University of Nevada, Reno



P r o p o s a l

Graduate Program

in

Computer Engineering

Randy Haupt, Chairman

Electrical Engineering Department/260

email: haupt@ee.unr.edu

tel: (702) 784-6927

Yaakov Varol, Chairman

Computer Science Department/171

email: varol@cs.unr.edu

tel: (702) 784-6924

Computer Engineering Faculty Committee:

Dwight Egbert, Prof., EE (egbert@ee.unr.edu)

Sami Fadali, Assoc. Prof., EE (fadali@ee.unr.edu)

Mohamad Fayad, Assoc. Prof., CS (fayad@cs.unr.edu)

Carl Looney, Prof., CS, Director, Computer Engr. Program

tel: (702) 784-4313 (looney@cs.unr.edu)

Sushil Louis, Ass't Prof., CS Dept. (sushil@cs.unr.edu)

College of Engineering

University of Nevada, Reno

Reno, Nevada 89557

November 10, 1997

(July 18, 1996; October 24, 1996; June 16, 1997; October 14, 1997)

Proposal: Graduate Program in Computer Engineering

Executive Summary

Computer Engineering is a newly emerged discipline that evolved from Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. It represents the leading edge of technology that is strongly affecting modern society. This document proposes an applications-oriented Master of Science program and a flexible research-oriented Doctor of Philosophy program in Computer Engineering. Northwest Nevada needs these programs to meet the needs of graduate students and faculty research and to build a strong environment for undergraduates. The U.S. News & World Report, Oct. 27, 1997, lists Computer Engineering as the top salaried engineering area. There is currently a tremendous unmet need in industry and academia for all levels of degrees in Computer Engineering.

The resources for implementing this program are already in place with the current faculty and research laboratories in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments in the College of Engineering, and the journals in the new DeLaMare Library. Computer Engineering is a blend of software and hardware technology and depends mainly upon courses that currently exist in the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Departments. Certain supplemental courses are also available in other Departments, such as Mechanical Engineering, the Mathematics and Physics Departments and the Biomedical Engineering Program in the School of Medicine. This interdisciplinary program will be flexible to cover moving targets of rapidly evolving computer based technologies that involve data acquisition, storage/retrieval, telecommunications/networks, adaptive/intelligent systems for automation in manufacturing, design of algorithms and software engineering, graphics/image engineering, and related areas.

The program will reside in the College of Engineering and be administered by the Computer Engineering Faculty Committee from the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Director of the program will be the incumbent Head of the Computer Engineering Faculty Committee that was initiated under the grant from International Game Technology, Inc., and will report to the Dean of the College of Engineering. The Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments will implement the graduate educational and research aspects of the program in Computer Engineering. The students for the program will actually be graduate students in Electrical Engineering or in Computer Science who elect the Computer Engineering degrees so popular in the marketplace due to lots of high paying jobs.

A $1 million grant has already been awarded by International Game Technologies to start the program in Computer Engineering and the Lemelson Foundation is a continuing source of funds for entrepreneurially oriented projects. The proposed degrees will recognize the aim of the IGT award by making the program official. The program will seek major research funding and will implement the training of students in proposal writing and project research under faculty guidance. Project research will be a strong component of the research oriented Ph.D. program.

The benefits to the region and state will be substantial, based on the experience of other states that have inaugurated such programs. Examples are California, Arizona, Illinois, Florida, Utah and Texas. The program will become a magnet to students and technology companies. It will provide abundant support for emerging companies in this region of Nevada that produce computer based products.

Table of Contents

I. Degree to be Awarded 1

II. Date of Initiation 1

III. Description and Objectives of the Program 1

1. Brief Introduction to the Discipline of Computer Engineering 1

2. Description of the Program 2

3. Specific Objectives 3

IV. Relationship of the Program to the Institution 4

1. Institutional Missions 4

2. Campus and College Objectives 5

3. Relationship to Other Programs in the System 5

4. Articulation Issues 6

V. Evaluation of Need for the Program 6

1. The History 6

2. The Present 6

3. The Future 8

4. Careers in Computer Engineering 8

5. Professional Societies and Publications in CpE 8

6. Competitiveness of the Program 9

VI. Detailed Curriculum Proposal 10

1. Entrance requirements 10

2. Master of Science Degree 11

3. Doctor of Philosophy Degree 11

4. Areas of Proficiency 12

5. Other Components of the Doctoral program 13

5.1 Research Projects 13

5.2 Proposal Writing Exercises 13

5.4 Comprehensive Examinations 13

6. Representative Schedules 14

6.1 A Masters Degree Nonthesis Representative Schedule 15

6.2 A Masters Degree Thesis Representative Schedule 15

6.3 A Ph.D. Degree Representative Schedule 16

7. Composition and Function of Graduate Committees 17

8. Retention Requirements 18

9. Accreditation 18

VII. Review of Existing Related Programs 19

VIII. Resources 19

1. Startup Resources 19

2. Ongoing Resources 20

3. Financial Support from Outside the University 21

IX. Facilities and Equipment 22

X. Faculty 23

XI. Computer Engineering Consultant 23

List of Appendices 24

(Appendices)

I Degree to Be Awarded

A program leading to the awarding of the Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Computer Engineering (CpE) is proposed. The didactic, research and administrative structure of this Graduate Program will be interdepartmental. The home base will reside in the College of Engineering, jointly in the Electrical Engineering Department and the Computer Science Department. The Computer Engineering Faculty for the program will be graduate faculty in those two departments, but support will also be drawn from the entire faculty and infrastructure of the College of Engineering where appropriate. Certain course offerings from the Mathematics and Physics Departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and from the program in Biomedical Engineering in the College of Medicine broaden the education resource base. The program will have a Director from the Computer Engineering Faculty Committee, who will report to the Dean, College of Engineering and to the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. This new program will strengthen and add more completeness to leading edge technology in current high technology graduate programs.

II Date of Initiation

The suggested beginning date for this program is July 1, 1998.

