Electronic & Computer Engineering (with a Year in Industry) BEng (Hons) (with Foundation Year)

The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.

Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.

In the first year, you will develop the theoretical knowledge and practical skills that underpin Electronic and computer engineering. Topics studied include:

• Engineering Principles: This provides the fundamental blocks for the curriculum and covers topics such as electromagnetism, circuit theory, analogue and digital electronics, mathematics and engineering programming. You will also develop a small microcontroller based robotics project.
  
  
• Computing Principles & Professional Development: Professional Development prepares you for learning and study in an engineering discipline and also introduces the fundamental practices, values and expectations of an engineer. Computing principles introduces the fundamental aspects of computer systems and databases along with the principles of algorithm design and programming.

In the second year, you will develop a broader understanding and knowledge of the theoretical and practical aspects of Electronics and Computer Engineering. You study:

• Applied electronics: In this block of study you will learn about semiconductor devices and circuit applications, control systems, mechatronics and computer networks
  Networks: You study the key components of the internet and the key protocols that modern software solutions use over the internet.
  
  
• Control theory: Control systems are fundamental to the stable and reliable operation of electronic and electromechanical systems.
  
  
• Microcontrollers: Microcontrollers are everywhere and are fundamental to your course. Being able to program microcontrollers and interface them to sensors and actuators are critical skills.
  
  
• Object-oriented Programming with C++ : You will not only learn the C++ programming language in depth, but use it as a vehicle for the more general skills of object-oriented coding and design. In particular, you will learn Unified Modeling Language (UML) for designing and managing large projects for industry.
  
  
• Software Engineering: This block of study complements the skills you learn for object-oriented coding, but uses the Java programming language. It is far from just about coding though, and teaches you how to work as part of a team and the different approaches to project management that are available, as well as the latest technology being used in industry.
  
  
• Web development: This block of study provides an overview of website development, including client-side programming with HTML, CSS, and Javascript, as well as server-side programming with PHP and an in-depth look at MySQL. 
  
  
• Human-computer interaction: This block of study  focuses on the design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing systems used by humans.
  
  
• Professional Skills: A range of topics are covered in this block, more generally equipping you for working in industry.

You spend your third year on a compulsory placement in industry.

In your fourth year, the curriculum focuses on employability and is more influenced by staff expertise and research. Here, you will develop a deeper understanding of the theoretical aspects of Electronic and Computer Engineering.

Topics will depend on latest developments but will include areas such as.

• Immersive technologies (VR/AR and MR): You will learn using the software commonly used for virtual reality development, i.e. Unity and Unreal Engine, but also touch upon other technologies, such as for VR in the browser. You will also have access to cutting edge technology to test out your creations.
  
  
• Machine learning hardware: You will study the use of hardware systems to accelerate machine learning algorithms using computing architectures that are more appropriate for artificial intelligence.
  
  
• Internet of Things (IoT): You will broaden your knowledge to the emerging internet-of-things, whereby physical things in the world are part of the internet. As with VR, you will have access to a range of technologies on which to develop and test your ideas.
  
  
• Advanced Web Technologies: This part of your course will focus on the Javascript language, which has emerged as one of the world’s most popular languages. It will focus on client-side development of web applications using various libraries and the latest technologies, such as Node.JS (for server-side) and React.
  
  
• Intelligent Systems: The course focuses on artificial intelligence, with a particular emphasis on machine learning. You will begin with foundational knowledge of different ML models, moving toward metaheuristics (genetic algorithms) and reinforcement learning. You will then move toward natural language processing and more exotic models within machine learning, such as meta-learning and semi-supervised learning.
  
  
• Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing: The main emphasis of this part of the course is on Android application development, using Android Studio and the Java programming language.
  
  
• Project: You will carry out a major, independent project that allows you to draw on your skills and learning and focus on an area of interest to you.