2016-2017 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 30 full-time professors, including 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 full-time or part-time basis. Cooperative education provides students with the opportunity to integrate paid career-related work experience with classroom learning. Academic credit towards the completion of major requirements 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 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.
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Degree Requirements
All electrical engineering students are strongly encouraged to see their major faculty advisor before course registration each semester.
Students must complete each ECE, ENGR, BENG, CS, MATH, PHYS, and STAT course presented as part of the required 121 credits for the degree with a grade of C or better.
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 121 credits, including all of the following:
Electrical and Computer Engineering Credits: 45
Notes:
*Note that ECE 285 /ECE 286 courses taken at Mason prior to fall 2013 or transferred to Mason prior to fall 2014 do NOT meet the circuit analysis requirement. Students who fit in either category need to contact the department as soon as possible to discuss their options.
**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. Technical Electives Credits: 9
Three technical elective courses totaling 9 credit hours must be selected from the list below. Only a single 3-credit ECE-499 course may be taken as a technical elective. ECE-447 and ECE-448, which are 4-credit courses with built-in labs, can be used to fulfill one technical elective and one advanced lab requirement. Some graduate courses and courses outside the ECE department may be taken to fulfill the technical elective requirement with the permission of the department. The decision to approve non-ECE courses as well as graduate courses as technical electives is at the discretion of the department based on a review of the course content and the student’s academic record.
Advanced Engineering Labs Credits: 2
Two advanced labs must be selected from the following list:
Computer Science Credits: 7
Mathematics and Statistics Credits: 20
English, Communication, and Economics Credits: 9
Additional Mason Core Credits: 15
Students must complete all Mason Core requirements not fulfilled by major requirements. Mason Core courses should be selected from the department’s list of approved courses. The Synthesis Mason Core 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 Mason Core 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)
▲ Concentration in Communications and Signal Processing (CSP)
▲ Concentration in Computer Engineering (CPE)
▲ Concentration in Control Systems (CON)
▲ Concentration in Electronics (ELE)
Total: minimum 121 credits
Change of Major
Students who are considering changing their major to electrical engineering must meet with the Volgenau School of Engineering Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising, 2500 Nguyen Engineering Building. Students considering 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 that is 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. Undeclared students in the Volgenau School who do not successfully complete a course required for a Volgenau School major within three attempts will also be terminated. For more information, see the “Termination from the Major” section under AP.5 Undergraduate Policies.
Once a student has attempted one of these courses twice unsuccessfully, the third attempt must be no later than the next semester of enrollment, excluding summers. Failure to take the course at that time will result in termination from the major. If the student is unable to take the course when required, the student may request an extension to a future semester; extensions require approval of the student’s advisor, their department, and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. The deadline for extension requests is the add deadline for the semester in which the course is required.
Students who have been terminated from a Volgenau School of Engineering major may not register for a Volgenau School course without permission of the department offering the course. This applies to all undergraduate courses offered by the Volgenau School except IT 104 and STAT 250.
A student may not declare any major in the Volgenau School of Engineering if the student has previously met the termination criteria for that major at any time, regardless of what the student’s major was at the time the courses were taken.
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 Mechanical Engineering minor.
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