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Undergraduate > Presentation
- Major: Control and Automation Engineering
- Official registration
- Creation: resolution #044/CEPE/88, issued on December 1st 1988.
- Official registration: document #1812, issued on December 27th 1994.
- Class hours: daily
- Years of study: 5
- Number of admissions: 60 students a year (30 admitted in March, and 30 admitted in August)
- Major code: 220
- Number of courses: 30
| Why should you study control and automation engineering? |
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The automation of industrial processes is key to the country's economic
prosperity and its insertion into the international industrial market.
The high demand for qualified engineers, with a multidisciplinary
background and capable of integrating diverse technologies from computer
science through engineering, compelled the Federal University of Santa
Catarina to start the Undergraduate Program in Control and Automation
Engineering.
| About the professional life of the control and automation engineer |
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In the course of 5 years of study (10 school terms), the engineering major
builds up the foundations in the fields of process control, manufacturing
automation, and industrial informatics. This background prepares the future
engineer to design, implement, use, and repair automated systems.
Engineering companies, equipment manufacturing and software development
companies for systems automation, and general industries are in high demand
for qualified control and automation engineers.
| What is the course work like? |
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The control and automation engineering major develops a broad background in
the following areas:
- solid foundations in mathematics, physics, and computer science;
- general knowledge of electrical principles and mechanics (particularly in topics related to measurement, instrumentation, and devices);
- basic notions in economics, management science, and systems safety.
The engineer also acquires in-depth expertise in the following fields:
- Process control: modeling of physical processes, analysis, design, and synthesis of continuous- and discrete-time controllers for feedback, linear, and nonlinear systems; modern techniques for multivariable control and optimization; measurement techniques.
- Industrial informatics: digital systems and microprocessors; computer architecture; PLCs (programmable logic controllers); software specification and design for computer-based systems; programming languages and operating systems; real-time software; distributed computer systems; computer networks; data bases; expert systems and artificial intelligence.
- Manufacturing automation: mechanics and metal production processes; product management engineering (CAD/CAE technology); automated systems programming (CNC, DNC, robotics, transportation systems); production management (MRP, JIT, quality assurance); process planning (CAPP, CAD/CAM); integrated manufacturing systems (FMS, CIM); modeling and performance analysis of manufacturing systems.
Other relevant issues in the education and training of control and automation engineers:
- continuous update of courses and course syllabuses;
- learning of computer-aided techniques for design, quality control, and implementation of systems;
- preparation of the future engineer for market insertion and adaptation to the ever-changing industrial market;
- teaching aimed at fostering a practical mindset and creative thinking.
An industrial training with a minimum of 500 hours and final-year
undergraduate project extending for a whole semester are mandatory to degree
earning. Both training and final-year project are performed in industry or
in research labs. Their role is to foster the ability to develop systems
for control and automation of industrial processes and also to promote the
interest for research in the student.
The undergraduate program in Control and Automation Engineering draws strong
support from:
- Academic commitment from a number of units of UFSC, in particular the Department of Automation and Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Production and Systems Engineering;
- A strong industrial park in the State of Santa Catarina for design and construction of equipment, software for automation and control, and industrial plants that rely on these technologies, including textile, ceramics, agro-business, coal mining and coal-fired power plants, electric equipment, metallurgy, and petrochemical;
- Technology excellence in automation and control established by several research labs at UFSC.
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