The
University Senate of Michigan Technological University
Proposal
5-09
(Voting Units: Academic)
“Proposal for a Master’s Degree Program
in Computer Engineering”
This is a proposal to establish a Master
of Science (MS) program in Computer Engineering (CpE) within Michigan
Technological University’s Department of
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). The mission of the proposed graduate
program is to train engineers in the science and technology of this field and
to recognize their achievement by creating an advanced Computer Engineering degree
at Michigan Tech. Graduates of the program will have the necessary skills and
will be highly qualified to perform scientific and technologically advanced
research to solve problems in the design, development, and implementation of complete
computer-based systems and application domains.
Computer Engineering (CpE) is a hybrid
discipline, born of two parent disciplines, Computer Science (CS) and
Electrical Engineering (EE). It has, for decades, been recognized by the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a separate
discipline, with academic content distinct from both EE and CS [1].
As of October 2006, there were 188
ABET-accredited undergraduate CpE degree programs in the United States [2]. In
addition, between 1996 and 2006, the number of programs in Computer Engineering
and Technology increased 111%, making it the
fastest growing single discipline
reported by ABET [2].
Nationally, of the 252 universities with
graduate engineering programs, the overwhelming majority offer Computer
Engineering graduate degrees in one form or another. Most of these programs
bundle CpE with either CS or EE under an umbrella title, such as Computer Science and Engineering, or Electrical and Computer Engineering.
However, there are now 75 standalone master’s degree programs in Computer
Engineering [3]. In Michigan, the
University of Michigan-Dearborn, Wayne State University, and Western Michigan University
offer graduate degrees in computer engineering. In 2006-2007 1479 graduate
degrees in computer engineering were awarded nationally.
Tech currently offers MS degrees in CS,
and EE. In addition, a proposal is in progress to establish an MS program Computational Science and Engineering
(CS&E). Graduate study in computer engineering is now included within the
EE degree program.
This mix of computing disciplines is
typical of programs at other universities. These inter-related disciplines can
be defined by where their particular focus area lies within the broad spectrum
of computing topics. Although there can be considerable overlap between the
different computing fields, the differences
are best described relative to the “center of mass” of each field. For example:
·
Computer
Science traditionally focuses on the
theoretical and software aspects of the process
of computing, rather than on the computer system itself. While some
computer scientists do delve into computer architecture, the center of mass is
toward hardware-independent topics, with little emphasis on hardware
architectures, and even less interest in electronic circuitry.
·
Electrical
Engineering traditionally represents
the opposite extreme, focusing on the physics, electronics, circuitry, and
related aspects of both analog and digital hardware, with little or no emphasis
on software design, hardware/software integration, or computational theory.
·
Computational
Science and Engineering focuses on
the application and use of high
performance computing platforms to solve scientific and engineering problems.
In this field, the computer is simply a tool used to achieve some research goal
in an unrelated scientific or engineering field; thus, the computer system is merely
a means to an end, not the end in
itself.
·
Computer
Engineering treats a computer-based
system as one spanning a continuum of technologies on both sides of the traditional analog/digital systems boundary as well
as the traditional hardware/software boundary.
Thus, a computer
engineer studies the whole computer system in its entirety, is equally comfortable working with
both hardware and software, and has an intimate understanding of how the
hardware and software interact with each other. S/he can thus integrate all of
these technologies into a single system, write hardware-dependent software,
evaluate hardware/software trade-offs, and engage in hardware/software co-design. These abilities make the Computer
Engineer uniquely qualified to conceive, design, and build complete
computer-based systems to serve a wide variety of applications.
While exact enrollment numbers are
difficult to predict, estimates can be extrapolated from national trends in
graduate enrollment, from Tech’s own
undergraduate enrollment statistics and from the long-term growth plans in the
ECE department.
Nationally, of those universities
offering standalone MS programs in CpE, 6.2% of all engineering MS degrees are
in CpE [3].
