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University of Pittsburgh    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
 
  Dec 13, 2024
 
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Computer Engineering


For students who enrolled prior to Fall 2019, please refer to the Archived Catalogs , and select the academic year in which you began to view your program requirements.

 

The following areas of concentration are available for Computer Engineering students:

Autonomous Systems  

Communications Engineering  

Electric Power  

Integrated Circuits  

Nanotechnology  

Software Engineering  

Computer Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum


The overall objective of the computer engineering (CoE) program is to prepare individuals to be successful and lead lives of impact in whatever path they choose to pursue in the 21st century global economy. This includes those who move into practice within the computer engineering discipline either through employment in industry or government, entrepreneurship, those who move on to advanced computer study and research in graduate school, or those that move into other professions such as law, business, or management.

Building upon the Swanson School of Engineering freshmen program, a common and comprehensive year of study is delivered to sophomore computer engineering (CoE) and electrical engineering (EE) students. The sophomore year features four tracks, including two-course sequences in analog hardware, digital hardware, software, and applied math. These eight courses prepare students to continue as juniors in their specific program (CoE or EE) with foundational strength. Students can start taking professional skills and continue to take humanities and social science courses.

During the CoE junior year, students complete six core courses unique to CoE (computer architecture, advanced digital design, embedded systems, computer networks, information security, systems and project engineering) and a core course common to both programs (junior design fundamentals). Broad flexibility is provided in the senior year, including four advanced ECE electives, three technical electives, and one open elective, providing many dozens of options.

The CoE program is designed to build on foundational engineering strength developed during the freshman year, extend with broad ECE fundamentals in the sophomore year, further extend and deepen with CoE fundamentals in the junior year, and then diversify for career exploration and specialization in the senior year. Our graduates will be among the best prepared computer engineers in the nation for impactful careers and post-graduate studies in one of the most exciting and thriving professions of STEM.

The Computer Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria. For more information about the program, contact coeugrad@pitt.edu.

Credits: 17


Credits: 17


Fifth Term


Credits: 16


Sixth Term


Credits: 16


Seventh Term


  • Advanced ECE Elective - 3 credits
  • Advanced ECE Elective - 3 credits
  • Advanced ECE Elective - 3 credits
  • Technical Elective - 3 credits
  • Humanities/Social Science Elective - 3 credits

Credits: 15


Eighth Term


  • Advanced ECE Elective - 3 credits
  • Technical Elective - 3 credits
  • Technical Elective - 3 credits
  • Open Elective - 3 credits

Credits: 15


Note:


*Students may take ENGR 1050 - PRODUCT REALIZATION  to fulfill the Senior Design Project requirement with approval from the Undergraduate Coordinator.

Electives


Advanced ECE Electives


Students must complete at least four Advanced ECE Elective courses from the following list:

Humanities/Social Science Electives


Students must complete at least four Humanities/Social Science Elective courses from a list of Approved Electives  as part of the Computer Engineering curriculum.  (Note: students will complete a total of six Humanities/Social Science Elective courses, but two are completed as part of the First-Year Program curriculum, and four are completed as part of the Computer Engineering curriculum.)

Open Electives


Students must complete at least one Open Elective course.  Any course that is not of a similar nature to, or lower level than, a required or previously taken course can be used to fulfill this requirement.  Three credits of Physical Education, or three credits of Band, ROTC, or Chorus may also be used as an Open Elective.  Three credits of Co-op may also be used to fulfill the Open Elective.

Professional Skills Electives


Students must complete at least one Professional Skills Elective course from the following list:

Note:


In addition to the list above, there are other options that can count toward a professional skills elective slot, including:

  • Cooperative Education (Co-op) opportunities - Students may use three rotations of Co-op to satisfy the professional skills requirement or three credits of the technical skills requirement by submitting a Co-op paper.
  • ECE 1893 - ECE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT  and ECE 1898 - ENGINEERING PROJECT  - Directed research advised by faculty can be counted if there is a requirement of writing a paper (or a paper-like report) and presenting the work done to a research group or in a poster session or conference.
  • ECE 1894 - ECE UNDERGRADUATE INDUSTRY PROJECT  
  • Engineering (ENGR) Study Abroad courses

Technical Electives


Students must complete at least three Technical Elective courses from the ECE Department’s list of approved Technical Electives. Technical Electives can be any Advanced ECE Elective or any other School of Engineering course, which has not been used to fulfill another requirement or does not substantially duplicate other required course material. Most science and math courses that can be taken by students majoring in those departments can be used as Technical Electives.



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