ACP Communications Systems Design Engineering

Overview

The continued need for robust communications systems is universal with increased communications applications for data, voice, and video.   Gain comprehensive knowledge on current and emerging technologies in the design and development of communications-based networks and systems.   This program addresses advances in electronics, computing, networking, and wireless technologies.

Benefits

• Develop a “systems engineering” approach to your organization’s communications engineering development process
• Gain the knowledge needed in the design and development of modern-day communication systems
• Learn how to describe, analyze, and design practical communications systems
• Enhance the performance of communications systems

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for engineering and technical professionals, information systems professionals, and others who want to develop a comprehensive understanding of communications engineering principles and practices.

Minimum Requirements

Students should have a fundamental understanding of electrical and computer engineering, information systems, computer science, telecommunications, or related technologies.

Certificate Requirements

In order to earn the Communications Systems Design Engineering Certificate, students must complete all the courses listed below with a grade “C” or higher in each course.

All certificate programs at UC Irvine Extension require professional-level English language proficiency in listening and note-taking, reading comprehension and vocabulary, written expression, and oral presentation. International students who do not meet certificate program admissions requirements are invited to enroll first in one of our English language program offerings.

Admission Requirements

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Schedule

Tuition: $10,000
Internship: $1,350

Curriculum

Introduction to an ACP
Gain an overview of the American higher educational system and acquire the academic skills to ensure your success in an ACP.

• Systems Requirements Engineering
  Familiarize yourself with an effective method for defining a set of requirements for a system. The focus is on the initial problem space definition, defining user needs, concept of operations, systems, segment, subsystem requirements, and architecture. Gain an understanding of the following five key requirements engineering activities: elicitation of requirements, documentation and specifications, analysis and functional decomposition, requirements management, and verification and validation of requirements. Learn about the principles and characteristics of organizing a well written requirements specification. Prerequisite: Familiarity with engineering design principles or equivalent experience.
• Introduction to Communications and Networking
  Increase your knowledge of the basic principles of data communications. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the following topics: analog and digital transmission, voice, video and data processing, open systems interconnect (OSI) model, client-server architectures, bridges and routers, local area and wide area networks, and modern state-of-the-art technologies. An introduction to Ethernet, TCP/IP, other high-speed protocols, broadband communications, and wireless communications is also presented. Participants actively learn through case studies that provide "real-world" scenarios of modern data communication systems. Prerequisite: Basic understanding of mathematics and computers.
• Communications Systems Design
  Familiarize yourself with a "systems analysis approach" to the design and development of modern enterprise networks and systems. Learn how to analyze requirements and technical goals using the latest methods, technologies and tools. A typical communications system design process is discussed including identifying your customer's needs, goals and network configurations; transmission media and technology alternatives, e.g. copper wire, coaxial cable, fiber optics, wireless; system test and reliability; cost and performance analysis; leased versus private facilities; and regulatory and administrative considerations. Prerequisite: EECS X490, Introduction to Communications and Networking.
• Principles of Wireless Electronic Systems
  Familiarize yourself with the various components used in any transmitter and/or receiver systems. Proper design of wireless systems requires a thorough engineering analysis of the components and system parameters being considered. Participants will learn about wireless system architectures and performances. Topics include: automatic gain control (AGC), power amplifiers (PA), low noise amplifiers (LNA), oscillators (OSC), voltage controlled oscillators (VCO), phase-locked loop (PLL), modulators (MOD), demodulators (DEMOD), mixers, analog-to-digital converters (ADC), digital-to-analog converters (DAC), and antennas (ANT). Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of electronic circuit, signals and systems; or equivalent experience.
• DSP Fundamentals, Modeling and Analysis
  Increase your knowledge of DSP technology by learning the mathematical modeling of signals and mathematical techniques to solve complex tasks in contrast to conventional analog techniques. The digital signal processing system is reviewed detailing analog-to-digital conversion, signal processing, and digital-to-analog conversions. Participants learn how to perform fundamental digital filtering along with classical filter design methods, realizations of finite impulse response (FIR) filters, and infinite impulse response (IIR) filters. Software tools are used to simulate and analyze digital signals. Prerequisite: Engineering mathematics background (basic calculus, imaginary numbers).
• C Programming for Embedded Systems
  Embedded software can be found in many electronic devices today. Increase your understanding of the essential embedded language features required for embedded systems programming. Embedded software developers benefit from this hands-on course by expanding their knowledge of using pointers and arrays, bit manipulation, using key words such as "volatile" and "register," and learning more about source code solutions to common embedded software problems. Prerequisite: Familiarity with C programming.
• Fundamentals of Embedded Systems Design and Programming
  Gain an overview of embedded systems applications and design procedures, and learn how to plan and execute complete embedded systems designs that are cost-effective and competitive. You'll gain the knowledge needed to determine and document system requirements for new designs as well as for improving existing systems. You'll learn analysis techniques for optimizing system specifications as well as selecting microcontrollers for specific designs. Prerequisite: EECS 805, C Programming for Embedded Systems; or equivalent experience or education.

Internships
As an optional last course and for an additional fee of $1,350, you have the opportunity to apply academic theory and gain practical experience in a variety of businesses and industries for up to three months. A research project provides additional training. Also included in the internship are the Resume Development and Interviewing Skills workshops.
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