"Computer engineering students gain a solid foundation in all aspects of the field through courses in electrical engineering, computer science and hardware systems."
- Program:
Computer engineering is the heart of technological innovation. If you’re interested in pushing what’s possible in virtually any industry – from health care to communication, transportation to energy generation, gaming to entertainment – computer engineering could be the way to do it.
Computer engineers apply their wide-ranging expertise in areas that include electrical engineering, hardware, computer science and mathematics to solve an incredible array of problems. Using their problem-solving skills and an integrated approach, they design systems and develop solutions that are efficient, dependable, secure and safe.
What is computer engineering?
Computer engineering is a discipline of engineering that focuses on building computer systems, which include both hardware as well as the software that runs on these systems.
“At UBC, our computer engineering program takes a broad view of the entire system,” says Dr. Sathish Gopalakrishnan, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“We want our students to have a good understanding of the electrical engineering that allows us to build the hardware – like the microprocessors or circuit boards – and then to understand how to write the software that runs on these components.”
Many universities, like UBC, offer both computer science and computer engineering programs. There is some overlap, but they are distinct areas of study. Computer science tends to focus more on the theory and practice of what it means to compute. Computer engineering does some of that, but emphasizes system design and the integration of software and hardware design.
“Understanding the interplay between hardware and software is very important,” says Dr. Gopalakrishnan.
“Think of something like a smart watch. If you’re writing a program for it, your program will be much more efficient – and much less of a drain on the watch’s battery power – if you understand the hardware behind it. You might even come to the realization that specific tasks can be done through hardware design rather than software. A computer engineer will understand both dimensions.”
What kind of work would I do as a computer engineer?
Computer engineering is a vast field, encompassing everything from hardware development to cybersecurity and automation.
You can take your career in many different directions depending on your specific interests.
Some computer engineers design hardware, like microprocessors, CPUs, graphic processing units used for machine learning or other applications. Others work on the high-level architecture to translate that hardware design into the actual electronic circuits and determining how they are fabricated.
Computer engineers are integrators, working at the interface of hardware and software. Dr. Gopalakrishnan cites the example of an autonomous car and all the integration between hardware components and software needed to make it work.
New developments in hardware technology generate new requirements on the software side, and computer engineers are needed to translate their deep understanding of the underlying hardware when writing code for operating systems.
Other computer engineers work in program and project management roles.
This requires developing a strong understanding of users’ needs and then determining what’s possible to achieve, prioritizing features, and guiding teams of engineers and software developers to design and implement the solution.
“I think computer engineers stand out in their versatility to work in many different areas and for their ability to be the integrators who are able to connect expertise,” says Dr. Gopalakrishnan.
What broader industry trends are shaping the demand for computer engineers?
Without doubt, artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming our world.
As Dr. Gopalakrishnan says, “not only is the field of computer engineering advancing because of artificial intelligence but those technologies are influencing the field itself.”
Tasks that software developers used to do are now being automated through machine learning tools. This is enabling computer engineers to be much more efficient and to complete complicated coding in significantly less time.
Sustainability issues are also of growing importance. Although the environmental costs of computer technology are not as apparent as the environmental costs of other activities like mining or manufacturing, they are very much present.
AI tools, for example, consume significant electricity and use large amounts of water to cool data centres. Computer engineers will be at the forefront of determining how to make these processes more efficient – and to make thoughtful decision about when it is appropriate to use these tools and to what extent.
With our ever-greater reliance on technology – be that to manage energy systems or to launch a fleet of autonomous cars – issues of risk, safety and reliability are more important than ever. Computer engineers will continue to be in even more demand for their systems approach and deep understanding of computer systems and technology.
What’s it like to study computer engineering at UBC?
Computer engineering students gain a solid foundation in all aspects of the field through courses in electrical engineering, computer science and hardware systems.
Electives enable students to dive deeper into specific areas of interest, whether that’s hardware design or software architecture, machine learning and artificial intelligence, quantum computing or network security.
Computer Engineering at Okanagan Campus
Computer Engineering at Vancouver Campus
Many of the assignments are project-based. Dr. Gopalakrishnan, for example, teaches a third-year course where students work in teams to design and build an autonomous car, which enables them to integrate many of the things they are learning in second year into something.
“This year, one team is developing a car that can be steered using a brain-computer interface,” he says.
“It’s not fully autonomous, but the EEG band can be used to steer the car. Another team is trying to optimize the car’s speed while ensuring it is still safe. Another team is adding functionality so their car can communicate with other autonomous cars and make decisions.”
This course, and others like it, give UBC students firsthand knowledge of how building better hardware can enable technological advances.
Read about what some of our Alumni have to say:
Many computer engineering students apply to co-op, and students are in high demand from top employers. This can be a great way to test out different career paths, gain experience and grow your processional network, all while still a student.
Interested?
“I think a lot of people assume that computer engineers just write code,” says Dr. Gopalakrishnan.
“But it’s so much more than that. Computer engineers bring a very deep understanding of systems building to their work, which enables them to be integrators and team leaders.”
Explore computer engineering at UBC:
- Explore our program
- Watch a video about the computer engineering program at UBC
- Take a look at the final year capstone projects by filtering your search for “computer engineering”
- Read profiles of current computer engineering students and alumni by filtering your search for “computer engineering.”
