Academic Guide
Overview
The graduation requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering are summarized in the following subsections. The detailed lists that appear in these sections are subject to periodic revision by the faculty. The ECE Curriculum revolves around requirements in ten different areas:
| Area | Units |
|---|---|
| Total units required to graduate | 360 |
| General Education | 72 |
| Mathematics, Science and Computer Programming | 105 |
| Freshman Engineering | 24 |
| ECE Core | 24 |
| ECE Breadth | 36 |
| ECE Depth | 12 |
| ECE Coverage | 24 |
| ECE Capstone Design | See footnote |
| Engineering Elective | 12 |
| Free Electives | 51 |
Please also refer to the QPA Requirement and Overload Policy.
The General Education requirement is defined by the college; the Mathematics, Freshman Engineering, ECE Core, and Engineering Elective requirements are defined by specific lists of courses or the simple rules given in the following sections. To explain the Breadth, Depth, Coverage, and Design requirements, it is helpful to discuss the groupings of courses within the ECE Curriculum. These five groupings: Applied Physics, Signals and Systems, Circuits, Computer Hardware, and Computer Software are depicted below.
Major Course Groupings
These five primary ECE subject areas are central to the curriculum areas. Courses within each of these areas generally share such characteristics as mathematical methods, types of problems, and modes of thinking and career-oriented applications. Courses in the areas of Applied Physics, Signals and Systems, and Circuits are traditionally taken by Electrical Engineers, while Computer Engineers traditionally take courses in the areas of Circuits, Computer Hardware, and Computer Software. The breadth requirement of the curriculum is satisfied by taking an entry level course in any three of these five areas. Cross-pollination between the traditional EE and CE areas is not only possible but encouraged.
The depth requirement is satisfied by taking one two-course sequence in one of the areas used to satisfy the breadth requirement.
The ECE coverage requirement is satisfied by taking two additional courses from any one of the seven groups shown in the Major Course Groupings figure. In addition to the five primary ECE subject areas, this includes Other ECE Coverage and Capstone Design courses. Other ECE Coverage includes undergraduate project courses and courses dealing with professional and policy issues.
Courses satisfying the Capstone Design requirement provide the student the opportunity to pull together and apply ideas and concepts learned throughout the curriculum, usually through a substantial project. In many cases, this requirement simultaneously satisfies a depth or coverage requirement.
Finally, any graded course from any academic unit of the university may be counted as a Free Elective. A total of 51 units of Free Electives are required for graduation.