Computer Engineering @ USNA
Computer Engineering at USNA is a new major. The major is filled with fascinating courses, motivated students, and a fervent faculty. The material on this page introduces the Computer Engineering program in general and explains the program here at USNA.
What is Computer Engineering?
Computer Engineering is a discipline that combines fundamentals from both electrical engineering and computer science. Computer engineers understand different aspects of a computer, ranging from low-level physics to high-level computer software. Computer engineers design, implement, analyze and evaluate computer systems and devices. We are in the midst of the digital age, and as a computer engineering student, you will learn how the discovery of the transistor sparked an unprecedented growth in digital processors, creating an extraordinary need for computer engineers. Digital processors are everywhere, including PCs, laptops, cell phones, PDAs, iPods, Playstations, Tivos, the backbone of the internet, etc. Below, you'll find a non-exhaustive list of the computer engineering sub-disciplines found at the Naval Academy.
Algorithms and Coding
Computer engineering majors learn to develop methods of writing efficient software code in high level programming languages such as C, C++, Java, etc. The 'under-the-hood' understanding of a computer that comes with being a computer engineer is very useful for writing efficient programs.
Computer Architecture Organization and Parallel Processing
Computer architecture organization encompasses a broad spectrum of design techniques that address different aspects of performance, power consumption, reliability and efficiency. Specific topics include processor fundamentals, super-pipeline architecture, systolic and parallel designs.
This discipline concerns creating integrated environments for computers and other communication devices to access information efficiently. The focus is on developing hardware and software components that link devices together, wired or wirelessly, to form a network.
Digital Logic Design
Digital logic circuits evaluate the truthfulness of electronic signals using Boolean algebra expressions (those with terms like AND, OR, and NOT). Logic circuits are used in most electronic systems including computers, cell phones, game consoles, etc.
Imagine yourself understanding how a Sony PlayStation or a Nintendo Wii works. Embedded systems are special-purpose computers that are designed to perform a few dedicated functions usually as part of a larger system. Other interesting projects include embedded systems for computer vision, image processing and robotics.
Integrated Circuits and VLSI Design
Computer engineers working in this area focus on enhancing speed, chip area, reliability and energy efficiency. Very-large-scale-integration (VLSI) circuits are created by combining millions of transistors into a single chip that is designed to perform special tasks.
An operating system is the software responsible for managing activities and hardware resources of a machine. Most computer systems including handheld devices, PCs, supercomputers, and video game consoles use an operating system. Thanks to their understanding of both hardware and software, computer engineers make great operating system designers.
Computer Engineering Major
Computer engineering is a discipline that combines fundamentals from both electrical engineering and computer science. Computer engineers must understand the many different aspects of a computer, ranging from the physics of its low-level components to the computer software that controls its high-level operations.
Computer Engineering majors are required to take courses in electrical engineering fundamentals including AC and DC circuit analysis, digital logic systems, electronics and electromechanics, signals and systems, data structures, communications, computer architecture and the design of microprocessor-based systems. Computer engineering students will have the opportunity to take electives in embedded systems, computer operating systems, mobile OS development, database systems, microcomputer interfacing, superscalar processor design, VLSI design, computer networking, computer and network security, digital signal processing, computer graphics, biometric signal processing and computer vision.
The capstone senior design laboratory sequence integrates the many skills acquired in preparatory courses so that students can design, implement, test, and demonstrate a significant project. Two midshipmen per year are awarded the Hamming Prize for innovative work in the computer engineering design laboratory course sequences.
The computer engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. A dedicated, high-energy faculty and a suite of leading-edge facilities enables the department to support a curriculum that emphasizes learning through workbench exercises and design (learning by doing). Not only are graduates prepared for many jobs found in the Fleet, but they also have an excellent fundamental background and foundation for continued specialized study at the Naval Postgraduate School or any other post-graduate institutions.
- Slight differences exist in the Matrix from one Graduating class to another. Students should use MIDS to see the official CE/EE Matrices.
- Always consult with your advisor to ensure you are meeting course requirements.
|3/C Fall||3/C Spring||2/C Fall||2/C Spring||1/C Fall||1/C Spring|
|NE203 (3-0-3) Navigation and Piloting||NN210 (1-2-2) Basic Navigation||NN310 (0-2-1) Advanced Navigation||NL310 (3-0-3) Leadership: Theory and Applications||NL400 (2-0-2) Law for the Junior Officer||NS43X (0-2-1) Practicum|
|SP211 (3-2-4) General Physics I||SP212 (3-2-4) General Physics II||HH2XY (3-0-3) Western Civilization I or equivalent||HUM/SS I (3-0-3) HUM/SS Elective||HUM/SS II (3-0-3) HUM/SS Elective|
|SM221 (4-0-4) Calculus III||SM212 (4-0-4) Differential Equations||EE353 (3-0-3) Prob Stats & Lin Alg for ECE||SM342 (3-0-3) Discrete Structures||EM316 (3-0-3) Engineering Thermodynamics||HH216 (3-0-3) Western Civilization II|
|ES300 (3-0-3) Naval Weapons Systems||EM317 (3-0-3) Applied Fluid Mechanics|
|EE322 (3-2-4) Signals and Systems||CE MAJ I 3/4 CE major elective||ES360 (0-2-1) Control Systems Laboratory|
|EC262 (3-2-4) Digital Systems||SI204 (3-2-4) Introduction to Computer Science||SI221 (2-2-3) Data Structures||
EC356 (3-2-4) Computer Networks with Security Applications
|EE411 (2-2-3) EE/CE Design I||EC415 (0-4-2) CE Design II|
|EE221 (3-2-4) Introduction to Electrical Engineering I||EC244 (3-2-4) Electronics I||EC361 (3-2-4) Microcomputer-Based Digital Design||EC362 (3-2-4) Introduction to Computer Architecture||CE MAJ II 3/4 CE major elective||CE MAJ III 3/4 CE major elective|