Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler,
(818) 677-2130
carmen.chandler@csun.edu
Officials said the new computer engineering degree will bridge the gap between computer science and electrical engineering, and fill a growing need among high tech companies for people who can deal with both the hardware and software aspects of computer system design and development.
"Computer engineering is predicted to be the fastest growing area in engineering," said Laurence Caretto, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. "We have excellent faculty and facilities in computer hardware and software that will give our computer engineering students an excellent education."
CSUN also is establishing separate degrees in civil engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing systems engineering and mechanical engineering. Although these programs have been offered in the past, the degree that students obtained was an "engineering" degree with the specialization designated as an option.
"Having separate degrees will provide a better description of the programs we offer to the general community," Caretto said.
Nagwa Bekir, chair of electrical and computer engineering, said she was excited about the addition of a computer engineering degree to the university's offerings.
"I've had so many people, come up to me and ask when is computer engineering going to become a major," Bekir said. "There is such a demand people who have these skills."
Bekir said CSUN was joining a growing number of institutions of high learning that have added the major in response to employer and student demands.
"Not every university offers the degree," she said.
CSUN's new computer engineering majors will be required to take a number of courses covering a broad array of subjects including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, electrical circuits, engineering economy, algorithms, programming and computer organization. They will have classes in such areas as computer architecture and digital design from both the software and hardware points of view.
The curricula also will include a one-year senior design project modeled on industry work groups. Like professional engineers, the students will design and develop a project, from conception through manufacture.
California State University, Northridge has more than 27,000 full- and part-time students and offers 48 bachelor's and 39 master's degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley.
CSUN's College of Engineering and Computer Science is nationally recognized. A recent National Science Foundation survey of 529 universities ranked CSUN among the top 12 in the number of graduates who go on to earn doctorates in the computer sciences and engineering. It is also ranked 14th in the nation in the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanic students, qualifying the campus to be recognized by U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic Serving Institution.
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