San Francisco State University

Freshman applicants should have completed four years of high school mathematics, one year of high school chemistry, and one year of high school physics. Students are also encouraged to include courses in mechanical drawing and computer programming.

Community college transfers should complete the sequence of mathematics, chemistry, physics, and engineering courses listed in freshman and sophomore years under the “sample sequence of courses” at the community college.

The Bachelors of Science in Civil, Computer, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering require 127, 128, 129, and 129-semester units, respectively. A minimum of 30 units must be earned in residence at San Francisco State University. Of these units, 24 must be upper-division courses, and 12 of these upper-division units must be in the major. Major requirements, including mathematics, chemistry, and physics prerequisites, comprise 93 units for Civil Engineering, 94 for Computer Engineering, 95 for Electrical Engineering, and 95 units for Mechanical Engineering. For Civil Engineering, 50 of the required units are lower-division and 43 units are upper-division. For Mechanical Engineering, 51 of the required units are lower-division and 44 units are upper-division. For Electrical engineering, 50 of the required units are lower-division and 45 units are upper-division. For Computer Engineering, 49 of the required units are lower-division and 45 units are upper-division. The remaining 33 units satisfy the balance of the university requirements including communication skills and General Education in humanities and social sciences. Students are advised that, except for some general education (GE) courses, all courses which are to be counted toward completion of an engineering degree must be taken for a letter grade; the CR/NC option may not be used in this context.

Computer Engineer

Computer engineering is a multidisciplinary field with roots in electrical engineering and computer science that has grown to become a separate discipline in itself. Graduates of the Computer Engineering program are expected to have, within a few years of graduation:

• Established themselves as practicing professionals or engaged in graduate study in computer engineering or a related field.
• Demonstrated an ability to be productive and responsible professionals.

The first two years of the program are designed to build a strong background in mathematics and science to provide a basis for understanding the underlying analysis and modeling tools and physical principles that are common to all engineering. The last two years cover a rich set of hardware and software subjects to give students a broad background in computer engineering. This broad foundation enables students to adapt and extend their knowledge and skills more easily in the future. The curriculum also stresses problem-solving skills and teamwork. Through electives, students can choose to develop further breadth or in-depth knowledge in one of three areas: embedded systems, network systems, or multimedia systems.