Electrical & Computer Engineering
Professors Jacques Beneat and Ronald Lessard; Associate Professor Michael Prairie (Chair); Assistant Professor Michael Cross; Visiting Associate Professor Yongpeng Zhang
Mission:
To prepare students for the profession of Electrical and Computer Engineering; to enable them to solve problems of substance through the application of fundamental principles, disciplined practices and modern methods; to instill the humility of contribution to ventures larger than themselves, and the courage to lead others in the pursuit of such ventures; to inspire an ethic of service to all mankind in the context of a global community; and finally, to instill a lifelong thirst for the knowledge of their craft.
Goals:
The Program Educational Objectives of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Program are to produce graduates who, within two to four years after graduation are able to:
- Attain respect for competence in the skills of engineering practice by solving problems and leading others in the pursuit of solutions.
- Effectively communicate the results of their work.
- Work professionally in team environments to design electrical and computer systems.
- Pursue professional development through life-long learning to better serve in an evolving global society.
- Demonstrate initiative and perform leadership roles in an ethical manner.
- Perceive the impact of their professional decisions on society.
Outcomes:
At the time of graduation, students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Program are expected to have developed and demonstrated an ability to:
- Identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics
- Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
- Communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and societal contexts
- Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks and meet objectives
- Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed using appropriate learning strategies
During the first two years, students receive intensive instruction in mathematics and basic physical sciences as well as fundamental principles and techniques of engineering. Students are introduced to the basic tools and problem solving techniques they will use throughout their careers. The final two years are spent in a laboratory intensive environment. In the third year, students begin to apply their knowledge solving discipline-specific engineering problems. Project-based courses begin to develop the ability to apply knowledge in open-ended problems. In the fourth year, more focused courses cover a broad spectrum of electrical and computer engineering topics. A completely open-ended design experience, where students can exercise creativity solving current engineering problems, spans the senior year. Designing, building, testing, and evaluating projects in such application areas as instrumentation and data acquisition, computer network control, SCADA systems security, robotics, wireless communication, and machinery controls is typical of this experience. Constraints such as economics, safety, reliability, aesthetics, ethics, and social impact are considered. This experience builds upon the fundamental concepts of mathematics, basic sciences, the humanities and social sciences, engineering topics, and communication skills developed earlier in the undergraduate experience. The design team experience allows close coordination with an individual faculty member. The scope of the project is designed to match the requirements of practice within the electrical and computer engineering discipline.
Careers for this Major:
Graduates have the option of beginning a career in either the military or civilian life, or attending graduate school. Career choices for ECE graduates are extremely diverse; below is an abbreviated list from “Your Career in the Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering Fields,” a website published by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
- Signal Processing
- Aerospace and Electronic Systems
- Circuits and Systems
- Communications
- Computers
- Consumer Electronics
- Control Systems
- Industrial Electronics
- Industry Applications
- Instrumentation and Measurement
- Power Electronics
- Power Engineering
- Robotics
- Systems, Man and Cybernetics
- Frequency Control
- Vehicular Technology
The IEEE is the largest professional organization that serves Electrical and Computer Engineers, as well as many other types of engineers in related fields. To see the IEEE website that discusses a broader range of ECE career opportunities, please sample a few videos at this IEEE.tv website, or visit this website maintained by TryEngineering.org.
