Basic engineering courses along with core math, science and humanities courses are taken in the freshman and sophomore years. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor as early as possible, preferably in the first year. Students who plan to major in Electrical Engineering are urged to take the following courses as early as possible:
Gateway Courses: (9 credits)
ECE150 (F/S) Digital Logic Design 3 credits
ECE140 (F) Circuit Analysis 3 credits
ECE111 (S) Signal Processing & Systems Analysis 3 credits
In particular, students are advised to take ECE150 Digital Logic Design in their first year. It provides an introduction not only to the subject matter but also an early laboratory and design experience. These three courses serve as a gateway into the field of Electrical Engineering.
Through the junior and senior years, students take a sequence of projects courses totaling 12.5 credits. Students following all tracks take these projects courses together, in order to foster interaction and multi-disciplinary work. The Electrical Engineering curriculum does not contain standard laboratory courses- these are project courses. That is, students do not perform prepackaged, rote experiments, but instead develop innovative designs, solve open-ended problems, and investigate topics not covered in required courses. These courses are open only to students majoring in Electrical Engineering, and are based on the gateway courses as prerequisites:
Junior & Senior Projects Courses: (12.5 credits)
ECE193 (F) Electrical & Computer Engineering Projects I 1.5 credits
ECE194 (S) Electrical & Computer Engineering Projects II 4 credits
ECE195 (F) Electrical & Computer Engineering Projects III 4 credits
ECE196 (S) Electrical & Computer Engineering Projects IV 3 credits
In addition to the courses listed above, the following courses are taken by all students, regardless of the chosen track. These courses (with the exception of the general studies electives noted below) should be completed during the first two years of study:
Basic Math, Science & Engineering Courses: (38.5 credits)
MA110 (F) Introduction to Linear Algebra 2 credits
MA111 (F) Calculus I 4 credits
MA113 (S) Calculus II 4 credits
MA223 (F/S) Vector Calculus 2 credits
MA224 (F/S) Probability 2 credits
MA240 (F/S) Ordinary & Partial Differential Equations 3 credits
CH110 (F) General Chemistry 3 credits
CH111 (S) Chemistry Laboratory 1.5 credits
CH160 (S) Physical Principles of Chemistry 3 credits
PH112 (S) Physics I (Mechanics) 4 credits
PH213 (F) Physics II (Electromagnetic Phenomena) 4 credits
PH214 (S) Physics III (Optics & Modern Physics) 3 credits
PH291 (F) Introductory Physics Laboratory 1.5 credits
CS102 (F) Introduction to Computer Science 3 credits
EID101 (F) Engineering Design & Problem Solving 3 credits
General studies: (24 credits)
HSS1, HSS2, HSS3, HSS4 Core Humanities & Social Sciences 12 credits
Electives in Humanities and Social Sciences 6 credits
Non-technical electives: 6 credits
Courses that qualify as non-technical electives include H/SS/Hta (humanities, social sciences, history of art), as well as courses offered by the schools of art and architecture, selected courses offered by the engineering school that are generally of a non-technical nature (e.g., business, law), and advanced foreign language courses. The EE Department regularly maintains and updates a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the non-technical elective requirements; students must obtain approval from their advisor. Specific information about these courses, including necessary prerequisites, can be obtained from the schools or faculty offering the courses.