Probably the single most important factor affecting industry and everyday life today is the microelectronic revolution initiated by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce who independently discovered how to put entire electronic circuits onto a single piece of semiconductor. This quantum leap in miniaturisation has led to the ability to package enormously complicated circuits - integrated circuits - into single chips, e.g. the microprocessor, thus the term microelectronics reflects to the construction of electronic circuits in micro miniaturised form.

The Computer Industry is expanding world wide, at an unprecedented rate. The range of computer applications and information engineering are also rapidly expanding; just a few years ago, terms such as artificial intelligence, computer graphics, robotics, Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) were unheard of. Today, even the smallest firms are introducing microcomputers and computers have appeared in many homes and most schools.

These developments in computing and information engineering are creating a wide range of excellent career opportunities for suitable qualified graduates and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. There is a particularly heavy demand for graduates who have the skills to apply information technology to the practical problems of business, industry and education. The block is designed to produce such graduates. Having successfully completed this program, a candidate will have a sound understanding of computer application, of information engineering and computer programming, of the techniques of systems analysis and design. He will be thoroughly familiar with the use of microelectronics and information technology in various administrative systems, in manufacturing systems and in management decision making. In addition, automatic instrumentation and control are also in the focus of the curriculum.

The block is designed to train and qualify engineers of tomorrow who will be technically competent, market conscious, commercially adept, environmentally sensitive and responsive to human needs.

The training aim of the block of