Electrical and Computer Engineering/Business Administration, Honors (BSECE/BBA)
Honors Electrical and Computer Engineering and Business (ECB) is a dual degree program between the Canfield Business Honors Program (Canfield BHP) and the Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). The dual degree program's five-year undergraduate curriculum aims at preparing students for engineering and business careers. Students must successfully complete all requirements for both programs to receive a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering with the ECE Honors transcript distinction and a Bachelor of Business Administration. Additional information is available from the undergraduate advisor for electrical and computer engineering.
Admission to the ECB program is limited to a small number of high-performing students who are chosen on a competitive basis. Students selected for the program will have demonstrated exceptional potential for success in both engineering and business. Admission decisions are made by the ECB committee. Students enter the program as a freshman.
The ECB program has its own admissions criteria and requirements that supplement the standard admissions requirements for the Cockrell School of Engineering, Canfield BHP, and UT Austin. Students will apply to the dual degree program in parallel with their application to UT Austin, the Cockrell School of Engineering, and the McCombs School of Business.
Students entering the university as freshmen may apply to the ECB program by completing a separate online application available through the UT Austin Office of Admissions. The committee considers the student's SAT Reasoning Test or ACT scores, high school rank, preparatory courses, extracurricular activities, evidence of leadership ability, and other objective criteria.
Total Hours Required: 159
Plan of Study
The Plan of Study is a suggested four-year course sequence to support academic planning and serves as a helpful guide. Currently enrolled students should meet with their academic advisor to tailor their course selections and timelines to their individual goals and circumstances.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Hours | |
| RHE 306 | Rhetoric and Writing | 3 |
| First-Year Signature Course (090) | 3 | |
| M 408C | Differential and Integral Calculus | 4 |
| ECE 302H | Introduction to Electrical Engineering: Honors | 3 |
| Visual and Performing Arts (050) | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| ECE 319H | Introduction to Embedded Systems: Honors | 3 |
| M 408D | Sequences, Series, and Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
| B A 324H | Business Communication: Oral and Written: Honors | 3 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (080) | 3 | |
| Approved PSY, SOC, ANT, EDP | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| PHY 303K | Engineering Physics I | 3 |
| ECO 304K | Introduction to Microeconomics | 3 |
| U.S. History (060) | 3 | |
| American and Texas Government (070) | 3 | |
| ACC 366P | Accounting Practicum | 3 |
| MAN 336H | Organizational Behavior: Honors | 3 |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| PHY 105M | Laboratory For Physics 302K, 303K, and 317K | 1 |
| ECO 304L | Introduction to Macroeconomics | 3 |
| U.S. History (060) | 3 | |
| American and Texas Government (070) | 3 | |
| MAN 327H | Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Honors | 3 |
| ACC 312H | Fundamentals of Managerial Accounting: Honors | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| PHY 303L | Engineering Physics II | 3 |
| PHY 105N | Laboratory For Physics 302L, 303L, and 317L | 1 |
| ACC 311H | Fundamentals of Financial Accounting: Honors | 3 |
| ECE 411H | Circuit Theory: Honors | 4 |
| ECE 313H | Linear Systems and Signals: Honors | 3 |
| BAH 110G | Topics in Professional Growth I | 1 |
| BAH 151H | Lyceum | 1 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| STA 235H | Data Science for Business Applications: Honors | 2 |
| FIN 357H | Business Finance: Honors | 3 |
| ECE 351H | Probability and Random Processes: Honors | 3 |
| ECE 306 | Introduction to Computing | 3 |
| D S 235H | Introduction to Decision Science: Honors | 2 |
| LEB 323H | Business Law and Ethics: Honors | 3 |
| BAH 111G | Topics in Professional Growth II | 1 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| ECE 411 | Circuit Theory | 4 |
| ECE 313 | Linear Systems and Signals | 3 |
| MAN 101H | Leadership Challenges and Innovation: Honors | 1 |
| MAN 374H | General Management and Strategy: Honors | 3 |
| MIS 301H | Introduction to Information Technology Management: Honors | 3 |
| B A 120G | Topics in Professional Growth III | 1 |
| B A 130G | Topics in Professional Growth IV | 1 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| ECE 351K | Probability and Random Processes | 3 |
| ECE 364D | Introduction to Engineering Design | 3 |
