Zhou
Associate Professors: Dinesh K. Bhatia, Jorge A. Cobb, Galigekere R. Dattatreya, Mehrdad Nourani, Ivor P. Page, Ravi Prakash, S. Venkatesan, Yuke Wang
Assistant Professors: Roozbeh Jafari, Issa Panahi, Rama Sangireddy
Senior Lecturers: Nathan Dodge, David Russo

The Computer Engineering program is interdisciplinary. It was designed by the combined faculties of the Computer Science Department and the Electrical Engineering Department. Computer Engineering requires a blend of knowledge from the areas of hardware (Electrical Engineering) and software (Computer Science). The focus of the Computer Engineering degree if to provide excellent education in modern computer systems and prepare its graduates for outstanding careers in the rapidly changing and growing profession and for further continuing education.

The Computer Engineering program is based on a solid foundation of science and mathematics coursework. Students in this program are given an opportunity to learn to extend their abilities to analyze and solve complex problems and to design new uses of technology to serve today's society. This program provides an integrated educational experience directed toward the development of the ability to apply pertinent knowledge to the identification and solution of practical problems in computer engineering.

The Computer Engineering curriculum ensures that the design experience, which includes both analytical and experimental studies, is integrated throughout in a sequential development leading to advanced work. Design problems are frequently assigned in both lecture and laboratory courses. Each student is required to complete a major design project during the senior year. In addition, established cooperative education programs with area industries may further supplement a student's design experiences.

Mission of the Computer Engineering (CE) Program

The mission of the Computer Engineering Program is to provide education in the theory and practice of modern computer engineering. We will prepare our graduates to have rewarding and successful careers in a diverse range of computer engineering fields, including materials, devices, circuits, digital systems, signal/speech processing, and communications.

CE Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

The focus of the Computer Engineering degree at UT Dallas is to provide excellent education in both computer science and electrical engineering. Our graduates shall be uniquely qualified to apply traditional engineering design and problem solving skills to modern computer systems comprising both hardware and software components.

Additional PEOs:

• Preparation for a successful, long-lived engineering career
• Perform, review and assess sophisticated engineering design and manufacturing
• Further the necessities of innovation, funcitonality, safety, and economy in engineering
• Critical thinking, decision making and communicating
• Ability to contribute and to lead engineering teams.

High School Preparation

Engineering education requires a strong high school preparation. Pre-engineering students should have high school preparation of at least one-half year in trigonometry and at least one year each in elementary algebra, intermediate and advanced algebra, plane geometry, chemistry, and physics, thus developing their competencies to the highest possible levels and preparing them to move immediately into demanding college courses in calculus, calculus-based physics, and chemistry for science majors. Pre-Computer Engineering students should have some experience with elementary programming in a high level language such as C, C++, or Java. It is also essential that pre-engineering students have the competence to read rapidly and with comprehension, and to write clearly and correctly.

Lower Division Study

All lower-division students in Computer Engineering concentrate on mathematics, science, and introductory engineering courses, building competence in these cornerstone areas for future application in upper-division engineering courses. The following requirements apply both to students seeking to transfer to UT Dallas from other institutions as well as to those currently enrolled at UT Dallas, whether in another school or in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

ABET Requirements

All engineering degree plans must satisfy the requirements specified by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The course work must include at least:

1. One year (32 SCH) of an appropriate combination of mathematics and basic sciences;
2. One and one-half years (48 SCH) of engineering topics;
3. A general education component that complements the technical content.

Academic Progress in Computer Engineering

In order to make satisfactory academic progress as a Computer Engineering major, a student must meet all University requirements for academic progress, and must earn a grade of C- or better in each of the major core courses. No "Major Requirement" course (as listed under Section II of the BSCE degree requirement) may be taken until the student has obtained a grade of C- or better in each of the prerequisites (if a higher grade requirement is stated for a specific class, the higher requirement applies).

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
Degree Requirements (126 hours)

I. Core Curriculum Requirements1: 42 hours
    A. Communication (6 hours)
        3 hours Communication (RHET 1302)
        3 hours Professional and Technical Communication (ECS 3390) ²
    B. Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
        6 hours Government (GOVT 2301 and 2302)
        6 hours American History
        3 hours Social and Behavioral Science (ECS 3361 )
    C. Humanities and Fine Arts (6 hours)
        3 hours Fine Arts (ARTS 1301)
        3 hours Humanities (HUMA 1301)
    D. Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (6 hours)
        6 hours Calculus (MATH 2417 and 2419)³
    E. Science (9 hours)
        8 hours Physics (PHYS 2325, 2125, 2326 and 2126) or (PHYS 2421 and 2422)
        1 hour Science (CE/EE/TE 1102)

¹ Curriculum Requirements may be fulfilled by other courses from accredited institutions of higher education with the approval of an advisor. The courses listed in parentheses are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at U.T. Dallas.
² Six hours of Caclulus are counted under the Mathematics Core (D) above, and two hours of Calculus are counted as Major Preparatory courses.

