Computer Engineering at Iowa State University

Iowa State’s computer engineering program was one of the first to be accredited by ABET. It is offered by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECpE), which is the largest academic department at Iowa State and one of the largest such departments in the United States.

Will you be lost in a big department? Not at all! The ECpE department encourages a close, scholarly interaction between students and faculty inside and outside of class. Staff advisors in the department’s Student Services Office work closely with students to meet their every academic need and keep them on track toward a timely graduation.

In fact, size is a major advantage in computer engineering. The diverse interests and expertise of the faculty members give students the opportunity to study in a broad range of areas within the field. Once you begin to focus on an area in computer engineering, you will find a small-school atmosphere with a group of students working in the same interest areas such as

• parallel, distributed, and real-time systems
• computer systems architecture and digital design
• computer networking and security

You may also take courses in VLSI design, electromagnetics, control systems, microelectronics, power systems, and communications and signal processing.


Top-Notch Faculty
The more than 50 faculty in ECpE are dedicated to the principle that providing an excellent education to our students is the fundamental mission of the department. They have varied technical backgrounds and interests, are nationally recognized for their teaching and research, and maintain active research programs that help bring the newest concepts into the classroom. Many ECpE faculty have authored textbooks used throughout the world and most have experience in industry.


Back to top

World-Class Facilities
Coover Hall and the Durham Center house most of the faculty, classrooms, and laboratory facilities of the department. Some faculty also have offices and labs within on-campus research centers in microelectronics, nondestructive evaluation, and virtual reality, where they work with students on a variety of interdisciplinary research projects. The department has state-of-the-art computer facilities, including 400 PCs, Macs, and workstations. Laboratories for hands-on learning, include the following:

• Information Systems Security Lab
• microcontroller lab
• digital logic and computer design lab
• Virtual Reality Applications Center
• LINUX lab
• UNIX workstation lab
• Silicon Graphics workstation lab

The department also has Iowa State’s first Active Learning Complex, an exciting new space designed specifically for students to work together on group projects outside of class. The room is equipped with wireless infrared keyboards, electronic white boards, large screen computers, and other high-tech equipment to facilitate group interaction and learning.


Back to top

Endless Opportunities
Today, engineering education is comprised of more than just the traditional classroom and laboratory experience.

• Students are encouraged to participate in engineering internships or co-ops (cooperative education programs). The department offers a five-year co-op program that combines classroom learning with on-the-job experience in industry. As a co-op student, you complete the requirements for a B.S. degree, and also have 12 to 16 months of work experience when you graduate. Monthly salaries for computer engineering interns and co-op students range from $2,173 to $2,660*, allowing you to earn part of your college expenses.
• Extracurricular activities that blend friendship, learning, and leadership are also part of students’ engineering education. The student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), presents speakers from companies like Motorola and Hewlett Packard, offers tours of manufacturing plants, and creates and staffs displays for VEISHEA and other events. ECpE students have designed and built two robots, Cybot and Oscar, which they exhibit and use in demonstrations. Computer engineering students on the ISU solar car team have gained valuable practical experience building software packages to model the car and the race environment. Eligible students can participate in the electrical and computer engineering honorary, Eta Kappa Nu; the engineering honorary, Tau Beta Pi; and the Honors Program.
• International study can give engineering students an edge in today’s global markets. You might study in Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, and many other countries.

Back to top

Scholarships
The support of more than 200 individuals and corporations maintains an engineering scholarship endowment of nearly $9 million. From these and other funds, the college awards more than 900 scholarships totaling more than $1.3 million each year. In addition engineering students compete well for scholarships available to all Iowa State students.


Back to top

Employment Outlook
Engineering is a career path that works! More than 3 million engineers work in the U.S. today, making engineering the nation’s second-largest profession. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the job market is predicted to remain strong well into the millennium. The average starting salary for a computer engineering graduate is more than $45,500. Additionally, starting salaries are expected to increase about six percent a year.

Computer engineering graduates are in great demand. Nearly all students with engineering-related work experience have jobs by graduation. For example:

• 95% of co-op students are placed by graduation
• 85% of interns are placed by graduation
• 79% of graduates with summer work experience are placed by graduation

Some 7,500 students have graduated from ECpE and have gone on to enjoy successful and lucrative careers across the country and throughout the world. Our alumni have served as CEOs, presidents, and vice presidents of top industrial companies like Texas Instruments, Tellabs, IBM, and Silicon Graphics.


Back to top

To explore how you might fit in computer engineering, contact:

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
2215 Coover Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-3060
(515) 294-2663
www.ee.iastate.edu


* All statistics are based on surveys conducted in spring 1999.

Go to Electrical and Computer Engineering web

Download PDF version