Today you are unlikely to come across any modern device without at least one microprocessor inside, giving birth to a new generation of smart devices that will shape the way we live in the future. The rapid pace of technological change and the diversity of modern applications require a broad educational background and a lifelong commitment to learning new and specialised skills. This programme combines the core elements of Electronic Engineering with those of Computer Science, the intellectual discipline underlying all aspects of software development. Teaching is divided almost equally between the Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics and the Department of Computer Science. Combining elements from these two disciplines will equip you with both an added breadth of knowledge, in addition to a degree of specialisation which enables greater penetration of these branches of learning. One other reason why our graduates are in demand is their fluency both in the language of electronic engineers as well as that of the computer scientists, enabling you to bridge the gap between software systems and the real world. During the first year of the programme, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of Electronics as well as the underlying principles and theory of computing. Your lecture modules will cover the core subjects of Electronic Circuits, Digital Electronics, Java Programming and Data Structures. In addition you will take modules such as Mathematics and spend one day a week doing practical work in both the computer and electronics laboratories. This will give you excellent practical and transferable skills vital for subsequent years of the programme and invaluable in your future career. The second year builds on the first with core modules in Software Engineering, Database Development, Digital Electronics and Signals and Communication Systems. More time is spent in the electronics laboratory doing practical work to consolidate the knowledge learnt in lectures and partaking in an extended team project. In your third year you will have the option of selecting advanced modules from either Department according to your chosen area of specialisation. Electronics options include Verilog Digital System Design, Digital Control, Data Communications and Optical Information Systems. Typical Computer Science options are Biocomputation, Image Processing, Computer Vision and Graphics, Advanced Web Technologies and e-Commerce Technologies. Also in the final year, you will undertake a 20-week individual project. Recent projects have included ‘real-time GPS tracking of a vehicle fleet by mobile phones’, and a ‘mobile multi-user dungeon (MUD) game using SMS messaging’.

Typical careers include: Avionic System Design Engineer Commercialisation Manager Design Engineer Graduate Engineer Graduate Systems Engineer Medical Physicist Postdoctoral Research Scientist Radio Frequency Scientist Research Studentship Sales Engineer School Teacher Verification Engineer. Some of our graduates go on to work in the industrial sector, in government and in education, whilst others enter non-technical professions such as banking, accountancy, management and law.