BS Electrical Engineering

BS Electrical Engineering Course Sequence (.pdf)

The Electrical Engineering core program at RIT offers a comprehensive curriculum with a blend of the theoretical and experiential. The program has been carefully crafted to prepare electrical engineering students for immediate entry into the workplace or to pursue advanced graduate study. It is the best option for those students who wish to experience the broad range of disciplines in electrical engineering.

The entering student begins taking electrical engineering subject material the first quarter in the academic program in addition to the foundation courses in mathematics and physical sciences. Five electrical engineering courses in the first two years emphasize hands-on experience. The third and fourth years build on this foundation by focusing on subjects that form the core of electrical engineering. Courses in circuits, electronics, linear systems, electromagnetic fields, physics of semiconductor devices, communication systems, control systems and digital design are taught in these two years. Courses offered in the fifth and final year allow you to specialize in an area of professional interest.

The program weaves 12 academic quarters with 5 on-site cooperative education quarters over a five year period to provide the prospective engineer a rich learning environment and immediate opportunities for professional employment. Over 1300 companies come to RIT to recruit our graduates.

A comprehensive curriculum
RIT has one of the finest electrical engineering programs around, combining the rigor of theory with the flexibility of engineering practice. The first two years of the curriculum are devoted to the mastery of laws of mathematics and principles of science essential to the study of electrical engineering. Some technical courses directly involving electrical engineering principles are also offered. The third and fourth years build on this foundation by focusing on subjects that form the core of electrical engineering. Courses in circuits, electronics, linear systems, electromagnetic fields, physics of semiconductor devices, communication systems, control systems and energy conversion are taught in these two years. Courses offered in the fifth and final year allow you to specialize in an area of professional interest.

Cooperative education
As part of RIT's BS in electrical engineering program, you will gain fifteen months of paid, professional experience to enhance the knowledge and skills you acquire in the classroom and laboratory and provide a professional salary to help you meet college expenses. The exposure and experience you gain in industry will make you keenly aware of the constraints imposed by the industrial environment on the solution of engineering problems. You might work on a microchip design team at Intel or develop software algorithms for an e-commerce startup company. The choice is up to you.

Senior design project
You'll take Senior Design I and II in the 5th year of the program. The challenge is to conceive, design and build a working prototype of an idea. The typical group size of each team is three people. This course sequence is designed to help tie together your academic education and co-op experience. The project also provides experience in all phases of project planning to better prepare you for the workplace. Some previous projects: radar range finder, vending machine diagnostics system, wireless voting tabulator, automatic medicine dispenser, GPS navigation system, TV-Web display, MPEG-3 player and portable internet shopping device.

Career outcomes
Because RIT graduates are adept at problem solving and have real-world experience and team skills, they are in high demand. Our electrical engineering alumni work in every conceivable industry, from medical to military, from power distribution to communication and financial services. The computer industry attracts many of our graduates, who are innovators with a track record of success in areas as diverse as research and development to marketing and sales.