Electrical and Computer Engineering Courses

This is a list of core ECE courses that are required for either the CE or EE degree. For a full list of all ECE courses, descriptions, and prerequisites, please view the Catalog. You may also find the Course Areas organizer for EE helpful at the bottom of this page.

ECE 1250 – Electrical and Computer Engineering Design (4.0), F, Sp, Su
Prerequisite(s): C or better in Calculus I
System design using electrical and computer engineering concepts. Basic concepts of electrical circuit design, sensors, signal processing, communications, control and embedded system programming are used to design sensor/actuator systems to accomplish engineering design tasks. Topics also include Matlab programming and laboratory instrumentation
Sample Syllabus

ECE 1900 – Freshman Seminar (0.5), F
Prerequisite(s): None
An informational seminar for students who want to learn more about electrical and computer engineering. Weekly seminars will present information about careers, academic requirements, ECE Department activities, research, and more.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 2240 – Introduction to Electric Circuits (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisites: C- or better in Physics I AND Calculus II AND Major Status
This course will study the basics of analog circuits: voltage, current, power, resistance, capacitance, and inductance. Topics will include circuit analysis techniques such as Kirchhoff’s Laws, node voltages, superposition, and Thevenin and Norton equivalent circuits. Simple op-amp and RC, RL and RLC circuits. Laplace-transform techniques. Alternating current and impedance, phasor transforms, sinusoidal steady-state systems, frequency response, and filters. This course includes a lab.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 2280 – Fundamentals of Engineering Electronics (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisites: C- or better in ECE 2240 AND Major Status
Corequisite(s): C- or better in Math 2250.
Fundamentals of electronic circuit and device concepts needed to understand analog integrated circuits. Device model techniques for amplifiers, diodes, bipolar,and MOS transistors. Basic microelectronic circuit analysis and design. Use of small-signal and large-signal techniques to analyze and design transistor circuits with examples focused on single and multistage amplifiers. Frequency response analysis of microelectronic circuits including magnitude and phase response. Introduction to computer circuit simulation.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 3030 – Technical Communications and Writing for Engineers (3.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in WRTG 2010 AND Major Status
Corequisite(s): CE Majors – ECE 3991 or ECE 3992. EE Majors – ECE 3300 OR 3110 OR 3500 OR 3600
This course is designed to prepare students for writing and communication efforts specific to their careers in engineering. Students will develop written and oral communication skills through shorter in-class and homework assignments and an oral presentation. In addition, students will begin a proposal in preparation for their senior year design project that will be revised during the semester. A combination or writing and oral presentation exercises will emphasize delivering information in a clear, concise fashion. Students will learn to tailor messages to different audiences: colleagues and mentors, the general public, government agencies and the media. teamwork, ethical considerations and organizational issues will also be addressed.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 3200 – Introduction to Semiconductor Device Physics (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): Major Status
Covers semiconductor material properties including crystal structure, classification of crystals, and electronic structure of atoms within the semiconductor. Provides derivations of principles of quantum mechanics and application to problems such as the quantum well. Covers energy bands and changes to energy levels within energy bands from doping, fundamentals of carrier generation, transportation, recombination, and the structure and operation principles of the basic solid-state p-n junction.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 3300: Fundamentals of Electromagnetics and Transmission Lines (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 2240 AND ECE 2280 AND Physics II AND MATH 2250 AND Major Status
Brief introduction to vector calculus, definition of electric and magnetic fields. Maxwells equations in integral and differential forms, electromagnetic-wave propagation in free space and in material regions, Poynting theorem, and electromagnetic power. Transmission lines (transient and steady-state analysis), Smith chart, and impedance matching techniques. Basic principles of radiation and propagation in waveguides.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 3500 – Fundamentals of Signals and Systems (4.), F, Sp
Prerequisites: C- or better in (ECE 2260 OR ECE 2240) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1320 OR MATH 1321) AND MATH 2250 AND Major status.
Transform domain analysis of passive circuits. Linear and time invariant systems in continuous-time and discrete-time domains. System representations using impulse-response functions, frequency responses and transfer functions. Realizations of linear time-invariant systems. Fourier analysis of continuous and discrete-time signals. Sampling theorem. Filter design from specifications.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 3530 – Engineering Probability and Statistics, (3.0), F, Sp
Prerequisites: C- or better in MATH 1
220 OR MATH 1320 OR MATH 1321 OR AP Calculus BC score of 4 or better.
An introduction to probability theory and statistics, with an emphasis on solving problems in electrical and computer engineering. Topics in probability include discrete and continuous random variables, probability distributions, sums and functions of random variables, the law of large numbers, and the central limit theorem. Topics in statistics include sample mean and variance, estimating distributions, correlation, regression, and hypothesis testing. Engineering applications include failure analysis, process control, communication systems, and speech recognition.
Sample Syllabus

