Electrical and Computer Engineering (BEE)
Description
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 a smart-phone, smart-grid power system, electric/hybrid vehicle or an autonomous vehicle. They can develop robots that assist the disadvantaged or execute search and rescue missions. The Internet of Things (IoT) is entirely a product of Electrical Engineering. Electrical and computer engineers design medical testing equipment, work on the spacecraft and design communication satellites. The preparation for all of these jobs begins with a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.
University of Detroit Mercy's state-of-the-art curriculum in electrical and computer engineering will start you in the right direction. We've revised our curriculum to tap into your creativity so you can apply theoretical concepts to find innovative solutions to new problems. By working with hands-on projects which explore a series of robotic, sensor, and/or wireless communication systems, you combine electrical and computer engineering concepts with practical applications. Then, at multiple points in your 4-year program, you work in industry under the supervision of engineers (a co-op assignment with an engineer's salary) to apply your knowledge and build real work experience. Unlike a traditional engineering program, which focuses on dry theoretical topics separately, we teach you engineering theory through an integrated and applied approach, so you learn how concepts work together - as they would in the "real world." Thus your education in the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department helps prepare you to develop the next neural-controlled artificial limb, hybrid "green" energy system or vision-controlled autonomous vehicle.
Along with robotics, wireless communication, and embedded systems, our curriculum also allows you to explore mechatronics - a growing area in many industries - through a new series of courses where you work on sensors, modeling, embedded computers, control systems, and electronics. You can study elements of electrical/computer engineering and select mechanical engineering topics, which are critical for developing products in today's increasingly interdisciplinary technological world.
This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Our Bachelor of Electrical Engineering program is based on three key elements:
- Spiral-based Curriculum - You discover that Electrical and Computer Engineering is a fascinating field as you revisit basic concepts and applications in multiple courses at different times and in increasingly more sophisticated contexts.
- Contextual Understanding - By working with multiple simultaneous topics in class and project-labs, you will understand the how and why of entire engineering systems rather than just pieces and parts.
- Experiential Learning - You learn as you apply concepts to "hands-on" projects beyond the classroom through electronics, wireless IoT, robotics, and autonomous vehicle projects, as well as through paid cooperative education placements.
Other distinctive EE program features include:
- Optional Concentration in Computer Engineering
- 5-year bachelor/master program for qualified students (click here for more information)
- Hands-on real-world projects from freshman through the senior year.
- Pre-medical track within Bachelor of Engineering which includes courses in biology and chemistry that are needed to gain admission to and be successful in medical school.
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Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will have an ability to:
- apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;
- design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data;
- design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability;
- function on multidisciplinary teams;
- identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;
- understand professional and ethical responsibility;
- communicate effectively;
- understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context;
- recognize the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning;
- obtain the knowledge of contemporary issues;
- use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
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Electrical Engineering Program Educational Objectives
ABET defines Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) as “broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years of graduation.”
The graduates of the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering program are expected, within a few years of graduation, to:
- Demonstrate by successful professional engineering practice and/or pursuit of advanced engineering degrees, technical proficiency in engineering fundamentals;
- Excel in the practice of engineering through effective communication, collaboration and teamwork, lifelong learning, and creative engineering problem solving; and,
- Contribute to the engineering profession and to society in a manner consistent with the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, which include leadership and service within a strong moral and ethical framework.
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Degree Requirements -Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (139 credits)
The BEE Curriculum involves University Core Curriculum Courses, Engineering Core Courses for Electrical Engineering, EE Major Courses, and Technical Electives.
