Engineering and design

Programming for Engineers

Module code: H1038
Level 4
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Laboratory
Assessment modes: Coursework

This module introduces you to computer programming, including C programming and MATLAB. C is the most common programming language in engineering and other fields, used for data acquisition, robotic control and programming embedded processors.

Programming is an important skill in engineering, as many devices and machines have electronic controls or require a system to be programmed. Programming is about solving problems and writing the algorithm in a clear set of steps. You’ll find it easier to learn other languages after studying C. MATLAB is a very useful computational tool for engineers, used to solve and simulate engineering problems. With a solid foundation in C, you’ll learn MATLAB quickly.

This module will help you learn other topics that require mathematical modelling, such as control engineering, vibration analysis and signal processing.

Topics that you’ll cover include:

C programming
compiling and linking
constants, variables, data types and conversion
operators and expressions
program structure and pseudocode
selection and repetitive statements
functions
recursion
pointers
arrays
characters and strings
file input/output
MATLAB
MATLAB – Simulink.

Module learning outcomes

Gain a working knowledge of the fundamental principles of structured programming and algorithm concepts.
Gain a working knowledge and understanding writing and debugging programs within an IDE
Ability to demonstrate a pseudo-code implementation to an algorithm or programming problem and develop this into specific code for compilation.