BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Freshman Year in Computer Engineering
The freshman year in engineering is an important one. There's lots of information to digest -- information you'll use as you work your way through a stimulating, challenging curriculum on the way to a rewarding career. The information keeps on coming, so Embry-Riddle starts your engineering education with a strong foundation.
Explore Engineering
By design, the Embry-Riddle freshman engineering experience is common to all the engineering majors. We believe -- as do our industry partners -- that students should be exposed to several engineering disciplines in their freshman year. We want you to understand where disciplines fit in and how they need to work together.
Build Your Tool Set
The freshman year is a year of building a reliable tool set. Where a carpenter's tool set would be hammers, nail guns, and saws, the tool set we're talking about here includes mathematics, physics, computer skills, and communication. One must know how to use these tools before designing a circuit, control system, wing, communications systems, aircraft, or spacecraft.
The list below shows courses students take in their freshman year. It implies a knowledge base that starts with calculus. Students entering the freshman year should be prepared to start with these courses. Some students may need to strengthen their backgrounds before entering these courses.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CEC220 | Digital Circuit Design | 3 |
| CEC222 | Digital Circuit Laboratory | 1 |
| COM122 | English Composition and Literature I | 3 |
| COM219 | Speech | 3 |
| EGR101 | Introduction to Engineering | 2 |
| EGR115 | Intro to Computing for Engineers | 3 |
| HU14x | Humanities | 3 |
| HU/SS | Humanities or Social Sciences Elective | 3 |
| MA241 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MA242 | Calculus II | 4 |
| PS150 | Physics I | 3 |
| UNIV101 | College Success | (1)* |
| Total Credits | 32 |
* In excess of degree requirements
In examining the course set during the freshman year you'll find a challenging curriculum. Let's talk about it in a little more detail:
CEC220 and CEC222: Digital Electronics and Lab
Embry-Riddle is unique in that these courses are put on the table right in the freshman year. Many systems have gone digital and every engineer -- regardless of type -- needs to know something about the digital world. You'll be introduced to theory and application and explore the topic through laboratory experiences.
COM122: English Composition and Literature
This course introduces you to the writing series. Engineers need to know how to write and communicate more so than most professionals. Their challenge is explaining technically based, intricate, complicated designs to people who do not have technical backgrounds. The language of engineering is known only to engineers. Being able to describe our approach and products accurately and simply is an enormous challenge. This course starts the process of building that skill set.
EGR101: Introduction to Engineering
This is the anchor of the freshman engineering experience. In this class we have students work on team design projects. This lab based experience exposes students to robotics, lighter than air vehicles, rapid prototyping, and computer aided design. Industry uses teams exclusively so we introduce our students to the excitement and frustration of working with others. We let them experience what it would be like to be responsible for a subsystem and have them integrate that subsystem into a more comprehensive design. We have competitions between teams and have students present their ideas in a formal setting.
EGR115: Introduction to Computing for Engineers
Computing has changed over the years. From the 30's through the 60's the tool of choice was a slide-rule. From the 70's until now the tool that you carry is a scientific calculator. Computer programming was done with basic computer languages such as Fortran. In the 80's and 90's that evolved to languages such as C and C++. Now engineers use a myriad of languages, some basic in nature and others focused on engineering applications. In EGR115 we introduce you to programming basics and concepts associated with any language and use MATLAB to demonstrate these ideas.
Humanities and Social Sciences
Becoming an engineer is much more that learning science and engineering. It also focuses on ethics, social context, literature, social behavior, and history. You'll choose from a variety of courses to broaden your perspective as a citizen and hopefully bring these ideas to reinforce the values and direction of your profession.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the fundamental language and tool that an engineer uses to understand the physical behavior of design. Math is used to understand the propulsion of the rocket, the orbit of a satellite, whether a wing will deform, or whether an aircraft will achieve mach 2. The freshman year has you beginning the math sequence with Calculus I and II. A strong understanding of mathematics will make your experience in engineering science and engineering design much easier.
Physics
You'll start the physics series during your freshman year. In this sequence, you'll learn about the physical behavior of matter. Physics courses present the fundamentals prior to entering the engineering science courses in your sophomore year.