III Description and Objectives of the Program

1. Brief Introduction to the Discipline of Computer Engineering

Computer Engineering (CpE) is a new technical discipline that encompasses a suite of digital and telecommunications engineering and computer sciences. It applies advanced engineering, analysis and scientific principles to computers, computing, computer equipment interfacing, telecommunications, and information processing system design. CpE is inherently interdisciplinary, involving a number of technical areas.

Computer Engineering covers the spectrum from theoretical to applied. At the theoretical end, some investigators often have a background in the physics of materials at the micron level and high frequency electromagnetic waves for very high level integrated circuits (VHLIC) and high speed data transference as contrasted with traditional courses offered by engineering schools. Others use formal mathematics to address the problems of what can be computed, how and in what time frame, as well as the decomposition of problems into an ordering of steps for efficiency in both hardware and software. At the applied end, telecommunications is driven by computers networked with ever newer, faster, and more efficient transmission, protocols and encoding to bring the world closer together. There are also graphics and imaging interfaces between computers and data storage, either in local databases or in central archived repositories for retrieval on the Internet in compressed format. In mechanical and manufacturing engineering, master computers control robotic machines via networked slave computers embedded in local stations to process material and machine parts. Instrumentation engineering is included now that many instrumentation systems are computer based.

2. Description of the Program

Computer engineers require broad backgrounds from digital logic design to software engineering. Students must study the didactic features of digital logic engineering and the science of computing processes, as well as mathematics, physics, and applications areas. Students must integrate this large body of scientific knowledge to discover new information and to contribute to the research and development of specialized applications. Graduates must: i) have a strong base in digital engineering and algorithmic processes; ii) have deep experience in the specification and design of digital interfacing and software systems; and iii) be skilled in research and proposal development for research that leads to new technological breakthroughs and the resulting applications. The program will begin with focus around digital communications, networking, algorithms, data storage and retrieval and software specification and design.

To accomplish this, we propose a graduate-level, applications-oriented MS and research-oriented Ph.D. program designed to develop the specialized interests, capabilities and potentials of participating students. Top students in the technological areas with appropriate background in the physical sciences, engineering and computer sciences will be eligible to enter the program. It is expected that certain entering students will be required to broaden their backgrounds to cover the different aspects of this multi-disciplinary field. A flexible curriculum in the focused areas is required to tailor the specific needs of individual students.

A key component of this program will be the development of state-of-the-art research skills. Such skills will be developed by direct participation in on-going research with faculty in the College of Engineering. Students will also have the opportunity to conduct research jointly with other entities such as local industry, state agencies and the School of Medicine. Original, leading edge research will be paramount in the Ph.D. program and will be fostered by specific curriculum requirements of journal review seminars, attendance at the IGT Computer Engineering Speakers Series talks, presentations at conferences and proposal development exercises involving high technology research projects.

It is anticipated that about a half-dozen Ph.D. students will be participating at any given time once the program attains full implementation. In addition to studies, these Ph.D. level students will perform research with faculty to aid the faculty in obtaining funded research projects. A greater number of students is anticipated at the Masters degree level and these students will greatly benefit the state upon graduation when many of them will take jobs in the application oriented growing local industry. Although students will be exposed to most areas of CpE via upper-level graduate course-work, a research emphasis for Ph.D. students will be in those areas in which there will be on-going research projects by CpE faculty.

3. Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the Graduate Program in Computer Engineering (CpE) are as follows:

a. To provide a quality, high-level program for graduate students in the discipline of Computer Engineering.

b. To offer University of Nevada students an opportunity to prepare for a variety of professional careers based on Computer Engineering, which includes appropriate integration of equipment design, interfacing and instrumentation, algorithmic design, as well as software specification and design.

c. To contribute to the growing high technology environment of the University of Nevada, Reno by expanding options in graduate education to hit moving targets of rapidly evolving technological educational needs.

d. To foster professional interaction across departmental lines in the areas of computing, engineering, manufacturing and medicine.

e. To act as a catalyst, formally linking a strong pool of expertise in CpE with Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and other technical areas that may overlap on certain projects that involve Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics (in both university community and industry-university cooperative programs).

f. To serve as a mechanism to focus high technology research activities. A strong, interdisciplinary CpE program will show extramural research funding agencies the strengths of certain areas of CpE and also serve as a source of technical support for other grant applications that involve engineering and computing.

Some benefits of this high technology graduate program are: i) it benefits the state by attracting and supporting high technology clean industry to the region; ii) it provides expertise in the form of graduates and faculty as consultants for local technical industry; iii) it enriches the educational environment for undergraduates; iv) it enhances the research environment for faculty in a variety of technical fields; and v) it commands the attention of agencies that grant funds for research and equipment, which makes the university and research faculty more competitive.

IV Relationship of the Program to the Institution

1. Institutional Missions

The CpE graduate program in this Land Grant institution is consistent with many of the values, goals and objectives, future directions, themes and policies expounded in the Academic Master Plan for the University of Nevada, Reno ("Approaching the 21st Century") that was accepted and praised by the UCCSN Board of Regents. Some exemplary points of this plan are:

a. The CpE program will clearly enhance the "research, scholarship and creative activities that bring recognition to the University by contributing substantively and articulately to the body of knowledge and to the needs of society."

b. The new discipline, CpE, is "up-to-date, and centered on the needs of participants." There are tremendous opportunities in CpE for those well-trained in the field whose salaries and job opportunities have eclipsed those for other engineering (see Appendix A) and computing disciplines.

c. CpE will realize the UCCSN goal of "cooperation in the sense of encouraging multidisciplinary studies and programs." A CpE program will stimulate cooperation between departments in the College of Engineering and the entrepreneurial programs in the College of Business, Arts and Sciences and industry. The Master Plan emphasizes that: Interdisciplinary programs are the most important new initiative on our campus for graduate study and research.

d. CpE is a field that has the potential to have a significant and direct impact on our culture with its relentless enhancement of performance to compress, store, transmit and retrieve voluminous data, build complex nonlinear models to fit data from which to make intelligent decisions, communicate image, voice and other data between laboratories and hospitals, compress and store data locally or at regional centers, and manufacture and integrate systems efficiently and economically. Examples of the impact of CpE on society include the development of new research tools, safer and more effective means for obtaining information, advanced diagnostic instrumentation, devices that increase productivity and reduce costs of decision making and of manufacturing systems, and the creation of new entrepreneurial enterprises.

e. A CpE program has a strong potential to help, develop and diversify the regional economy. It is well documented that quality universities offering industrially oriented degrees attract new industries to their regions and support the continued growth and expansion of existing industries. Exchanges in technical expertise, visiting speakers, highly competent graduates, funding and research education provide a healthy environment and wise investment for cultivating highly sought after computer technology industries.

