Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering

General Information

Computer engineering remains one of the fastest growing engineering professions and will remain so for the foreseeable future.A computer engineering degree enables you to be at the forefront of future technologies. There are significant and diverse employment opportunities within the ICT, health, transport, well-being and entertainment sectors.

Our lives and our interactions with others have been transformed by developments in wireless communications, personal computing and information technology, enabled largely by advances in hardware and software engineering.The hardware includes the chips, circuit boards, sensors and peripherals, while the software provides the instructions used to control them.

Computer engineers, with their strong mix of both hardware and software skills combined with mathematical analysis, play key roles in the research, design, development, test and installation of the underlying systems.They frequently work in teams to tackle very complex and challenging problems. Important application areas include mobile phone systems, gaming, medical diagnostic and monitoring equipment, the internet, smart transport and energy management.

The Computer Engineering course at UL, developed in conjunction with employers, remains effective and relevant to ensure a strong demand for highly skilled graduates. Many graduates achieve high ranking positions including founding their own companies. Students of Computer Engineering share the same syllabus as those studying Electronic Engineering and Robotic Engineering at UL for the first two years. Hence, in the first two years, students have the option to transfer between these courses.

The Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Computer Engineering program is accredited by Engineers Ireland (EI) and is internationally recognized. Graduates may pursue higher degrees by research (M Eng, PhD, etc), or through taught postgraduate programmes (M Eng, MBA, etc).

For further details logon to www.ece.ul.ie

Course Structure

Year 1 covers foundation material in: Software, Electronics, Physics, and Engineering Maths. Students are also offered a choice of business or language modules in year 1.

Year 2, 3 and 4 cover material in the following topic areas:

• Software - programming languages, software engineering, real-time software design, graphics, operating systems, language processors.
• Digital and Analogue Electronics - active circuit design, digital design, computer architectures, control.
• Data and Telecommunications - networks, communications, protocols.
• Signal Processing - circuit analysis, DSP, code theory.
• Engineering Maths - transforms, linear algebra, statistics.

In the final year (year 4) students take a number of specialist elective modules to gain more advanced knowledge in their chosen topic areas and undertake a major individual project involving a design and implementation task, putting into practice the skills and techniques acquired throughout the course.

Industrial work experience is a positive and motivating thirty-week period of cooperative education and is an integral part of the programme. It provides students with experience of the practice and application of Computer Engineering in a suitable working environment. During this period, at the end of year 2, students are paid by their employer.

For further details, go to ECE - Computer Engineering

Entry Requirements

Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with at least Grade C3 in two Higher Level subjects and Grade D3 in four Ordinary or Higher Level subjects (including Mathematics; Irish or another language; and English).

In addition, applicants are required to hold at least the following in the Leaving Certificate, or an approved equivalent: Grade C3 in Higher level Mathematics and a grade D3 in a Higher or Ordinary Level paper in any one of the following: Physics, Chemistry, Physics with Chemistry, Engineering,Technical Drawing, Technology, Biology or Agricultural Science.

Students can also enter this programme of study via the Engineering Choice degree LM116. A Special Mathematics Examination will be offered at UL following the Leaving Certificate results for those students who did not achieve the Mathematics requirement.

Career Prospects

Graduates of Computer Engineering build successful careers in a wide range of application areas, including research, design and development of:

• Mobile and Wireless Systems
• Game Systems
• Telecommunication Systems
• Computer Systems and Networks
• Security and Forensics
• Sensors and Sensor Networks
• Hardware and Software Engineering
• Biomedical Electronics
• Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Engineers often move quickly into senior management and consultancy positions, using their analytical approach to project management and problem solving. There are also world wide opportunities for advanced study and research.