The electrical engineering program is administered by the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). The School is the beneficiary of a major endowment from the late Dr. C. Paul Stocker, an electrical engineering alumnus. This endowment provides support for facilities and a level of excellence surpassed by few other electrical engineering and computer science schools in the nation.
The electrical engineering program offers two curriculum tracks leading to a B.S.E.E. degree. The electrical engineering (EE) track is intended for students who want to work in one of the many areas of electrical engineering. A computer engineering (CpE) track is available for students who intend to work in the area of computers. Students who are undecided as to which area they want to pursue should follow the electrical engineering track until they decide.
Electrical engineering addresses the wide application of electrical and electronic phenomena to real-world needs, from consumer goods to space exploration. It encompasses such diverse areas as research, development, design, sales, and operation of electrical and electronic systems. Areas of specialization include such varied fields as circuit design, communications, computers and automata, control systems, electromagnetics, energy sources and systems, power electronics, power system planning, electronics, and instrumentation. Students interested in digital computers may choose from courses in the School on programming, digital circuits, computer design, and software engineering.
Electrical engineering graduates hold challenging positions in such nonelectrical industries as chemical, nuclear, automotive, medical, textile, petroleum, and transportation, as well as in electronics, communications, power, control, and other electrical industries. The jobs performed by electrical engineering graduates include such diverse activities as research, development, design, production, and manufacturing, and consulting.