Additionally, the proposed Graduate Program in CpE is consistent with, and will contribute to goals stated in a number of University documents including numerous mission and objectives statements. The development of doctoral programs and graduate faculty ... to provide high quality, broad-based graduate programs is a recurrent theme in these statements.

2. Campus and College Objectives

The recent plans from the College of Engineering postulates similar goals. Some of the goals in this plan are:

a. Scholarly Activity - increase research activity and associated scholarly endeavors to advance new knowledge and to promote new and improved engineering technologies.

b. Strengthen University Linkages - increase interaction between the College of Engineering and entities of the Howard Hughes College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to promote cooperative expertise throughout the state.

Likewise, the College of Engineering has specifically identified Computer Engineering as a top priority for development under the fund raising activities of the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation and supports "cooperation in encouraging multi-disciplinary studies and programs".

An interdisciplinary CpE Graduate Program will be an essential component to meet many of these objectives and future directions.

3. Relationship to Other Programs in the System

The proposed Graduate Program in Computer Engineering will not duplicate any other program in the University of Nevada, Reno or in the University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN). It will be a unique graduate program that takes advantage of several key ingredients in the UCCSN mission. It will interact with and complement Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, the newer programs in Biomedical, Environmental and Earthquake Engineering (especially in the data acquisition/storage/communications areas), as well as the physical sciences and engineering disciplines. It will also realize the desire by the State government to promote and expand high technology and clean industries such as software engineering and digital device production.

4. Articulation Issues

In terms of articulation issues, no problems are anticipated. It is expected that applicants for this program are students graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno or any accredited University with baccalaureate degrees in the disciplines of Electrical Engineering or Computer Science (or in certain cases, in Mechanical Engineering, Physics or Mathematics, provided that certain prerequisites are made up).

V Evaluation of Need for the Program

1. The History

Computer Engineering (CpE) is a term that describes on the one hand a variety of advanced technical careers that encompass both the digital electronics area and integrated circuitry from Electrical Engineering. On the other hand, it encompasses the design of computing processes, algorithms, instructions sets, and software from Computer Science. Engineering is the art and science of designing practical applications by employing scientific techniques and mathematical reasoning. Computer Engineering is a discipline that involves design of both hardware and software for specific tasks. The hardware performs instructions by a process of complex switching on timed pulses between an enormous number of combinations of two-way switches at low voltages and high speed. The design of instructions to perform the specified logical switching processes is a part of the design of processors, while the design of special sequences of instructions to perform particular movements and transformations of data entail the algorithmic and software engineering part. For examples, a "chip" (integrated circuit) may be designed to perform a cyclic redundancy check on received data to detect errors, or a complex large scale software process may be designed with millions of instructions that must interact together so that the complexity is greater than the design of an aircraft carrier.

As a distinct field, CpE is new. Some of the largest and most prestigious programs in CpE were begun less than 10 years ago. The professional societies related to the field were already established in Electrical Engineering and in Computer Science. The current major professional societies are the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). New programs have recently been inaugurated across the country in major universities in expectation of tremendous growth in the field.

2. The Present

Most states have at least one graduate program in CpE. California, Texas and Florida each has programs in CpE at several universities and have greatly benefitted from them with tremendous economic booms in the computer industry. Close to Nevada, Arizona State University at Tempe has a large CpE program that is supported by Motorola and Intel in Phoenix. Oregon State University also has such a program. According to Prof. Dave Pheanis, who is a professor of CpE at Arizona State University, he is inundated with calls from companies nationwide seeking graduates with advance degrees in Computer Engineering. The job market is much greater than the supply and is growing.

Computer engineers currently direct their research interests in a number of broad areas including, but not limited to:

a. Basic research about the fundamental principles concerned with storing, moving and processing data from any source without errors.

b. Describing and enhancing the processing of data in more efficient ways so that more data can be processed in less time.

c. The development of interfaces between digital devices so that digital data can move between them with transparent translation of protocols and formats.

d. The acquisition of data from the environment through instrumentation and sensors so that processes can be controlled or diagnostics made.

e. Telecommunications of digital data between computers using satellite relays, wire cables and fiber optics involving the use of a number of state-of-the-art signalling schemes.

f. Software embedded in hardware to drive adaptive and intelligent machines that perform particular tasks, e.g., manufacturing, in which decisions must be made based on the data that is fed back from sensors.

g. A large number of technologies involving 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional computer-assisted image data in medical, meteorological and other systems.

h. Computer vision, where video data is interpreted by a computer to make decisions and take appropriate action in manufacturing and target tracking, for examples.

i. Any type of interfacing between computers or digital devices where data is interchanged and reformatted, e.g., a network interface card between the transceiver and the computer, or a framegrabber interface that receives and stores data from a scanner, or a universal serial line for connecting devices to computers.

j. The organization of data and the functions that operate on them into classes in a hierarchy of record type structures for organization into large software packages using object-oriented methodology.

