Overview
Computer Engineering is the field that studies the science and technology of design, implementation and validation of both hardware and software components of computing systems.
Computer Engineering and Management at McMaster University is a unique five year program that integrates the technical education of the engineer with a business education for management. The Computer Engineering program combines the best of both worlds i.e., design of hardware (Electronic Engineering) and software (Computer Science) components. The programming component of computer engineering is focused on digital devices and their interfaces with other devices and users. Computer engineering including the design and development of embedded systems play central roles today and into the future. These systems are encountered in everyday systems that we use: cell phones, digital audio players, X-ray systems, cars, and many others.
In addition the program offers the option of up to 28 months of co-op work experience and opportunities to go on international student exchanges.
“I buy into the idea of experiential learning and applying what I’ve learnt in class to highly advanced and hands-on teams such as the McMaster Engineering EcoCAR 3 team.” – Jamal Habash, Computer Engineering & Society
What makes this program unique?
- Combines design of computer hardware and software components
- Applies to fields anywhere from medical systems to the automotive industry
- Graduates are in high demand in industry
- Wide variety of graduate studies options
B.Eng. Computer + Management – About this Program
In Level II you will study the basic principles of programming, digital logic and microprocessors. In the programming course you will learn how to write and analyze small programs. The digital logic will give you the opportunity to learn the basics of how the modern computers are organized and built. In the microprocessors course you will learn the language of embedded systems, machine-level code as well as how are all of those microchips in cell phones and MP3 players are designed.
In Level III you will learn computer hardware design, computer architecture and computer software design. In the computer hardware design your knowledge of hardware systems is taken to another level. In this course you will learn how complex systems such as MP3 players or peripheral devices such as hard disk drives are built as whole systems. In computer architecture, building on your knowledge from Level II, you will learn the techniques that make today’s computers faster and more efficient. In computer software design you will learn how to ensure that the devices we use are reliable, secure and error-free.
In Level IV you will focus primarily on computer systems, shaping you into a complete computer engineer. You will study advances topics in computer hardware design and architecture. In addition, you will study how computers communicate in communication networks and study advanced Internet communications. You will also have a technical elective which will allow for customization of your program. You will also undertake a year long computer engineering design course where you will complete an open-ended project under the supervision of a faculty member.
B.Eng. Computer + Management – Program Structure
Programming principles and methodology is studied extensively. Computer hardware design and architecture is modelled and explored. Implementation of DSP systems, adaptive filtering, spectral analysis, embedded systems.
B.Eng. Computer – Co-op and Experiential Learning
Experiential learning provides students with hands-on opportunities beyond the traditional lecture-style format to gain valuable experience.
Engineering Co-op Program
The Engineering Co-op Program is an optional program which provides you with the opportunity to work in real engineering positions before you graduate. The Undergraduate Co-op Program is administered by the Engineering Co-op and Career Services Department (ECCS).
Example Employers:
- IBM Canada
- GE Canada
- Siemens Canada
- Advanced MicroDevices (AMD)
- CIBC Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
- RBC Royal Bank
- Toronto Hydro Corporation
Extracurricular Activities
McMaster Engineering has many engineering clubs, teams and societies you can join to enhance your practical knowledge and soft skills, provide support, or give you the chance to explore new activities. Clubs are an enjoyable way to enrich your student life and contribute to your social development and academic success.
- IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) McMaster Student Branch
- McMaster Electrical and Computer Engineering Society
- PhaseOne (formerly HackItMAC)
- McMaster Solar Car Project
- MAC Formula Electric
- Arduino Club
- McMaster ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)
B.Eng. Computer – Careers and Research
Career Paths
Since you specialized in two fields you will have tremendous freedom in choosing types of project you want to work on and/or your career. As an example you may choose to work on the development of the medical devices such as medical robots. Or you may choose to design and implement control algorithms that control water level in water dams. Another option is to work for a power utility company and design code that controls substations in a power utility grid. You may also work with automotive designers to design Microsystems that control fuel ignition in hybrid vehicles. The opportunities are unlimited!
- Digital Electronics
- Software
- Web applications
- Computer security
- Machine learning
- Robotics
- Digital Communications
- Medical devices
- Consumer electronics
- Automotive industries
Examples of Canadian companies: Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Ericsson, Evertz, GE Canada, IBM Canada, and many others.
Research Areas
- Fault-tolerant computing
- digital system testing
- computer-aided design
- parallel processing
- video signal processing architectures
- neural computing
- computer security
- multimedia systems
- embedded computational systems
- biological computing