The Department of Computer Engineering was established in the Faculty of Engineering in Peradeniya in 1985. Although it is the youngest department in the Faculty, it is the oldest Computer Engineering Department to be established in the University system of the country. The main function of the department initially was to conduct programming courses to the students in all disciplines of the Faculty. Over the years the department has developed into a fully-fledged department and it now offers several courses in Computer Engineering to the students. The demand from the students for Computer Engineering has been high and a limited number is admitted to follow it. The graduates who have specialized in Computer Engineering are highly sought after by local as well as foreign employers. In view of the good employment prospects for Computer Engineering graduates and the large demand from the students, the department has initiated a degree programme leading to the B.Sc. Eng. degree in Computer Engineering from year 2001. The Department has also been building up its resources and now has state of the art technology in networking, digital design, embedded systems and computer interfacing.
The mission of the Department is to keep the academic and research programmes on a par with internationally recognized programmes in the discipline incorporating the rapid changes taking place in the industry, train the students to acquire the required scientific and technological knowledge and skills, and to develop their soft skills, thus enhancing their professional recognition, career prospects and career mobility, nationally and internationally. The department intends to achieve these by making sure that the graduates:
understand the basic principles that underlie present electronic and computational technology;
are capable of creatively applying their understanding of science and engineering principles to solve problems typical of the career they choose;
are competent in communicating their ideas clearly and succinctly in all forms;
and are motivated to engage in lifelong learning which will be essential for progressing in their career.
ACES is the official club representing the student body of the department. It was formed in 2001. The organization is headed by the ACES council. ACES organizes the following events annually.