3. The Future

Computer Engineering is a new area that evolved as the progeny of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science and has a number of specialized subareas that are rapidly growing. Its potential for future growth and economic development is perhaps the greatest among all scientific and engineering areas, and this potential is the driving force for new graduate programs in Computer Engineering. Computer and software technology are the most rapidly growing sectors of the American economy. Almost all of this new growth requires Computer Engineering support. The development of new computer techniques and technologies has a compounding effect that leads to new applications and to yet newer areas of research that lead to yet newer development.

4. Careers in Computer Engineering

As indicated by the number of areas relating to CpE, there is a wide range of careers encompassed by the field. These include, as a few examples, telecommunications, software engineering, storage technology, computer design, digital controllers, very large scale integrated circuitry, graphical display systems, automated recognition systems and imaging systems. A master's degree is desired for many jobs in Computer Engineering, but certain specialized jobs in research and development environments require the doctoral degree in Computer Engineering.

The employment sections of the ACM Communications and IEEE Computer list many jobs for Computer Engineers (including Software Engineers) in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Far East and Australia in universities and colleges, industry, research laboratories and governmental agencies. In the US, the pay for CpE's is the highest of any engineering or scientific discipline.

5. Professional Societies and Publications in CpE

The IEEE and ACM are among the world's largest professional organizations. Their umbrellas include a number of professional societies and special interest groups. Many of these are concerned with CpE. Examples are the IEEE Computer Society, the IEEE Cybernetics Society and the numerous ACM Special Interest Groups. Computer engineers typically belong to both the IEEE and the ACM as well as certain of their societies.

Both the IEEE and the ACM are organizations that produce the major journals for the CpE areas. These include IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, IEEE Trans. on Medical Imaging, IEEE Trans. on Control, IEEE Trans. on Computers, IEEE Trans. on Knowledge and Data Engineering, IEEE Trans. on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, IEEE Networks, IEEE Robotics, as well as the ACM Transactions on Computer Systems, ACM Trans. on Networking, ACM Trans. on Software Engineering and Methodology, ACM Trans. on Automation of Electronic Systems, and ACM Trans. on Information Systems, among others. The new DeLaMare Engineering and Mines Library at UNR contains all of these journals, as well as many other special ones on intelligent robotics, algorithms, computer design and other related areas.

6. Competitiveness of the Program

A total of more than 20 faculty members drawn from the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, together with other supporting faculty members from such departments as Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Physics, assures that the program will be competitive with other state universities. The Computer Engineering Faculty Committee, under its Director of CpE, will lead the program with the cooperation of the Chairs of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments. These faculty are publishing in the top journals in their areas and each has one or more specialties that relates directly to CpE. While no single department at the University of Nevada, Reno has sufficient resources to offer a full graduate curriculum in CpE, the joint program has ample resources to carry out the program successfully. In fact, the graduate program in CpE will cohabitate with and strengthen the graduate programs in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. All graduate students in this program will be graduate students in the Electrical Engineering or in the Computer Science Departments.

The proposed CpE program will be rooted in high academic standards: i) SAT/ACT scores of entering College of Engineering students are among the highest of any discipline within the University system, ii) only the top applicants to the engineering graduate programs are admitted as students and iii) all engineering departments in the College of Engineering have undergraduate programs that are nationally accredited by the ABET. The MS program in CpE could be ABET accredited with the current resources from EE and CS upon special request to ABET, but ABET does not accredit Ph.D. programs.

VI Detailed Curriculum Proposal

1. Entrance Requirements

Students with a B.S. (or equivalent) degree and an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher will be eligible to apply to the Graduate Program in CpE. Candidates must also meet the criteria for admission to the Graduate School of the University of Nevada, Reno as specified in the University of Nevada, Reno General Catalog. In addition to these requirements, candidates should have completed:

a. physics (2 semesters)

b. chemistry

c. calculus (3 courses)

d. proficiency in a modern programming language such as C++

e. introductory computer engineering (digital logic, assembly language, architecture)

g. microprocessors

h. other* course requirements depend upon the area (hardware or software emphasis)

i. the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

* hardware oriented dissertations require digital electronics, signals and systems and electronic communications in addition to the above

* software oriented dissertations require data structures, discrete mathematics and analysis of algorithms in addition to the above (discrete mathematics is required for ABET accreditation of undergraduate programs in CpE)

Promising students who are otherwise well qualified but who lack the above requirements, and who otherwise meet the Graduate School and Program requirements may be admitted to the CpE Graduate Program with the understanding that all such deficiencies will be rectified by the end of the second semester of study. In exceptional cases the CpE Faculty Committee may waive some admission requirements, but this would be a rare event. A student with an Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science background will usually not need remedial classes in CpE. Students with other backgrounds may be required to complete certain background courses without graduate credit. These courses are taught regularly in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments. It will be important to fulfill prerequisites in a timely fashion to prevent being dropped from the program.

The proposed Graduate Program in CpE will follow a traditional format for progression from a masters degree to a doctoral degree:

2. The Master of Science Degree

Students who meet entrance requirements, may be admitted as candidates for a Master of Science degree. A maximum of 9 credits may be completed without prior approval of a student's advisory committee. Acceptability of all course work will be judged by the student's advisory committee or, in the absence of a committee, by the CpE Faculty Committee. Two options exist at the masters degree level, in accordance with the policy of the Graduate School.

2.1 Masters degree, Plan A (thesis program): At least 24 credits of acceptable graduate courses must be completed, with a minimum of 12 credits in Electrical Engineering courses for the CpE track in hardware oriented areas or a minimum of 12 credits in Computer Science courses for the software oriented areas. Up to 6 credits may be taken from Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Biomedical Engineering or Environmental Engineering, upon approval by the student's advisory committee. The remaining courses must be taken in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. A thesis approved by the student's advisory committee must be completed and successfully defended before the committee and a general audience.

2.2 Masters degree, Plan B (non-thesis program): At least 33 credits of acceptable graduate courses must be completed, with a minimum of 15 credits in either hardware or software oriented courses (as for 12 hours in Plan A described above), or a mixture of the two, depending upon the area pursued. Up to 6 credits may be taken from Mathematics, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or Biomedical Engineering if approved by the advisory committee. The remainder of course work must be taken from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments. A 3-credit professional paper must be completed and defended, as well as an examination on given topics in Computer Engineering.

