The School of Computing and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provide focus areas to help equip graduates from all our undergraduate programs with advanced skills focused in specific areas. In addition to gaining in-depth knowledge and experience in important computing topics, students who pursue a focus area also benefit from studying with graduate students who will also be taking these courses.
To earn a focus area certificate, you must earn a grade of C or higher in each of three courses from a focus area of your choice. Students who complete the requirements for a focus area will receive a signed certificate that can be listed on their resume. Completing a focus area shows that you have successfully pursued a computing topic in-depth, which can set you apart from others when applying for a job or graduate school.
To declare a focus area, contact your academic advisor.
Autonomous Systems and Robotics
This focus area will equip students with both hands-on experience and theoretical understanding in autonomous systems, such as self-driving cars or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and robotics. Topics include embedded programming, wireless communication, robotic design and development, control, real-time systems, and covers IoT, robotics, and sensor networks.
| Autonomous Systems and Robotics |
|
ECEN 345, CSCE 435, ECEN 433, ECEN 444, CSCE 436, CSCE 454, CSCE 460 |
Communication and Networking
This focus area explores cutting-edge research topics in developing future internet and wireless networks. This area is increasingly relevant in our connected world due to advances in wireless communications, Internet of Things, software-defined networking, mobile networks, and network security. Topics range from wireless communications to networking, Internet of Things and mobile networks to data and network security.
| Communication and Networking |
| CSCE 462, ECEN 462, ECEN 465, ECEN 464, ECEN 471, ECEN 475, ECEN 476, ECEN 479, ECEN 484, ECEN 488, CSCE 463, CSCE 465 |
Cybersecurity
Information security and privacy are essential to the role of computers in modern life. Computers are entrusted with information on business, health, and personal life. Our computer systems need to operate securely and protect the privacy of important information. Computer security builds upon foundations including cryptography, computer system design, networking, and programming languages to create trustworthy systems and services.
| Cybersecurity |
| CSCE 377, CSCE 463, ECEN 462, ECEN 484, ECEN 488 |
High-Performance Computing
High-performance computing explores cutting-edge topics in developing future computer architecture and high-performance computers, which is increasingly relevant given advances in cluster computing and multi-core architectures and demands for scalable simulations and data analytics. Topics range from cluster and parallel programming, embedded systems, data modeling, and systems administration.
| High-Performance Computing |
| CSCE 430, CSCE 456, CSCE 411, CSCE 412, CSCE 473, CSCE 455, CSCE 472 |
IoT and Cyber-Physical Systems
IoT and cyber-physical systems help tie the cyber and physical worlds together through sensing, computation, communication, and control. They provide computers the awareness of, and ability to interact with, the physical world and govern things from stoplights to airplanes. Increasingly, through a suite of embedded computing devices, everyday items from vacuum cleaners to cars are becoming robots having the ability to perform complex tasks autonomously. They receive feedback about the broader world from a host of sensors commonly known as the Internet of Things (IoT). This focus area will equip you with both hands-on experience and theoretical understanding in embedded systems, sensor networks, and robotics. Topics include embedded programming, wireless communication, robotic design and development, control, real time systems, and covers IoT, robotics, and sensor networks.
| IoT and Cyber-Physical Systems |
| ECEN 433, CSCE 430, ECEN 435, CSCE 436, ECEN 438, ECEN 462, ECEN 469, ECEN 474, ECEN 476, ECEN 498, CSCE 438, CSCE 465 |
Machine Intelligence
Machine intelligence aims at building machines and systems that are capable of perceiving, understanding, and interacting with their environments intelligently in order to successfully achieve specific goals. Today, machine and artificial intelligence techniques are widely successful and used in computer science, engineering, life sciences, data science, and management. This focus area addresses both the foundations of artificial intelligence, machine mearning, and their applications.
| Machine Intelligence |
| ECEN 437, CSCE 430, ECEN 435, CSCE 436, ECEN 438 |
Signal, Image, and Video Processing
This focus area explores the field of signal processing, or analyzing and transforming signals, including data, audio, video, images, and more. Signal processing techniques are often used to optimize quality, data transmission, and storage efficiency. Applications include system design, restoration and enhancement, reconstruction and geometric manipulation, compression, and low-level analysis for computer vision.
| Signal, Image, and Video Processing |
| CSCE 472, ECEN 463, ECEN 465, ECEN 444, ECEN 498, CSCE 473, CSCE 438 |