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Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
155 Everitt Laboratory
1406 West Green Street
Urbana IL 61801
217-333-2300
For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
Educational Objectives
The Electrical Engineering (EE) curriculum is administered by the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). The educational
objectives of the department's programs are based on the mission of
the department and the perceived needs of the constituents and are
consistent with the Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2K) of the Accreditation
Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The mission statement
has a preamble followed by declarations of four interconnected commitments:
to students, to faculty, to alumni, and to the State of Illinois,
with the understanding that the latter two include industry. There
are four program educational objectives for the EE program:
Depth. To provide students with an understanding
of the fundamental knowledge prerequisite for the practice of or for
advanced study in electrical engineering, including its scientific
principles, rigorous analysis, and creative design.
Breadth. To provide students with the broad education,
including knowledge of important current issues in engineering with
emphasis on electrical engineering, necessary for productive careers
in the public or private sectors or for the pursuit of graduate education.
Professionalism. To develop skills for clear communication
and responsible teamwork and to inculcate professional attitudes and
ethics so that students are prepared for the complex modern work environment
and for lifelong learning.
Learning Environment. To provide an environment that
enables students to pursue their goals in an innovative program that
is rigorous and challenging, open and supportive.
Outcomes
To prepare the student for the program educational objectives to be
achieved, a set of program outcomes, that is, statements that describe
what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of
graduation, have been adopted. These outcomes, which parallel the
ABET EC2K Criterion 3 list of outcomes (see description under College
of Engineering) and the applicable Program Criteria, are:
- Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
- Ability to design and conduct experiments as well as analyze
and interpret data
- Ability to design a system to meet desired needs
- Ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
- Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
- Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
- Ability to communicate effectively
- Broad education necessary to understand impact of engineering
solutions in a global/societal context
- Recognition of the need for and ability to engage in lifelong
learning
- Knowledge of contemporary issues
- Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering
tools necessary for engineering practice
- Knowledge of probability and statistics, including applications
to electrical engineering
- Knowledge of mathematics, and basic and engineering sciences,
necessary to carry out analysis and design appropriate to electrical
engineering
- Knowledge of advanced mathematics.
The Importance of The First-Year ECE Experience
First-year students take ECE 110-Intro Elec & Comp Engrg, a four-credit-hour
class combining theory, laboratory measurement, and design. Not only
do beginning students get a substantive course in their major, they
also gain a better appreciation for the basic science and mathematics
courses that are taken during the first two years of study. Students
gain first-hand experience in the activities of a professional electrical/computer
engineer and are better able to make the important decision as to
whether they have chosen the major best suited to them.
Intellectual Content of the Electrical Engineering (EE) Curriculum
Student involvement in the EE discipline increases during each year
of the program. Most of the core electrical engineering courses are
taken in the fourth and fifth semesters. During the last three semesters,
the student chooses electives to define a curriculum to meet specific
educational and career needs.
The electrical engineering core curriculum focuses on fundamental
electrical engineering knowledge: circuits (ECE 110), systems (ECE
210), electromagnetics (ECE 329), solid state electronics (ECE 440),
computer engineering (ECE 290, ECE 385), computer science (CS 125),
and design (ECE 445). The rich set of ECE elective courses permits
students to select from collections of courses from the seven areas
of electrical and computer engineering : bioengineering, acoustics,
and magnetic resonance engineering; circuits and signal processing;
communication and control; computer engineering; electromagnetics,
optics, and remote sensing; microelectronics and quantum electronics;
power and energy systems.
Methods of Instruction and Design Experience
Instruction is given using a combination of lecture, discussion, laboratory,
and project methodologies of the highest quality. The large number
of laboratory courses and superb access to advanced computer facilities
provide excellent practical experience in the field. Laboratory and
design work are emphasized throughout the curriculum beginning with
Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE 110). The
sophomore year includes design experience in Introduction to Computer
Engineering (ECE 290) and the Digital Systems Laboratory (ECE 385).
During the junior and senior years, students gain further design experience
in elective courses, including at least two laboratory courses, in
their chosen subdiscipline. In the Senior Design Laboratory (ECE 445),
students learn to combine all phases of an engineering project including
design, analysis, construction, teamwork and reporting.