3. The Doctor of Philosophy Degree

A Ph.D. degree will require the successful completion of Comprehensive Examinations. Proficiency must be demonstrated in 3 areas, of which one must be in the area of research selected for the dissertation. The rules and regulations of the Graduate School apply and the CpE Faculty Committee may set higher standards as it deems necessary. If a student's performance does not satisfy the examiners on one or more examinations, the student will be required to: 1) retake the appropriate comprehensive examination(s) one more time (it may also be recommended by the advisory committee that the student take additional course work), or 2) drop out of the CpE Graduate Program if an examination is failed twice or the overall performance were to fall below that expected of a doctoral student by the CPE Faculty Committee.

Applicants with a Masters of Engineering (M.E.), Masters of Science (M.Sc.), or Ph.D. in a related area (as judged by the CpE Faculty Committee) will be eligible to apply directly to the doctoral program. Under these circumstances, a maximum of 24 credits of graduate course work can be applied toward the doctoral program. Credit for appropriate courses with a grade of B or better from other universities can be included up to the 24 credit maximum.

Typically, during the second year in a masters degree program, a student may elect to apply for admission to the doctoral program. A student who successfully completes the masters degree program may transfer a maximum of 24 appropriate credits to satisfy requirements for the doctoral program.

In compliance with the Graduate School requirements, the Ph.D. in Computer Engineering requires a total of 72 credits, with at least 48 credits in course work. A dissertation of at least 24 credits that reports original research is required. A minimum of 15 credits of the 24 required beyond the MS degree must be in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, while up to 9 may be in related areas in Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, as approved by the CpE Faculty Committee.

The doctoral degree will also require the successful completion of several specific curriculum components including: research in state-of-the art projects, proposal-writing exercises, technical presentations, teaching experience and the comprehensive examination. Detailed descriptions of these components are provided below.

4. Areas of Proficiency

The following table lists examples of some areas of proficiency under the categories of hardware orientation and software orientation for the areas recognized within masters and doctoral degree programs. The Computer Science and Electrical Engineering faculty have such expertise.

Hardware Orientation Software Orientation

-digital communications -operating systems networks

-microprocessors -software engineering

-VLS integrated circuitry -computer networks

-signal processing -data compression/storage/retrieval

-biomedical computing -discrete systems simulation

-solid state devices -pattern recognition/image processing

-sensor instrumentation -object oriented methodologies

-computer modeling/systems engr. -parallel algorithms

-real-time data acquisition -computer systems engineering

5. Other Components of the Doctoral Program

In addition to course work, doctoral students will be required to complete several specific requirements prior to graduation. These requirements are intended to: i) expose students to the wide range of activities in CpE, ii) develop and improve (verbal and written) communication skills in the scientific arena, iii) provide mechanisms to constantly track the progress of individual students and their research activities, and iv) create an environment to help develop the strongest possible research projects and publications. These are described below.

5.1 Research Projects. Graduate students will participate in a research project experience during their first year at the Ph.D. program level above the MS level. The research experience consists of spending time with one or more CpE faculty to study ongoing research. This permits exposure to research performed by the CpE faculty and should also facilitate a student's decision in choosing a doctoral advisor.

5.2. Proposal Writing Exercises. Doctoral students will be expected to perform proposal writing exercises related to their dissertation research before the end of the third semester of their Ph.D. programs. A dissertation proposal must be submitted to the CpE Faculty Committee prior to initiating the fourth semester of the Ph.D. schedule above the MS level. The form of the proposal will be consistent with the format used by one of the national funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy. A student's advisory committee and any other interested faculty will be given a "walk through" technical presentation by the student before submission of the proposal. The committee suggestions will be incorporated in the dissertation proposal.

There is a number of anticipated benefits from this component of a student's education: i) students will need to be well-versed in the current literature in their field and able to formulate and defend their research plans and methodology in the "walk through" presentations; ii) students will be introduced to the style, complexities and nuances of the process of developing research funding proposals and will develop the skills necessary for success in obtaining funds for research; iii) each student will be forced to "think through" one's proposed dissertation project (this is not intended to limit areas of investigation as new discoveries are made, but a great deal of time and effort can often be saved if research protocols are well planned); and iv) an open discussion of research proposals among faculty with diverse backgrounds frequently leads to much stronger courses of action to achieve the proposed scientific goals.

5.3 Comprehensive Examinations. The three comprehensive examinations are designed to assess the ability of a Ph.D. to integrate fundamental knowledge. A student will be tested in two areas related to advanced course work and in a specific research area, similar to the model for the current Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. This latter examination will be based on the student's proposed research plan in that a student can allow the proposed research to be the basis for examination in the research area. A student will take these examinations after the completion of most or all of the courses included in the student's Ph.D. program. Students can also submit a progress report if significant changes to the proposed research plan are needed, or if a significant time has elapsed between the proposal writing exercise and the comprehensive examination.

A student can retake one or more of the comprehensive examinations once if performance is deemed unsatisfactory by the examining committee. Students who fail to satisfy the requirements of the examining committee after a second attempt on a comprehensive examination must drop out of the Ph.D. program. Such students will be allowed to apply to the CpE Faculty Committee for readmission to complete a masters degree, if applicable.

6. Representative Schedules

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of CpE, there is no single "average" or "typical" representative schedule of course work. This flexibility is one of the strengths of the program. With several areas of proficiency in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science fields, and more areas of expertise in the areas of Mathematics, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, and Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, there are hundreds of possible combinations of areas. Not all of these combinations would be acceptable to a graduate committee, but it is not possible to predict what combinations may become useful as technology evolves at its current rapid pace. It is expected that an optimum background for any proposed subspecialty of CpE research interests will be enforced by the advisory committees.

