This is an archived copy of the 2012-14 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.utexas.edu/.

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Students seeking the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering pursue one of two curricula—electrical engineering or computer engineering. Both curricula contain the fundamentals of electrical engineering and computer engineering; they differ in their technical core requirements in order to suit different career objectives.

The curricula in electrical engineering and computer engineering are designed to educate students in the fundamentals of engineering, which are built upon a foundation of mathematics, science, communication, and the liberal arts. Graduates should be equipped to advance their knowledge while contributing professionally to a rapidly changing technology. Areas in which electrical and computer engineers contribute significantly are: communications, signal processing, networks and systems, electronics and integrated circuits, energy systems and renewable energy, fields, waves and electromagnetic systems, nanoelectronics and nanotechnology, computer architecture and embedded systems, and software engineering and design. Typical career paths of graduates include design, development, management, consulting, teaching, and research. Many graduates seek further education in law, medicine, business, or engineering.

The core requirements of the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering provide a foundation of engineering fundamentals. Students then build on the core requirements by choosing a primary and a secondary technical core area; students also choose two advanced laboratory courses. Once the primary technical core area is chosen, the student is assigned a faculty adviser with expertise in that area to help the student select technical area courses that are appropriate to his or her career and educational goals. The curriculum thus ensures breadth through the core courses and the choice of a technical elective; technical core area coursework provides additional depth.

Program Outcomes

Electrical and computer engineering graduates should demonstrate

An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as analyze and interpret data
An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
An ability to communicate effectively
The broad education necessary to understand what impact engineering solutions have in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
A recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in lifelong learning
A knowledge of contemporary issues
An ability to use techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years of graduation, electrical and computer engineering graduates should

Contribute to the economic development of Texas and beyond through the ethical practice of electrical and computer engineering in industry and public service
Exhibit leadership in technical or business activity through engineering ability, communication skills, and knowledge of contemporary and global issues
Continue to educate themselves through professional study and personal research
Be prepared for admission to, and to excel in, the best graduate programs in the world
Design systems to collect, encode, store, transmit, and process energy and information, and to evaluate system performance, either individually or in teams
Use their engineering ability and creative potential to create technology that will improve the quality of life in society

Portable Computing Devices

Students enrolled in a degree program in Electrical and Computer Engineering will be expected to own a portable computing device (i.e. a notebook computer, tablet, or slate) suitable for use in the classroom and on the University wireless network. Use of these devices in the classroom and as a general part of the learning experience within our programs is at the discretion of faculty and not all classes or courses of instruction will require the use of these devices. Once admitted, students will be informed by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department office about specific device requirements.

Curriculum

Course requirements are divided into three categories: basic sequence courses, major sequence courses, and other required courses. In addition, each student must complete the University’s Core Curriculum. In some cases, a course required as part of the basic sequence may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below. To ensure that courses used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences and visual and performing arts requirements of the core curriculum also meet ABET criteria, students should follow the guidance given in ABET Criteria.

In the process of fulfilling engineering degree requirements, students must also complete coursework to satisfy the following flag requirements: one independent inquiry flag, one course with a quantitative reasoning flag, one ethics and leadership flag, one global cultures flag, one cultural diversity in the US flag, and two writing flags. The independent inquiry flag, the quantitative reasoning flag, the ethics and leadership flag, and one writing flag are carried by courses specifically required for the degree; these courses are identified below. Students are advised to fulfill the second writing flag requirement with a course that meets another requirement of the core curriculum, such as the first-year signature course. Courses that may be used to fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule. More information about flags is given in Skills and Experiences Flags.

Enrollment in major sequence courses is restricted to students who have received credit for all of the basic sequence courses and have been admitted to the major sequence. Requirements for admission to a major sequence are given in Admission to a Major Sequence. Enrollment in other required courses is not restricted by completion of the basic sequence.

Courses used to fulfill technical core, math and/or science technical elective, and other elective requirements must be approved by the electrical and computer engineering faculty before the student enrolls in them.

Transfer Coursework: No more than 25 semester credit hours of transfer electrical engineering coursework may be counted for credit toward the electrical engineering degree.

