Core Courses
The electrical and computer engineering curricula share core courses comprising a substantial portion of the first three years of study. Many of the core courses are offered three times a year in fall, spring, and summer. A strong emphasis is placed on fundamental concepts in core courses so that graduates are prepared for rapid technological changes common in the electrical and computer engineering professions. A comprehensive foundation in mathematics and the physical sciences in the freshman year is followed in subsequent years by additional core courses in mathematics, physics, electric circuit theory, digital logic, computer systems, electronics, electromagnetics, and linear systems. Laboratory work is designed to demonstrate fundamental principles and to provide experience in designing and testing electronic hardware and computer software. Both curricula have a required two semester senior design project which gives students comprehensive experience in designing, building, and testing physical systems.
Curricula
In addition to the core courses described above, students in the electrical engineering curriculum take two foundational electives and four specialization electives in areas of their choice within the discipline and two technical electives that can be in either electrical engineering or selected engineering courses offered by other departments. Beyond the core, students in the computer engineering curriculum take courses in discrete mathematics, data structures, embedded systems, and complex digital systems, in addition to four specialization electives in areas of their choice and one technical elective. For both curricula, a variety of elective courses are offered in communications, computational intelligence, controls, digital signal processing, digital systems, nanotechnology, mechatronics, microelectronics, networking, robotics, and VLSI design. There are typically a dozen or more of these courses offered each fall and spring semester and two or three available each summer.