Accreditation:
The Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
Electrical and Computer Engineering(B.S.) – Curriculum Map 2020-2021 Catalog
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Cr. | Comp. | Spring | Cr. | Comp. |
| CH 103 General Chemistry I (General Education Lab Science) | 4 | EG 110 Introduction to Engineering II | 3 | ||
| EG 109 Introduction to Engineering I | 3 | EE 200 Engineering Programming | 3 | ||
| EN 101 Composition and Literature I | 3 | EN 102 Composition and Literature II | 3 | ||
| MA 121 Calculus I (General Education Math) | 4 | MA 122 Calculus II (General Education Math) | 4 | ||
| General Education History/Literature/Arts & Humanities/Social Science | 3 | ||||
| Fall Semester Total Cr.: | 14 | Spring Semester Total Cr.: | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Fall | Cr. | Comp. | Spring | Cr. | Comp. |
| EE 215 Fundamentals of Digital Design | 4 | EE 356 Electrical Circuits II | 3 | ||
| EE 204 Electrical Circuits I | 3 | EE 357 Electronics I | 3 | ||
| MA 223 Calculus III | 4 | EE 359 Electrical Engineering Laboratory | 1 | ||
| PS 211 University Physics I (General Education Lab Science) | 4 | MA 224 Differential Equations | 4 | ||
| General Education History/Literature/Arts & Humanities/Social Science | 3 | PS 212 University Physics II | 4 | ||
| General Education Leadership | 1-3 | ||||
| Fall Semester Total Cr.: | 18 | Spring Semester Total Cr.: | 16-18 | ||
| Junior | |||||
| Fall | Cr. | Comp. | Spring | Cr. | Comp. |
| EE 321 Embedded Systems | 4 | EE 303 Electromagnetic Field Theory I | 3 | ||
| EE 350 Linear Systems | 3 | EE 323 Computer Architecture or 478 Control Systems | 3 | ||
| EE 366 Electronics II | 4 | EE 373 Electrical Energy Conversion | 4 | ||
| MA 306 Discrete Mathematics | 3 | EG 206 Thermodynamics I | 3 | ||
| General Education History/Literature/Arts & Humanities/Social Science | 3 | EN 204 Professional and Technical Writing | 3 | ||
| Fall Semester Total Cr.: | 17 | Spring Semester Total Cr.: | 16 | ||
| Senior | |||||
| Fall | Cr. | Comp. | Spring | Cr. | Comp. |
| EE 491 Electrical System Design I (Capstone) | 3 | EE 411 Infrastructure Control Systems 1 | 4 | ||
| EE 459 Electric Power Systems 1 | 3 | EE 478 Control Systems or 323 Computer Architecture | 3 | ||
| EE 463 Communication Systems | 4 | EE 486 Digital Signal Processing 1 | 3 | ||
| EG 450 Professional Issues (General Education Ethics) | 3 | EE 487 Digital Signal Processing Lab | 1 | ||
| MA 311 Statistical Methodology | 3 | EE 494 Electrical System Design II | 3 | ||
| General Education History/Literature/Arts & Humanities/Social Science | 3 | ||||
| Fall Semester Total Cr.: | 16 | Spring Semester Total Cr.: | 17 | ||
| TOTAL CREDITS FOR THIS MAJOR: 130-132 | |||||
| 1 | Students must complete at LEAST two of the following three courses: EE 411, EE 486, EE 459. Students may choose to complete all three courses, or they may choose two of the three and select one technical elective from the following approved courses: EE 468, EE 490, EG 301, EG 303, EG 350, EG 400, EG 447, ME 307, CS 301, MA 303, MA 310, MA 312, MA 380, MA 405,MA 407, PS 334, PS 356,PS 341, PS 426. |
Students who complete all degree requirements, but do not have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA must complete at least 50 percent of all subsequent course work in technical material (subject to approval by the Director of the David Crawford School of Engineering).
Courses
EE 188 No Norwich Equivalent 6 Cr.
EE 200 Engineering Programming 3 Cr.
Introduction to a high level programming language such as C/C++. Topics include structure and organization of a computer program, variables and basic data types, flow of control, functions, file I/O, arrays and strings, computer memory, CPU and pointers, user defined structures, computer algortithms, modular design and documentation. Introduction to object oriented programming concepts. (Annually).
EE 204 Electrical Circuits I 3 Cr.
A study of principles and methods of analysis of electric circuits with both direct and time varying sources in the steady state. KCL, KVL, mesh and nodal techniques. Network theorems are developed and applied to the analysis of networks. Energy storage elements. First order and second order circuits with forced and natural responses. Sinusoidal analysis, complex numbers, phasor diagrams. Power; average effective, and complex power in single phase systems. Classroom: 3 hours. Prerequisite: MA 122, or concurrent enrollment.
EE 215 Fundamentals of Digital Design 4 Cr.
An introductory course on formal design techniques for combinational and sequential logic circuits. Topics include combinational logic networks, minimization techniques, registers, synchronous sequential networks, and control units. Applications of the concept developed in the classroom will be implemented in the laboratory. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 2 hours.
EE 240 Electrical Concepts and Applications 3 Cr.
A course on the theory and application of electrical devices and circuits. Discussions include magnetic circuits, transformers, electric machines, diodes, bipolar transistors, and field effect transistors. Integrated circuits are introduced. Digital switching circuits are treated, including logic gates, flip-flops, and counters. Operational amplifiers and their major applications are studied. Classroom 2 hours, laboratory 3 hours. Prerequisite: EE 204; not open to Electrical Engineering majors.
EE 242 Digital Systems Design 4 Cr.