Tech undergraduate enrollment statistics
show similar trends at the baccalaureate level [4], as seen nationwide at the
MS level. Figure 1 shows the contribution of the CpE bachelor’s degree program to
all first-time freshmen enrolled in the College of Engineering. This figure shows that, following the startup
transient in 2001, the contribution of the CpE program has oscillated about the
7% mark.
Figure 2 illustrates the impact of the CpE BS program and other computing majors on each other, in terms of Freshman Enrollment. In addition to CpE, CS, and EE, the chart includes Computer System Science (CSS) and Software Engineering (SE) majors in the CS department. It shows a startup transient in which CpE enrollment increased at the expense of EE and CS enrollment. This was primarily due to “defections” from the other majors into the new program. Following the startup transient, CpE enrollment stabilized at about 25% of all computing majors.
Enrollment Extrapolation
The ECE department has 89 enrolled MSEE
students in Fall 2008. At least eight of these are studying with ECE faculty
members under Plan A (thesis option) in computer engineering topics. These
students comprise 3% of engineering MS students and 10.4% of computing MS
students. Although exact numbers are difficult to ascertain, a significant
fraction of the remaining MSEE students, primarily under Plan D (course option)
may have interests in computer engineering topics. If Michigan Tech
undergraduate students may be used as a guide, then roughly one-third, or 30, of
the MSEE students will switch from the EE to the CpE program.
Based on national and local trends and
the ECE department growth plan, we anticipate having anywhere from 30 to 60
MSCpE students regularly enrolled 3-5 years from now. Currently the department
has roughly twice as many MSEE students as PhD students. Projecting this ratio
forward to our long term goal of 24 PhD CpE students (See the companion
proposal for a PhD program in computer engineering), we expect a total of 48
MSCpE students. Several of these may be PhD students who earn the MS “along the
way”. The majority of the remaining terminal MS students will be Plan D (course
option) students.
This program is intended to begin as soon
as it is approved. At that time, currently enrolled students will be invited to
change degree programs to CpE, subject to eligibility. New students will be
accepted at the beginning of the first complete term following approval of this
program.
This program will be implemented through
normally scheduled daytime classes.
All
faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are
responsible for the success of all curricular programs in the department. Those
expected to be most involved in the proposed graduate degrees in computer
engineering include:
Curricula Vitae of the CpE faculty are
at: http://www.ece.mtu.edu/faculty/rmkieckh/Grad/
,
http://www.ece.mtu.edu/faculty/goel/resume.htm, http://www.me.mtu.edu/meem/facultybio/b_chen.html,
In addition, all ECE faculty of professorial
rank may be involved in the program. In addition to those faculty listed above
these faculty are Professors Dan Fuhrmann, Warren Perger, Mike Roggemann,
Martha Sloan, and Dennis Wiitanen; Associate Professors Paul Bergstrom, Jeff
Burl, Anand Kulkarni, John Lukowski, Bruce Mork, Gerry Tian and Reza Zekavat;
and Assistant Professors Chris Middlebrook, Wayne Weaver and Zack Zhao.
Professorial rank faculty in Computer
Science who may be involved in the program are Professors Steve Carr and Linda
Ott; Associate Professors Jean Mayo, Phillip Merkey, Nilufer Onder, Soner
Onder, Dave Poplawski, Steve Seidel, C K Shene, and Chuck Wallace; and Assistant
Professors Ali Ebnenasir, Robert Pastel and Zhenlin Wang.
All requirements for the number of credits required, credit distributions, theses, reports, examinations, acceptable grades, time-to-degree, and other degree requirements are identical to existing graduate school requirements policies and procedures [5], except as modified or enhanced by this proposal.
CpE is currently bundled into the EE degree program.
All applicants for full admission have completed courses in the set of prerequisite topics specified in Table 1. Applicants who have not completed all of the prerequisites may receive “provisional” admission and complete the missing topics at MTU. Those topics with an “MTU Equivalent” course at less than the 3,000 level may not be taken for MS degree credit, while those at or above the 3,000 level may count for degree credit within the constraints of all other applicable course distribution requirements.