Some examples of combinations of areas of proficiency that would provide a foundation for an individual with a particular focus are:

Individual Focus Areas of Proficiency

computer design advanced microprocessors, architecture, VLSI design

computer networks telecommunications, computer networks, operating system networks

medical imaging image processing, signal processing, physiology

neural network mining neural networks, databases, expert/fuzzy systems

of medical databases

data compression/storage databases, image processing, computer networks

interfacing data devices digital electronics, adv. microprocessors, VLSI design

data acquisition/control digital control, adv. microprocessors, signal processing

software engineering software engineering, operating systems, object oriented methods

6.1 A Masters Degree Nonthesis Representative Schedule. A student with a strong background would generally require little, if any, remedial course work. A student interested in (medical) imaging under the nonthesis program may select the following representative schedule, for example, assuming all course prerequisites have been met.

semester description course no. credits

1 Graphics EE 637 3

Advanced Electronics EE 721 3

Analysis of Algorithms CS 665 3

2 Computer Networks CS 632 3

Image Processing/Interpretation CS 674 3

Biomedical Electronics EE 791b 3

3 Parallel and Distributed processing EE 732 3

Topics in Database Management Systems CS 791h 3

Advanced Signal Processing EE 783 3

4 Advanced Image Processing EE 791g 3

Professional Paper/Technical Report EE/CS 796 [3]*

Examinations

* credits in square bracket are counted only at completion of degree

6.2 A Masters Degree Thesis Representative Schedule. A student who wishes

to perform thesis work in computer communications might take the following, for example.

semester description course no. credits

1 Microprocessor Engineering EE/CS 336 (0, prerequisite)

Data Communications/Cp Netwks EE 682/CS632 3

Operating Systems CS 646 3

2 Computer Networks CS 633 3

Digital Electronics EE 627 3

System Administration CS 647 3

Summer Thesis CpE 797 [3]*

3 Adv. Op. Sys., Cp Ntwks CS 746b 3

Advanced Digital Electronics EE 727 3

4 Information Theory and Coding EE 784a 3

Thesis CpE 797 [3]*

Submit and Defend Thesis

* credits in square brackets are applied toward the thesis project (total of 6 are required)

6.3 A Ph.D. Degree Representative Schedule. A student who wishes to pursue research in high speed serial line buses for interfacing digital devices and instruments to computers may choose the following sample schedule after being accepted into the Ph.D. program (assuming here that the prerequisites shown have not been taken yet).

semester description course no. credits

1 Signals & systems EE 381 (0, prerequisite)

Microprocessor Engineering EE/CS 336 (0, prerequisite)

Image Processing/Interpretation CS 674 3

2 Introduction to Electronics EE 321 (0, prerequisite)

Data Comm./Cp. Ntwks. EE 682/CS 632 3

Operating Systems CS 646 3

Summer Proposal Development Problems CpE 792 3

3 Computer Networks CS 633 3

Parallel & distributed processing EE 732 3

Dissertation CpE 799 [2]*

4 Biomedical Electronics BME 601 3

Digital Signal Processing EE 684 3

Dissertation CpE 799 [3]*

Summer Proposal Development Problems CpE 792 3

5 Topics in Signal Processing EE 792p 3

Topics in Data Acquisition CpE 792 3

Advanced Data Networks CS 791 3

Dissertation CpE 799 [3]*

6 Seminar in Serial Bus Research EE 790 3

Medical Imaging Topics EE 791g 3

Dissertation CpE 799 [4]*

7 Research Topics EE 791 6

Dissertation CpE 799 [6]*

8 Dissertation CpE 799 [6]*

* credits in square brackets indicate the 24 dissertation research credits minimum required

The areas of proficiency here are: i) Computer Networks and Telecommunications; ii) Signal Processing; and iii) High Speed Serial Bus Interfacing (Intel and IEEE specs.). In this sample program, 18 credits of 6xx level and 30 credits of 7xx level courses are shown for a total of 48. The Graduate School requires 48 hours of course work, of which at least 30 hours must be at the 7xx level. It also requires 24 hours of dissertation. In the usual case, a qualified student would already have completed some courses for the MS and would take only 18 more credits for a total of 48 credit hours of course work.

7. Composition and Function of Graduate Committees

A masters degree advisory committee will be formed at the time of completion of the first semester of course work. Masters degree committees will consist of at least one member from the CpE faculty and one from the Electrical Engineering or Computer Science Departments. An additional member will be included from the university-at-large, as required by the Graduate School. A maximum of 9 credits of graduate course work can be taken prior to the formation of a formal committee.

A doctoral advisory committee will be formed by the end of the third semester in the Ph.D. program past the Master's level. Doctoral committees will consist of at least 2 internal members from CpE faculty and two members from the Electrical Engineering and/or Computer Science Departments. Another member must be from the university-at-large for a total of at least 5, as required by the Graduate School. However, an independent member may be from outside of UNR, or even outside of the UCCSN. It is not necessary for the doctoral committee to include members of the original masters degree committee if the student obtained the MS degree in this program.

Doctoral advisory committees must be informed if major changes in the research plan (presented in the dissertation proposal) are contemplated. Three or four months prior to the completion of a research project, the committee will meet again with the student to decide on specific details of the dissertation preparation and presentation. Each member of a committee must receive a draft of a dissertation at least 8 weeks before its defense, as required by the Graduate School. The draft is necessary to allow changes to be made if the committee feels they are needed and should already have incorporated any changes suggested by the advisor.

8. Retention Requirements

To remain in the Graduate Program in CpE, students must meet the standards of the CpE program and those of the Graduate School of the University of Nevada, Reno. A student's CpE advisory committee must approve the course requirements. Standards of the Graduate School include: students must complete each graduate course with a grade of C or above, and must earn an overall B average (3.00 GPA) in graduate courses. A student whose GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on probationary status, in which case it must elevated to 3.00 during the next semester in which one enrolls or be dropped from the program. A student whose GPA falls below 2.5 at any time will not be permitted to continue in the program.