II. Major Requirements: 75 hours (each must be passed with a grade of C- or better)
    Major Preparatory Courses (19 hours including 2 listed above in Core Curriculum)
        CE 1337 Computer Science I
        CE 2110 Digital Systems Laboratory
        CE 2300 Applied Linear Algebra
        CE 2310 Introduction to Digital Systems
        CE 2336 Computer Science II
        MATH 2420 Differential Equations with Applications
    Major Core Courses (56 hours beyond Core Curriculum)
        CE 3101 Electrical Network Analysis Laboratory
        CE 3102 Signals and Systems Laboratory
        CE 3110 Electronic Devices Laboratory
        CE 3111 Electronic Circuits Laboratory
        CE 3120 Digital Circuits Laboratory
        CE 3300 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
        CE 3301 Electrical Network Analysis
        CE 3302 Signals and Systems
        CE 3307 Discrete Mathematics
        CE 3310 Electronic Devices
        CE 3311 Electronic Circuits
        CE 3320 Digital Circuits
        CE 3341 Probability and Statistics
        CE 3346 Computer Algorithms and Data Structures
        CS 3354 Software Engineering
        CE 4304 Computer Architecture
        CE 4337 Organization of Programming Languages
        CS 4348 Operating Systems Concepts
        CE 4370 Embedded Microprocessor Systems
        CE 4388 Senior Design Project I
        CE 4389 Senior Design Project II
        CE 4390 Computer Networks

III. Elective Requirements: 9 hours
    Advanced Electives (6 hours)
        All students are required to take at least six hours of advanced electives outside their major
        field of study. These must be either upper-division classes or lower-division classes that
        have prerequisites.
    Free Electives (3 hours)
        Both lower- and upper-division courses may count as free electives but students must         complete at least 51 hours of upper-division credit to qualify for graduation. Not all courses         offered by the University can be used as a free elective. Please consult with your advisor.

Fast Track Baccalaureate/Master’s Degrees

In response to the need for advanced education in computer engineering, a Fast Track program is available to exceptionally well-qualified UT Dallas undergraduate students who meet the requirements for admission to the graduate school. The Fast Track program is designed to accelerate a student's education so that both a B.S.C.E. and an M.S.C.E. degree can be earned in five years of full-time study. This is accomplished by (1) taking courses (typically electives) during one or more summer semesters, and (2) beginning graduate course work during the senior year. Details of the requirements for admission to this program are available from the Associate Dean's Office.

Honors Program

The Computer Engineering Program offers upper-division Honors for outstanding students in both the B.S. Computer Engineering degree program. This program offers special sections of designated classes and other activities designed to enhance the educational experience of exceptional students. Admission to the Honors program requires a 3.50 or better GPA in at least 30 hours of coursework. Graduation with Honors requires a 3.50 or better GPA and completion of at least 6 honors classes. These honors classes must include either Senior Honors (CE 4399) or Undergraduate Research in Computer Engineering (CE 4V98) and a Senior Honors Thesis must be completed within one of those two classes. While the topics may be related, the Senior Thesis does not replace the need for the student to complete a regular Senior Design Project. The other 5 honors classes can come from a mixture of Graduate level (up to a count of 4) classes and special honors sections of regular undergraduate CE classes (up to a count of 2). Current undergraduate honors courses include but are not limited to: CE 2310(h), CE 4334, CE 4372, CE 4399 and CE 4V98. Course grades in the 6 honors classes used to determine Honors status must be B- or higher to qualify.

Departmental Honors with Distinction may be awarded to students whose Senior Honors Thesis is judged by a faculty committee to be of exemplary quality. Only students graduating with Departmental Honors are eligible. Thesis/projects must be submitted by the deadline that applies to M.S. Theses in the graduating semester to allow for proper evaluation. Students interested in Honors with Distinction are encouraged to start working on their thesis/project a year prior to graduation.

Minors

The School of Engineering and Computer Science does not offer a minor in Computer Engineering at this time.

The University of Texas at Dallas 2006-2008 Undergraduate Catalog
Volume 31, Number 1
Copyright © The University of Texas at Dallas

This catalog is a general information publication only. It is not intended to nor does it contain all regulations that relate to students. The provisions of this catalog do not constitute a contract, express or implied, between any applicant, student or faculty member and The University of Texas at Dallas or The University of Texas System. The University of Texas at Dallas reserves the right to withdraw courses at any time, to change fees or tuition, calendar, curriculum, degree requirements, graduation procedures, and any other requirements affecting students. Changes will become effective whenever the proper authorities so determine and will apply to both prospective students and those already enrolled.

Statement on Equal Educational Opportunity
The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. In accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, and veteran status. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is also prohibited pursuant to University policy.