Table 1:
Prerequisite Courses |
|
Prerequisite
Topic |
MTU
Equivalent |
Linear
Algebra |
MA-2321 |
Differential
Equations |
MA-3521 |
Probability
and Statistics |
MA-3710
or 3720 |
Discrete
Math or Structures |
CS-2311 |
Data
Structures |
CS-2321 |
Computer
Organization |
CS-3421 |
Digital
Logic |
EE-2171
or 2173 |
Electronics |
EE-3130 |
Microcontroller
Interfacing |
EE-3170
or 3173 |
Given the prerequisite topics listed, students
with a baccalaureate degree in computer engineering from an accredited college
or university will generally be eligible for full admission to this program.
Those with a degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a closely
related field, will usually be eligible for provisional admission. Applicants
with degrees from other disciplines may be considered for provisional admission
to the program on a case by case basis. The ECE department has an established
program of admitting graduate students with extenuating circumstances at the
discretion of the graduate program director under the provision that they
perform well their first year; their performance is tracked by the graduate
program director. Provisional students are not awarded GRAs or GTAs so that they
may concentrate on their studies.
All students must participate in EE 5970, Computer Engineering Seminar, 1 cr., offered
Fall and Spring. This course and all
elective courses listed below are currently existing courses .
The identity and total number of courses
required to be taken must be approved by the student’s advisor.
In addition to graduate school
requirements for MS course distributions [5] http://www.gradschool.mtu.edu/catalog/ms-science.html
, the following breadth criteria are required for all CpE MS degrees:
1.
At least 10
credits in the ECE department from the list of currently existing courses below,
including the required seminar.
EE
4252 – Digital Signal Processing and Its Applications, 4 cr., Fall
EE
4255 – Wireless Communications, 3 cr.,
Spring
EE
4257 – Digital Image Processing, 3 cr., Spring
EE
4271 – VLSI Design, 4 cr., Fall, Summer
EE
4272 – Computer Networks, 3 cr., Fall
EE5522
– Digital Image Processing, 3 cr., Spring
EE
5525 – Wireless Communications, 3 cr., Spring
EE
5527 – Digital Communications, 3 cr., Fall
EE
5535 – Wireless Communications II, 3 cr., Spring
EE
5711 – Mathematical Techniques for Computer Networks, 3 cr., Fall
EE
5722 – Computer Networks, 3 cr., Fall
EE
5723 – Computer and Network Security, 3 cr., Spring
EE
5725 – Mobile Robotics & Mobile Robot Systems, 3 cr., On Demand
EE
5726 – Embedded Sensor Networks, 3 cr., On Demand
EE
5731 – Real-Time and Embedded Systems, 4 cr., On Demand
EE
5732 – Real-Time System Design, 4 cr., Fall, Spring
EE
5751 – Verilog HDL Design, 3 cr., Spring
EE
5752 – Digital Storage Technologies, 3 cr., Fall, even-numbered years
EE
5755 – Fault-Tolerant Systems, 3 cr., On Demand
EE
5772 – Parallel Computer Organizations, 3 cr., Fall, odd-numbered years
2.
At least 6
credits in the CS department, 4000-level or above.
