Degree: Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE)
Major: Electrical Engineering
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program with a major in Electrical Engineering provides our students with a broad foundation in electrical engineering through combined classroom and laboratory work which prepares our students for entering the profession of electrical engineering, as well as for further study at the graduate level.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program in Electrical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Electrical Engineering.
The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering also offers a double major in Systems and Control Engineering and Electrical Engineering.
Mission
The educational mission of the electrical engineering program is to graduate students who have fundamental technical knowledge of their profession and the requisite technical breadth and communications skills to become leaders in creating the new techniques and technologies that will advance the general field of electrical engineering.
Program Educational Objectives
- Graduates will be successful professionals obtaining positions appropriate to their background, interests, and education.
- Graduates will use continuous learning opportunities to improve and enhance their professional skills.
- Graduates will demonstrate leadership in their profession.
Learning Outcomes
As preparation for achieving the above educational objectives, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program with a major in Electrical Engineering is designed so that students attain:
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
- an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Co-op and Internship Programs
Opportunities are available for students to alternate studies with work in industry or government as a co-op student, which involves paid full-time employment over seven months (one semester and one summer). Students may work in one or two co-ops, beginning in the third year of study. Co-ops provide students the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in their field by completing a significant engineering project while receiving professional mentoring. During a co-op placement, students do not pay tuition but maintain their full-time student status while earning a salary. Alternatively or additionally, students may obtain employment as summer interns.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Accelerated Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Combined Bachelor's/Master's Program in Electrical Engineering
The department encourages highly motivated and qualified students to apply for admission to the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Program in the junior year. This integrated program permits up to 9 credit hours of graduate level coursework to be counted towards both BS and MS degree requirements. It also offers the opportunity to complete both the Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Science degrees within five years.
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.
Required Courses:
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I | 4 |
MATH 122 | Calculus for Science and Engineering II | 4 |
or MATH 124 | Calculus II |
MATH 223 | Calculus for Science and Engineering III | 3 |
or MATH 227 | Calculus III |
MATH 224 | Elementary Differential Equations | 3 |
or MATH 228 | Differential Equations |
PHYS 121 | General Physics I - Mechanics | 4 |
or PHYS 123 | Physics and Frontiers I - Mechanics |
PHYS 122 | General Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
or PHYS 124 | Physics and Frontiers II - Electricity and Magnetism |
CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry for Engineers | 4 |
ENGR 130 | Foundations of Engineering and Programming | 3 |
ENGR 145 | Chemistry of Materials | 4 |
ENGR 210 | Introduction to Circuits and Instrumentation | 4 |
ENGR 399 | Impact of Engineering on Society | 3 |
Core courses provide our students with a strong background in signals and systems, computers, electronics (both analog and digital), and semiconductor devices. Students are required to develop depth in at least one of the following technical areas: signals and control, solid state, computer hardware, computer software, circuits, robotics, and biomedical applications. In addition to the core courses, each electrical engineering student must complete the following requirements:
Technical Elective Requirement
Each student must complete 21 credit hours of approved technical electives. Technical electives shall be chosen to fulfill the depth requirement (see next) and otherwise increase the student’s understanding of electrical engineering. Technical electives not used to satisfy the depth requirement are more generally defined as any course related to the principles and practice of electrical engineering. This includes all ECSE courses at the 200-level and above and can include courses from other programs. All non-ECSE technical electives must be approved by the student’s academic advisor.
Statistics Requirement
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
STAT 332 | Statistics for Signal Processing | 3 |
Design Requirement
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
ECSE 395 | Junior Engineering Design Seminar | 3 |
ECSE 398 | Senior Engineering Design Projects | 4 |
In consultation with a faculty advisor, a student completes the program by selecting technical and open elective courses that provide in-depth training in one or more of a spectrum of specialties, such as, control, signal processing, electronics, integrated circuit design and fabrication, and robotics. With the approval of the advisor, a student may emphasize other specialties by selecting elective courses from other programs or departments.
Additionally, math and statistics classes are highly recommended as an integral part of the student's technical electives to prepare for work in industry and government and for graduate school. The following math/statistics classes are recommended and would be accepted as approved technical electives:
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
MATH 201 | Introduction to Linear Algebra for Applications | 3 |
MATH 307 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
MATH 330 | Introduction to Scientific Computing | 3 |
MATH 380 | Introduction to Probability | 3 |
Other Math/Statistics courses may be used as technical electives with the approval of the student's academic advisor.
Many courses have integral or associated laboratories in which students gain “hands-on” experience with electrical engineering principles and instrumentation. Students have ready access to the teaching laboratory facilities and are encouraged to use them during non-scheduled hours in addition to the regularly scheduled laboratory sessions. Opportunities also exist for undergraduate student participation in the wide spectrum of research projects being conducted in the department.
Depth Requirement
Each student must show a depth of competence in one technical area by taking at least three courses from one of the following areas. This depth requirement may be met using a combination of the above core courses and a selection of open and technical electives. Alternative depth areas may be considered by petition to the program faculty.
Area I: Signals & Control
Area II: Computer Software
Area III: Solid State
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
ECSE 321 | Semiconductor Electronic Devices | 4 |
ECSE 322 | Integrated Circuits and Electronic Devices | 3 |
or ECSE 415 | Integrated Circuit Technology I |
ECSE 422 | Solid State Electronics II | 3 |
PHYS 221 | Introduction to Modern Physics | 3 |
Area IV: Circuits
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
ECSE 245 | Electronic Circuits | 4 |
ECSE 326 | Instrumentation Electronics | 3 |
ECSE 344 | Electronic Analysis and Design | 3 |
ECSE 371 | Applied Circuit Design | 4 |
ECSE 426 | MOS Integrated Circuit Design | 3 |
EBME 310 | Principles of Biomedical Instrumentation | 3 |
Area V: Computer Hardware
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
ECSE 281 | Logic Design and Computer Organization | 4 |
ECSE 303 | Embedded Systems Design and Laboratory | 3 |
ECSE 314 | Computer Architecture | 3 |
ECSE 315 | Digital Systems Design | 4 |
ECSE 317 | Computer Design - FPGAs | 3 |
ECSE 318 | VLSI/CAD | 4 |
Area VI: Biomedical Applications
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
EBME 201 | Physiology-Biophysics I (and 2 of the following 4 courses) | 3 |
EBME 310 | Principles of Biomedical Instrumentation | 3 |
EBME 320 | Biomedical Imaging | 3 |
EBME 327 | Bioelectric Engineering | 3 |
EBME 401D | Biomedical Instrumentation and Signal Processing | 3 |
Area VII: Robotics
Sample Plan of Study
The following is a suggested program of study. Current students should always consult their advisors and their individual graduation requirement plans as tracked in SIS.
Plan of Study Grid First Year |
Fall |
CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry for Engineers | 4 |
ENGR 130 | Foundations of Engineering and Programming | 3 |
MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I | 4 |
a | 3 |
b | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 17 |
Spring |
ENGR 145 | Chemistry of Materials | 4 |
MATH 122 | Calculus for Science and Engineering II | 4 |
PHYS 121 | General Physics I - Mechanics c | 4 |
a | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 |
Second Year |
Fall |
ECSE 281 | Logic Design and Computer Organization | 4 |
ENGR 210 | Introduction to Circuits and Instrumentation | 4 |
MATH 223 | Calculus for Science and Engineering III | 3 |
PHYS 122 | General Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism c | 4 |
| Credit Hours | 15 |
Spring |
ECSE 132 | Programming in Java | 3 |
ECSE 245 | Electronic Circuits | 4 |
ECSE 309 | Electromagnetic Fields I | 3 |
MATH 224 | Elementary Differential Equations | 3 |
a | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 |
Third Year |
Fall |
ECSE 246 | Signals and Systems | 4 |
STAT 332 | Statistics for Signal Processing | 3 |
a | 3 |
d | 3 |
d | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 |
Spring |
ECSE 313 | Signal Processing | 3 |
ECSE 321 | Semiconductor Electronic Devices | 4 |
ECSE 395 | Junior Engineering Design Seminar | 3 |
a | 3 |
d | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 |
Fourth Year |
Fall |
ECSE 398 | Senior Engineering Design Projects | 4 |
a | 3 |
d | 3 |
d | 3 |
| 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 |
Spring |
ENGR 399 | Impact of Engineering on Society | 3 |
a | 3 |
d | 3 |
d | 3 |
| 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 |
| Total Credit Hours | 126 |