ECE 3700 – Fundamentals of Digital Design (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CS 1410 AND Physics II AND Major Status
Techniques for reasoning about, designing, minimizing, and implementing digital circuits and systems. Combinational (logic and arithmetic) and sequential circuits are covered in detail leading up to the design of complete small digital systems using finite state machine controllers. Use of computer-aided tools for design, minimization, and simulation of circuits. Laboratory is included involving circuit implementation with MSI, LSI, and field programmable gate arrays.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed course with CS 3700.

ECE 3710 – Computer Design Laboratory (3.0), F
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3700 AND ECE 3810 AND Major Status
Working in teams, students employ the concepts of digital logic design and computer organization to design, implement and test a computing system. Interface IO devices and develop associated software/firmware. Extensive use of CAD and software tools.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed course with CS 3710.

ECE 3810 – Computer Organization (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CS 1410 AND Major Status
An in-depth study of computer architecture and design, including topics such as RISC and CISC instruction set architectures, CPU organizations, pipelining, memory systems, input/output, and parallel machines. Emphasis is placed on performance measures and compilation issues.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed course with CS 3810.

ECE 3900 – EE Junior Seminar (0.5), Sp
Prerequisite(s): ECE 2910 AND Major Status
Talks from industry representatives, information about Engineering Clinic projects, professionalism.

ECE 3991 – CE Junior Seminar (1.0), F
Prerequisite(s): Major Status
Presentations from faculty and industry representatives to discuss trends in computer engineering, professionalism, ethics, the impact of engineering in global and societal context, lifelong learning, and contemporary issues.

This is a cross-listed course with CS 3991.

ECE 3992 – Computer Engineering Pre-Thesis/Pre-Clinic/Pre-Project (3.0), Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3710 AND ECE 3991 AND Major Status
This is the first course in a 2 or 3 semester series. The purpose of this course is to form teams and propose either a self-selected senior project to be completed in CS/ECE 4710, or an ECE clinic which will be completed in the subsequent 2 semesters. The individual option is to find a thesis advisor, and write a thesis proposal. The thesis work will be in CS/ECE 4991 and 4992. During the first half of the course while teams are being formed and while project ideas are being selected the instructor will lecture on the, fundamentals of project planning: scoping, group selection, risk assessment, scheduling, backup planning, strategy, etc. The second half of the course involves student presentations and critique of the written proposals that are in progress. The final result of the course will be an approved project, clinic, or thesis proposal.

This is a cross-listed course with CS 3992.

ECE 4710 – Computer Engineering Senior Project (3.0), F

Prerequisites: “C-” or better in (CS 3992 OR ECE 3992) AND (CS 5780 OR ECE 5780) AND (Full Major Status in Electrical Engineering OR Computer Engineering).

This is the capstone team project course for Computer Engineering majors who do not choose to do a thesis or an ECE clinic. The CS/ECE 3992 teams remain intact and the goal is too build and demonstrate the project that was proposed and approved in CS/ECE 3992. Students in this class do not meet in a classroom setting. Each team will meet with the instructor once each week for approximately 1 hour to discuss progress and/or problems as well as demonstrate scheduled milestone results. At the end of the term students are expected to demonstrate their entire operational project to an open house crowd of interested faculty and students. Friends and family are also welcome to attend. A final written report is also turned in which documents the details of all aspects of the project.

This is a cross-listed courses with CS 4710.

