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Engineering, Mathematics and Science
132
Electronic engineering
Students who wish to study Electronic engineering apply
to the Engineering degree (TR032). The first two years
are common to all Engineering students and at the end of
the second-year students select Electronic engineering as
their specialist area.
See page 126 for details of the Freshman (first two) years.
What is Electronic engineering?
Electronic engineering involves the use of electricity to perform
a wide range of functions and the application of these functions
to improve the quality of our lives.
The role of the electronic engineer is to devise suitable circuits
and systems for the acquisition, storage, processing and
transmission of low-power electronic signals as information-
bearing electrical entities.
In today’s Information Age there is an ever-growing use of
mobile phones, internet resources, computers, entertainment
systems, satellite imaging, optical fibres, and automation.
Electronic components and circuits are the cornerstone
technology used to monitor or detect, store, process and
transmit the information generated by each of these systems.
Electronic engineers provide the vital skills and innovation
needed to design and develop these remarkable components
and systems.
Course overview
In the Junior Sophister (third) year you will study a total of
seven electronic engineering subjects and four core engineering
subjects. There are approximately 16 hours of lectures, 4 hours
of tutorials, 3 hours of laboratory time and 3 hours of project time
per week.
A fourth year electronic engineering student typically has a
weekly timetable of 14 hours of lectures, 4 hours of tutorials
and 3 to 4 hours of laboratory work. Additionally, you will have
laboratory access for individual work on your project.
The optional fifth year of the programme will allow students to
study toward the M.A.I. Master’s degree qualification with more
advanced level of treatment of the topics listed below.
There
may also be the opportunity to undertake a placement in
industry or with a research group or to participate in the
Unitech or Cluster programmes.
What will you study?
Junior Sophister (third year) courses cover:
n
Core elements of analogue and digital electronics
–
the principles of operation of electronic devices and their
behaviour when connected to form circuits.
n
Microprocessor systems
– all aspects of the principles,
design, construction and characterisation of the hardware
and system software of microprocessor-based computers.
n
Signals and systems
– electronic circuits, mathematical
methods and algorithms for describing and processing
signals such as audio and video.
n
Electromagnetism
– the principles of the physical systems
and of the mathematical characterisation of the transmission
of electromagnetic radiation.
n
Telecommunications
– electronic circuits and networks and
the principles of modulation and coding for the transmission
of information over guided paths and through free-space.
In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year, in addition to a course
in engineering management, you will choose a combination
of subjects that allows further specialisation in electronic
engineering. Each final-year student also completes a project,
either individually or within a group.
Fourth year courses cover:
n
Integrated systems design and Digital control systems
n
Telecommunications and Digital communications
n
Digital signal processing and Digital media processing
n
Microelectronic technology and Microelectronic circuits
n
Introduction to bioengineering
In the optional fifth year, which leads to an M.A.I. Master’s
degree, students take a course in research methods and a
number of elective courses during the first semester. These
courses are in general more advanced level courses of the
fourth year topics listed above. During the second semester
each student undertakes a major individual project that is
assessed by a presentation and an end-of-year dissertation.
Some examples of project areas include:
n
Communications networking
n
Electronic circuit design
n
Integrated circuit technology
n
Electronic and optoelectronic materials
n
Sensor-based ad hoc networks
n
Microphone array characterisation
n
Neural engineering
n
Bioinstrumentation
n
Digital signal and media processing
n
Probability modelling and applications
n
Cognitive radio systems