Core modules
With teaching from research-leaders in the Department of Computer Science and the School of Engineering, you will explore digital electronics, low-power systems, communications, control and real-time operation.
The curriculum places particular emphasis on pervasive technologies, including wireless networks, mobile devices and sensors, robotics and wearable technology.
You will learn to apply state-of-the-art computer science methods for validation and design, and code optimisation; and to use high-performance computing techniques to design efficient and robust embedded systems. You will develop skills in communication, documentation, reporting, teamwork, and the ability to effectively articulate technical concepts.
In each year of the course, students are expected to study a core group of modules and to make up the required normal load for the year by choosing a set of optional modules. There is a choice of optional modules available and there may be requirements to be satisfied by the choices: that a minimum number be chosen from a specific list.
Year One
This module aims to help you develop your programming skills, regardless of your starting skill level. You will develop problem solving skills through the lens of procedural and object-oriented programming. Using the Java programming language, you will engage with practical work that shall enable you to learn concepts such as classes, encapsulations, arrays, inheritance and advanced topics such as multi-threading and reflection. By engaging with the Warwick Robot Maze environment, you can expect to gain skills in errors analysis and debugging that will help you produce well-designed and well-tested code.
Following on from Programming for Computer Scientists, on the fundamentals of programming, this module will teach you all about data structures and how to program them. We will look at how we can represent data structures efficiently and how we can apply formal reasoning to them. You will also study algorithms that use data structures. Successful completion will see you able to understand the structures and concepts underpinning object-oriented programming, and able to write programs that operate on large data sets.
You will gain a fundamental understanding of the functional components of a computer system, and how they are organised. You will focus on hardware and how it performs during the execution of software operations. You will also develop practical skills in the use and construction of computer components, and their interface with microprocessors. By the end of the module, you will be expected to understand the operation and organisation of electronic logic elements, the architecture of simple microprocessors, input/output mechanisms, memory systems and hierarchies, and digital circuits and their interface with microprocessors.
You will gain a basic understanding of operating systems, together with a working knowledge of the computing systems and their associated tools and applications that will be used within the Department of Computer Science. With these foundations in place, you will then develop your communication skills, both in writing and orally, with due attention paid to appropriate academic and technical language. You will complete the course studying ethics and behaviour, looking at the place of computers in society and the legal aspects of computing.
You will gain a secure foundation in the fundamental concepts of circuits, devices and systems that underpin all branches of engineering. This will include study of the mathematical operations of AC quantities, including phasors, vectors and complex numbers. You will study the electronic components that comprise complex electrical and electronic circuitry, and control systems theory. You will be encouraged to develop your problem-solving and modelling skills to prepare you for more advanced material in later years.
Through the practical problem-solving tasks provided in this module, you will gain the skills needed to apply the fundamental mathematical concepts that underpin all engineering disciplines, and prepare yourself for more advanced study. You will apply mathematical, probabilistic and statistical tools and techniques to real-life engineering problems, make appropriate, informed assumptions and examine models using analytical, statistical and numerical techniques.
Systems modelling is an essential skill that underpins all engineering disciplines, allowing complex engineering problems to be approximated using mathematical models. Systems modelling provides necessary information to make decisions in the design and development of engineering solutions or to investigate systems that are too costly, difficult or unethical to investigate physically. This module focuses on the design and programming of models from first principles by the application of mathematical techniques and avoidance of modelling errors. You will learn how to: represent multi-domain systems graphically, derive models from data, construct a simulation model to predict system responses, and consider design principles that ensure robust model development (covering verification and validation techniques).
Year Two
In this module, you will spend equal time studying the fundamental concepts of modern-day operating systems and computer networks respectively. With a practical bent, this will mean analysing the generic requirements, structure, operation and administration of a modern operating system. Whilst analysing, designing and writing programs in the light of network requirements and protocols; such as system interfaces, concurrency, deadlock detection and recovery, and security threats. Turning to networks, you will learn the relevant factors relating to LANs and WANs and wireless networks, client-server systems, routing algorithms, socket programming, and network management relating to performance, security and monitoring.
