Introduction

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In July 2000, the Department of Electrical Engineering adopted a new name and identity - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering - to reflect the department’s efforts in developing greater emphasis on information and communications technology through our research and academic programmes.

Electrical and Computer Engineering are among the most challenging and exciting areas of engineering, and are the key disciplines in today’s highly technological society. Electrical and computer engineers have been driving the evolution of technology by being able to effectively apply fundamental concepts while pursuing frontier research, creating new ideas, designing and developing new products. Electrical and computer engineering also involves incorporating knowledge from other disciplines to successfully implement a design, whether a device or a system.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is a fairly large department and has highly professional staff who are world-class experts in their respective fields. Our academic and research staff members are constantly engaged in ground-breaking research activities encompassing a wide range of topics. These span diverse areas such as automatic control, biomedical engineering, communications, computer-aided design (CAD), computer vision and image processing, computers and computer networks, digital signal processing, electronics, intelligent systems, parallel and distributed processing, microelectronic materials and devices, microwave engineering, power engineering and very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits design.

Our department currently offers two full-time undergraduate degree programmes, B.Eng. (Electrical Engineering) and B.Eng. (Computer Engineering), as well as graduate programmes leading to Masters and Ph.D. degrees for candidates aspiring to a rewarding career.

The electrical and computer engineering landscape is evolving rapidly and poses many challenges to engineers today. In order to prepare our graduates for the challenges ahead, the undergraduate degree programmes had been specially engineered to equip students with a strong foundation in computing, engineering, mathematical and scientific fundamentals (including Biology) during their first two years of study. Senior students will also have the opportunity to enrol in specialised courses that will expose them to the latest technology developments in their areas of interest. Design, which is the heart of engineering, is integrated throughout through various project and independent study modules. The programmes also include the requisite courses in writing, humanities, and social sciences. By providing our graduates with a combination of broad-based fundamentals and specialised knowledge, ECE Dept strives to produce elite engineers who would be best positioned to lead in tomorrow’s world.

An engineering education prepares students for a wide range of careers; in fact, many of our country’s leaders received an engineering education. More specifically, ECE graduates can look forward to bright and challenging careers in research, design and development, manufacturing, marketing, management, and other exciting fields. Apart from commercial and government organisations, graduates of the Department are also highly sought after by high technology companies in the following sectors:

Communications: wireless products including mobile phones, pagers, etc.

Computers: peripherals, embedded systems, information appliances, etc.

Electronics: for consumers, automotive industry, defence, etc.

Internet: networked applications, Internet protocols, etc.

Multimedia: development for video games, entertainment, education, etc.

Semiconductors: IC design, wafer fabrication, assembly and test, etc.

Software: development for engineering design automation, commerce, etc.

A number of enterprising graduates have also become entrepreneurs, setting up new businesses that find innovative ways of applying electrical and computer engineering technologies.