Honors Activity
Students wishing to do honors work are encouraged to apply to the
James Scholar Program administered jointly by the College of Engineering
and the ECE Department. In consultation with departmental honors advisers,
students create and carry out honors activity contracts. They must
also participate in the ECE Honors Seminar and are encouraged to participate
in the yearly Undergraduate Honors Symposium. The department offers
thesis courses and project opportunities for students wishing to graduate
with Highest Honors.
Grade-Point Average Requirements
A student must have a grade-point average of at least 2.0 in ECE courses
in order to remain in good standing and to graduate. To qualify for
registration for the ECE courses shown in the third year of the curriculum,
a student must have completed, with a combined 2.25 grade-point average,
the mathematics, physics, computer science, and electrical and computer
engineering courses shown in the first two years.
Overview of Curriculum Requirements
The curriculum requires 128 hours for graduation and is organized
as follows:
Required Courses
Required courses total 62 hours.
Basic Sciences and Mathematics
These courses stress the scientific principles upon which the engineering
discipline is based.
| Hours |
|
| 5 |
MATH 220—Calculus I |
| 3 |
MATH 230—Calculus II |
| 3 |
MATH 242—Calculus of Several
Variables |
| 3 |
MATH 385—Intro Differential
Equations |
| 4 |
PHYS 211—Univ Physics, Mechanics
|
| 4 |
PHYS 212—Univ Physics, Elec
& Mag |
| 2 |
PHYS 213—Univ Physics, Thermal
Physics |
| 2 |
PHYS 214—Univ Physics, Quantum
Phys |
| 3 |
CHEM 102—General Chemistry
I |
| 1 |
CHEM 103—General Chemistry
Lab I |
| 30 |
Total |
Electrical Engineering Core
These courses stress fundamental electrical engineering concepts and
basic laboratory techniques that encompass the common intellectual
understanding of all electrical engineering.
| Hours |
|
| 4 |
ECE 110—Intro Elec & Comp
Engrg |
| 4 |
ECE 210—Analog Signal Processing |
| 3 |
ECE 290—Computer Engineering,
I |
| 3 |
ECE 329—Intro Electromagnetic
Fields |
| 2 |
ECE 385—Digital Systems Laboratory |
| 3 |
ECE 440—Solid State Electronic
Devices |
| 2 |
ECE 445—Senior Design Project
Lab |
| 4 |
CS 125—Intro to Computer Science |
| 25 |
Total |
Probability and Statistics
This course lays the ground work for understanding problems ranging
from communications engineering to data analysis in diverse areas
such as medicine and manufacturing.
| Hours |
|
| 3 |
ECE 413—Probability with Engrg
Applic |
| |
Note ECE 413 may be replaced by
either: |
3 |
IE 300—Analysis
of Data |
4 |
STAT 400/MATH 463—Statistics
and Probability I |
| 3 |
Minimum total hours |
Composition I
This course teaches fundamentals of expository writing.
| Hours |
|
| 4 |
RHET 105—Principles of Composition |
Engineering & Science Electives
The engineering and science electives total 37 hours.
ECE Electives
These upperclass electives stress the rigorous analysis and design
principles practiced in the subdisciplines of electrical engineering.
The electives total 22 hours distributed as follows:
Restricted ECE Electives
The following five course selections are introductory to major specialty
areas of electrical engineering.
Students must take 3 of them:
| Hours |
|
| 3–4 |
ECE 390—Computer Engineering,
II or CS 225—Data Structure & Softw Prin |
| 4 |
ECE 410—Digital Signal Processing,
I |
| 3 |
ECE 430—Power Ckts & Electromechanics |
| 4 |
ECE 442—Electronic Circuits
and ECE 443—Electronic Circuits Laboratory |
| 3 |
ECE 450—Lines, Fields, and
Waves |
ECE Elective Laboratories
The elective laboratory courses provide the student with essential
hands-on experience in techniques and design that are important for
the practicing engineer as well as the research scientist. Students
choose two courses from a departmentally approved list. One lab must
not be on the list of Restricted ECE Electives.
Other ECE Electives
With these courses a student defines her or his interest area within
the field of electrical engineering. Elective choice should be made
with care, planning, and consultation with an adviser. Consult also
the advising materials for all the subdisciplines of electrical engineering.
These courses make up the balance of the 22 ECE elective hours and
can be taken from a departmentally approved list including almost
all of the 200-400-level ECE courses.