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Major Courses (65 credits)
There is a basic set of material that every electrical engineering student should know in order to provide the foundation for all other learning and work. For this reason all electrical engineering majors are required to take a series of EE program core courses in addition to more general engineering Core requirements. The EE program major courses are:
- CSSE 1712 Introduction to Programming I (3 credits)
- CSSE 1722 Introduction to Programming II (3 credits)
- ELEE 2500 Fundamentals of Electrical and Computer Engineering I (3 credits)
- ELEE 2510 Fundamentals of Electrical and Computer Engineering I Lab (1 credit)
- ELEE 2520 Fundamentals of Electrical and Computer Engineering II (3 credits)
- ELEE 2530 Fundamentals of Electrical and Computer Engineering II Lab (1 credit)
- ELEE 2640 Digital Logic Circuits (3 credits)
- ELEE 2650 Digital Logic Circuits Lab (1 credit)
- ELEE 3540 Electronic Systems (3 credits)
- ELEE 3550 Electronic Systems Laboratory (1 credit)
- ELEE 3660 Electromagnetics I (3 credits)
- ELEE 3720 Electromechanical Energy Conversion (3 credits)
- ELEE 3740 Communication Theory I (3 credits)
- ELEE 3860 Introduction to Microcontrollers (3 credits)
- ELEE 3870 Introduction to Microcontrollers Lab (1 credit)
- ELEE 3880 Signals and Systems (3 credits)
- ELEE 4000 Hardware and Software Integration (3 credits)
- ELEE 4011 ECE Senior Capstone Design I (2 credits)
- ELEE 4012 ECE Senior Capstone Design I Lab (1 credit)
- ELEE 4031 ECE Senior Capstone Design II (2 credits)
- ELEE 4032 ECE Senior Capstone Design II Lab (1 credit)
- ENGR 3300 Principles of Mechanical Engineering (3 credits)
- ENGR 4220 Control Systems (3 credits)
- PHY 3690 Modern Physics with Device Applications (3 credits)
- ELEE Technical Elective (4000/5000-level) 3 credits
- ELEE Technical Elective (4000/5000-level) 3 credits
- Engineering/CSSE/Math Technical Elective (any discipline, 4000/5000-level) with advisor approval 3 credits
This degree provides broad exposure to the sub-disciplines within Electrical Engineering. Through the three Technical Electives (TE) listed above, students can explore many areas of interest such as signal processing, communications, mechatronics, robotics, control systems, and technical entrepreneurship. The Technical Elective courses are required to be at a 4000 level or above, and shall be selected from Electrical Engineering (ELEE) or other engineering departments with advisor’s approval. Technical Electives are included in the Major GPA calculation.
Students must earn an overall average 2.0 GPA or better in the major courses above.
Engineering Core Courses for Electrical Engineering (50 credits)
- CHM 1070 General Chemistry I (3 credits)
- CHM 1100 Chemistry Laboratory I (1 credit)
- ENGR 1000 Engineering Ethics (F1, IT6) (2 credits)
- ENGR 1020 Basic Engineering Graphics and Computer Aided Design (1 credit)
- ENGR 1023 Engineering Computing and Problem Solving (1 credit)
- ENGR 1080 Fundamentals of Engineering Design (2 credits)
- ENL 3030 Technical Writing (3 credits)
- MTH 1410 Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (4 credits)
- MTH 1420 Analytic Geometry and Calculus II (4 credits)
- MTH 2410 Analytic Geometry and Calculus III (4 credits)
- MTH 3720 Differential Equations with Linear Algebra (4 credits)
- MTH 4270 Applied Probability and Statistics (3 credits)
- PHY 1600 General Physics I (3 credits)
- PHY 1610 General Physics Laboratory I (1 credit)
- PHY 1620 General Physics II (3 credits)
- PHY 1630 General Physics Laboratory II (1 credit)
- ENGR 3110 Professional Practice of Engineering (C2, IT3) (2 credits)
- ENGR 3112 Fundamentals of Engineering Practice (1 credit)
- ENGR 3000 Intro to Cooperative Education in Engineering & Science (IT5) (1 credit)
- CTA 3010 Co-op (IT5) (2 credits)
- CTA 3020 Co-op (IT5) (2 credits)
- CTA 3030 Co-op (2 credits)
University Core Curriculum Courses
In addition to the courses required for this program listed above, the student must also fulfill the requirements of the University Core Curriculum for this program.
Some of these courses may be satisfied by courses in your program. Please review your Degree Evaluation or consult your academic advisor for more information.
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BEE with Optional Computer Engineering Concentration (141 credits)
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with a Concentration in Computer Engineering (141 credits)
If students choose the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Computer Engineering, the curriculum is identical to the requirements listed above with the exception of the Technical Electives component. The Technical Electives are pre-selected (and include additional credits) to produce a specialization consistent with the EE sub-field “computer engineering”.
The Computer Engineering Concentration focuses in this rapidly growing area by providing extensive hardware experience and 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 prevent obsolescence).
Students in the Computer Engineering Concentration will take the following courses in place of the three Technical Electives listed in the BEE degree requirements above. Note: this is an additional 2 credits.
Program Contact Information
Department Chairperson: Mark Paulik, Ph.D.
Office: Engineering 330/331
Telephone: 313-993-3365
Fax: (313) 993-1187
Email: ece_chair@udmercy.edu or paulikmj@udmercy.edu
Website