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Computer Engineering (CMPE)

Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

CHARLES NICHOLAS, Chair
JOHN PINKSTON, Graduate Program Director

Associate Professors
PHATAK, DHANANJAY, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Mobile and high-performance computer networks; computer arithmetic algorithms and their VLSI implementations; signal processing; neural networks, their applications and efficient implementations; digital and analog VLSI design; and CAD
PLUSQUELLIC, JAMES, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; VLSI design and test, design/process interaction, model-to-hardware correlation

Assistant Professors
YOUNIS, MOHAMED, Ph.D., New Jersey Institute of Technology; Fault-tolerant computing, operating systems, real-time systems, distributed systems, embedded computer systems, compile-time analysis, engineering of complex computer systems, programming languages, systems integration, reliability modeling, analysis and formal methods in software engineering.
PATEL, CHINTAN, Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore County; VLSI design and test

Degrees Offered

M.S. (thesis and non-thesis project), Ph.D.

Program Description

The department offers a graduate program leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Engineering. The program provides advanced instruction and research opportunities in a broad range of computer engineering areas and is focused on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the state of the art in computer engineering. The doctoral program emphasizes research as a major element of its degree requirements. Fields of specialization in computer engineering supported within the department include:

1. VLSI design and test, including mixed-signal analog and digital design
2. Systems hardware/software co-design and testing
3. Computer networks
4. Digital signal processing

A departmental brochure that describes the department, its graduate programs, degree requirements and the research interests of the faculty can be obtained from the graduate program specialist or can be viewed at www.umbc.edu/engineering/csee/csee_grad.html.

Research Specialties

Ongoing research in the department provides a source of project, thesis and dissertation topics for students. The following illustrates some of the current research areas: VLSI design and test, low-power design, mixed-signal design, SoC design and test, computer arithmetic algorithms and implementations, MEMs, opto-electronic circuits and networks. The department encourages interdisciplinary research and invites students to take advantage of resources in related departments, including education, geography and environmental systems, information systems, mathematics and statistics, physics, visual arts and other departments within the College of Engineering and Information Technology or at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Medical School. In addition, opportunities exist for joint research projects with local research laboratories, companies and government agencies, including the Library of Congress, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Security Agency and the Naval Research Laboratories.

Degree Requirements

Master of Science (M.S.) Degree

Within five years of admission, the student must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours with the thesis option or 33 credit hours with the non-thesis (project) option. There is no course-only option; all students MUST do either a thesis or a project. Students must satisfy the GPA and course requirements for their field of specialty and attend the department’s Graduate Seminar (CMPE 608). The thesis option in the student’s field requires a minimum of eight graduate-level courses and six credit hours of thesis research (CMPE 799). The thesis must be defended with an oral exam and accepted with the approval of the student’s master’s thesis committee. The committee must consist of at least three graduate faculty members within the department. The non-thesis (project) option in the student’s field requires a minimum of 10 graduate-level courses and three credit hours of research project coursework resulting in a scholarly paper, which must be approved by the advisor and an additional reader.

Breadth Courses:
CMSC 611: Advanced Computer Architecture
CMPE 640: Advanced VLSI Design
CMPE 650: Digital Systems Design

And one of the following:
CMPE 691: Principles of Mixed-Signal Design
CMPE 645: Computer Arithmetic Algos and Implementations
CMPE 646: VLSI Design Verification and Testing
ENEE 610: Digital Signal Processing

CMPE Electives:
CMPE 642: Principles of Mixed-Signal Design
CMPE 645: Computer Arithmetic Algos and Implementations
CMPE 646: VLSI Design Verification and Testing
CMPE 641: Advanced VLSI Design II
CMPE 691: Advanced Computer Arithmetic Algos and Implementations

Most graduate courses offered in the CSEE department, as well as new courses that might be developed, are available as electives for the computer engineering program. Students need to obtain written permission from the graduate program director to count a CSEE or ENEE course as an elective.

Breadth Courses
Each student must take four breadth courses, distributed as given in the courses table and receive a grade of “B” or better in each.

Additional Courses
Beyond the four breadth courses and the six credits of CMPE 799 (Master’s Thesis Research), a minimum of 12 additional course credits is required for students who choose the thesis option. For students who choose the non-thesis (project) option, the minimum number of additional course credits (beyond the four breadth courses and three research project credits) is 18.

M.S. Thesis Option

Any student may undertake a master’s thesis, supervised by a faculty member. Master’s degree candidates undertake a thesis for six credits, which shows a tangible research component. Upon completion of the thesis research, the thesis must be defended in a public presentation. Unless approved by the graduate program director, each student is allowed to take a maximum of six credits of courses outside the department. These courses must be at the graduate level and must be approved by the student’s advisor and the graduate program director prior to registration.

Graduate Seminar

Each student must attend the graduate seminar course for one semester.

Transfer Credits

No more than six credits may be transferred from another university or from UMBC as a non-degree student. Credit transfer must be approved by the graduate program director.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree

Each field of specialty sets its course requirements for doctoral students in that field. The department’s minimum requirement is 11 courses (beyond the bachelor’s degree). The doctoral student must spend the equivalent of at least three years of full-time residency, with at least one year on the UMBC campus. The doctoral dissertation must be an original and substantive contribution to knowledge in the student’s major field. It must demonstrate the student’s ability to carry out a program of research and to report the results in accordance with standards observed in the recognized scientific journals related to that field.

Doctoral students must (1) pass the written comprehensive exam within four semesters of entrance to the program (five semesters for part-time students); (2) develop and defend a doctoral dissertation proposal and be admitted to doctoral candidacy within four years of entrance to the program; and (3) complete all Ph.D. requirements for their field of specialty within four years of admission to doctoral candidacy.

