Electronics and Computer Engineering
Electronics and computer engineering is a discipline at the boundary between hardware and software, concerned with the design and implementation of the embedded systems, firmware and software that make physical devices work intelligently. It encompasses everything from the circuit board design and signal processing of electronics through to the software and systems architecture of modern embedded computing, and its practitioners are the engineers who make the Internet of Things work, who build the control systems for autonomous vehicles and industrial automation, and who develop the firmware that runs in smartphones, medical devices and aerospace equipment.
At Newcastle University this three-year, full-time programme develops your skills across the full range of electronics and computer engineering competencies, covering digital and analogue electronics, microprocessors and embedded systems, computer architecture, operating systems, hardware description languages, software engineering, IoT, AI applications and emerging cyber-physical systems. You will develop both the hardware design skills of the electronics engineer and the software and systems thinking of the computer engineer, building the versatility that modern embedded systems roles demand. The programme includes a sandwich year and a work placement, giving you direct professional experience in an electronics or computing organisation before graduation and the practical context to apply your learning.
Graduates pursue careers in embedded systems engineering, IoT development, firmware engineering, hardware design, systems integration, communications engineering, automotive and aerospace electronics, robotics, industrial automation and cybersecurity for embedded systems, across technology companies, defence contractors, automotive manufacturers, consumer electronics firms and telecommunications providers. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in electronics, computer science, communications engineering or robotics, and some pursue professional engineering registration.