Courses	Sem Hrs
Basic Sequence Courses
Mathematics 408C, 408D, 427K, 340L (Mathematics 408C may be used to fulfill the mathematics requirement of the core curriculum; Mathematics 408C and 427K each carry a quantitative reasoning flag.)	15
Electrical Engineering 302, 306, 411, 312, 313, 319K (Electrical Engineering 302 may be used to fulfill the science and technology, part II, requirement of the core curriculum.)	19
Physics 303K, 303L, 103M, 103N (Physics 303K and 303L may be used to fulfill the science and technology, part I, requirement of the core curriculum; both courses carry a quantitative reasoning flag.)	8
Rhetoric and Writing 306 (may be counted toward the English composition requirement of the core curriculum.)	3
	Total 45
Major Sequence Courses
Electrical Engineering 333T, 351K, 364D, and one of the following senior design project courses: Electrical Engineering 464G, 464H, 464K, 464R. (Electrical Engineering 333T carries a writing flag; the design project courses carry independent inquiry flags.)	13
Primary technical core: Core courses (six hours), core laboratory course (four hours), advanced mathematics course (four hours)	14
Primary core electives: Four courses (twelve to fourteen hours)	12
Secondary technical core: Core courses (six hours), core laboratory course (four hours), advanced mathematics course (four hours)	14
	Total 53
Other Required Courses
Approved elective	3
Remaining Core Curriculum Courses
English 316K (humanities)	3
American and Texas government	6
American history	6
Visual and performing arts	3
Social and behavior sciences	3
Undergraduate Studies 302 or 303 (some sections carry a writing flag)	3
	Total 24
Minimum Required 125

Upper-Division Technical Core Areas

Both electrical engineering and computer engineering students must choose a primary and a secondary technical core area. Electrical engineering students must choose their primary technical core area from the electrical engineering technical core areas listed below; computer engineering students must choose their primary technical core area from the computer engineering core areas. For the secondary technical core area, students may choose any technical core area, including academic enrichment.

For all technical core areas, the student must complete all courses in the core area on the letter-grade basis. A course may not be counted toward more than one technical core area.

In cases where a single electrical engineering course appears on both the primary and secondary technical core area list, the student must replace the secondary technical core area course with an elective from the same secondary technical core area list. In the case of a duplicate mathematics course, the student must choose an approved mathematics or science course to replace it.

Academic Enrichment Technical Core Area
A student may choose the academic enrichment technical core area, but only as his or her secondary technical core area. For this core area, the student selects a minimum of fourteen hours of elective coursework to support his or her personal or career goals, which must include an upper-division course in either mathematics or science. Before registering for these courses, the student must prepare a career plan statement and a list of relevant electives; this plan must be approved by the undergraduate adviser.

These electives may include traditional upper-division technical courses in electrical engineering and other engineering fields; courses in other fields at the University that satisfy degree requirements, such as business, economics, communication, music, and philosophy; or research done with a faculty member in Electrical Engineering 360, Special Problems in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The courses must be completed in residence; courses in an approved study abroad program require the approval of the undergraduate adviser. The fourteen elective course hours must include at least eleven hours of upper-division coursework; they may include Electrical Engineering 155R, Undergraduate Research Seminar, and Electrical Engineering 325L, Cooperative Engineering, or up to three hours in Electrical Engineering 125S, Internship in Electrical and Computer Engineering, but not both. Students selecting software engineering and design as their primary technical core and academic enrichment as their secondary technical core must also ensure that their program of work includes adequate hardware coursework. That is:

If the senior design project consists of software only, then the electives include at least two of the following: Electrical Engineering 316, Electrical Engineering 445L, Electrical Engineering 445M.
If the senior design project involves a significant hardware design component, then the electives must include at least one of the following: Electrical Engineering 316, Electrical Engineering 445L, Electrical Engineering 445M.

Electrical Engineering Technical Cores

Communications, Signal Processing, Networks, and Systems
Communications, signal processing, networks, and systems broadly encompasses the principles underlying the design and implementation of systems for information transmission. The field considers how information is represented, compressed, and transmitted on wired and wireless links and how communication networks can be, and are, designed and operated. A student who chooses this technical core area should recognize that communications and networking is a broad application domain where many engineering tools come into play: from circuit design for wireless phones to embedded network processors to system and application software for networked systems.