About This Program
Want to be the expert who builds, secures and optimizes the systems that power our connected world? Designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, the Computer Engineering Technology program bridges the gap between hardware and software, giving students hands-on experience with embedded systems, digital design, cybersecurity, networking and advanced computing technologies. Read more...
Contact Information
- cae@kent.edu | 330-672-2892
- Speak with an Advisor
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*
Computer hardware engineers
- 7.3% faster than the average
- 76,800 number of jobs
- $155,020 potential earnings
Computer network architects
- 11.9% much faster than the average
- 179,200 number of jobs
- $130,390 potential earnings
Computer network support specialists
- 1.8% slower than the average
- 152,700 number of jobs
- $73,340 potential earnings
Computer systems analysts
- 8.7% much faster than the average
- 521,100 number of jobs
- $103,790 potential earnings
Network and computer systems administrators
- -4.2% decline
- 331,500 number of jobs
- $96,800 potential earnings
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Computer Engineering.
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab
Note: Applicants should understand that this is a math-intensive program. Students admitted to the program are expected to demonstrate prerequisite knowledge on a math placement exam (the ALEKS exam) prior to starting their first semester. Students who fail to obtain the minimum score required to place into the required math courses are at risk of delaying graduation.
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| BA 44152 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT 1 | 3 |
| or EMAT 41510 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TEAM DYNAMICS (WIC) | |
| or ENGR 36620 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN ENGINEERING | |
| ENGR 10005 | INTRODUCTION TO CYBERSECURITY 2 | 3 |
| or IT 13000 | APPLIED SECURITY ESSENTIALS | |
| ENGR 20000 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ENGINEERING | 1 |
| ENGR 23010 | COMPUTER HARDWARE 2 | 3 |
| or IT 11009 | COMPUTER ASSEMBLY AND CONFIGURATION | |
| ENGR 31000 | CULTURAL DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY (WIC) 1 | 3 |
| ENGR 33222 | APPLIED DIGITAL DESIGN | 3 |
| ENGR 33320 | APPLIED EMBEDDED SYSTEMS | 3 |
| ENGR 36337 | INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY 2 | 3 |
| or IT 36330 | NETWORK SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS | |
| ENGR 46099 | COMPUTER ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CAPSTONE (ELR) | 3 |
| ENGR 46305 & ENGR 46306 | NETWORK SECURITY and NETWORK SECURITY LABORATORY 2 | 3 |
| or IT 46331 | NETWORK SECURITY AND FIREWALLS | |
| ENGR 46312 | WIRELESS NETWORK AND TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS | 3 |
| ENGR 46316 | SERVER ADMINISTRATION AND CONFIGURATION I | 3 |
| ENGR 46317 | SERVER ADMINISTRATION AND CONFIGURATION II | 2 |
| ENGR 46318 | SERVER ADMINISTRATION AND CONFIG II - LABORATORY | 1 |
| ENGR 46351 | NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN | 2 |
| ENGR 46352 | NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN LABORATORY | 1 |
| ENGR 47200 | SYSTEMS ENGINEERING | 3 |
| ENGT 33223 | ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| Additional Major Electives, choose from the following: | 6 | |
| Electrical Circuits Electives, choose from the following: | 4-7 | |
| ELECTRIC CIRCUITS I and ELECTRIC CIRCUITS II | ||
| SURVEY OF ELECTRICITY AND ELECTRONICS and SURVEY OF ELECTRICITY AND ELECTRONICS LABORATORY | ||
| Networking Electives, choose from the following: 2,3 | 6 | |
| NETWORKING I and NETWORKING I LABORATORY and NETWORKING II and NETWORKING II LABORATORY | ||
| NETWORK SETUP AND CONFIGURATION and NETWORK ROUTING AND SWITCHING | ||
| Programming Elective, choose from the following: | 3-4 | |
| COMPUTER SCIENCE I: PROGRAMMING AND PROBLEM SOLVING | ||
| COMPUTER SCIENCE IA: PROCEDURAL PROGRAMMING and COMPUTER SCIENCE IB: OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING | ||
| PROGRAMMING FOR ENGINEERS and PROGRAMMING FOR ENGINEERS LABORATORY | ||
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| BA 24056 | BUSINESS ANALYTICS I | 3 |
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | 3 |
| ENG 20002 | INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL WRITING | 3 |
| MATH 11012 | INTUITIVE CALCULUS (KMCR) | 3 |
| MATH 11022 | TRIGONOMETRY (KMCR) | 3 |
| MGMT 24163 | PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| PHY 13001 & PHY 13021 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS I (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY I (KBS) (KLAB) 4 | 5 |
| or PHY 23101 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I (KBS) (KLAB) | |
| PHY 13002 & PHY 13022 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS II (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY II (KBS) (KLAB) 4 | 5 |
| or PHY 23102 | GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II (KBS) (KLAB) | |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| American Civic Literacy Requirement 5 | 3 | |
| Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) 5 | 6-9 | |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) 5 | 3-6 | |
| General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) | 5 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
- 1
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
- 2
Engineering (ENGR) courses are predominantly in-person, hands-on courses offered by the School of Engineering. Information Technology (IT) courses are fully online courses offered by the College of Applied and Technical Studies.
- 3
To fulfill the networking electives, students must either complete all four engineering (ENGR) courses (ENGR 26305, ENGR 26306, ENGR 36305, ENGR 36306) or both information technology (IT) courses (IT 21002, IT 21110).
- 4
PHY 23101 and PHY 23102 require prerequisites outside of this program.
