UB Programs At-A-Glance

Computer Engineering

Department of Computer Science and Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
201 Bell Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-2000

Phone: 716.645.3180
Fax: 716.645.3464
Web: www.cse.buffalo.edu
Email: cse-uginfo@cse.buffalo.edu

Bharat Jayaraman
Chair

Chunming Qiao
Director of Undergraduate Studies

Helene Kershner
Assistant Chair

Jaynee Straw
Undergraduate Advisor

About the Program

Computer engineering, anchored in computer science, engineering design, physics and mathematics, is primarily concerned with the creation of information processing devices and systems. Computer engineers do research and development in all aspects of computing, including software and hardware at both the circuit and system levels, emphasizing the physical principles of computing hardware. Computer engineers are well trained to address critical interface issues between hardware and software essential to many current and future applications. Reliability and availability of systems, performance evaluation and optimization, networking and computer communication, integrated circuit power reduction, miniaturization, and VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) are all within the scope of computer engineering.

The department aims to provide students with strong conceptual foundations (theoretical and experimental), and also expose them to the forefront of the developments in the field of computing. Recognizing the applicability of computing to all fields of knowledge and practice, the department provides a variety of degrees and programs at each of the degree levels, and cooperates with other units of the university to provide interdisciplinary degree programs.

About Our Degrees

The Computer Science and Engineering Department offers instruction in all areas of computer science and computer engineering. The computer engineering curriculum emphasizes hardware, software, and system integration issues of computing. Topics include such diverse areas as analog and digital electronics, logic design, computer architecture, VLSI, computer networking, signal/image processing, algorithms and data structures, programming languages, software engineering, computer organization, artificial intelligence, and operating systems. The Computer Engineering program is accredited by ABET.

Application Deadlines: Rolling
Number of applicants (2004-2005): 160
Number of accepted majors (2004-2005): 137
Total number of majors currently enrolled: 156

Advising Information
Entering freshmen/transfers are offered a wide range of special advisement opportunities and academic help sessions by the Office of Undergraduate Education, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (410 Bonner Hall). Students in the program obtain academic guidance jointly from a senior academic advisor in Engineering and from the Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduate Advisor (251 Bell Hall).

All students are encouraged to seek academic advisement prior to registering for classes every semester to track academic progress. A semester before graduation, students are required to meet with their advisor to ensure their remaining coursework satisfies the general education, design, and other program requirements needed to graduate.

In order to satisfy the requirements for any of the accredited engineering degrees, students must demonstrate a proficiency in design through a major design.

Degree Requirements

See the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Courses

Generally, classes in the freshmen and sophomore years tend to be somewhat larger as these classes serve as the foundation for all engineering majors. Once a student enters their junior year, they take classes that are required for their particular major and class size decreases. When a student enrolls in their desired technical electives, class size usually decreases even more.

The School of Engineering’s block scheduling initiative assists first-semester freshmen by providing the same coordinated schedule of classes for approximately twenty students. So even though some classes may be larger, students will become familiar with other engineering students who are in their other classes. In addition, students who opt for our small group academic support sessions interact closely with peer tutors on a weekly basis through our student excellence initiative. In the small groups, students work with professional instructors in about a 10:1 ratio. The workshop style format combines interactive instruction and student problem solving practice on material from Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry courses. In the short run, the groups provide personal attention in helping students understand challenging course material. The ultimate goal is that students learn how university level problems differ from those in high school and how to approach such problems.

The typical class size:
Freshman/introductory courses:

  • calculus = 60 lec/30 rec
  • physics = 155 lec/30 lab
  • chemistry = 200 lec/24 lab>/li>
  • computer science = 85 lec./20 rec

Sophomore /intermediate courses: 45-75
Upper level/advanced courses: 20-75

Suggested Introductory Courses



In the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, what do teaching assistants (TA's) do?

They assist in teaching lower-level undergraduate courses, cover recitations, assist students, grade papers, teach 1-credit laboratory courses, support instructional laboratories, and hold office hours.

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

The CSE faculty averages more than $7 million annually in grants for research in their areas. The faculty members of the department, all of whom have national and international reputations in their fields, are involved in research projects that have been supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, National Institute of Health, Advanced Research Project Agency, the SUNY Research Foundation, and a variety of special contracts.

These projects include research in: theory of computation, artificial intelligence (including expert systems, knowledge representation, natural-language processing, computer vision, and cognitive science), image processing, numerical analysis, parallel processing, programming languages, databases, VLSI, reliable computing, machine learning, information retrieval, data mining, wireless networking, bioinformatics, biometrics, software engineering, and computer architecture.

Several of the faculty serve on the editorial boards of major research journals as well as the boards of major national professional societies. Members of the department have won university awards for excellence in teaching.

See a list of our undergraduate faculty.

Practical Experience and Special Academic Opportunities

Notable Program Features
As part of their undergraduate education, students are encouraged to participate in work experience classes and research opportunities.

Co-Ops

Work experience is available through the Engineering Career Institute program in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, as well as departmental co-op and internship classes. The Engineering Career Institute (EAS 396, 1 academic credit) provides career-effectiveness skills and co-op placement assistance during the junior year. This may be followed by one to three co-op work experiences (EAS 496, 2 academic credit hours). Co-ops may not be used to satisfy the requirements for the B.S. Descriptions of co-op courses may be found at undergrad-catalog.buffalo.edu/academicprograms/eas.shtml.

Internships

Internship opportunities include a field experience working on a computer science and engineering project in a real-world setting under the joint direction of a supervisor from industry and a faculty advisor from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Projects selected should integrate the material learned in academic courses. Upon completing the internship (CSE 496), the student is expected to have fulfilled an internship contract. Only P/F grades will be given; therefore, internships may not be used to satisfy the requirements for the B.S. program.


Independent Study

Students pursue an area of computer science and engineering in which they are particularly interested. (May not be used to satisfy the requirements for the BS)

As part of their undergraduate education, students are encouraged to participate in work experience classes and research opportunities.

Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research experiences are available for course credit (Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity or Independent Study) or as a paid assistant in the research laboratory of a faculty member. The Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (http://curca.buffalo.edu) serves as a clearing house for information regarding undergraduate research opportunities.

Extracurricular Activities


See the UB Student Association.

Complementary Programs and Courses

Career Information and Further Study


Graduates of this program are in high demand on the job market. The National Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks computer engineering as one of the fastest growing job categories in the United States.

Alumni of Computer Engineering have found employment in the following fields:

  • Consulting
  • Education
  • Manufacturing
  • Product design
  • Research and development
  • Technical sales and marketing


Salary Trends

Beginning salaries: $45,000-$65,000

What percentage of graduates goes on to graduate school?

10-20%

Formal System of Tracking Graduates

The department does not have an independent system for tracking graduates. Rather, it is accomplished through the Engineering Alumni Association.

What percentage of graduates goes on to find related employment?

Approximately 100%

Additional Resources

Engineering Career Institute

Links to Further Information About This Program

Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:06 EST