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College of Engineering

Computer Engineering

students in virtual reality lab

A Computer Engineer
In The Making

In today’s smart world, computers are embedded in everything – in cars, cellphones, televisions, refrigerators, smart speakers, pacemakers, airplanes – the list goes on. Computer engineers imagine, invent and design essential hardware, software, systems and networks that connect our world and thus create a smarter, safer and better society for all.

Your Discovery In The Making

Computer engineers work in almost every industry, from autonomous vehicles and the power grid to healthcare, cyber security and manufacturing. They invent new technologies and make current devices faster, smaller, smarter and safer.

Computer engineers also help:

  • Improve internet security to protect information and stop hackers
  • Design faster processors to realize high-definition graphics
  • Develop biomedical equipment and systems to monitor patients
  • Implement wireless sensor networks to make smarter robots
  • Help create smart power grids to efficiently manage energy distribution
  • Develop cutting-edge mobile and web applications
  • Design computer techniques to sequence genes to better understand living organisms

Your Path In The Making

The computer engineering major at Iowa State offers an introduction to the latest technology, cutting-edge research and world-renowned faculty, making it one of the best programs in the country.

Freshman engineering lab: Get hands-on experience during your first year in our freshman engineering lab. This is a great opportunity to create innovative programs that interface with video game systems and robotic programming.

Specialty areas of study:

  • Computing platforms and networking systems
  • Secure and reliable computing and networking
  • Software engineering systems
  • Very large scale integration (VLSI) design
  • Embedded system design

Computer engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field with endless career options. In your future career, you will develop and work on technology you can’t even imagine today. Consider these career area options:

  • Security and networking: Use your computer networking skills to make internet purchases safer, protect personal information and stop viruses from invading computers.
  • Robotics: Create systems and software to automate our world. Give unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous cars the ability to move around and navigate without direction from operators.
  • Computing: Develop and improve the performance capabilities of mobile phones, tablets and the next generation of computers. Enhance computer system performance and reduce energy consumption.

Your Career In The Making

Many of our graduates have built successful careers not only as engineers, but also as managers, entrepreneurs, sales representatives and consultants.

  • The average starting salary of computer engineering graduates is more than $87,000/year.
  • Co-op and internship salaries for our students average almost $20/hour.
  • Approximately 1,400 companies recruit our engineers every year.
  • 96 percent of our computer engineering students have in-profession placement within six months of graduation.