| ECE 464K | Senior Design Project | 4 |
| MKT 337H | Principles of Marketing: Honors | 3 |
| O M 235H | Operations Management: Honors | 2 |
| STA 301H | Introduction to Data Science: Honors | 3 |
| B A 140G | Topics in Professional Growth V | 1 |
| Hours | 19 | |
| Year 5 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| Hours chosen from: Advanced technical elective | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: Advanced technical elective | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: Advanced technical elective lab | 4 | |
| Hours chosen from: Mathematics technical elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| Hours chosen from: ECE advanced technical elective | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: ECE advanced technical elective | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: ECE advanced technical elective | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: Upper-division ECE | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 159 | |
Requirements
All requirements are listed below, starting with the most specialized moving to the most general. Additional requirements may follow the table, so be sure to read the entire page. Some required courses listed below may also satisfy General Education requirements, including Core Curriculum.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Degree (see details below) | ||
| Bachelor of Business Administration | ||
| Hours chosen from: Anthropology, psychology, educational psychology, or sociology with a primary focus other than statistics or data processing or for Plan II dual majors, S S 302C, S S 302D, S S 302E, S S 302F | 3 | |
| B A 324H | Business Communication: Oral and Written: Honors (substitutes for ECE 333T) | 3 |
| or COM 324H | Introduction to Business Communication: Honors | |
| ACC 311H | Fundamentals of Financial Accounting: Honors (substitutes for ECE lower-division elective) | 3 |
| ACC 312H | Fundamentals of Managerial Accounting: Honors | 3 |
| STA 235H | Data Science for Business Applications: Honors (substitutes for ECE advanced math or basic science) | 2 |
| FIN 357H | Business Finance: Honors (substitutes for ECE technical component elective) | 3 |
| MAN 336H | Organizational Behavior: Honors (substitutes for ECE free elective) | 3 |
| MAN 327H | Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Honors (substitutes for ECE free elective) | 3 |
| BAH 110G | Topics in Professional Growth I | 1 |
| BAH 111G | Topics in Professional Growth II | 1 |
| B A 120G | Topics in Professional Growth III | 1 |
| B A 130G | Topics in Professional Growth IV | 1 |
| B A 140G | Topics in Professional Growth V | 1 |
| BAH 151H | Lyceum | 1 |
| A professional, business-related experiential learning course chosen from the following: | 3 | |
| Accounting Practicum | ||
| Internship in Business Administration | ||
| Internship in Business Administration | ||
| Finance Practicum | ||
| Entrepreneurship Practicum | ||
| Management Practicum: Social Entrepreneurship I | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship II | ||
| Social Innovation Practicum | ||
| Management Information Systems Practicum | ||
| Marketing Practicum | ||
| Operations Management Practicum | ||
| D S 235H | Introduction to Decision Science: Honors | 2 |
| LEB 323H | Business Law and Ethics: Honors | 3 |
| MAN 374H | General Management and Strategy: Honors | 3 |
| MIS 301H | Introduction to Information Technology Management: Honors | 3 |
| MKT 337H | Principles of Marketing: Honors | 3 |
| O M 235H | Operations Management: Honors | 2 |
| STA 301H | Introduction to Data Science: Honors | 3 |
| Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering | ||
| ECE 402H | Introduction to Electrical Engineering: Honors (Taken in their first year) | 4 |
| or ECE 402 | Introduction to Electrical Engineering | |
| ECE 406H | Introduction to Computing: Honors (Taken in their first year) | 4 |
| or ECE 406 | Introduction to Computing | |
| ECE 412H | Software Design and Implementation I: Honors (Taken in their first year) | 4 |
| or ECE 412 | Software Design and Implementation I | |
| ECE 419H | Introduction to Embedded Systems: Honors (Taken in their first year) | 4 |
| or ECE 419K | Introduction to Embedded Systems | |
| Hours chosen from: | 3 | |
| Circuit Theory: Honors | ||
or ECE 411 | Circuit Theory | |
| Linear Systems and Signals: Honors | ||
or ECE 313 | Linear Systems and Signals | |
| Probability and Random Processes: Honors | ||
or ECE 351K | Probability and Random Processes | |
| Honors Senior Design Project | ||
or ECE 464K | Senior Design Project | |
| Introduction to Engineering Design (when taken in conjuction with ECE 464H) | ||
| ECE 306 | Introduction to Computing | 3 |
| ECE 411 | Circuit Theory | 4 |
| or ECE 411H | Circuit Theory: Honors | |
| ECE 313 | Linear Systems and Signals | 3 |
