What is Computer Science Engineering

Computer engineering is a driving force behind innovation and technologies that are changing the world, pushing computing power and capabilities to the edge. Bridging hardware (e.g. microprocessors, tablets) and software, computer engineering has implications across many industries, ranging from technology to healthcare, green energy to aeronautics. The following guide serves as a high-level overview of the computer engineering profession, including insight into various career paths, emerging industries, employment opportunities, companies that are hiring computer engineers, skills and knowledge categories, as well as tips for preparing for computer engineering careers.

Computer engineering is an interdisciplinary field of study, one that combines electrical engineering and computer science disciplines into a specialized professional area of practice. Smaller; fastest; cheaper. Smarter; flexible; powerful. In short, computer engineers make computers and computing systems better.
Consider, for example, the history of the Intel processor. Introduced in 1971, the Intel 4004 processor had 2,300 transistors and produced clock speed of 108 KHz (108,000 cycles per second). Compare the performance of the 4004 microprocessor to Penryn, the microprocessor Intel introduced in 2007: with 820,000 transistors and a clock speed greater than 3 GHz, Penryn operates at approximately 3 billion cycles per second. That’s an improvement of 27,777% – in 36 years. This type of computing power and performance improvement has spearheaded the information revolution – driving transformative developments in computers, video, imaging, 3D content, power management, animation, home automation, auto manufacturing, mobile devices and phones, communication, and more.
Broadly, computer engineers design hardware for computing systems, network and computer architecture, design software for applications, analyze and design microprocessors, build interface systems, and work with microcontrollers and circuit designs. In turn, computer engineering has wide applications, impacting areas such as cybersecurity, wireless networking, design automation, computer networks, mobile computing, robotics, embedded systems and machine intelligence. At the career level, computer engineering offers two central paths – hardware and software engineering – and multiple sub-specialty or areas of concentration, such as the following:

Artificial Intelligence	Designing computer systems that simulate human thinking, learning, and reasoning abilities.
Computer Architecture	Designing and developing new, more powerful computing systems.
Computer Design	Research, design, and development of electronic computer components, such as microchips, microprocessors, circuit boards, etc.
Operating Systems and Networks	Designing and developing software and network systems.
Robotics	Designing and developing robotic systems used in a variety of industries (e.g. industrial production).
Software Applications	Designing and developing computer software to research and solve problems outside of the computer engineering field (e.g. medicine).