9. Accreditation

Aside from the general accreditation requirements of the University, there are no special secondary accreditation requirements for graduate programs. The ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is responsible for accrediting all engineering undergraduate programs. All of the undergraduate engineering programs in the College of Engineering are accredited by the ABET, while the Computer Science undergraduate program is preparing for CSAB (Computer Science Accreditation Board) accreditation. Graduate programs are generally of no actual concern to ABET and CSAB because they consist of mainly of analysis and research rather than the design and laboratory experience necessary for the B.S. in Engineering.

There is actually no need to establish a separate undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering because the Electrical Engineering program is already ABET accredited and has laboratories and equipment for the undergraduate options in Computer Engineering. Both the Electrical Engineering and the Computer Science Departments have such an option, which is actually a concentration or emphasis on course work to prepare for graduate work in Computer Engineering. There is a growing market for employment in Computer Engineering for persons with the MS or Ph.D. because it is a strongly research and development oriented field.

VII Review of Existing Related Programs

The proposed program in Computer Engineering will complement existing graduate programs in the College of Engineering and the other interacting departments. It will provide another base, along with those of the Biomedical Engineering Program and the Environmental Engineering Program that promote a number of interdisciplinary interactions. Participation will come from Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, but will also entail cooperation with Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics.

The University has taken active steps to support the development of related inter-disciplinary research efforts. For example, the Graduate School and the School of Medicine recently created the "Center for Computer Modeling Research," directed by Philip Goodman, as a focus group for research in the area of numerical modeling (including neural network theory). Some of the proposed CpE Core Faculty participate in this group. The Center will be aided by a formally recognized graduate program in CpE. Conversely, the CpE program will benefit from this active, state-of-the-art area of research.

Despite the strong interdisciplinary nature of Computer Engineering, it is a unique high technology discipline. Typically, engineers have a stronger background in the various physical sciences than traditionally trained computer scientists. On the other hand, the computer scientists typically have stronger background in the theory and use of computation and algorithms.

In the state of Nevada, there are no other formal graduate programs in CpE. Thus, CpE is likely to act as a catalyst to bring together a number of disciplines with no conflicts with other graduate programs in the State.

VIII Resources

1. Startup Resources

To initiate the program, $100,000 of the start up $1 million fund from IGT has been set aside as an endowment to support the IGT Distinguished Speaker Series. The interest money pays to bring in speakers in current fast paced technical areas. Many speakers have already made presentations. As examples, talks have been presented on: i) the new high speed serial computer bus being developed at Intel to which all peripheral devices will be connected to future desktop computers; ii) high speed telecommunications; and iii) software engineering with Smalltalk.

IGT Computer Engineering grant funds of $200,000 have been used to help with the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science undergraduate programs by the purchase of laboratory equipment (HP workstations, emulators, and experimenter's boards that interface to PCs) for support of Electrical Engineering laboratories and Computer Science computer networks. Teaching assistants and technicians for laboratory instruction and computer network administration have also been supported from the remaining $700,000 of IGT funds, as have professorial level positions for temporary periods. One of these has been converted to a state funded Computer Science position and another is scheduled for Electrical Engineering.

Faculty and equipment for the Computer Engineering graduate program are already in place because they are already used in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduate programs. Over time, it is expected that Computer Engineering faculty in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will write proposals with the help of supervised Ph.D. students to bring in research money to support fellowships and research assistants and to purchase special equipment for research projects. Benefits of this Ph.D. program will be to enrich the educational environment for undergraduates, enhance the research environment for faculty, and successfully capture the attention of agencies that grant funds for research and equipment. A small amount of grant money will be spent to advertise for a few top Ph.D. students in the appropriate publications, such as IEEE Computer and the Communications of the ACM. This will help to assure that high quality students are attracted and to contribute to the success of CpE research.

2. Ongoing Resources

The faculty needed to initiate this new graduate program are presently in place in the College of Engineering, with further support being available from Mathematics, Physics and the School of Medicine.

It is anticipated that a few of the best applicants will be admitted to the Ph.D. program each year. A greater number of students can be admitted to the masters degree program. Thus, once fully implemented, there is expected to be approximately a half-dozen students enrolled in the Ph.D. program. Once students select a doctoral research advisor, stipend support will be provided by the faculty mentor via research grant funds. Certain students will be awarded assistantships from current funds in the form of Teaching Assistantships, which will require teaching in EE and CS laboratories. When research funds become available from external awards, the Ph.D. level students will perform research as Research Assistants. Once the program is fully implemented, it is expected that external research funds will be available to support the graduate students.

The Computer Engineering graduate students will actually be students in the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Thus the student files will be kept in the appropriate departments, which presents no new needs of secretarial/managerial staff over that

presently available in the College of Engineering. The Director of the Computer Engineering program is a rotating position that alternates every 3 years between Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. This director also chairs the Computer Engineering Faculty Committee.

3. Financial Support from Outside the University

One of the significant consequences of the development of a formal program in CpE is the recognition and focused research activities that will lead to increased funding from a number of different extramural sources. Nationwide, activities in the field of CpE are funded by:

a. National Granting Agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, Office of Naval Research, Army Research Office, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, etc. One of the Assistant Professors in Computer Science who is on the Computer Engineering Faculty Committee currently has a grant of $256,000 from the National Science Foundation and is supporting graduate students.

b. Private Foundations. These specifically target academic programs, for example, the Lemelson Foundation and also the Ford and E. L. Cord Foundations. The Lemelson Foundation recently awarded the Electrical Engineering Department $100,000.

c. Industry. Recent changes in policies regarding industry-university cooperation make this a prime area for expansion of university resources and activities. Local companies include IGT, which funded Computer Engineering in the amount of $1,000,000, Bentley-Nevada, Lockheed-Martin Mountaingate, Donnelly and hundreds of smaller companies.

