Co-op program details

Program details

Credential: 4-Year Bachelor of Engineering

This specialized four-year degree program prepares graduates with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for the design, development, and management of secure, mission-critical computer hardware and software systems infrastructure.

With a focus on real-time systems, communications, networks, and risk management, and using state-of-the-art software and equipment, students integrate elements from communications engineering, computer engineering, and software engineering to ensure the security of information storage, processing, and transmission.

The program curriculum is aligned with the Professional Engineers Ontario body of knowledge specific to Communications Infrastructure Engineering (CIE), and is delivered using a breadth of project-based learning, individual study, and group work.

Graduates are prepared with the specialized skills required to be successful in this emerging field of practice including systems design, telecommunications, architectural engineering and related services, federal government public administration, and management, scientific and consulting services.

This program is in the process of being accredited by Engineers Canada. Graduates are qualified to register as Engineers-in-Training (EIT), part of the process to full licensure as practicing Professional Engineers (P.Eng.).

Work term capabilities

Specific skills and abilities that students are typically capable of performing during a given work term are listed below.

Work terms 1 & 2

Software

• Develop, debug and modify program code in C to meet design specifications
  
• Participate in analyzing and defining system specifications based on system and user requirements
  
• Use structured programming techniques in the design and solution of basic engineering problems
  
• Produce complex multi-file programs that utilize advanced data structures such as linked-lists, trees, heaps, stacks, graphs
  
• Develop and analyze (Big-O) complex algorithms (e.g. search, sort, route, map, etc.) using linear and recursive programming techniques
• Design software with consideration for space (memory management) and processing limitations
  
• Use Windows and Linux-based integrated development environments to develop and debug program code for native and cross-platform application
  
• Use the LINUX operating system to develop multitasking and multi-threading (GUI and text-based) applications
• Design and implement low-level embedded software for real-time applications
  
• Experience with data framing, packet communication protocols, error control, data compression techniques

Electrical and infrastructure

• Familiar with electrical and electronic component symbols
• Troubleshoot electrical and electronic equipment using a multimeter and oscilloscope
• Identify and solve basic engineering problems related to electric power systems and industrial automation by applying signal and control principles
• Develop software for control of electromechanical systems
• Perform product testing, verification and validation
• Design and develop client-server applications for embedded Linux systems

Communications

• Provide technical writing for user and system documentation
• Present and justify design decisions

Project management

• Schedule projects and analyze dependency relationships
• Apply engineering design process techniques
• Create and maintain project planning documents including project schedules in Microsoft Project
• Track project progress through regular status reporting

Generic skills

• Participate effectively as a member of an engineering team
• Apply creative thinking strategies to given problems
• Use problem-solving methods in the solution of given problems

Tools used

• Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Multisim, Linux, Terminal (Linux), MATLAB, VHDL (Quartus), Breadboarding Arduino sensor interfaces, Git and GitHub, Electronic bench instruments including oscilloscope, signal generator, power supply, multimeter, and inspection microscopes

Work terms 3 & 4

The following skills are in addition to those listed above:

Project management

• Use a Source Code / Version Control (Git, GitHub, GitLab) system to maintain multi-developer, multi-target projects
  
• Develop and monitor test plans for sub-system and system-level applications
  

Communications

• Work independently and in diverse teams to analyze and solve problems
  
• Develop specifications based on determined requirements for high level Cyber Systems
• Evaluate, verify and validate cyber engineering systems against specifications and requirements
• Understand and communicate complex engineering and non-technical concepts using a variety of communication techniques including technical reports, design documentation and instructions
• Present results using PowerPoint and advanced audio and video techniques
• Design, analyze, research and extend resources to solve complex problems for telecommunication network utilities and other multi-disciplinary engineering applications
• Perform research within an R&D capacity

Network implementation

• Specify, install and configure a variety of network communication devices such as switches, routers, servers, firewalls, and network address translation
• Specify, setup and configure a variety of sensor and computer networks such as a controller area network (CAN), local area network (LAN), virtual local area network (V-LAN), and a virtual private network (VPN)
  
• Specify and setup Internet subnets and gateway routers
  
• Analyze, specify, install, and configure security elements of a network, including OS configuration, proxy servers, and other devices
  
• Interface with and troubleshoot a variety of data communications and networking protocols such as CAN, Ethernet LAN, TCP/IP protocols suite
• Use real-time communication protocols to establish multimedia streaming over the Internet
  
• Use remote access protocols for secure remote access
• Apply encryption technologies for secure data communications and information security
  
• Use protocol analyzers and statistics gathering tools for analyzing network performance
• Apply techniques for queuing, information encoding and encryption, and network capacity analysis

Software

• Design and develop client-server applications to run over Internet using Object-Oriented techniques and languages
• Design and develop network and distributed computing applications using Object-Oriented techniques and languages
• Design and develop the Front and Back End (Full Stack) of a web-based application
  
• Apply modern software engineering methodologies to develop complex software
  

Tools used

• MATLAB, Simulink, Embedded Linux development toolchains including Raspberry Pi
• Programming languages: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP, Python, C/C++, SQL; server stacks: Linux Apache MySQL PHP (LAMP), Cross Platform (Windows/Linux) Apache MySQL PHP (XAMP); source code control systems Git and GitHub; logging systems; LINUX terminal development; CAN, LAN and TCP/IP protocol analyzers (WireShark); firewall and VPN tools, flat file and SQL data bases, UML, Object Oriented Programming / Design Patterns, JSON / XML

Sample job titles

Work terms 1 & 2

• Firmware Tester
• Jr. Systems Design Architect
• Policy Coordinator
• Security, Technical Service
• Technical Consultant
• Technical Support - Communications Infrastructure
• Technical Support - Industrial Automation
• Telecommunications and IoT Asset Assistant
• Quality Assurance Associate

Work terms 3 & 4

• Cyber Security EIT
• Field Solution Support
• Functional and Technical Developer
• IoT Life Cycle Planner
• Red Team Static Code Analyst
• Secure Communication Network Designer
• Secure Systems Developer
• Software and Firmware Designer
• Systems Control EIT
• Threat Hunter

Program courses

To see a typical course list for this program, see the current program course information.

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Contact information

Do you need help developing a recruitment plan or job posting, accessing wage information, or connecting with a talented co-op student? Contact:

Hemant Chauhan, P.Eng., MCPM
Employer Relations Consultant
hchauhan@conestogac.on.ca
226-898-1242