ECE 4900 – Senior Thesis I (2.0), F
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3030 AND ECE 3900 AND Major Status
Only for students with major status and seniors within one year of graduation. May not be taken by pre-electrical-and-computer-engineering, non-electrical-and-computer-engineering, or probationary students. Laboratory included. Original engineering project, selected with approval of instructor; regular oral and written progress reports.

ECE 4910 – Senior Thesis II (3.0), Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 4900 AND Major Status
Taught as writing emphasis. Students write reports describing work done on ECE 4900 project and make oral presentations at annual student technical conference.

ECE 4991 – Computer Engineering Senior Thesis I (2.0), F
Prerequisite(s): ECE 3992 AND Major Status AND Instructor’s Consent
Students work on an original senior thesis project under the direction of their approved thesis advisor. This course along with ECE/CS 4992 substitute for ECE/CS 4710 (Computer Engineering Senior Project) for students who have chosen to do a thesis.

ECE 4992 – Computer Engineering Senior Thesis II (3.0), Sp
Prerequisite(s): ECE 4991 AND Major Status
Students work on original senior thesis project under the direction of their approved thesis advisor, make an oral presentation at the annual student technical conference, and prepare and submit their senior thesis for approval. This course along with ECE/CS 4991 substitute for ECE/CS 4710 (Computer Engineering Senior Project) for students who have chosen to do a thesis.

ECE 4998 – Senior Honors Thesis I (2.0), F
Prerequisite(s): Major Status AND Instructor’s Consent.
Restricted to students in the Honors Program working on their Honors degree.

ECE 4999 – Senior Honors Thesis II (3.0), Sp
Prerequisite(s): Major Status AND Instructor Consent.
Restricted to students in the Honors Program working on their Honors degree.

ECE 5780 – Embedded System Design (4.0), Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3810 AND CS 4400 AND Major Status
Meets with CS/ECE 6780. Introduction to issues in embedded system design using microcontrollers. Topics include: microcontroller architecture, memory interfacing, serial and parallel I/O interfacing, analog interfacing, interrupt synchronization, and embedded software.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed courses with CS 5780.

This is a list of core CS courses that are required for either the CE or EE degree. For a full list of all CS courses, descriptions, and prerequisites, please view the Catalog.

CS 1030 – Foundations of Computer Science (3.0), F, Sp
Corequisite(s): C- or better in MATH 1060 OR MATH 1080 OR AP Calc AB score of 3 or better OR AP CalcBC score of 3 or better.
Foundations of Computer Science is a course for students who are interested in pursuing a computer science degree but have no background in computing. CS 1030 provides a gentle introduction to the fundamental concepts of computer science. In particular, students learn problem-solving skills and apply them by writing programs in a visual and fun programming environment that is friendly to beginners. Students also study, simulate, and visualize the inner workings of a simple computer.

CS 1410 – Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (4.0), F, Sp
(EE students should register for Section 40, CE students should register for Section 30)
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CS 1030 OR CS 1400
OR AP CS-A score of 4 OR Instructor Consent.
Corequisite(s): Calculus I
The second course required for students intending to major in computer science and computer engineering. Introduction to the engineering and mathematical skills required to effectively program computers, and to the range of issues confronted by computer scientists. Roles of procedural and data abstraction in decomposing programs into manageable pieces. Introduction to object-oriented programming. Extensive programming exercises that involve the application of elementary software engineering techniques.

CS 2100 – Discrete Structures (3.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CS 1410 AND Calculus I
Introduction to propositional logic, predicate logic, formal logical arguments, finite sets, functions, relations, inductive proofs, recurrence relations, graphs, and their applications to Computer Science.

CS 2420 – Introduction to Algorithms and Data Structures (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CS 1410 OR AP CS-A score of 5.
This course provides an introduction to the problem of engineering computational efficiency into programs. Students will learn about classical algorithms (including sorting, searching, and graph traversal), data structures (including stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, hash tables, and graphs), and analysis of program space and time requirements. Students will complete extensive programming exercises that require the application of elementary techniques from software engineering.

