Computer and Electronic Systems

Computer and electronic systems engineering sits at the convergence of two disciplines that have grown increasingly inseparable. Electronic engineering provides the physical foundations: the circuits, sensors, processors, and communications hardware that underpin all modern technology. Computer science contributes the software intelligence: the algorithms, programming frameworks, and systems design that determine what that hardware can do.

Together they enable the design of complex, smart systems, from smartphones and digital imaging devices to telecommunications infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and consumer electronics.

At Strathclyde this four-year full-time programme develops your ability to create and embed intelligence into the products and systems of the future. You will study digital electronics, computer architecture, programming, signal processing, communications, and embedded systems, building both the theoretical understanding and the practical skills to design systems that integrate hardware and software coherently. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study at an international partner institution and broaden your engineering perspective in a global context.

This international dimension is particularly valuable in a field where technology development is genuinely global and career paths often cross borders.

You will engage with real engineering challenges throughout the programme, developing your ability to analyse problems, design solutions, test and evaluate systems, and communicate your work effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences alike. The combination of computer and electronic systems gives you flexibility to work across the hardware-software boundary, which is where some of the most interesting and valuable engineering challenges now lie.

Graduates move into careers in telecommunications, defence electronics, semiconductor design, consumer electronics, software engineering, embedded systems, automation, and research. Many pursue chartered engineer status through relevant professional bodies. Postgraduate study in electronic engineering, computer science, or related specialisms is a route for those who wish to go deeper into research or advanced engineering practice.