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Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering

Specialization in Computer Engineering

Short Course Descriptions

For complete course descriptions and requirements please download the Undergraduate Bulletin.

ECEGR 100 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering. Design and principles of technical communication through a hands-on robotics design project in which teamwork is emphasized. Design process, engineering tools, creative and analytical thinking, professionalism, and open-ended problems with interdisciplinary content. Grading based on the quality of deliverables and presentation of design results through written, oral, and graphical communication. Open to all university students. (fall, winter)

ECEGR 101 Engineering Problem Solving With MATLAB. Laboratory oriented course designed to introduce students to programming in MATLAB. The emphasis is on developing the confidence and skill necessary to generate readable, compact, and verifiably correct MATLAB programs for obtaining numerical solutions to a wide range of engineering problems and displaying the results with fully annotated graphics. Topics include introduction to the MATLAB environment, matrix manipulation and computation, MATLAB programming language, writing functions and scripts, and production of 2D and 3D graphical output. Co-requisite: MATH 134. (fall, winter)

ECEGR 210 Electrical Circuits I. This course is an introduction to how engineers analyze the behavior of systems made of electrical components. Students learn how to calculate the response behavior of simple circuits consisting of resistors, capacitors, inductors, and sources.

ECEGR 211 Electrical Circuits II. Additional and more powerful approaches to the analysis of electrical circuits are mastered.

ECEGR 227 Electrical Circuits Laboratory. It is not enough for an engineer to have mastered his or her profession through the study of theory. The engineer is characterized by his/her ability to actually do things. This laboratory introduces students to basic laboratory instrumentation and practice. The focus is on a series of exercises that demonstrate and underscore principles learned in Circuits I & II.

ECEGR 312 Linear Systems Analysis. As mentioned earlier, the modern practice of electrical engineering draws heavily upon both physics and mathematics. Of all the courses in the Electrical Engineering Fundamentals Block, ECEGR 312 is the most purely mathematical. Systems are treated as ‘black boxes’ with inputs and outputs. Little attention is devoted to how the system might be made up of individual components. The emphasis is on the relationship between input and output signals.

ECEGR 317 Signals and Systems Laboratory. In some ways this laboratory is a continuation of ECEGR 227. However, more emphasis is placed on study of the signals that exist in an electrical circuit and the way in which the system shapes them. This laboratory is closely related to material covered in ECEGR 211 and 312.

ECEGR 320 Electronics I.
Radios, computers, cell phones, and many other modern devices are based upon electronic components and circuits. Contemporary electronics began with the introduction of the bipolar junction transistor in 1947. This course introduces students to methods used in analyzing simple transistor circuits.

ECEGR 321 Electronics II. 
A continuation of ECEGR 320. More complicated circuits are introduced.

ECEGR 328 Electronics Laboratory. Application of laboratory techniques developed in ECEGR 227 and 317 to electronic circuits such as those discussed in ECEGR 320 and 321. In 33 recent years the ultimate goal of this course has been to build an operational amplifier from discrete components. The subsystems of the op amp are individually developed and then assembled into a complete system. These courses, along with the Electrical Engineering Foundations block, prepare to study most advance topics in electrical engineering. The fundamentals block is prerequisite to both advanced elective courses and senior design.

ECEGR 331 Distributed Systems. Analysis of distributed systems; steady-state and transient analysis of loss-less lines, lossy lines; waveguides. Prerequisite: ECEGR 211, PHYS 123, and junior candidacy.

ECEGR 360 Communication Systems. Analysis and design of signal transmission systems that include amplitude, phase, frequency, and pulse modulation. Subsystem synthesis and design with comparative analysis. Communication in the presence of noise. Prerequisites: ECEGR 312 and MATH 244.

ECEGR 391-393 Special Topics.

ECEGR 396 Directed Study.

ECEGR 401 VLSI: VHDL (Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language) as a digital system description tool. Digital design principles and their application to programmable logic devices. Use of VHDL as a design tool for PLD’s is emphasized. Significant laboratory time outside of class is required. Prerequisite: ECEGR 201 and junior candidacy.

ECEGR 403 Digital Signal Processing. Linear, time invariant, discrete systems; finite moving average and recursive digital filters; Z-transform; discrete Fourier transform; fast Fourier transform. Prerequisite: ECEGR 312. ECEGR

404 Introduction to VLSI Circuit Design. An introduction to the design of very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits using silicon CMOS process technology and CAD software. Aspects of manufacturing, design, and testing are covered in lecture. The laboratory introduces students to professional-level software and culminates in a major circuit design. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory per week. Prerequisite: ECEGR 201 and ECEGR 321.

ECEGR 405 Advanced Digital Design. Microprocessor-based systems design procedures; LSI circuit specifications and interconnect design; programmable logic; logic simulation; prototype construction; system debug techniques; hands-on design carried out in teams. Prerequisites: ECEGR 201 and ECEGR 304.

ECEGR 406 Introduction to Digital Image Processing. Introduction to fundamental principles and techniques for digital image processing including image analysis, feature extraction, segmentation, enhancement, restoration, and compression. Hands-on experience through MATLAB laboratory exercises and projects.

