Scholarships at St. Thomas
97% of first-year students receive merit scholarships that bring the average tuition cost down to $23,068 per year.
BS in Computer Engineering
The Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering is a hands-on, industry-oriented and career-focused program that blends theory and research with practical engineering fundamentals to prepare you to succeed in this increasingly autonomous and interconnected world. Computer engineers design, program and develop an ever-growing list of embedded products and systems such as smartphones, self-driving vehicles, smart home systems, pacemakers, medical diagnostic equipment, and a variety of other life-saving medical devices.
Why Study Computer Engineering at St. Thomas?
The University of St. Thomas School of Engineering is consistently ranked in the top 50 undergraduate engineering schools in the country by US News and World Report. Your Computer Engineering journey consists of a hands-on, experiential learning in small groups facilitated by faculty with real-word experience. You will apply your curiosity and creativity to enhance your understanding of topics in computing systems, digital embedded systems, electronics, artificial intelligence and software engineering.
At the same time, you will get a strong foundation in the liberal arts to cultivate critical thinking, oral and written communication and problem-solving skills that will accelerate your path, whether you plan to go into industry or further your academic studies after graduation.
Senior year, you will spend two semesters in our Senior Design Clinic working as part of a team to solve a real-world design challenge provided by an industry partner. This practical challenge mirrors what you will do as a professional engineer and is a critical component of the St. Thomas engineering program. With an in-demand degree from St. Thomas, you will be prepared to work in industries focused on artificial intelligence, medical devices, autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things, digital electronics and more.
Ask the Admissions Office for a Visit with Engineering.
Get to know us better, and see why St. Thomas is a great place to study engineering. Request an in-person or virtual visit with our Dean, Dr. Don Weinkauf and/or one of our engineering faculty.
Program Overview
Course Requirements
Students earning a BS in Computer Engineering will complete the University of St. Thomas Core Curriculum requirements and Computer Engineering major requirements and allied requirements.
If you are interested in transferring to St. Thomas with an Engineering major, read this information for undergraduate Engineering transfer students.
Four-Year Plan
Your faculty adviser will personalize a four-year plan with you based on your goals. This is one snapshot of how the plan of study for this major can look. Plans of study exist for students who wish to study abroad, double major or for ROTC.
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.)
Senior Design Clinic
The Engineering Senior Design Clinic is a two-semester capstone that challenges students to create novel solutions to engineering problems posed by industry and community partners. This course is a critical component of the St. Thomas engineering curriculum as it requires student teams to engage hands-on with real-world design problems and to gain skills in professionalism, communication and project management, all while applying their engineering knowledge. Projects are selected from a broad range of partners to match varying student interest, from multinational corporations looking for fresh ideas to entrepreneurial ventures hoping to take a prototype to the next level.
Course Requirements
Course Requirements
Students earning a BS in Computer Engineering will complete the University of St. Thomas Core Curriculum requirements and Computer Engineering major requirements and allied requirements.
If you are interested in transferring to St. Thomas with an Engineering major, read this information for undergraduate Engineering transfer students.
Four-Year Plan
Four-Year Plan
Your faculty adviser will personalize a four-year plan with you based on your goals. This is one snapshot of how the plan of study for this major can look. Plans of study exist for students who wish to study abroad, double major or for ROTC.
Degrees Awarded
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.)
Senior Design Clinic
Senior Design Clinic
The Engineering Senior Design Clinic is a two-semester capstone that challenges students to create novel solutions to engineering problems posed by industry and community partners. This course is a critical component of the St. Thomas engineering curriculum as it requires student teams to engage hands-on with real-world design problems and to gain skills in professionalism, communication and project management, all while applying their engineering knowledge. Projects are selected from a broad range of partners to match varying student interest, from multinational corporations looking for fresh ideas to entrepreneurial ventures hoping to take a prototype to the next level.
A Community of Problem-Solvers
Ann Thompson ’19
“Empathy” isn’t often equated with engineering, but at St. Thomas it’s considered an essential quality for students, according to Ann Thompson. Someday soon, she said, it will help her understand clients’ needs. The School of Engineering encourages her to think about the impact she can have. To that end, she took a year off to volunteer at a school in Nepal. In the next five years, she envisions going on to graduate school in engineering, where she may research the effects of sound on our lives. “The world is getting louder all the time,” she explained. “What will that mean for animals and for humans?”
Dr. Lucas Koerner, Assistant Professor
Dr. Lucas Koerner is developing electrical instrumentation for challenges in sensing with student teams. One team is working on a low-cost, optical measurement system for portable medical diagnostics. Students have created an economical light measurement system that leverages the computational capabilities of a microcontroller.
Jeremy Ziemer '21
Jeremy Ziemer '21 is working on bringing the Internet of Things to a small immigrant farm near the Twin Cities, in partnership with the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA). His project aims to leverage his St. Thomas coursework and what he’s learned about the design and implementation of low-cost sensor platforms and automated control systems. He’ll add instrumentation and robust control to new high-tunnels erected on the HAFA farm.
New STEAM Labs & Classrooms
The new Schoenecker Center will add more than 40,000 square feet of engineering labs, classrooms, and collaboration spaces, including a 900-square-foot state-of-the-art Robotics and Automation Laboratory facility for robotics and automation research.
Career Paths
- Data Analyst/Engineer
- Medical Device Engineer
- Control System Engineer
- Embedded Software Engineer
- Internet of Things (IoT) Engineer
- Network Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Computer Engineer
Jobs and Internships
The University of St. Thomas School of Engineering helps you build your resume from day one. You will have the opportunity to engage in research with faculty, become a global learner, participate in co-op and internship programs, connect with potential employers during our annual reverse career fair, build your network with a wide a variety of tech companies, and enjoy lifetime career development support.