- 5
If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Kent Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to the Kent Core Social Sciences category.
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.250 | 2.000 |
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| ENGR 10005 or IT 13000 | INTRODUCTION TO CYBERSECURITY or APPLIED SECURITY ESSENTIALS | 3 |
| MATH 11022 | TRIGONOMETRY (KMCR) | 3 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | 3 |
| MATH 11012 | INTUITIVE CALCULUS (KMCR) | 3 |
| PHY 13001 & PHY 13021 or PHY 23101 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS I (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY I (KBS) (KLAB) or GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester Three | ||
| ENG 20002 | INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL WRITING | 3 |
| ENGR 20000 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ENGINEERING | 1 |
| ENGR 23010 or IT 11009 | COMPUTER HARDWARE or COMPUTER ASSEMBLY AND CONFIGURATION | 3 |
| PHY 13002 & PHY 13022 or PHY 23102 | GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS II (KBS) and GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS LABORATORY II (KBS) (KLAB) or GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II (KBS) (KLAB) | 5 |
| Programming Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Four | ||
| ENGR 31000 | CULTURAL DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY (WIC) | 3 |
| MGMT 24163 | PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| Electrical Circuits Electives | 4-7 | |
| American Civic Literacy Requirement | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester Five | ||
| ENGR 33222 | APPLIED DIGITAL DESIGN | 3 |
| ENGR 36337 or IT 36330 | INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY or NETWORK SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS | 3 |
| ENGR 47200 | SYSTEMS ENGINEERING | 3 |
| ENGT 33223 | ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION | 3 |
| Networking Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Six | ||
| BA 44152 | PROJECT MANAGEMENT or PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TEAM DYNAMICS (WIC) or PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN ENGINEERING | 3 |
| ENGR 33320 | APPLIED EMBEDDED SYSTEMS | 3 |
| ENGR 46305 & ENGR 46306 or IT 46331 | NETWORK SECURITY and NETWORK SECURITY LABORATORY or NETWORK SECURITY AND FIREWALLS | 3 |
| Additional Major Elective | 3 | |
| Networking Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Seven | ||
| BA 24056 | BUSINESS ANALYTICS I | 3 |
| ENGR 46316 | SERVER ADMINISTRATION AND CONFIGURATION I | 3 |
| ENGR 46351 | NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN | 2 |
| ENGR 46352 | NETWORK MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN LABORATORY | 1 |
| Additional Major Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Eight | ||
| ENGR 46099 | COMPUTER ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CAPSTONE (ELR) | 3 |
| ENGR 46312 | WIRELESS NETWORK AND TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS | 3 |
| ENGR 46317 | SERVER ADMINISTRATION AND CONFIGURATION II | 2 |
| ENGR 46318 | SERVER ADMINISTRATION AND CONFIG II - LABORATORY | 1 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
| General Elective | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Flashes 101 (UC 10001) | 1 credit hour |
Course is not required for students with 30+ transfer credits (excluding College Credit Plus) or age 21+ at time of admission. | |
| American Civic Literacy | 3 credit hours |
| Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) | varies |
Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience. | |
| Kent Core (see table below) | 36-37 credit hours |
| Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) | 1 course |
Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course. | |
| Upper-Division Requirement | 39 credit hours |
Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate. | |
| Total Credit Hour Requirement | 120 credit hours |
Kent Core Requirements
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Kent Core Composition (KCMP) | 6 |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) | 3 |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) | 9 |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) | 6 |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 |
| Kent Core Additional (KADL) | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Apply knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering and technology to solve broadly defined engineering problems appropriate to the discipline.
- Design systems, components or processes meeting specified needs for broadly defined engineering problems appropriate to the discipline.
- Apply written, oral and graphical communication in broadly defined technical and non-technical environments, and an ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature.
- Conduct standard tests, measurements and experiments and analyze and interpret the results to improve processes.
- Function effectively as a member as well as a leader on technical teams.
The educational objectives of the program are the following:
- Drive positive change in the community by engaging in careers in the field of computer engineering, information systems and other engineering technology disciplines in a manner that promotes excellence and integrity.
- Have a depth of applied skills to specialize in one or more core computer engineering areas, such as computer hardware, networks and operating systems, and equip students with problem-solving, teamwork and communication skills.
- Successfully navigate the ever-changing trajectory of the computer engineering technology industry, practicing compassion as you strive to meet your personal career goals.
Full Description
The Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology prepares students with problem-solving skills and computer technology foundational knowledge to engineer solutions in computer engineering technology (CET) fields. The program provides students with the opportunity to study computer systems and software-hardware interface so that they are capable of analyzing the problems in the computer and networking industry and producing computer engineering, networking and software solutions. The major's curriculum includes materials necessary for students to be eligible for industry certifications (e.g., Cisco, Microsoft, CompTIA) for career advancement.
Computer engineering technologists focus on hardware or software issues. When companies need custom applications and network systems designed, they call the computer engineering technologist. In this age of heavy computer usage, with companies using computers for a large variety of functions, the computer engineering technologist is invaluable in keeping equipment running, updating software, maintaining connectivity and interfacing with users.
Computer engineering technologists typically work for large companies, installing, testing, operating and maintaining the computer networking. They may also find employment with companies that sell computers, at computer repair stores or at independent emergency repair facilities. Other common work locations include computer and peripheral manufacturing facilities, computer distribution facilities, computer research facilities and educational institutions.
Applicants to this program should understand that this is a math-intensive program.
Students may apply early to the Master of Engineering Technology degree and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degree programs. See the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program Policy in the University Catalog for more information.