| or ECE 313H | Linear Systems and Signals: Honors | |
| ECE 351K | Probability and Random Processes | 3 |
| or ECE 351H | Probability and Random Processes: Honors | |
| ECE 364D | Introduction to Engineering Design | 3 |
| ECE 464K | Senior Design Project | 4 |
| or ECE 464H | Honors Senior Design Project | |
| Hours chosen from: Advanced technical elective | 6 | |
| Hours chosen from: Advanced technical elective lab | 4 | |
| Hours chosen from: Mathematics techincal course | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: ECE technical component elective | 9 | |
| Hours chosen from: Upper-division ECE course or ECE 316 | 3 | |
| Subtotal | 115 | |
| Shared Requirements | ||
| Select one of the following sequences: | 8 | |
| Differential and Integral Calculus and Sequences, Series, and Multivariable Calculus | ||
| Differential Calculus and Integral Calculus and Multivariable Calculus | ||
| Select one of the following sequences: | 4 | |
| Engineering Physics I and Laboratory For Physics 302K, 303K, and 317K | ||
| Mechanics and Laboratory for Physics 301 | ||
| General Physics I and Laboratory for Physics 317K | ||
| PHY 303E | Electromagnetic, Quantum, and Semiconductor Physics | 3 |
| ECO 304K | Introduction to Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECO 304L | Introduction to Macroeconomics | 3 |
| Free electives: Additional coursework to reach total hours required. | 0 | |
| Subtotal | 21 | |
| General Education | ||
| Remaining Core Curriculum (42 hours total) | 23 | |
| Foreign Language other than English, Beginning Proficiency | ||
| Subtotal | 23 | |
| College Requirements - Engineering | ||
| College Requirements - Business | ||
| General University Requirements | ||
| Total Hours | 159 | |
Additional Requirements and Policies
- Students are expected to take the Honors version of any ECE course being offered.
- Students in the ECB Honors Program must complete all ECE curriculum requirements and a minimum of 125 hours. Please refer to the Engineering “Degrees and Programs” section of this catalog for technical course options within each linked degree major program.
- Students may appeal to take an ECE graduate course for undergraduate credit to substitute for ECE Honors credit, but are not permitted to exceed 6 hours of graduate coursework for honors requirements. Note that this does not apply for graduate courses taken for graduate credit as part of a graduate or integrated BSECE/MSECE program.
- All ECE honors courses are used to fulfill ECE course requirements.
Academic Standards
A student who enters ECB as a freshman must have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.25 on the Canfield BHP courses taken in residence during the fall and spring semesters of the first year to continue in the program. An ECB student must maintain a GPA of at least 3.3 in their ECE courses (honors and non-honors) and must be in good standing according to current policies of the ECE department and Canfield BHP. Students must complete at least 12 semester hours in residence on a letter-grade basis during the fall and spring semesters of the first year.
After freshman year, students are dismissed from the program if their overall business GPA drops below 3.25 or ECE GPA drops below a 3.3. Students failing to meet these requirements will be placed on warning for one semester, and then dismissed from the ECB program if they fail to improve their GPA. Students dismissed from the honors program become part of their first-choice major indicated on their admissions application unless they petition to join their second-choice major.
Students must also know and abide by the academic and disciplinary policies given in this catalog and in the General Information Catalog. Those who fail to do so will be considered for academic dismissal from the program. Under special circumstances, and at the discretion of the ECB program committee, a student will be allowed to continue in the program under academic review. Students in scholastic difficulty should discuss their problems with the ECB program director(s) and their academic advisor(s).
Graduation
To graduate under the ECB program, the student must earn a university GPA of at least 3.25, a GPA of at least 3.25 in business courses, and a GPA of at least a 3.3 in electrical and computer engineering courses. A candidate for any degree must be enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin in the semester or summer session in which the degree is awarded.
Students in the ECB program must satisfy the university Core Curriculum and the combined degree requirements for a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering with the ECE Honors transcript distinction and a Bachelor in Business Administration. If students later elect to complete only one degree, they must consult their academic advisor(s) and fulfill all degree requirements.