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 with a major in Electrical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org/.
The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering also offers a double major in Systems and Control Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Details of the double major can be found on the Plan of Study tab.
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. Learn more at engineering.case.edu/coop. Alternatively or additionally, students may obtain employment as summer interns.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Office of Undergraduate Studies 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 Office of Undergraduate Studies section of the General Bulletin.
BS/MS Program in Electrical Engineering
The department encourages highly motivated and qualified students to apply for admission to the BS/MS 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 (including an option to substitute 3 credit hours of MS thesis work for ECSE 399 Engineering Projects II). 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 general requirements of the Case School of Engineering. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the latter set of requirements.
Major Requirements
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 systems, solid state, computer hardware, computer software, control, circuits, robotics, and biomedical applications. Each electrical engineering student must complete the following requirements:
Technical Elective Requirement
Each student must complete eighteen (18) 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 | Hours |
STAT 332 | Statistics for Signal Processing * | 3 |
Design Requirement
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
ECSE 398 | Engineering Projects I | 4 |
ECSE 399 | Engineering Projects II | 3 |
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:
-
MATH 201 Introduction to Linear Algebra for Applications
-
MATH 307 Linear Algebra
-
MATH 330 Introduction to Scientific Computing
-
MATH 380 Introduction to Probability
Other Math/Statistics 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
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
CSDS 293 | Software Craftsmanship | 4 |
CSDS 302 | Discrete Mathematics | 3 |
CSDS 310 | Algorithms | 3 |
CSDS 391 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | 3 |
CSDS 393 | Software Engineering | 3 |
ECSE 233 | Introduction to Data Structures | 4 |
ECSE 338 | Intro to Operating Systems and Concurrent Programming | 4 |
ECSE 373 | Modern Robot Programming | 3 |
ECSE 473 | Modern Robot Programming | 3 |
Area III: Solid State
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
ECSE 321 | Semiconductor Electronic Devices | 4 |
ECSE 322/415 | Integrated Circuits and Electronic Devices | 3 |
ECSE 422 | Solid State Electronics II | 3 |
PHYS 221 | Introduction to Modern Physics | 3 |
Area IV: Circuits
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
EBME 310 | Principles of Biomedical Instrumentation | 3 |
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 |
Area V: Computer Hardware
Area VI: Biomedical Applications
Course List Code | Title | 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 |
* | 4 |
CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry for Engineers ** | 4 |
MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I ** | 4 |
ENGR 130 | Foundations of Engineering and Programming ** | 3 |
| 3 |
* | 0 |
| Hours | 18 |
Spring |
* | 3 |
PHYS 121 | General Physics I - Mechanics **,b | 4 |
MATH 122 | Calculus for Science and Engineering II ** | 4 |
ENGR 145 | Chemistry of Materials ** | 4 |
* | 0 |
| Hours | 15 |
Second Year |
Fall |
PHYS 122 | General Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism **,b | 4 |
MATH 223 | Calculus for Science and Engineering III ** | 3 |
ENGR 210 | Introduction to Circuits and Instrumentation ** | 4 |
ECSE 281 | Logic Design and Computer Organization | 4 |
| Hours | 15 |
Spring |
* | 3 |
ENGR 225 | Thermodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer ** | 4 |
MATH 224 | Elementary Differential Equations ** | 3 |
ECSE 245 | Electronic Circuits | 4 |
ECSE 309 | Electromagnetic Fields I | 3 |
| Hours | 17 |
Third Year |
Fall |
** | 3 |
ENGR 200 | Statics and Strength of Materials ** | 3 |
STAT 332 | Statistics for Signal Processing c | 3 |
d | 3 |
ECSE 246 | Signals and Systems | 4 |
| Hours | 16 |
Spring |
** | 3 |
d | 3 |
ENGL 398 | Professional Communication for Engineers ** | 2 |
ENGR 398 | Professional Communication for Engineers ** | 1 |
ECSE 321 | Semiconductor Electronic Devices | 4 |
ECSE 313 | Signal Processing | 3 |
| Hours | 16 |
Fourth Year |
Fall |
** | 3 |
d | 3 |
d | 3 |
| 3 |
ECSE 398 | Engineering Projects I | 4 |
| Hours | 16 |
Spring |
** | 3 |
d | 3 |
d | 3 |
| 3 |
ECSE 399 | Engineering Projects II | 3 |
| Hours | 15 |
| Total Hours | 128 |
Double Major: Systems and Control Engineering & Electrical Engineering
The department also offers a double major in Systems and Control Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program with a major in Electrical Engineering can take the following courses as technical and open electives to earn a second major in Systems and Control Engineering:
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
ECSE 216 | Fundamental System Concepts | 3 |
ECSE 304 | Control Engineering I with Laboratory | 3 |
ECSE 305 | Control Engineering I Laboratory | 1 |
ECSE 324 | Modeling and Simulation of Continuous Dynamical Systems | 3 |
ECSE 342 | Introduction to Global Issues | 3 |
ECSE 352 | Engineering Economics and Decision Analysis | 3 |
MATH 201 | Introduction to Linear Algebra for Applications | 3 |
| |
ECSE 374 | Advanced Control and Energy Systems | 3 |
or ECSE 375 | Applied Control |