Topics are hierarchical design methods, design and debugging of digital hardware, determination of circuit behavior, control and timing, machine organization, control unit implementation, and interface design. A hardware design language will be used and students will acquire design experience implementing digital hard ware. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 2 hours. Prerequisite: EE 215.
EE 288 No Norwich Equivalent 6 Cr.
EE 303 Electromagnetic Field Theory I 3 Cr.
Maxwell's Equations are developed from the experimental laws of electric and magnetic fields. Topics involving electric fields include Gauss's Law, divergence, energy, potential, conductors, dielectrics, and capacitance. Topics involving magnetic fields include the Biot-Savart Law, Ampere's Law, magnetic forces, magnetic materials, and inductance. Maxwell's Equations are used to describe wave motion in free space and in dielectric media. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisites: MA 223, EE 204.
EE 315 Electrical Energy Systems 3 Cr.
A course on the design and implementation of electrical energy systems. Topics include thermal, wind, solar, and hydro renewable electrical energy facilities, electric transmission and distribution systems, and electrical substations. Introductory topics include basic circuit analysis, transformers, motors and drive systems, and instrumentation. Includes hands-on demonstrations and experiments. Offered to qualified students not majoring in Electrical Engineering. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisite: MA 122.
EE 321 Embedded Systems 4 Cr.
The use of computing devices in embedded applications is introduced. Computer organization topics include the functional architecture of microcontrollers, timing and control, memory, serial and parallel I/O ports, and the bus system. Additional topics include peripheral interface control, interrupts, serial communication, and applications. Programs are written and run in assembly language or higher-level languages. This course presumes and introductory-level understanding of structured programming techniques. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 2 hours. Prerequisite: EG 110 or EE 200 or CS 140.
EE 323 Computer Architecture 3 Cr.
Compare different machine architectures – analyze machine performance relationships, do computer classifications, and compare different computer description languages. Consider alternative machine architectures and the software influences on computer design. Topics include digital logic, microarchitecture level, instruction set level, operating system level, assembly language level, parallel computer architectures. Examples are drawn from the Core i7, OMAP4430 and ATmega168, hardware as well as ARM and AVR instruction sets. Classroom 3 hours.
EE 325 Computer Architecture and Operating Systems 3 Cr.
Machine architecture - machine performance relationships, computer classification, and computer description languages. Consideration of alternative machine architectures. Software influences on computer design. Topics include digital logic, VLSI components, instruction sets, addressing schemes, memory hierarchy ache and virtual memories, integer and floating point arithmetic, control structures, , buses, RISC vs. CISC, multiprocessor and vector processing (pipelining) organizations. Examples are drawn from Pentium and Sparc microcomputers. The primary focus is on the attributes of a system visible to an assembly level programmer. This course also introduces the fundamentals of operating systems. Topics include concurrency, scheduling, memory and device management, file system structure, security, and system performance evaluation. Lecture 3 hours. (Annually).
EE 350 Linear Systems 3 Cr.
This course provides the foundations of signal and system analysis. Linear, time-invariant, causal, and BIBO stable analog and digital systems are discussed. System input-output descriptions, convolution and the impulse response are covered. Additional topics include singularity functions, Fourier and Laplace circuit analysis, circuit transfer functions, Bode plots, ideal filters, and real filters including Butterworth, Chebyschev, and Elliptic. Discrete topics include the transform, difference equations, FIR and IIR filters, the bilinear transformation, the DTFT, the DFT, and the FFT. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisite EE 356.
EE 356 Electrical Circuits II 3 Cr.
This course is a continuation of Electric Circuits I (EE 204). The complete solutions of linear circuits by Laplace transforms are developed. The concepts of frequency response, resonance, network functions, two port networks including hybrid parameters are studied in depth. The concepts of transformers, power, coupled circuits, multi-phase circuits, and Fourier series are introduced. Computer-based circuit simulation is used throughout. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisite: EE 204.
EE 357 Electronics I 3 Cr.
The basic building blocks used in electronic engineering are studied. Diodes, bipolar transistors, and MOS transistors are modeled and then used to describe the operation of logic gates and amplifiers. Emphasis is placed on the operation and applications of standard integrated circuit chips. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisite: EE 204.
EE 359 Electrical Engineering Laboratory 1 Cr.
Implementation, analysis, and design of electric and electronic circuits involving resistors, inductors, capacitors, diodes, bipolar transistors, MOS transistors, operational amplifiers and filters. Study and practice in the use of standard electrical engineering laboratory instrumentation. Laboratory 2 hours. Prerequisite: EE 215; EE 356 and EE 357, or concurrent enrollment.