Meet the Engineers is a Reverse Career Fair held every fall. St. Thomas engineering students interested in full-time employment and internships represent themselves with a poster board and standby as prospective employers walk and talk with students about their particular goals, interests and talents.
80% of engineering students graduate with a technical internship in industry. (Many with more than one!)
The Twin Cities is one of the leading tech areas in the United States with over 136,000 tech jobs* and over 600 companies are within 20 minutes of campus including: 3M, Honeywell, Ecolab, Polaris, Medtronic, Cargill, Xcel Energy, Cargill, Graco, and Boston Scientific.
*Why the Minnesota Technology Corridor? https://www.mntechcorridor.com/collaboration/why-the-Minnesota-technology-corridor
Access to tools and resources, including career webinars, resume assistance, interview prep and one-on-one advice.
Collaborate with faculty and engage in hands-on research right from the start as a St. Thomas engineering student.
Take advantage of study abroad opportunities to learn and grow through life-changing global experiences.
Affordability and Outcomes
Scholarships for Engineering Students
Several competitive scholarships are available for first-year students planning to major in engineering, science and mathematics. There are also undergraduate scholarships available for returning engineering students each academic year.
$128K
is the median annual pay for computer engineers in 2021.
Faculty With Real-World Experience
Dr. Hassan Salamy, Associate Professor
Dr. Hassan Salamy is working on research with undergraduate students to reduce power consumption in devices such as smartphones. His team is also working to provide thermal balancing on multi-processor systems commonly used in these devices, because high temperature densities can cause them to fail.
Dr. Lucas Koerner, Assistant Professor
Dr. Lucas Koerner is collaborating with electrophysiologists at the National Institutes of Health to create a new digital-based amplifier system for studying the behavior of ion channels.With his St. Thomas students, he is creating a Python software package that facilitates experiment reproducibility. This software suite manages instrument control, data acquisition and experimental configurations to provide experimentalists more confidence in their measurements.
Dr. Kundan Nepal, Chair of Computer and Electrical Engineering
Dr. Kundan Nepal is collaborating with researchers at Southern Methodist University to design fault tolerant computing systems used in autonomous vehicles and other mission-critical applications. His research team is developing hardware and software techniques to provide low-power, rapid field testing of these critical systems.
The St. Thomas Experience
Clubs
The School of Engineering has many student clubs to choose from:
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Engineers for a Sustainable World
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- National Society of Black Engineers
- Projects and Robotics Club
- Society of American Military Engineers
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Society of Women Engineers
- Nearly every engineering course is paired with a hands-on laboratory
- Over 90% of engineering classes have 30 students or less. Laboratory sections are designed for 12 students.
- First semester introductory engineering courses are designed for students to work with fellow engineering students on projects and to get to know our engineering faculty.
- 50% of engineering students work on research projects outside coursework, and often have a chance to present at a conference as an undergraduate.
- St. Thomas computer engineering students have the opportunity to participate in meaningful collaborative research with faculty and to design engineering projects that make a real impact in the world. Two recent examples include:
- Students working with Dr. Cheol-Hong Min on a precision agriculture project to increase the yield of crops, using an automated robotic tool they built called “FarmBot”.
- Students working with Dr. Lucas Koerner to develop a low-cost, optical measurement system for portable medical diagnostics.
Accelerate Your Master’s Degree
The Fast Track Bachelor’s/Master’s Program, offers computer engineering students the opportunity to begin their graduate studies during their undergraduate years, accelerating the process of getting their master’s degree. Students earn their bachelor’s degree first and then go on to earn their master’s with as few as 8 additional classes, saving time and money. With careful planning, it is possible to finish both degrees from St. Thomas in as few as five years.
Engineers get global experience in study abroad programs focused on engineering, social entrepreneurship or cultural immersion. Programs are held worldwide, including in Italy, Peru, Germany, Australia and Jordan.
Become a Global Engineer
Dual Degree in German and Engineering
The German and Engineering dual degree program prepares graduates for meaningful careers in a globally minded and diverse world. Spending a year abroad, the combination of foreign language and engineering studies lets students apply their language and culture skills to engineering and vice versa.
Accreditation
The University of St. Thomas bachelor's degree programs in Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. ABET, 415 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.
The University of St. Thomas is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Graduates of the University of St. Thomas Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (B.S.C.P.E.) program are expected to achieve one or more of the following:
- Create with Engineering Skills: Use computers and knowledge of hardware and software principles to create systems, products, and services that meet needs of people, improve the quality of their lives, and use resources wisely in pursuit of the common good.
- Grow in a Learning Profession: Increase personal knowledge and skill through graduate or professional study, appropriate certifications, and work assignments.
- Contribute through Citizenship: Contribute time, knowledge, and skills to the profession, community, and the world.
- Lead through One's Work: Serve as a team member or team leader, demonstrating ethical behavior, professional responsibility, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Adopted: April 21, 2014. Revised: May 6, 2022.
Graduates of the program have:
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
It takes more than theory to transform an idea into useful technology for our society. St. Thomas engineers emerge with practical, hands-on experience, the power of strong communication skills and the broad perspective of a liberal arts education. Our rigorous engineering programs are designed to transform the young creative minds of our students into engineers who can truly make a difference in the world.
Dr. Don Weinkauf, Dean of the School of Engineering
Take the Next Step
There is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.