In addition, a CpE program will be an asset for ongoing and future research activities at the University. Today, in order to be competitive in obtaining research dollars, leading edge technologies in sensing, signals, data acquisition, processing, analysis, display and storage must be utilized. Many investigators today have a difficult time staying abreast of advances in technologies. The ability to identify technical expertise and facilities provided within a formally identified CpE program is a strong attribute in any research proposal.

In Northwestern Nevada, the emerging high technology industry is being spearheaded by IGT, which recently awarded $1,000,000 to initiate the Computer Engineering program. IGT and other high technology companies such as Lockheed-Martin Mountaingate, Sierra Nevada Corp., Cubix, Solid State Farms, etc., will benefit greatly with faculty consultants, graduate student interns, and employees.

The lack of a formal named program in place is a severe deficit for fund raising activities for research in CpE, both in terms of clearly identifying a critical mass of expertise and describing an administrative structure that promotes such interdisciplinary activities. It will be important to have a program in place to be competitive for future proposals to granting agencies and other extramural sources of funds. The success of any such awards will clearly have an impact on the rate at which the CpE program and activities develop.

IX Facilities and Equipment

Adequate facilities and equipment are in place to initiate a Graduate Program in CpE. It is expected that future extramural funding will be obtained to augment the equipment. Facilities are distributed within the College of Engineering.

The UNR newly combined DeLaMare Mines and Engineering Library has adequate holdings in the computing and engineering fields. All basic IEEE publications are on subscription, as are those of the ACM and SIAM. The journals that are important for CpE form a subset of those important for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and are on hand already. The DeLaMare Library is now in the process of acquiring access to certain high technology journals on the Internet at very low prices.

CpE applications involve intensive usage of computers. An adequate supply of computer equipment is already in place for EE and CS students. The need, however, for newer and better computing equipment will continue for the EE and CS programs regardless of the CpE program. Silicon Graphics is currently in the process of finalizing an agreement whereby they will donate about 20 to 30 extremely powerful computers and the College of Engineering will buy about 20 more. These will be networked with the current computer networks in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments, so that any student on a workstation can log onto any of the powerful servers on campus for computing.

The UNR campus already has an FDDI network (double fiber optic cable transmitting in two directions) that local area networks in the various departments connect to. UNR is now negotiating for access to the new high speed Internet II that will connect certain research universities and federal research laboratories. The laboratories in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science connect to servers that connect to gateways to the Internet. The graduate students in CpE will use these same machines. An enormous volume of information is available on the Internet and is becoming increasingly a classroom resource.

X Faculty

The CpE Faculty Committee is formed from appropriate faculty from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments and is chaired by the Director of the CpE Program. This committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program and the advising of graduate students. Other graduate faculty from these departments will also be involved in teaching courses that count for CpE degrees and in serving on graduate committees. All faculty will maintain their appointments, space and resources within their respective departments or administrative units. The graduate faculty who participate in any way with the CpE Program will serve on student's graduate committees in CpE, which should help them to become more competitive to granting agencies that review proposals in CpE or in the fields associated with CpE.

The CpE Program will depend upon the Computer Engineering Faculty Committee and graduate faculty of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Departments. These include Dwight Egbert, Ph.D., EE; John Kleppe, Ph.D., EE; Yaakov Varol, Ph.D., CS; Sami Fadali, Ph.D., EE; Carl Looney, Ph.D., CS; Sushil Louis, Ph.D., CS; Fred Harris, Ph.D., CS; Robert Hooper, Ph.D., CS; Bruce Johnson, Ph.D., EE; Mohamad Fayad, Ph.D., CS; George Bebis, Ph.D., CS; Walter Johnson, Ph.D., EE and Ass't Dean of Engineering; Jordan Hastings, MSCS, CS; Ed Wishart, Ph.D., CS; Atindra Mitra, Ph.D., EE; Andrzej Trzynadlowski, Ph.D., EE; Nelson Publicover, Ph.D., School of Medicine and Director of the Biomedical Engineering graduate program; Mark Pinsky, Ph.D., Math.; Reinhard Bruch, Ph.D., Physics; among others. This core represents Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Science (CS), the School of Medicine, Mathematics (Math.), Physics and the Dean's office within the College of Engineering (the Dean's representative is Prof. Walter Johnson, Ph.D.). Courses taught by many other professors in the College of Engineering, the Math. and Physics Departments, and the School of Medicine may be taken by CpE graduate students.

The CpE Faculty Committee will administer the CpE graduate programs and accept other graduate faculty for membership on CpE committees, which may include faculty from such UCSSN graduate level units as UNLV and DRI. The faculty from the EE and CS Departments are eligible to be on the CpE Faculty Committee that administers the program and are nominated by the respective Electrical Engineering and the Computer Science Departments. The Dean's office has a College of Engineering representative, who is nonvoting.

XI Computer Engineering Consultant

Computer Engineer Dave Pheanis, Ph.D. reviewed this proposal (see Appendix A) for an interdisciplinary program in Computer Engineering. He is a Computer Engineering faculty member at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ.

List of Appendices

Appendix A

Letter from External Consultant, Dave Pheanis, Ph.D. (see Attachment A)

Appendix B

Memoranda of Support (see Attachment B)

Diana Weigmann, Director, State Office of Science, Engineering and Technology

Dwight Egbert, Ph.D., Former Acting Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering, former

Former Director of Computer Engineering Faculty Committee

Yaakov Varol, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Computer Science

Byard Wood, P.E., Ph.D., Acting Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Emmanuel Maragakis, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Civil Engineering

Nelson Publicover, Ph.D., Director, Biomedical Engineering Program, School of Medicine

Ronald Phaneuf, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Physics

Appendix C

Memorandum from the Dean (see Attachment C)

Note: the College of Engineering oversees the CpE Faculty Committee for the graduate program in Computer Engineering is the College of Engineering. Appendix C contains memorandum of support from this administrative unit.

Ted Batchman, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Engineering

Appendix D

Biosketches of Selected Computer Engineering Program Faculty (see Attachments D)

Appendix E

Library Resource Assessment Form

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