Master of Science in Computer Engineering

CREDIT HOURS: 39

Overview

The Department of Computer Engineering is a part of the College of Engineering and Technology, at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. It offers a program of study for its graduates who will engage in the professional practice of computer engineering as it relates to design, development, research, other engineering functions, and teaching in industry, government, or a university. It prepares students for advanced study and/or research and industry in the field of computer engineering. The Master of Science in Computer Engineering program builds a strong foundation in all aspects of the design and development of computer systems, with a specialization in a major area. Students pursue thesis research under the guidance of faculty advisers.

Applicants to the Master of Science program in Engineering must hold a university undergraduate Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college. An overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.40/4.00 (or Good) in the undergraduate degree is required.

In order to earn the Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree, the student must achieve 24 credit hours of coursework and a thesis equivalent to 15 credit hours, 3 credit hours for thesis part 1 and 12 credit hours for thesis part 2 (i.e. a total of 39 credit hours).

The coursework requires a total of 8 courses:

• 4 core courses (12 credit hours)
• Any 4 elective courses from the elective courses groups (12 credit hours).

Students can register thesis course part 1 after finishing the 8 courses.

Admission

An admission test is organized by the department for students applying for the Master’s degree. If the applicant didn’t pass the admission test, the department council can require the applicant to study qualifying courses and should pass these courses with a GPA not less than 3.0 to be enrolled for study.

Program Objectives

The basic objectives of the Computer Engineering graduate program can be outlined as follows:

• To acquire a strong foundation in Computer Engineering area relevant to the current needs of industry to allow them to successfully compete for demanding and high quality jobs
• Contribute to the field by advancing the state of the art in science
• Personal development due to exposure to a broad range of academic research areas
• Analyze problems, propose algorithmic solutions, and implement them correctly and efficiently by applying their knowledge of mathematics, computing, systems and development tools.
• Propose engineering solutions using the information and communication technologies for the related problems of industry and government.
• Publish in high ranking research venues
• To acquire clear communication abilities, ethical and social responsibilities for teamwork.
• Make positive contributions to their community and society by applying skills and abilities learned during their undergraduate program in computer engineering
• Improve knowledge and skills through lifelong learning and graduate studies.

Learning Outcomes 

The MSc degree program intends to prepare students and graduate them with a number of abilities and skills. Learning outcomes of the MSc program include development of:

1. An ability to understand and apply extensive advanced knowledge of mathematic-scientific and engineering principles
2. An ability to analyze and solve problems scientifically
3. An ability to apply innovative computational methods to problem-solving
4. An ability to design and conduct advanced software projects
5. An ability to assess applicable methods and their limits
6. An ability to identify, find and procure necessary information.
7. An ability to plan and carry out analytic, model and experimental investigations.
8. An understanding of the role of engineers in society.

Pre-Master (Preparation/Orientation)

Students with Non-Computer Engineering BSc degrees of the major track of electrical, electronic, or communication BSc degrees will be offered the shown below courses as preparatory courses to their MSc. Degree

Program Courses

 

Core Courses

 

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Hours
ECE 6121	Advanced Computer Architecture	3
ECE 6211	Advanced Programming Languages	3
ECE 6331	Computer Networks and Security	3
ECE 6541	Systems Science and Engineering	3
Subtotal	4 Courses * 3 Credit Hours	12

 

Elective Courses

	Course Code	Course Title	Credit Hours
	ECE 7060	Computer Engineering Seminars	3
Group 1 - Hardware	ECE 7122	Advanced Digital Systems	3
	ECE 7123	Embedded Systems Design	3
	ECE 7125	VLSI System Design	3
	ECE 7127	Application-Specific Architectures	3
	ECE 7129	Computer Design and Performance Evaluation	3
	ECE 7156	DSP Hardware and Software System Design	3
	ECE 7158	Advanced Applications of Digital Signal Processing	3
	ECE 7159	Advanced Robotics	3
Group 2 - Software	ECE 7212	Advanced Database Systems	3
	ECE 7213	Software Engineering	3
	ECE 7257	Modeling and Simulation	3
Group 3 – Networks and Security	ECE 7314	Computer Systems Security	3
	ECE 7332	CAD for Computer Communications Networks	3
	ECE 7333	Analysis and Design of Computer Networks	3
	ECE 7334	Network Security	3
	ECE 7335	Sensor Networks	3
	ECE 7337	Mobile, Wireless and Ad-Hoc Networks	3
Group 4 – AI & ML	ECE 7415	Neural Networks Systems	3
	ECE 7416	Pattern Recognition	3
	ECE 7417	Data Mining Techniques and Applications	3
	ECE 7453	Advanced Topics in Artificial Intelligence	3
Group 5 – Sys. Engineering	ECE 7542	Real-Time Systems	3
	ECE 7543	Data Compression and Image Processing	3
	ECE 7546	Multimedia Engineering	3
	ECE 7555	Distributed and Parallel Systems	3
	Subtotal	4 Courses * 3 Credit Hours	12

Research Thesis

 

Course Code	Course Title	Credit Hours
ECE 7001	Research Methodology (Master's Research Thesis Part 1)	3
ECE 7002	Data Collection and Analysis (Master's Research Thesis Part 2)	12
Subtotal	2 Parts	15

 

Total

39

 

Duration of Study

The minimum duration of study from the beginning of the first Master’s course registered by the student until graduation is two years, and the maximum duration for the same period is five years.

Thesis Registration

Candidates may register for the thesis in the area approved by the academic advisor and the corresponding academic department after completion of 12 credit hours (four 700 level courses).

Graduation Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours in total; where, a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work is required in addition to the thesis in an area of interest equivalent to 18 credit hours. 

Students receive a Master's degree in engineering after successfully fulfilling all the MSc. study requirements and achieving an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher.