U-ECE-BSE - Electrical and Computer Engineering (BSE)
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Overview
The educational mission of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is to graduate electrical and computer engineers who embody excellence in a broad sense. We expect our graduates to advance within industry positions or in graduate study, or to carry the attributes of an engineering education into other disciplines. The electrical and computer engineering program of study must include mathematics and basic sciences, fundamentals, and applications in several engineering sciences, and team-based experience in the process of design, where theory is applied in the context of real needs and limitations, and where judgment must be exercised. Our electrical and computer engineering graduates should be able to think critically when solving problems and managing tasks and communicate effectively in multidisciplinary professional environments. To be a responsible member of the engineering profession, each graduate must be aware of social, ethical, environmental, and economic factors and constraints on engineering activity, and must understand the importance of these matters in a global context. We aspire to have our graduates exhibit intellectual depth and creativity, uphold high ethical standards, and show a commitment to the betterment of society through service and professional work.
To this end, the specific program educational objectives that we look for in our graduates are that they
advance professionally in their chosen field;
contribute to their professional community and to society; and
engage in lifelong learning in professional and personal endeavors.
The electrical and computer engineering (ECE) program is fully accredited by the Engineering Commission of ABET and leads to a bachelor of science in engineering (BSE) degree. The ECE curriculum provides a solid foundation in mathematics, physical and life sciences, computer science, and humanities and social sciences that complements a set of twelve theme-based ECE courses.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has designed its curriculum based on the theme of integrated sensing and information processing (ISIP). The ISIP theme capitalizes on the collective research expertise of the ECE faculty and provides a coherent, overarching framework that links principles of ECE to each other and to real-world engineering problems. The cornerstone of the ECE curriculum is the first course fundamentals of electrical and computer engineering, which has been designed to provide students with a holistic view of ECE by introducing concepts spanning how to interface sensors and systems with the physical world, how to transfer/transmit energy/information, and how to extract, manipulate, analyze, and interpret information. The integrated design challenge in this first course introduces students to team problem solving and motivates in-depth study of ECE concepts in subsequent terms. Each of four follow-on core courses focuses on a specific subfield of ECE (digital systems, microelectronics, sensing and waves, signals and systems), and integrates lateral and vertical connections to other courses through the use of thematic examples. Following the five core courses are seven ECE technical electives that include a culminating engineering design course where teams of students address a significant real-world problem or opportunity.
The ECE curriculum emphasizes creative problem solving through open-ended design challenges in many courses. Working in teams, students collaborate to utilize and develop their individual and collective technical, management, and leadership skills to design, simulate, build, and test components and systems to meet a set of specifications, often defined by industry standards.
Students have the option to pursue two or more areas of concentration, depending on personal interests. The upper-level technical electives, which extend the breadth and depth of the ECE core curriculum, provide a firm foundation for future technical accomplishment and for effective problem solving in the diverse fields that our graduates pursue.
The flexibility of the ECE curriculum enables students and their faculty advisors to tailor a unique educational experience for every student. This may include a semester abroad; a second major, minor, or certificate program; and/or a research experience with a faculty member. The most popular second majors are computer science and biomedical engineering. Other popular second majors include mathematics, economics, and physics. Interests such as pre-medicine, pre-law, art, music, psychology, and social sciences can be accommodated through individually designed programs. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum required courses in the sciences and the liberal arts, as is fitting at an engineering school in a university with a strong liberal arts tradition.
A minor in ECE is also available.