ECEGR 407 Digital Signal Processing Laboratory. Use of modern Digital Signal Processing (DSP) software development systems. Debugging and analysis of program operation on DSP integrated circuits. DSP IC architectures. Analysis of test data in time and frequency domains. Prerequisite: ECEGR 312. Co-requisite: ECEGR 403.

ECEGR 414 Active Networks and Filters. Design of active filters. Operational amplifier circuits. Approximation of frequency response characteristics. Sensitivity. Frequency transformations. Active two-port networks. Simulation of passive elements. Switched capacitor filters. Prerequisite: ECEGR 312. ECEGR

421 Analog CMOS Electronics. Analog CMOS circuits including current sources, voltage references, and basic amplifier stages used in integrated circuits, the internal circuitry of operational amplifiers, and analog- to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. Feedback. Fundamentals of integrated circuit layout and fabrication. Prerequisite: ECEGR 321. ECEGR

422 Electronics III. A continuation of Electronics II covering topics selected from, but not limited to, feedback and stability, active filters, oscillators, data converters, signal generators, and digital electronics. Prerequisite: ECEGR 321.

ECEGR 424 Power Electronics. Basic topologies and operating principles of switching power converters. Half-wave, bridge, and polyphase rectifier circuits. Phase control converters. Output control and dynamic models. Prerequisite: ECEGR 312 and ECEGR 320.

ECEGR 428 Advanced Electronics Laboratory. A special topics electronics laboratory focusing on practical applications in electrical and computer engineering. Design projects vary depending on the interests of the students and instructor. The iterative process of design, simulation, fabrication, and testing is emphasized. A one-hour lecture and one four-hour laboratory session per week. Prerequisites: ECEGR 321 and ECEGR 328. (May be retaken for credit with permission of the department chair.)

ECEGR 432 Microwave Systems. Propagation of electromagnetic waves and interaction with materials, guided waves, and passive and active devices, microstrip and integrated circuits. Prerequisite: ECEGR 312 and PHYS 330.

ECEGR 433 Introduction to Antennas. Electromagnetic waves and radiating systems used in telecommunications. Software simulation of antenna radiation patterns. Frequency spectra used in modern communications and their effect on antenna design. Prerequisite: ECEGR 312 and PHYS 330.

ECEGR 437 Antennas Laboratory. A laboratory covering the measurement and simulation of wire and aperture antenna radiation patterns. Co-requisite: PHYS 330.

ECEGR 457 Electromechanical Energy Conversion Laboratory. A laboratory covering the principles and practice of electromechanical energy conversion devices. Co-requisite: ECEGR 450.

ECEGR 461 Data Communications. An introduction to the concepts and methods of data communication. Systems, protocols, and controls used in data transfer. Media employed for data transmission and multiplexing techniques. Long-range and local networks used in data and computer communications. Prerequisite: ECEGR 201 and junior candidacy or permission.

ECEGR 462 Modern Optics. Introduction to modern optics consisting of ray optics; scalar wave optics; diffraction; interferometer; vector wave optics and polarization; Gaussian beam optics; Fourier optics, including image processing, spatial filtering, and holography; optical waveguides and fibers; optical resonators; laser amplifiers and systems; semiconductor lasers and detectors; optical switching and computing. Optional labs in holography and fiber optics. Prerequisites: ECEGR 312 or PHYS 205; PHYS 330.

ECEGR 463 Wireless Communications Systems. An introduction to issues and problems associated with modern wireless communications systems. Radio wave systems. Multipath and fading. Frequency planning. Cellular communications. Registration. Prerequisite: ECEGR 312 and PHYS 123.

ECEGR 467 Communications Laboratory. A laboratory covering basic principles of encoding, modulation, and transmission of electronic signals. One-hour lecture and one four-hour laboratory per week. Co-requisite: ECEGR 360.

ECEGR 487 Engineering Design I.

ECEGR 488 Engineering Design II.

ECEGR 489 Engineering Design III.
A year-long capstone team design project that draws upon all of the student’s previous experience, both technical and non-technical. Projects require students to investigate and apply concepts not covered in course work and to master engineering tools needed to complete the assigned task. Particular emphasis is placed upon project organization and management, principles of engineering design, oral and written communication, and professionalism and ethics. In ECEGR 487, student teams are formed and industrially sponsored design problems are assigned. Project proposals are written, critiqued, and presented. In ECEGR 488 and 489, problem solutions are developed and implemented, culminating in a formal presentation of results. In addition to regularly-scheduled lectures, students are expected to devote significant time to design team activities. The three courses must be taken as a continuous sequence. The Engineering Design sequence fulfills the interdisciplinary and synthesis requirements of the university core. Prerequisite: advanced junior or senior standing in engineering. (487, fall; 488, winter; 489, spring)

ECEGR 491-493 Special Topics.

ECEGR 496 Independent Study.

ECEGR 497 Directed Reading.

ECEGR 498 Directed Research. Independent work by student on topic of mutual interest to student and an instructor. Enrollment is limited and open only to students who have agreed upon a proposed topic or course of study with the instructor. May be used as an advanced elective with departmental permission.