Semester Requirements

http://www.rit.edu/kgcoe/eme/

Program overview

Educational objectives

The electrical engineering faculty, in conjunction with its constituents, have established the following educational objectives. Graduates will:

• Have a strong foundation in mathematics and basic sciences, and core electrical engineering fundamental knowledge and abilities necessary for specialization in all areas of electrical engineering.
• Develop problem solving and design skills for devising and evaluating solutions to electrical engineering problems, including design of components, systems, and experiments.
• Be well-informed about present and emerging technologies significant to electrical engineering.
• Be well-prepared for graduate education.
• Embrace and foster an environment that encourages creativity and enthusiasm for life-long learning.
• Develop professional attributes that include communication skills, teamwork, ethics, and an appreciation for other disciplines, both technical and non-technical, in order to deal with the impact of technology in a global, societal, and organizational context.

Electrical engineering addresses the high-technology needs of business and industry by offering a rich academic program that includes analog and digital integrated circuits, digital signal processing, radiation and propagation, power electronics, control systems, communications, circuit theory, computer architecture, computer-aided design, embedded systems, solid-state devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMs), and robotics. Our nationally recognized program combines the rigor of theory with the reality of engineering practice.

The major prepares students for exciting careers within the varied electrical engineering and allied disciplines and for positions in business management. Graduates also have the foundation to pursue advanced study at the most prestigious graduate schools.

The curriculum, co-op program, and facilities are designed to accomplish the program’s educational objectives. Since the ability to design is an essential part of electrical engineering, students are presented with challenging design problems in a number of courses, beginning with Freshman Practicum (EEEE-105) in the first year.

To strengthen students’ applied knowledge, laboratories are an integral part of many courses. The department offers a number of classes in studio-style lecture labs, where the instructor presents the lecture in a fully instrumented room that allows immediate observation and implementation of important engineering ideas. Many of our alumni report that the college’s facilities are comparable to the best in the industry.

The highlight of the applied engineering experience is the senior project. Students work on a challenging project under the tutelage of an experienced faculty adviser. While experiencing the satisfaction of completing an interesting project and exploring the latest in technology, students develop engineering management and project organization skills, learn to communicate their ideas effectively within a multidisciplinary team, and present their project and ideas to a diverse audience of students, faculty, and industrial partners.

The first two years of the curriculum are devoted to establishing a foundation in mathematics and physical science that is essential to the study of electrical engineering. In other courses, students learn about electrical engineering principles such as circuits and digital systems. The practicum courses introduce students to electrical engineering practice and computer-aided design (CAD) tools that are used throughout the five-year program.

In the third and fourth years, students focus on the subjects that form the core of electrical engineering. Courses in circuits, electronics, linear systems, electromagnetic fields, semiconductor devices, communication systems, control systems, and microelectromechanical systems are taught.

During the fifth year, students specialize in an area of their professional interest. They complete a senior design project as part of the graduation requirements.

Accreditation

The BS in electrical engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Curriculum

Electrical engineering, BS degree, typical course sequence (semesters), effective fall 2013

Please see New General Education Curriculum–Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two Wellness courses.

† The First Year Seminar requirement is replaced by an LAS Elective for the 2013-14 academic year.

Focus areas

Students may develop a focus area in one of four options. Students complete all the required courses for the BS in electrical engineering and choose their free and professional electives from a specified set of courses in one of the following areas.

Clean and renewable energy option

Because of the environmental impact, it has become critical that electrical energy be developed from sources that do not pollute the atmosphere, preferably from renewable sources like wind and solar energy. It is equally important that existing electrical generation and distribution systems become more efficient. In the future, research and development in clean and renewable energy will grow at a rate much faster than other areas. Both industry and the federal government are increasing their efforts and financial investment in this area.

Computer engineering option

The computer engineering option is ideal for students interested designing modern computing systems. Students gain knowledge in areas ranging from C programming, object-oriented programming, assembly language, microprocessor interfacing, and logic design to data structures and computer operating systems.

Robotics option

The robotics option provides students with the theoretical and practical skills required to design robots and robotics devices. Students will study advanced programming, robotics systems, principles of robotics, advanced robotics, kinematics and dynamics of robotics manipulators, mobile robots, locomotion types, and will complete experiments using various arm and mobile robots. Advanced robotics courses include the dynamics of manipulators and the dynamics of mobile robots with advanced locomotion techniques and path planning.

Wireless communication option

The wireless communications option is ideal for those who want to be educated within the framework of the traditional electrical engineering program, but also want to incorporate the theoretical and practical skills required for understanding, designing and evaluating wireless communication systems. Wireless communications is a critical enabling technology for many modern products and services. Examples include: mobile telephony, remote Internet access, consumer electronics, medical devices and location based services. Students in the wireless communications option take an introductory course addressing wireless communications from a systems perspective. The course covers modern products and services enabled via wireless communication. In the two years that follow, the students take a course sequence covering analog communication, digital data communication and communication over wireless channels. This sequence builds a core of knowledge in the transmission of signals to carry information wirelessly in various practical scenarios. The sequence is complemented with a course covering basic principles in communication networks and the Internet.

Accelerated dual degree option

An accelerated dual degree (BS/MS) option requires the successful completion of at least 150 semester credit hours of undergraduate and graduate study in electrical engineering. Students focus on one of the following areas during the graduate portion of their dual degree: communication, control, digital systems, electromagnetic/microwaves, integrated electronics, MEMS, or signal and image processing.

Students may apply to this option in the second semester of their second year, providing that a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.4 has been obtained at the end of the previous semester. Although admission requirements are stricter, graduation requirements are consistent with university policies.

Electrical engineering, BS/MS degree, typical course sequence (semesters), effective fall 2013

Please see New General Education Curriculum–Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) for more information.

(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.

* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two Wellness courses.

† The First Year Seminar requirement is replaced by an LAS Elective for the 2013-14 academic year.