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Electrical, electronics and computer engineers find innovative ways to use electricity and computers to improve people’s lives. Electrical engineers have dozens of career options. They can design power systems or automotive controls, develop medical testing equipment, work on the space shuttle, design communications satellites or develop new and faster computer technologies. The preparation for all of these begins with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

The Electrical Engineering curriculum is carefully designed to provide students with a background that enables students to join the industrial work force directly after graduation or continue with graduate studies. The program is based on a design-oriented philosophy that allows students to not only understand the theoretical concepts but also apply those concepts in practical situations. Students work on numerous design problems and projects assigned by the professors in the classroom and laboratory, and acquire hands-on experience by undertaking cooperative education training in industry beginning in the sophomore year. Recent capstone design projects include a voice activated wheelchair and an autonomous (auto-guided) ground vehicle.

There is a basic core of material that every electrical engineer should know to provide the foundation for all other learning and work. For this reason all electrical engineering majors are required to take a series of departmental core courses in addition to the Engineering core requirements. The departmental core courses are:

In addition to the departmental core, each student chooses between two program options: (1) Electronics, Control and Communication Systems and (2) Computer Engineering.

Electronics, Control and Communication Systems:
Use state-of-the-art Electronic Design Automation (EAD) tools for analysis and design. This option is recommended for students who want a broad exposure to the sub-disciplines within Electrical Engineering. Students in this area will take four additional elective courses from the electrical and computer engineering department or other engineering departments.

Computer Engineering:
Specialize in this rapidly growing area by taking courses such as Computer Architecture, Hardware Description Languages (VHDL), Computer Networking and Embedded Systems. The electrical and computer engineering program emphasizes a design-oriented philosophy, allowing students to not only grasp the theoretical concepts but to apply those concepts. It is recognized that the “tools and toys” in electrical and computer engineering continually change, but that a sound background in the underlying theoretical concepts allows straightforward assimilation of new technologies (i.e. concepts and theory prevents obsolescence). Students in the computer engineering concentration will take additional courses as follows:

The typical sequence of courses is listed in the separate Program Flow Chart and the Departmental Curriculum Forms available in the College Records Office and at http://eng-sci.udmercy.edu/eengr/course_ info.htm Students in the Electronics, Control, and Communication Systems concentration can take technical elective courses from the list below and from the Computer Engineering concentration option.