CS
4090 – Special Topics in Computer Science, 3 cr., On Demand
CS 4121 –
Programming Languages, 3 cr., Fall, Spring
CS 4131 –
Compiler Construction, 4 cr., Spring
CS 4311 –
Introduction to Computation Theory, 3 cr., Fall
CS 4321 –
Introduction to Algorithms, 3 cr., Fall, Spring
CS 4331 –
Introduction to Parallel Programming, 3 cr., On Demand
CS 4411 –
Introduction to Operating Systems, 3 cr., Fall, Spring
CS 4421 –
Database Systems, 3 cr., Spring
CS 4431 –
Computer Architecture, 4 cr., Fall, Spring
CS 4481 –
Computer and Network Performance Analysis, 4 cr., Spring
CS 4611 –
Computer Graphics: Foundations of Computer Graphics, 3 cr., Fall
CS 4710 –
Model-Driven Software Development, 3 cr., On Demand
CS 4711 –
Software Processes and Management, 3 cr., Spring
CS 4712 –
Software Quality Assurance, 3 cr., On Demand
CS
4760—Human-Computer Interactions, 3 cr., Spring
CS 4811 –
Artificial Intelligence, 3 cr., Spring
CS 5090 – Special Topics in Computer Science,
3 cr., On Demand
CS 5131 – Compiler Optimization, 3 cr., Fall,
Spring
CS 5311 – Theory of Computation, 3 cr., On Demand
CS 5321 – Advanced Algorithms, 3 cr., Fall
CS 5331 – Parallel Algorithms, 3 cr., Spring
CS 5411 – Advanced Operating Systems, 3 cr.,
Spring
CS 5431 – Advanced Computer Architecture, 3
cr., Spring
CS
5441 – Distributed Systems, 3 cr., Fall, Spring
CS
5461 – Mobile Networks, 3 cr., Fall, odd-numbered years
CS
5611 – Computer Graphics: Advanced Rendering and Animation, 3 cr., Spring
CS 5711 – Advanced Software Engineering, 3
cr., Fall
CS5760 – Human-Computer Interactions and
Usability Testing, 3 cr., Spring
CS 5811 – Advanced Artificial Intelligence
CS 6090 –Special Topics in Computer Science,
variable up to 3 cr., On Demand
CS 5461 – Advanced Computer Networks, 3 cr.,
Fall even-numbered years
Completion of all requirements shall be
certified by the student’s advisor using a degree audit form. The completed
form shall be forwarded to the ECE graduate program committee.
No new Library resources are required.
The library already subscribes to online versions of the leading journals in
this field.
The computing access fee will be the
same as the access fee for EE graduate degrees.
The Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering has a full range of research
facilities including several Sun workstations and PCs running both Linux and MS
Windows. Each faculty member and graduate student has at least one PC,
workstation and/or laptop in his/her office and/or lab. Other PCs and servers
are available to students through several user laboratories throughout the
building and across campus. Faculty and students also have access to a
high-speed Linux cluster and a Beowulf cluster for research purposes. The
Michigan Tech campus is completely networked, allowing wired and wireless
access to all services from anywhere on campus, and to secure remote access via
SSH, FTP and other protocols. A wide range of research-relevant application
software is also available to both faculty and students.
No additional equipment is required for
this program.
No additional space is required for this
program.
Not Applicable
No additional costs will be imposed, as
all faculty, equipment, and facilities are already in place for the
introduction of this program. The growth in enrollment will mirror the growth
in ECE faculty for which there is already a university commitment. (See the
companion proposal for a PhD program in Computer Engineering.)
1. Criteria for
Accrediting Engineering
Programs, Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology, Approved Nov 3, 2007, available at http://abet.org/Linked%20Documents-UPDATE
/Criteria%20and%20PP/E001%2008-09%20EAC%20Criteria%2012-04-07.pdf .
2.
2006 Accreditation Statistics, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology,
available at http://abet.org/Linked%20Documents-UPDATE/Stats/06-AR%20Stats.pdf
.
3.
“Engineering Data
Management System Login”, American Society of Engineering Education, Apr 2008, http://www.asee.org/datamining/ .
4.
“Enrollment
Statistics”, Office of Student Records and Registration, Michigan Technological
University, Apr 2008, http://www.admin.mtu.edu/em/services/erlstat/
.
5.
“Master of Science”,
Graduate School, Michigan Technological University, Apr 2008, http://www.gradschool.mtu.edu/catalog/ms-science.html
.
6.
“PhD Comprehensive Examination”, Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University,
Apr 2008, http://www.ece.mtu.edu/pages/graduate/PhD_Exam_Guidelines/index.htm
.