Technical Electives
Technical electives total 15 hours. This elective requirement gives
each student freedom to define a technical course of study of considerable
breadth or focus. Courses are taken from departmentally approved lists
that include courses in ECE, other engineering departments, and the
basic sciences and mathematics departments. One course must come from
a list of basic science electives. Another must come from a list of
non-ECE engineering science electives. In addition to the basic science
elective, each student must take 9 hours of coursework outside of
ECE and at least 9 hours of engineering coursework. (most often, students
take non-ECE engineering coursework to satisfy both.)
Social Sciences and Humanities
The social science and humanities courses, as approved by the College
of Engineering, ensure that students have exposure in breadth and
depth to areas of intellectual activity that are essential to the
general education of any college graduate.
| Hours |
Requirements |
| 18 |
Social sciences and humanities courses
approved by the College of Engineering. |
Other Electives
These electives give the student the opportunity to explore any intellectual
area. This freedom plays a critical role in helping students to define
what are, effectively, minor concentrations in areas such as bioengineering,
technology and management, languages, or research specialties. At
least six hours must be taken for a letter grade.
| Hours |
Requirements |
| 11–12 |
Electives |
Students must select courses that satisfy both the college social
sciences and humanities requirement and the campus requirements in
social and behavioral sciences and in humanities and the arts. Careful
choices will assure that these courses also satisfy the campus requirements
in the areas of Western and non-Western cultures. Many of these courses
satisfy the campus General Education Advanced Composition requirement,
which assures that the student has the advanced writing skills expected
of all college graduates. The campus requirements in Composition I,
natural sciences and technology, and quantitative reasoning are met
by required courses. Beginning with the class that entered in fall
2000, students must complete a third-level college language course.
Most students satisfy this requirement by completing three years of
high school instruction in a single language.
Suggested Sequence
First Year
| Hours |
First Semester |
| 3 |
CHEM 102—General Chemistry
I |
| 1 |
CHEM 103—General Chemistry
Lab I |
| 0 |
ENG 100—Engineering Lecture |
| 5 |
MATH 220—Calculus I |
| 4 |
RHET 105—Principles of Composition
or ECE 110*—Intro Elec & Comp Engrg1 |
| 3 |
Elective in social sciences or humanities |
| 16 |
Total |
| Hours |
Second Semester |
| 4 |
ECE 110*—Intro
Elec & Comp Engrg or RHET 105—Principles of Composition1 |
| 3 |
MATH 230*—Calculus
II |
| 4 |
PHYS 211*—Univ
Physics, Mechanics |
| 3 |
Elective in social sciences or humanities |
| 3 |
Additional elective |
| 17 |
Total |
Second Year
| Hours |
First Semester |
| 4 |
CS 125*—Intro
to Computer Science |
| 3 |
MATH 242*—Calculus
of Several Variables |
| 4 |
PHYS 212*—Univ
Physics, Elec & Mag |
| 6 |
Electives |
| 17 |
Total |
| Hours |
Second Semester |
| 4 |
ECE 210*—Analog
Signal Processing |
| 3 |
ECE 290*—Computer
Engineering, I |
| 3 |
MATH 385*—Intro
Differential Equations |
| 2 |
PHYS 213*—Univ
Physics, Thermal Physics |
| 2 |
PHYS 214*—Univ
Physics, Quantum Phys |
| 14 |
Total |
Third Year
| Hours |
First Semester |
| 3 |
ECE 329—Intro Electromagnetic
Fields |
| 2 |
ECE 385—Digital Systems Laboratory |
| 3 |
ECE 413**—Probability with
Engrg Applic |
| 8 |
Electives |
| 16 |
Total |
| Hours |
Second Semester |
| 3 |
ECE 440—Solid State Electronic
Devices |
| 6 |
Advanced Core ECE Courses |
| 7 |
Electives |
| 16 |
Total |
Fourth Year
| Hours |
First Semester |
| 2 |
ECE 445—Senior Design Project
Lab |
| 3 |
Advanced ECE Core Courses |
| 11 |
Electives |
| 16 |
Total |
| Hours |
Second Semester |
| 16 |
Electives |
* 2.25 GPA rule courses
** May be replaced by one of the following: IE 300-Analysis of Data
or STAT 400/MATH 463-Statistics and Probability I.
1. RHET 105 may be taken in the first or second semester of the first
year as authorized. The alternative is ECE 110.
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