EE 366 Electronics II 4 Cr.
This course is a continuation of Electronics I (EE 357). Analog and digital circuits are discussed. Analog topics include frequency response, real world applications of operational amplifiers, power amplifiers, filters, oscillators and A/D and D/A converters. Digital electronic building blocks are discussed, including flip-flops, counters, coding and decoding circuits and memory. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 2 hours. Prerequisites: EE 357, EE 359.
EE 373 Electrical Energy Conversion 4 Cr.
A course on principles of energy conversion in electromechanical devices and machines. Topics include analysis of transformers, polyphase synchronous and induction machines, DC machines, variable reluctance and stepper motors, and semiconductor converters. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 2 hours. Prerequisite: EE 356; MA 224, or concurrent enrollment.
EE 388 No Norwich Equivalent 6 Cr.
EE 3XX Electrical Engineering Transfer Elective 4 Cr.
This course is used for transfer when no equivalent Norwich course exists.
EE 411 Infrastructure Control Systems 4 Cr.
This course deals with organization, operation and design of systems where the microprocessor controls special interfaces to non-standard devices and responds to external events in a timely fashion. Topics include interface of special purpose peripherals, data structures, control structures, program and data organization and real time operating systems. Application to communications, automated measurement, process and servo control are discussed. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 2 hours.
EE 459 Electric Power Systems 3 Cr.
An introduction to the fundamentals of electric power systems generation, transmission and distribution, with emphasis on current trends, issues and technologies. Topics include a review of ac power fundamentals, per unit quantities, system component models, short-circuit analysis, load flow, smart grid concepts, communications and control, power systems economics, and
renewable energy systems. 3 lecture hours. (Annually).
EE 463 Communication Systems 4 Cr.
Analog transmission of information signals by communication systems is analyzed. The component parts of transmitters and receivers including AM/FM modulators, filters, detectors and decoders are discussed. Mathematical concepts include the Fourier Series, Fourier Transform, dirac delta function and sinc function. Signal classification and digital modulation techniques such as ASK, FSK, PSK, PAM and QAM. Classroom 3 hours, laboratory 2 hours. Prerequisites: EE 356, EE 357, EE 359.
EE 468 Solid State Materials 3 Cr.
Solid state materials, physics of electronic devices and integrated circuit design are studied. Topics include silicon crystal properties, diffusion, implantation, lithography and circuit fabrication. Device models are derived for junction diodes, bipolar and MOS transistors. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisites: EE 303, EE 357.
EE 478 Control Systems 3 Cr.
Analysis and design of continuous-time and discrete-time control systems using classical and state-space methods. Laplace transforms, transfer functions and block diagrams. Transient-response analysis, Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion, and steady-state error analysis. Analysis of control systems using the root-locus and frequency-response methods. Computer-aided design and analysis. 3 lecture hours. Prerequisites: EE 204, MA 224. (Annually).
EE 486 Digital Signal Processing 3 Cr.
An introductory level course that discusses the conversion of analog signals to discrete time signals. Emphasis will be on the processing of discrete signals using both time-domain and frequency-domain analysis. These techniques will be applied to the design of digital filters. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisite: EE 350.
EE 487 Digital Signal Processing Lab 1 Cr.
Implementation analysis and design of digital signal processing functions and techniques. Study and practice in the use of software and hardware platforms used for digital signal processing applications. 3 Laboratory hours. Prerequisite: EE 350. (Spring).
EE 488 No Norwich Equivalent 6 Cr.
EE 490 Advanced Topics 3 Cr.
A course that provides advanced study in an area of the instructor's special competence. Courses that have been offered in the past include Power System Stability, Electrical Communications II, Microwave Theory and Techniques and Digital Systems. Classroom 3 hours. Prerequisite: senior standing. (Occasionally).
EE 491 Electrical System Design I 3 Cr.
Introduction to design problems. Application of concepts of electrical engineering to a capstone design project. The first of a two-semester sequence, this course focuses on the problem statement, specification, preliminary design, design review and approval stages of the design processes, the design process involves exploring alternate solutions and design optimization and simulation. Economic constraints and human factors are considered in the design process. The course requires nine hours per week of directed reading, research and experimentation. Prerequisite: Senior standing; permission of instructor.
EE 494 Electrical System Design II 3 Cr.
This course is the second in the two-semester capstone design project sequence. It focuses on the final stages of the design process-finalized design, implementation and testing. A written project report and an oral presentation to students and faculty is required. Nine hours per week of directed readings, research, and experimentation. Prerequisite: EE 491.