2007-2008 Undergraduate Catalog - Kettering University

Electrical & Computer Engineering / 71
ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Mark A. Wicks, Ph.D., P.E., Department Head
Room 2-703E AB, 810-762-7900
mwicks@kettering.edu
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is to serve society by preparing undergraduate
and graduate students for professional practice as electrical or computer engineers, by providing continuing education
opportunities for practicing engineers, and by conducting research in electrical and computer engineering.
The two undergraduate degree programs in Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Engineering (CE) prepare students for a wide range
of professional careers focusing on the application of modern electrical, electronics, and computer technology to the design of equipment
and systems for processing information, controlling electromechanical systems, and generation of electric power. The Electrical Engineering
and Computer Engineering programs are designed to provide students with an educational background in the basic principles that are the
foundation of modern electrical and computer engineering and to acquaint students with contemporary modeling and analysis tools.
Students graduating from these programs pursue graduate degrees in many fields of engineering. The department offers a concentration in
electrical and computer engineering as part of the University's Master of Science in Engineering program. A popular advanced degree path
is the Masters in Business Administration; however, each year graduates of the EE and CE programs enter medical school or law school.
COMPUTER ENGINEERING OVERVIEW
Computer engineering is a branch of engineering concerned with the design, development, and application of computer systems. The
Computer Engineering (CE) program at Kettering University focuses on embedded-computer systems, in which a computer chip, module, or
circuit board is built into a larger product or system. Examples of products containing embedded computers include MP3 players, satellite
radios, GPS navigation systems, game accelerator boards, cell phones, and anti-lock brakes. Embedded systems span a wide range of
industry sectors including consumer electronics, internet technology, computer hardware, automotive systems, and automated manufacturing.
Computer engineers today can find employment in all these industries, and many more.
PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
The Computer Engineering program aims to provide each of its graduates a solid educational foundation on which he/she can build a
successful and sustainable career in computer engineering or a related field. In particular, all graduates of the Computer Engineering
program will have:
• the analysis, design, and documentation skills to qualify them for immediate employment in technical areas
including
a) hardware and/or software design of real-time embedded computer systems,
b) design of complex digital systems, especially computers, and
c) applications of real-time embedded-computer or other complex digital systems (in, for example,
manufacturing, monitoring, control, or communications).
• the teamwork, communications, and interpersonal skills to enable them to be productive members of
interdisciplinary engineering teams.
• the skills, confidence, professionalism, and experience to enable them to assume positions of technical and/or
managerial leadership as their careers develop.
• a solid foundation in basic mathematics, science, and electrical and computer engineering that will enable them to
continue their professional development and sustain a life-long career in computer engineering, either
through graduate study or continuing self-directed learning and development activities.
The Computer Engineering program is designed to meet its objectives through the choice of courses, topics, and activities provided to the
students.
A strong sequence of mathematics, physics, and chemistry courses provides the general engineering background that is common to all
engineering degree programs at Kettering University. Design is introduced in the freshman year in IME-100, and then emphasized throughout
the CE courses. Engineering science courses, such as EE-210 (Circuits I) and MECH-210 (Mechanics I), provide a broad background
essential to licensing as a professional engineer.