Curriculum In Electrical Engineering

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 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE 110), 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 in 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 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.

Electrical Engineering Core

These courses stress fundamental electrical engineering concepts and basic laboratory techniques that encompass the common intellectual understanding of all electrical engineering.

Probability and Statistics

Composition I

This course teaches fundamentals of expository writing.

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 three of these:

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.

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.

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 research specialties or to complete minors such as bioengineering, technology and management, or languages. At least seven hours must be taken for a grade.

Campus General Education Requirements

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

Second Year

Third Year

Fourth Year