Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Computer Science and Electrical Engineering



Faculty

Chair

Gary Carter
B.S., University of Washington, 1967; M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969; Ph.D., 1975

Professors

Tulay Adali
B.S., Middle East Technical University (Turkey), 1987; M.S., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 1988; Ph.D., 1992 (Turkey), 1987; M.S., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 1988; Ph.D., 1992

Chein-I Chang
B.S., Soochow University (People’s Republic of China), 1973; M.S., National Tsing Hua University, 1975; M.A., State University of New York, 1975; M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1980, 1982; Ph.D., University of Maryland, CP

Fow-Sen Choa
B.S., National Taiwan University, 1980; M.S., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1985; Ph.D., 1988

Marie desJardins
Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley, 1992

Tim Finin
B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1971; M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1977; Ph.D., 1980

Anthony M. Johnson
B.S., Polytechnic Institute of New York, 1975; Ph.D., City College of New York, 1981

Anupam Joshi
B. Tech., Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi), 1989; M.S., Purdue University, 1991;Ph.D., 1993

Hillol Kargupta
B.Tech., Regional Engineering College (India), 1988; M.Tech., Indian Institute of Technology (India), 1990; Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996

Samuel Lomonaco
B.S., St. Louis University, 1961; Ph.D., Princeton University, 1964

Curtis Menyuk
B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1976; M.S., 1976; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 1981

Joel Morris
B.S., Howard University, 1966; M.S., Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 1970; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1975

Charles Nicholas
B.S., University of Michigan-Flint, 1979; M.S., The Ohio State University, 1982; Ph.D., 1988

Sergei Nirenburg
M.Sc., Kharkov University (U.S.S.R.), 1974; Ph.D., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel), 1980

Yun Peng
B.S., Harbin Engineering Institute (China), 1970; M.S., Wayne State University, 1981; Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park, 1985

Penny Rheingans
B.A., Harvard University, 1985; M.S., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1988; Ph.D., 1993

Deepinder Sidhu
B.S., University of Kansas, 1966; M.S., State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1979; Ph.D., 1973

Li Yan
B.S., University of Science and Technology of China, 1982; M.S., University of Maryland, College Park, 1986; Ph.D., 1989

Yaacov Yesha
B.Sc., Tel-Aviv University (Israel), 1972; M.Sc., Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), 1975; Ph.D., 1979

Yelena Yesha
B.Sc., York University (Canada), 1984; M.Sc., The Ohio State University, 1986; Ph.D., 1989

Associate Professors

Richard Chang
B.S., Clarkson University, 1986; M.S., Cornell University, 1989; Ph.D., 1991

Konstantinos Kalpakis
B.S., University of Patras (Greece), 1989; M.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1992; Ph.D., 1994

Timothy Oates
B.S., North Carolina State University, 1989; M.S., University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1997; Ph.D., 2000

Marc Olano
B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990; Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998

Dhananjay Phatak
B. Tech., Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay, India), 1985; M.S.E.E., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1990; Ph.D., 1994

Alan Sherman
Sc.B., Brown University, 1978; M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1981; Ph.D., 1987

Mohamed Younis
B.Sc., Alexandria University (Egypt), 1987; M.Sc., 1992; Ph.D., New Jersey Institute of Technology, 1997

Assistant Professors

Nilanjan Banerjee
B.Tech. Indian Institute of Technology, 2004; M.S., University of Massachusetts, 2007; Ph.D., 2009

Jian Chen
M.S. (Mechanical Engineering), Tsinghua University and Tianjin University (joint program) 1999; M.S., (Computer Science), University of Houston, 2002; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2006

Tinoosh Mohsenin
B.S., Sharif University of Technology, Iran, 2000; M.S., Rice University, 2003; Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 2010

Chintan Patel
B.E., University of South Gujarat (India), 1999; M.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2001; Ph.D., 2004

Ryan Robucci
B.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2002; M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004; Ph.D., 2007

Gymama Slaughter
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2001; M.S., 2003; Ph.D., 2005

Lecturers

Shawn Lupoli
B.S., Frostburg State University, 2000; M.S.,Towson University, 2004

Susan Mitchell
B.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1979; M.S., The Johns Hopkins University, 1983

John Park
A.B., Harvard College, 1980; M.S., Stanford University, 2007

Pedram Sadeghian
B.A., Transylvania University, 2000; M.S., University of Louisville, 2003; Ph.D., 2006

Affiliate Faculty

Ivan Erill
B.S., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 1996; M.Eng., 2000, Eng. D., 2002

Matthias K. Gobbert
B.Sc., Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany), 1990, M.N.S., Arizona State University, 1993; Ph.D., 1996

Maricel Kann
B.S., Universidad de la República (Uruguay), 1991; M.S., 1994; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2001

Janet Rutledge
B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1983; M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1984; Ph.D., 1990

Professor of the Practice

E.F. Charles LaBerge
B.E.Sc., The Johns Hopkins University, 1974; M.S., 1975; Ph.D., University of Maryland Baltimore County, 2003

Cybersecurity Program Director

Richard Forno
A.B., Valley Forge Military College, 1992; B.A. American University, 1994; M.A., Salve Regina University, 2002; Ph.D. Curtin University of Technology (Australia), 2010

Professor Emeritus

John Pinkston
B.S.E., Princeton University, 1964; M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1966; Ph.D., 1967

 

Courses in this program are listed under CMSC and CMPE.

The Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering offers two programs of undergraduate study: one leading to a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and the other leading to a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. Both programs provide a balanced, practical, and theoretical approach to the study of software and hardware that includes the latest advances in these two areas.

These programs emphasize the development of problem-solving skills applied to the analysis and design of real-world problems. Students in these programs also are given a broad background in the fundamentals of mathematics and the physical sciences. Because of the similarities of the two programs, students cannot double major in computer science and computer engineering, nor can they major in computer engineering and minor in computer science.

The two programs differ in emphasis. Computer engineering focuses upon problems that arise from hardware and hardware development, whereas computer science concentrates on issues in computer applications and software development. Students are encouraged to develop hybrid programs of study that combine computer science/computer engineering with other disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, economics, geography, management science, mathematics, physics, or visual arts.

Graduates of the computer science program are well prepared for advanced studies and for problem-solving across the breadth of the discipline—the theory, design, development, and applications of computers and computer systems. Major areas within the computer science program include programming languages, algorithms, operating systems, computer architecture, database systems, artificial intelligence, graphics, and the theory of computation. The program is designed to provide students with a firm grounding in the basics in each of these areas and deeper understanding in several of them.

Computer science is a rich and diverse discipline. Areas of interest to computer scientists range from theoretical studies to software engineering (performance analysis, human factors, software development tools) to the very practical development of software for business and industry.

Computer scientists find that their skills have wide applicability in academic and industrial settings.

Computer Engineering is a field that combines training in classical Electrical Engineering disciplines with in-depth preparation in Computer Science topics. The result is a trained problem solver who understands both the hardware and software aspects of computers and who can design and implement solutions on both sides of the hardware/software interface. Computer engineers are employed across the wide range of growing industries associated with communications, control, and signal processing and microelectronic fabrication: from the “smart grid” to “software defined radios”; from intelligent vehicle systems to information security for national and commercial customers; from telecommunications to medical instrumentation; from consumer electronics to space-based systems; from microprocessors to supercomputers to MP3 players; from the design of integrated circuits to development of computer-vision capabilities. A significant portion of our graduates pursue advanced study, primarily in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Computer Science.

The department has close ties with nearby centers of research and development, such as NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Defense, the Center for Computing Sciences, Northrop Grumman and Verizon.

Career and Academic Paths

Graduates of the computer science and computer engineering programs at UMBC find employment in government, industry and business. They are well prepared for careers in software and hardware development. Graduates have been admitted to some of the top graduate programs in the nation. Others have found jobs with such employers as the Department of Defense, IBM, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Verizon, and many local industries, including numerous exciting startup companies. The department”s M.S. and Ph.D. programs in computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering provide advanced training in their respective areas. Each of these programs provides students with additional marketable skills for career opportunities in business, industry, government agencies, and academic environments. Outstanding undergraduate students are encouraged to enroll in graduate-level courses. The department also offers a combined B.S./M.S. program for talented students. For more details, please refer to the section below titled Combined B.S./M.S.

Academic Advising

Students majoring in computer science are advised by Undergraduate Student Services in the College of Engineering and Information Technology until they are eligible to register for CMSC 341 . Once a student registers for CMSC 341 , he or she will be assigned an individual faculty advisor. Students majoring in computer engineering are assigned individual faculty advisors after they pass the gateway.

Evening Option

Evening sections of many computer science courses are offered. Many of the requirements for the computer science major can be fulfilled by attending evening courses. However, some required courses for the computer engineering major are offered only in daytime sections.

Special Opportunities

Students may elect to participate in internship or co-op programs during their undergraduate studies. For several reasons, the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering recommends that every student seriously consider at least one tour of professional practice during his or her undergraduate program. The experience may clarify and help determine succeeding semester course choices. Those who co-op may earn enough money to pay tuition expenses for a subsequent semester. Additionally, a co-op experience can be used to earn up to three credits of upper-level academic elective credit. Finally, both internships and co-op tours arm the new college graduate with what most employers are looking for: experience. Co-op positions that extend beyond a single semester are normally full-time, paid experiences. Internships are part-time, professional, on-the-job positions that are completed within a semester. Eligibility is based upon the completion of 30 credits, 15 of which must be from a full-time semester on a University System of Maryland campus. The student must have at least a 2.5 GPA. Interested students should contact UMBC’s Shriver Center.

Student Organizations

Student Councils

Two student-led councils of majors provide students the opportunity to meet and work with fellow computer science and computer engineering students on various projects.

Programs

    Bachelor of ScienceNon-DegreeBachelor of Science/Master of Science

    Courses

      Computer EngineeringComputer SciencePage: 1 | 2