The Bachelor of Science - Computer Engineering program is designed to prepare an engineer to work with software and hardware of computers. In the software world, high level languages and complex programs are often the solution to a problem. In the hardware world, designs also include many aspects of the physical world, like temperature or noise, and often must include compromises between many opposing factors. The ability of a computer engineer to work in both worlds is what distinguishes them from a computer scientist or from an electrical engineer who specializes in computers. Computer scientists typically have little training with hardware. Electrical engineers typically have little training with software. The students are trained to work with both, since many computer systems cannot be built well without a clear understanding of both.

Computer engineers can be found just about anywhere there are computers. They might build the integrated circuits (ICs) that go into their home video game or their cell phone. They might develop the microprocessor that goes into their home computer, deciding what instructions it executes and how it interfaces with memory. Computer engineers also build computer systems that use these integrated circuits – for example, they might put together the ICs to build the motherboard for their home computer or the video card that goes into that computer. Computer engineers also help computers work together, for example developing computer networks or working with parallel processing.