CS 3500 – Software Practice (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): CE Major Status
Meets with CS 5010. Practical exposure to the process of creating large software systems, including requirements specifications, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. Emphasis on software process, software tools (debuggers, profilers, source code repositories, test harnesses), software engineering techniques (time management, code, and documentation standards, source code management, object-oriented analysis and design), and team development practice. Much of the work will be in groups and will involve modifying preexisting software systems.

CS 3700 – Fundamentals of Digital Design (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CS 1410 AND Physics II AND Major Status
Techniques for reasoning about, designing, minimizing, and implementing digital circuits and systems. Combinational (logic and arithmetic) and sequential circuits are covered in detail leading up to the design of complete small digital systems using finite state machine controllers. Use of computer-aided tools for design, minimization, and simulation of circuits. Laboratory is included involving circuit implementation with MSI, LSI, and field programmable gate arrays.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed course with ECE 3700.

CS 3710 – Computer Design Laboratory (3.0), F
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3700 AND ECE 3810 AND Major Status
Working in teams, students employ the concepts of digital logic design and computer organization to design, implement and test a computing system. Interface IO devices and develop associated software/firmware. Extensive use of CAD and software tools.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed course with ECE 3710.

CS 3810 – Computer Organization (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in CS 1410 AND Major Status
An in-depth study of computer architecture and design, including topics such as RISC and CISC instruction set architectures, CPU organizations, pipelining, memory systems, input/output, and parallel machines. Emphasis is placed on performance measures and compilation issues.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed course with ECE 3810.

CS 3991 – CE Junior Seminar (1.0), F
Prerequisite(s): Major Status
Presentations from faculty and industry representatives to discuss trends in computer engineering, professionalism, ethics, the impact of engineering in global and societal context, lifelong learning, and contemporary issues.

This is a cross-listed course with ECE 3991.

CS 3992 – Computer Engineering Pre-Thesis/Pre-Clinic/Pre-Project (3.0), Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3710 AND ECE 3991 AND Major Status
This is the first course in a 2 or 3 semester series. The purpose of this course is to form teams and propose either a self-selected senior project to be completed in CS/ECE 4710, or an ECE clinic which will be completed in the subsequent 2 semesters. The individual option is to find a thesis advisor, and write a thesis proposal. The thesis work will be in CS/ECE 4991 and 4992. During the first half of the course while teams are being formed and while project ideas are being selected the instructor will lecture on the, fundamentals of project planning: scoping, group selection, risk assessment, scheduling, backup planning, strategy, etc. The second half of the course involves student presentations and critique of the written proposals that are in progress. The final result of the course will be an approved project, clinic, or thesis proposal.

This is a cross-listed course with ECE 3992.

CS 4400 – Computer Systems (4.0), F, Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3810
Introduction to computer systems from a programmer’s point of view. Mac
hine level representations of programs, optimizing program performance, memory hierarchy, linking, exceptional control flow, measuring program performance, virtual memory, concurrent programming with threads, network programming.

CS 4710 – Computer Engineering Senior Project (3.0), F

Prerequisites: “C-” or better in (CS 3992 OR ECE 3992) AND (CS 5780 OR ECE 5780) AND (Full Major Status in Electrical Engineering OR Computer Engineering).

This is the capstone team project course for Computer Engineering majors who do not choose to do a thesis or an ECE clinic. The CS/ECE 3992 teams remain intact and the goal is too build and demonstrate the project that was proposed and approved in CS/ECE 3992. Students in this class do not meet in a classroom setting. Each team will meet with the instructor once each week for approximately 1 hour to discuss progress and/or problems as well as demonstrate scheduled milestone results. At the end of the term students are expected to demonstrate their entire operational project to an open house crowd of interested faculty and students. Friends and family are also welcome to attend. A final written report is also turned in which documents the details of all aspects of the project.

This is a cross-listed courses with ECE 4710.

CS 5780 – Embedded System Design (4.0), Sp
Prerequisite(s): C- or better in ECE 3810 AND CS 4400 AND Major Status
Meets with CS/ECE 6780. Introduction to issues in embedded system design using microcontrollers. Topics include: microcontroller architecture, memory interfacing, serial and parallel I/O interfacing, analog interfacing, interrupt synchronization, and embedded software.
Sample Syllabus

This is a cross-listed courses with CS 5780.