2013-2014 University Catalog
Electrical Engineering, BS
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Banner Code: VS-BS-ELEN
School: Volgenau School of Engineering
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical engineering is a major field of modern technology. Electrical engineers are involved in research, development, design, production, and operation of a wide variety of devices and systems, including integrated circuits and microwave and laser devices, communication systems, control systems, radar, robots, large telecommunication networks, and power networks.
The bachelor’s program in electrical engineering at Mason is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. The electrical engineering program is staffed by ECE faculty composed of 27 full-time professors, including eight fellows of IEEE or other professional societies, and several part-time professors.
The curriculum provides a strong background in the fundamentals of electrical engineering and senior-level courses in the important areas of electronics, networks, communications and signal processing, computer engineering, and controls and robotics. Further, the curriculum includes 9 credits of senior technical electives, 2 credits of advanced engineering labs, and 3 credits of senior advanced design project, which may be used for further specialization in one of these areas.
Career opportunities exist in engineering research and development, system design, system integration, engineering management, engineering consultancy, technical sales, and patent law, among others. The program provides a strong preparation for graduate study.
Degree requirements may be satisfied on a part-time or co-op basis. Cooperative education provides students with the opportunity to integrate paid career-related work experience with classroom learning. Academic credit is not given for co-op experience. In addition to the usual financial aid available to all students through the Office of Student Financial Aid, electrical engineering majors are eligible to apply at the ECE Department for several scholarships provided by professional societies and industrial organizations, including the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
This undergraduate program offers students the option of applying for the accelerated master’s degree program in electrical engineering or telecommunications . See each listing for specific requirements. |
Degree Requirements
All electrical engineering students are strongly encouraged to see their major faculty advisor before course registration each semester. Students interested in electrical engineering who have not declared a major are also invited to obtain advising from the ECE Department. Students are strongly encouraged to follow the sample schedule below to ensure that course prerequisites are satisfied.
Students must complete each ECE, ENGR, BENG and CS course presented as part of the required 120 credits for the degree with a grade of C or better.
Furthermore, students must also complete any course required by the program that is a prerequisite to another course applicable to the degree with a grade of C or better.
For the BS Electrical Engineering degree, students must complete 120 credits, including all of the following: Electrical and Computer Engineering Credits: 55
Notes:
*Electrical Engineering students with catalog years of 2013-2014 are encouraged to enroll in the 6-credit newly revived ECE 285 /ECE 286 sequence of courses rather than the 5-credit ECE 280 course, although the latter would still be acceptable for the degree. Note that ECE 285 /ECE 286 courses taken at GMU (or transferred to GMU) prior to Fall 2013 do NOT meet the circuit analysis requirement. These students would need to either enroll in ECE 280 or take the new ECE 285 /ECE 286 sequence that has been revived by the ECE Department fall 2013. Students choosing to take the two course sequence may exceed the 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
**Students who would like to complete a more challenging senior design project have the option of enrolling in ECE 392 to gain a semester head start in the design process.
Computer Science Credits: 7
Mathematics and Statistics Credits: 20
English, Communication, and Economics Credits: 9
Additional University General Education (15 credits)
Students must complete all University General Education requirements not fulfilled by major requirements. General Education courses should be selected from the department’s list of approved courses. The Synthesis general education requirement is satisfied by ECE 492 and ECE 493 .
- Written Communication (lower): 3 credits
- Literature: 3 credits
- Arts: 3 credits
- Western Civilization/World History: 3 credits
- Global Understanding: 3 credits
Note:
All students must submit at least 24 credits of social science and humanities course work, which is normally satisfied by the 24 credits of university general education social science and humanities courses listed above.
Concentrations
Concentrations are available within the electrical engineering baccalaureate program. Completion of specific science courses and senior-level courses leads to one of these designations on the student’s transcript on graduation. Concentration requirements may also meet some or all of the Advanced Engineering Lab and Technical Elective requirements. ▲ Concentration in Bioengineering (BIOE)
Note:
Students in the bioengineering concentration should make sure they will have at least 45 upper division credits by the time they graduate. Additional upper level coursework may be necessary if they fall short of this requirement.
▲ Concentration in Communications and Signal Processing (CSP)
Students must complete (with a grade of C or better):
▲ Concentration in Computer Engineering (CPE)
Students must complete (with a grade of C or better):
▲ Concentration in Control Systems (CON)
Students must complete (with a grade of C or better):
▲ Concentration in Electronics (ELE)
Students must complete (with a grade of C or better):
Sample Schedule
The following is a sample schedule that an undergraduate electrical engineering major would follow to obtain a bachelor’s degree. First Semester Credits: 16
Second Semester Credits: 14
Third Semester Credits: 16
- Literature course Credits: 3
Fourth Semester Credits 15
Fifth Semester Credits: 17
Sixth Semester Credits: 15
Seventh Semester Credits: 15
- Advanced engineering lab Credits: 1
- Technical elective Credits: 3
- Global understanding course Credits: 3
- Arts course Credits: 3
Eighth Semester Credits: 12
- Advanced engineering lab Credits: 1
- Technical elective Credits: 3
- Technical elective Credits: 3
Notes:
*Electrical engineering students with catalog years of 2013-2014 are encouraged to enroll in the 6-credit newly revived ECE 285/ECE 286 sequence of courses rather than the 5-credit ECE 280 course, although ECE 280 would still be acceptable for the degree. Students should consult the undergraduate program guide on the ECE website for an alternative sample schedule with the ECE 285/ECE 286 sequence of courses. Note that ECE 285/ECE 286 courses taken at GMU (or transferred to GMU) prior to fall 2013 do NOT meet the circuit analysis requirement. These students would need to enroll in ECE 280 or take the new ECE 285/ECE 286 sequence that has been revived starting Fall 2013. Students choosing to take the ECE 285/ECE 286 sequence in place of ECE 280 may exceed the 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
**Students who would like to complete a more challenging senior design project have the option of enrolling in ECE 392 to gain a semester head start in the design process.
Change of Major
Students who want to change their majors to electrical engineering must have at least a 2.75 GPA in all math, physics, engineering, and computer science courses, and should have successfully completed MATH 114. Writing-Intensive Requirement
Mason’s writing-intensive requirement is satisfied by the following group of three courses: ECE 333, ECE 445 and ECE 491 in which faculty provide feedback on student writing assignments. Drafts and revisions are required. Termination from the Major
No math, science or Volgenau School of Engineering course, required for the major, may be attempted more than three times. Those students who do not successfully complete such a course within three attempts will be terminated from the major. For more information, see the “Termination from the Major” section under Academic Standing. Double Major and Minor Programs for Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering
Electrical engineering majors and computer engineering majors can earn degrees with double majors in a number of disciplines. Computer engineering and computer science are frequently combined. Electrical engineering has been combined with computer engineering, computer science, physics or math. Details are available in the department brochures or at the Volgenau School web site volgenau.gmu.edu. There are several minors available for students in the ECE Department including the new Mechanical Engineering minor.
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