Requirements

Program Educational Objectives

We provide programs that assure that our graduates in all programs are prepared to:

1. Devise, choose, and use diagrams or other models to design systems and to communicate engineering ideas;
2. Recognize situations that demand new information, locate it, and use it in their work;
3. Give oral and written reports for communication with peers and decision-makers;
4. Coordinate with colleagues from their own and other disciplines;
5. Recognize their ethical obligations and social responsibilities and maintain awareness of non-technical perspectives.

Like all engineering programs EE is built upon a solid foundation in mathematics, science, communication skills, and a broad education in the humanities and social sciences.

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering – 132 credit hours
Detailed information about the curriculum can be found in the Trine University 2008-2010 catalog. The catalog entry for the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (page 91) gives specific course name and number information and a description of all EE courses.

Written Communication – 6 hrs.
Engineers must be able to communicate in writing and these credits address that need.

Oral Communication – 3 hrs.
Engineers are often called upon to make presentations and that topic is discussed here.

Social Science & Humanities – 12 hrs.
Engineers require a broad liberal education to help them understand the world in which their designs will function and the people who will use them.

Computer Literacy – 3 hrs.
Engineers need to know aspects of computer programming. We study Object-Oriented Java.

Mathematics & Science – 18 hrs.
Engineering is, by definition, the findings of mathematics and science employed to solve practical problems. So we need a very thorough study of these subjects.

General Engineering – 2 hrs.
These two (1-credit) courses prepare you to study engineering and to practice engineering.

Electrical Engineering Core – 37 hrs.
Required courses for all electrical engineers (computer engineers as well) covering circuit theory, electronics, digital systems, analysis, signal processing, micro controllers, and design.

EE Program Mathematics and Science – 14 hrs.
Electrical engineering relies heavily on some more advanced topics than those covered in the general 18 hours itemized above. Topics here include general physics, electromagnetism, and statistics.

EE Concentration Courses – 19 hrs.
These are a mixture of required and elective courses covering specific electrical subject areas such as fields, machines, communications, controls, and digital systems.

EE  Program Electives – 18 hrs.
These hours are a collection of electives from any Electrical & Computer Engineering courses, engineering science courses, and open electives to bring the total hours earned to 132.

 

While these topics tend to consume most of the freshman and sophomore years we do try to give our students an early exposure to the field of electrical engineering. In freshman year all EE students take the course Projects & Prototypes. This course is a topical introduction to the subject and an opportunity to build some electronic circuits and experience this subject at first hand.

Your next experience in the department occurs during the first semester of sophomore year in the first, formal, introduction to electrical engineering. This occurs in the two-course sequence Circuits 1 and Circuits 2. Circuit theory is a cornerstone subject in EE and so has these two courses dedicated to it. Another cornerstone subject is digital systems and this finds its way into the sophomore year as well in the course Digital Systems 1.

By junior year students move into courses that draw more generally on the coursework covered in the previous two years. Junior-year EE courses develop individual discipline areas within EE such as: electronics, instruments, micro controllers, electromagnetic fields, and analytical techniques.

In senior year the emphasis shifts to the design of electrical systems and aspects of professional life. Throughout the junior and senior years you will have the opportunity to explore your particular interests further through elective courses. For example, we offer advanced elective courses in electronics, machinery, electrical power, electromagnetic fields, and communications.

The common theme through our EE curriculum is a balance between theoretical work in the classroom and practical experience in the laboratory. Exposure to the laboratory environment reinforces your theoretical knowledge, exposes you to real-world test equipment, and builds your confidence and competence so you are ready for professional work beyond graduation.