Comprehensive Examination (Comps)
Each student must pass a written examination based on the material covered in the four breadth courses. The comprehensive examinations are offered twice a year and may be retaken once if failed the first time, provided the time limit (four semesters for full-time students and five semesters for part-time students) is not exceeded. Any student who fails the exam twice will be dismissed from the graduate program. See the department’s graduate program Web site at www.cs.umbc.edu/CSEE/grad/index.html for detailed policies for comprehensive exams.

Graduate Seminar
Each student must attend the graduate seminar course (CMPE 608) for two semesters, usually during the first year.

Course Requirements
Students must satisfy the minimum course requirements for their field of specialty (typically 11 courses totaling 33 credits) excluding the department’s graduate seminar, graduate research credits prior to Ph.D. candidacy and doctoral dissertation research credits. Four of the 11 courses must be taken from the breadth courses as specified in the courses table. The remaining elective courses must be taken within CMPE unless the student receives explicit permission from the graduate program director to take a course within CMSC or ENEE. Students cannot take dissertation research credits (CMPE 899) before passing the preliminary examination.

Preliminary Examination (Prelim)
Each student must select a dissertation advisor and a dissertation preliminary examination committee. Students must pass a two-part preliminary examination. In the first part, students present and defend their dissertation proposal to the committee. In the second part, the committee examines the students orally on their research area(s) to assess their ability to complete the proposed research successfully. Each full-time student must pass the preliminary examination within one-and-a-half years after passing the comprehensive exams to remain in the Ph.D. program. Part-time students will be given two-and-a-half years to pass the preliminary examination.

Ph.D. Candidacy
After passing the preliminary examination and completing the course requirements, the graduate program committee recommends to the Graduate School that the student be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

Dissertation Research
Students conduct and report on a significant original research project under the guidance of their dissertation advisor. This research must be completed and defended within four years of admission to candidacy. Doctoral candidates take at least 16 dissertation credits, and the dissertation must demonstrate a significant contribution to the state of the art in the topic selected. The Ph.D. dissertation committee must include four graduate faculty members from the CSEE department and one external member. Students must be admitted to candidacy at least two full sequential semesters before the date on which the doctoral degree is to be conferred.

Residency Requirements
A minimum of three years of full-time graduate study or its equivalent is required. At least one year of full-time study must be completed at UMBC.

Program Admission Requirements

When seeking admission to the graduate program, applicants must satisfy all entrance requirements of the Graduate School at UMBC. All original application materials must be sent directly to the Graduate School, not to graduate program. Applications are not processed until all documents and fees are received. All applicants must submit official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, Graduate Record Examination (GRE General Test) scores and, for inter-national students, scores for the TOEFL. Application deadlines are specified by the Graduate School. The application review process will begin by February 15 for admission in the fall semester and by October 1 for admission in the following spring semester. Early application is recommended.

An applicant to the graduate program in computer engineering is expected to have a strong background in computer engineering, computer science and mathematics courses. This includes the calculus course series, linear algebra, differential equations, and probability and statistics in mathematics. In addition, applicants are expected to have taken courses equivalent to the following computer engineering, computer science and electrical engineering courses at UMBC:

CMPE 310: Systems Design and Programming
CMPE 312: Principles of Digital Design
CMPE 314: Principles of Electronic Circuits
CMPE 413: Principles of VLSI Design
CMSC 341: Data Structures
CMSC 411: Computer Architecture
CMSC 421: Principles of Operating Systems
ENEE 206: Basic Circuit Theory

Students may apply for admission to either the M.S. or the Ph.D. program. However, admission to the Ph.D. program is highly selective, and only students with exceptional backgrounds will be accepted. Students who plan to pursue the Ph.D. degree but who do not already have a master’s in computer science are advised to apply for admission to the M.S. program. New students will be assigned an academic advisor who can provide advice on choosing courses, degree requirements and other important matters during the first year. By the end of the first year, students are expected to have located a faculty member to serve as the research advisor for master’s or doctoral. research. Consideration for continued financial assistance depends on locating a research advisor. Admission to the M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs are separate.

Facilities and Special Resources

The department’s computer engineering facilities include two dedicated computer engineering laboratories that provide computers and test and measurement equipment. The department also provides two dedicated servers that allow students to use commercial design software. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has more than 400 workstations for general student use and several high-end computing systems.

Financial Assistance

Financial aid is available on a competitive basis to a limited number of qualified graduate students in the form of graduate teaching assistantships (TAs), graduate research assistantships (RAs), work-study positions and hourly employment as graders. Graduate RAs are often available to students actively engaged in their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation research and are awarded and renewed subject to availability of funds and satisfactory research progress. Students are encouraged to apply directly to nationally awarded fellowship programs.

COURSE LISTING

See COMPUTER SCIENCE (CMSC) and ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING (ENEE) for additional courses.

CMPE 799
Master’s Thesis Research [1-6]
This course is for students in the CMPE master’s program who are engaged in master’s thesis research. Note: May be taken for repeated credits, but a maximum of six credit hours may be applied toward master’s thesis-option requirements. Prerequisite: Open only to CMPE thesis-option students.

CMPE 898
Pre-Candidacy Doctoral Research [1-6]
Research on doctoral dissertation conducted under the direction of a faculty advisor before candidacy.

CMPE 899
Doctoral Dissertation Research [6]
This dissertation research course is for doctoral students who have passed the Ph.D. preliminary examination or will be taking the preliminary examination in the semester they are enrolled in this course. Note: May be taken for repeated credits (two semesters required), up to 16 credit hours.