The University of Wisconsin-Platteville College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science is now offering a new undergraduate degree in computer engineering. The program launched this fall with several students already declaring the major. Previously, computer engineering was only offered as an emphasis under electrical engineering. According to Dr. Asad Azemi, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the new program supports major themes in the university’s strategic plan.
“It provides another choice for incoming or current students and complements our existing electrical engineering, computer science and software engineering degrees,” he said. “There are many jobs available in computer engineering, and this degree will enable us to better serve our constituents.”
Azemi calls the launch of the new major exciting. He explained how students have been asking for a computer engineering degree.
“The department started working on adding this degree a few years ago, and we are anticipating a growth in our overall enrollment,” said Azemi. “We have a hands-on approach that relies on team-based developments, ending with real-world capstone projects to provide students with the knowledge, skills and aptitude needed to contribute to the societal well-being and economic development of the state of Wisconsin, the Tri-State region, the nation and the world.”
As students enter the field of computer engineering, Azemi acknowledged how the industry is continuing to expand. He said professional opportunities are vast with employment being associated with designing, building, maintaining hardware in modern computers and maintaining operation for computer-based networking.
“As computers become more integrated into our everyday life, computer engineers are more in demand,” he said. “It’s another quality program added to the university. The place of computer engineering as a degree was needed. We fulfilled a need. Hopefully, we will contribute to the growth of the university and provide more opportunities to our students to explore different majors.”
To learn more about the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, visit www.uwplatt.edu/department/electrical-computer-engineering.