Knowledge and understanding
Generic
On completion of a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical and computer systems engineering, students are expected to have acquired a basic knowledge and understanding of:
* science and scientific method;
* analysis, synthesis and design of engineering systems;
* ethical standards and legal responsibilities;
* principles of management of physical, human and financial resources associated with the practice of engineering and for the benefit of society.
Discipline-specific
On completion of a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical and computer systems engineering, students are expected to have acquired a basic knowledge and understanding of:
* physical laws;
* properties of materials, electrical equipment and electronic components;
* field and circuit laws;
* applying mathematics to modelling physical and information systems;
* electromechanical systems;
* sensors and signal processing;
* information transmission;
* analog and digital electronics;
* system identification and control;
* analysis and design of computer systems hardware, software applications, communication networks and systems, energy transformation and utilisation systems.
Professional skills
General skills
Students will be expected to develop professional skills which enable them to:
* write and speak competently;
* relate to others, especially in working teams;
* identify and solve problems efficiently;
* reason and argue convincingly;
* critically evaluate assumptions and arguments;
* use time and resources efficiently and effectively;
* perform independent research and analysis;
* think creatively about approaches to problems;
* continue to learn effectively throughout their careers;
* cope with the information explosion.
Discipline skills
Students will be expected to be able to:
* use existing technology effectively;
* develop new technology;
* translate user requirements into a system specification;
* formulate models of information, electronic, computer and energy systems;
* evaluate the useability and performance of an engineering system in terms of economics, safety and impact on the environment.
Attitudes and behaviour
Continuing professional approach to work
Students will be expected to develop appropriate attitudes and behaviour in relation to:
* critical evaluation of new knowledge and practice;
* interpersonal relationships;
* application of ethical codes of practice;
* commitment to safe practice;
* commitment to minimal adverse impact on the environment;
* professional society participation;
* attention to detail.
Community responsibilities
Students will be expected to develop appropriate attitudes and behaviour in relation to:
* appreciation of the responsibilities of electrical and computer systems engineers to the industry, profession and community;
* understanding the needs and expectations of the community and individuals within the community.
Personal development
Students will be expected to develop appropriate attitudes and behaviour in relation to:
* self-education and continuing education;
* appreciation of self-limitations;
* awareness of specialisation and research;
* highest standards of personal performance.
Course of studies
The undergraduate course has been planned to provide students with a broad scientific training in fundamental studies which are related to various branches of electrical and computer systems engineering.
Electrical and computer systems engineering, perhaps more than other branches of engineering, is a profound, diverse and complex profession, closely linked with the pure and the applied sciences, with an ever-increasing emphasis on scientific ability.
The title of the course reflects the increasing importance of computers in many branches of engineering and in society at large. Furthermore, employment prospects for engineers with computer expertise continue to grow.
The electrical and computer systems engineering course up to the end of the fourth semester is similar to the other courses at the Clayton school. The aim of the first four semesters of the course is to provide a fundamental training in the basic sciences of physics, mathematics and chemistry, and in electrical and computer systems engineering, applied mechanics and materials science or thermodynamics. The first of a sequence of three management subjects is taken in the third semester.
The lectures in the fifth and sixth semesters cover such basic subjects of electrical and computer systems engineering as circuit theory, electromagnetic theory, control systems, electronics, computer systems engineering and mathematics. Students must elect to join one of the three streams which have their own core and elective subjects. The three streams commencing at level three are (1) computer systems engineering (2) electrical engineering (3) telecommunications engineering. These streams carry into level four.
In the seventh and eighth semesters students must undertake level-four studies within the stream commenced at level three. Each student must complete a number of stream-dependent core subjects and is able to select further stream elective and free elective subjects. Each student must undertake a thesis project. The course structure acknowledges the breadth encompassed by electrical and computer systems and offers units covering a wide range of topics.
The selection of elective subjects should be made in consultation with staff of the department and must be approved by the head of the department.
Where possible thesis projects are related to the research work of the staff of the department, so that students learn how to work at the `frontiers of knowledge'. Under special circumstances an honours student may be invited to undertake an enhanced thesis project worth fifteen credit points in which case one stream elective subject or one free elective subject would then be waived.
Considerable emphasis throughout the course is placed on laboratory work in the well-equipped departmental laboratories.