Focusing on growing your knowledge of hardware, with an emphasis on system design and performance, you will be studying the principles underpinning system organisations, issues in design, and the contrasting implementations of modern systems. Successful completion will see you equipped to discuss the organisation of computer-based systems, different processor architectures and system-level design processes. You’ll gain a grounding in the components and operations of memory hierarchies, and the operation of parallel computer systems, including multiprocessor and multicore systems. There are opportunities to increase your systems programming skills, and study advanced topics in memory, processor architecture and parallel computer organisation.
Centred on teamwork, you will concentrate on applying software engineering principles to develop a significant software system with your peers from feasibility studies through modelling, design, implementation, evaluation, maintenance and evolution. You’ll focus on design quality, human–computer interaction, technical evaluation, teamwork and project management. With a deeper appreciation of the stages of the software life-cycle, you’ll gain skills to design object-oriented software using formal modelling and notation. You will be taught the principles of graphical user interface and user-centred design, and be able to evaluate projects in the light of factors ranging from technical accomplishment and project management, to communication and successful teamwork.
Building on the fundamental material introduced on ES197 System Modelling, Simulation and Computation, you will learn to apply advanced mathematical techniques to solve engineering-based problems, thereby equipping you with the analytical and computational tools needed to tackle advanced material. You will develop your skills in modelling and analysis, in particular through the use of MATLAB, alongside an introduction to computer programming.
You will learn to analyse and design analogue electronics. By the end, you should be able to apply different circuit topologies to implement a variety of analogue functions, understand the practical issues associated with the selection of components, and use models of components to analyse the nominal or idealised behaviour of circuits. You will use software simulation tools to determine worst-case scenarios and learn how to optimise circuit performance against a variety of criteria.
There have been great advances in semi-conductor technology during the last decade, leading to chips with increased area and gate density. You will receive a theoretical and practical grounding in modern approaches to the design of digital electronic circuits, with a focus on field programmable gate array implementation, including tool flow, architecture, testing and design for performance. Practical skills you will develop include use of the hardware description language Verilog and strategies for evaluating the functional correctness of a circuit.
Year Three
In this project-based module you will gain experience in designing, developing and implementing a significant project, under supervision. From submission of the outline and detailed specification, you will produce regular progress reports throughout, before presenting your final results. This is an excellent opportunity to develop important employability skills, including independent learning, self-discipline, organisation and time management.
By the end of the module you will know about the more advanced features of FPGA architectures in high performance embedded systems design. You will learn how to design a hardware accelerator for a complex algorithm by evaluating its parallelism and arithmetic requirements; how to integrate a hardware accelerator with a processor and design the necessary software and hardware communication infrastructure; and apply practical knowledge of hardware design at the register transfer level and use high level synthesis.
In this module, you will gain the knowledge required to manage technical projects, using well-established project management techniques. You will have practical opportunities to apply methods such as defining measurable objectives, identifying and engaging stakeholders, scheduling, budgeting, resource allocation, risk assessment and mitigation, and post-project evaluation and monitoring. By the end of the module, you can expect to appreciate the benefits of effective project management, understand the risks and budgetary and resource constraints. Also, you will have the ability to evaluate a project against the measurable success criteria you have devised yourself.
Year Four
MEng students participate in a large group project worth 25% of the year, which simulates the multidisciplinary working practices you will experience in your career. Students from all specialist courses work together on these projects allowing you to develop more advanced skills for the workplace and form new friendships and professional networks.
Popular projects include the IMechE Formula Student racing car competition, electric racing motorcycle (TT Zero), IMechE Railway Challenge, creating a human-powered submarine, building search-and-rescue robots with Warwick Mobile Robotics, Warwick University satellite project (WUSAT), Severn Trent reservoir design, or ICE shaping the world infrastructure design for poor communities.
The MEng final-year multidisciplinary group project is unique to the four-year degree and is not something that you would normally find as part of a one year standalone Master’s.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
Explore our full range of modulesLink opens in a new window
