   what course..
  or program in University would provide the knowledge to design hardware?  would this usually be covered in Computer Science?  or would it be Computer Engineering?  or maybe electrical engineering?   
  That would be computer engineering and/or electrical engineering.  Of course, you would be wise to actually examine the list of course requirements before choosing the program.  This would allow you to determine exactly which to choose.To elaborate, in my school the differences between the programs weren't that great.  And hardware is pretty encompassing.  I'd say computer engineers learned more about digital hardware while electrical engineers learned more about analog.  But even then, there was a bunch of overlap.   ;  Computer Science programs will generally cover some computer architecture and digital electronics, some in more detail than others.  Though if you're dead set on hardware, Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering may be a better choice.  However precisely what you do on a particular course varies wildly between universities, as nobodynews said check out the course before applying.  You should be able to get hold of a syllabus, a lecture list, list of labs etc and maybe some lecture notes so you can get a better idea of precisely what you'd be doing.   