Computer Systems Engineering

Computer Systems Engineering is a discipline that affects the design of many products that occur in everyday life. The aims of our CSE programme is that you get a sound understanding of the fundamentals of Computer Systems Engineering, that you have the opportunity to develop a deeper knowledge of certain topics which are of particular interest to you, and that you gain considerable practical experience of developing computer systems. Additionally, the programme has been designed so that you can develop your personal and communication skills and develop an awareness of the business environment.

Upon finishing this programme you should be able to, for example, understand how to build a DVD player, the electronics of a car, a digital radio, a mobile telephone system, the hardware underpinning the Google search engine, or a GPS receiver. The programme is organised around four streams:

• Software Architecture and Protocols This covers the logical layer, including software engineering, instruction set architecture and run time support systems
• Signals and Control This covers the interaction with the real world, using sensors and other devices.
• Electronics and Communications This covers the physical layer, from VLSI to mobile communication systems.
• Generic Skills This covers writing skills, enterprise, professional issues

In each year, 120 CP of units will cover the four streams, and in each year you will find project work that covers all four streams. Mathematics underpins much of the work, and is taught in all four years as appropriate.

First Year

Either the Introduction to Computer Science unit or the Software Project must be taken in the first semester. The Introduction to Computer Science is designed to give a thorough introduction to computer science if you do not have A-level computer science or a similar qualification.

The two Computer Science units build a general awareness of computers and of the subject of Computer Science, introducing you to the basic principles of Software Engineering. The three Electrical Engineering units discuss the principles of Electronics, Computer Architecture, and enable you to understand the link between high-level programming languages and the hardware on which programs execute.

You will learn about analogue systems, digital systems, assembly programming, and three high level programming languages, a procedural, an object oriented and a declarative language. These languages cover all major programming paradigms, and learning them will enable you to learn other languages with relatively little effort.

Additionally the Engineering Mathematics units provide you with the mathematics underpinning the design of analogue and digital circuits, and the basic mathematics needed for signal processing. You will be required to do either the unit on Engineering Mathematics or the unit on Mathematics with Maple. You will be informed in week 0 which unit you are supposed to take. If you do not receive a letter, for example because you switched course, assume you follow Engineering Mathematics 1.

In addition to the above units you will take Engineering Appreciation one, which is a course where you will learn the basic principles of building electronic circuits.

Second Year

In Language Engineering you are taught how to construct software systems that compile or interpret other languages. This includes code generation, run time support systems, and the general principles of code generation. The unit on Embedded and Real Time Systems complements this by discussing the practical issues of designing systems that must meet real time performance requirements, and have limited memory footprints. The unit on logic lays the foundation for reasoning about hardware and software.

The units on Computer Architecture, Digital Systems Design and Concurrency are the core architecture units in the second year. They discuss the higher level design of digital computer systems, including instruction sets, interaction between hardware and software, and the inherent concurrent nature of any computer system. The units on Communications and Communication Protocols cover the design of network protocols, all the way from analogue signals on a wire, up to the Internet TCP/IP protocol stack.

The unit on Signals and Systems serves two goals. On the one hand it discusses the theory of signal processing, such as sampling of data. On the other hand it discusses the practical application of signal processing at a higher level, in particular analysing digital media such as audio, images and video.

You must score an average of at least 50% for you to continue on the H622 or H624 programmes. If you score less than 50% you will have to transfer to the BEng programme, H626.

Third Year

The core of the third year consists of a major group project, and core subjects in the themes of Software Architecture and Signals and Control. In the group project you will have to complete a major piece of work. Groups will consist of up to 6 students, and you are expected to spend 400 hours each on the project, in total up to 2400 hours work, just over a man-year.

The core unit on Systems Integration teaches you how to build the software layers on top of a raw processor that allow us to execute programs written in a high level language. In the core on Signals and Control you have a choice: in addition to the Control unit, you can either choose the 10 CP Data Analysis unit, or the 20 CP unit on Symbols, Signals and Patterns.

In addition to the core, you take optional units from the list provided. You can focus your optional units around a theme, such as signal processing, computer architecture, or communications. You are allowed to take other level-3 options from Engineering Mathematics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering or Computer Science, provided you get permission from the course director. All options are subject to timetabling restrictions. The list of options is not exhaustive, and extra options can be added or removed depending on staff expertise. You are advised to check the pre-requisites of fourth year options, in order to select your third year options appropriately.

Over the third and fourth year you can take a maximum of 20 CP of open units. These are units from anywhere in the university which you can take to broaden your horizons. If you choose to do open units, be aware that for accreditation purposes you are allowed to take at most 30 CP of units that are not level-M in the fourth year.

H624

This is your year abroad. You will spent this year at a university abroad where the language of tuition is English. The University, Department and programme of units must be approved by the Department and are typically arranged by you and the Course Director during the 2nd year.

Fourth Year

The core programme ends with the three units on design verification, advanced architecture and VLSI. These three units cover everything you need to know about the physical design of large integrated systems, about how to design them in such a way that ``first silicon'' will work, and how to design large modern microprocessors.

You conclude your degree programme with an individual project. You have to make a choice whether you want a research or enterprise project. The first theme requires you to do a small scale investigation (a mini-PhD). The second theme requires you to make a prototype of a product, and a business plan on how you want to market that product. You will get support from the BEC (Bristol Enterprise Centre) on how to write a business plan.

Depending on whether you choose the enterprise or research project, you will have to choose between 30 and 50 CP of option units respectively. The units listed above are the option list that we suggest, further options can be chosen on subjects such as Sensor Fusion, Low Power Design, Information Theory, and Control. For these options you will need permission from the course director, and you need to ensure that the timetable works out.

Over the third and the fourth year you are allowed a total of 20 CP of open units. Note that for accreditation purpose you are allowed to take at most 30 CP units which are not at "M" level in your final year.

If you have been abroad the year before, you must take Professional Studies B, EFAC 20002, in your final year.