ECE Undergraduate Handbook

I. What's NEW!

29 September 2008: We have updated the list of student project teams under Technical Electives Outside of ECE.

8 October 2008: We have suspended the ECE Honors Program indefinitely due mainly to lack of enrollment.

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II. Affiliation

Engineering students formally select their engineering major, or what we call "affiliate with a major," by the end of the first semester of their sophomore year. Once you have submitted your application for affiliation, the ECE major coordinator reviews your grades to determine if you have satisfied the major affiliation requirements. (If you are ahead or behind a semester, consult with an ECE Major Coordinator to determine appropriate coursework and procedures.)

The ECE affiliation requirements are:

• Be in good academic standing in the College of Engineering
• Must have completed with a grade of C+ or better MATH 2930, PHYS 2213, and either ECE/ENGRD 2100, ECE 2200, or ECE/ENGRD 2300
• Must have an average GPA of at least 2.5 in the following courses if completed: MATH 1920, 2930, 2940, PHYS 2213, ECE/ENGRD 2100, ENGRD 2110, ECE 2200, ECE/ENGRD 2300

If your application is approved, you will be affiliated with ECE and an ECE faculty advisor will be assigned to you. If you do not fully meet the requirements listed above, we encourage you to describe your particular circumstances during the affiliation process and we will work with you to prepare for entering in the ECE major. For more information please contact the Undergraduate Office at 223 Phillips Hall for assistance.

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III. Electrical and Computer Engineering - Overview

This undergraduate handbook has been designed as a reference guide for Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) students at Cornell University. The College of Engineering Undergraduate Handbook is available at: http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/student-services/academic-advising/engineering-handbook/

The curriculum of an electrical engineer has two components:

• The Common Curriculum
• The ECE Major Program

In these pages we answer some common questions regarding these requirements. You may want to look particularly at the Graduation Checklist for an overview of all the requirements before you begin reading the other sections of this handbook. NOTE: These requirements apply to students entering fall 2008 and later. Students graduating before May 2012 who have questions about graduations requirements should consult their faculty advisor.

General information such as Academic Standing, Dean's List requirements, Advanced Placement, Transfer Credit, Adding/Dropping courses, and Leaves of Absence can be found in the Courses of Study publication. These are also described online in the Engineering Advising and Student Records Resource Guide.

If you have any questions regarding graduation requirements or the ECE Major Program that are not answered in this handbook, feel free to contact one of our ECE Major Consultants or their assistants:

• Professor Terrence Fine, Associate Director
• Professor David Delchamps, Advising Coordinator
• Sandra Goodwin, Undergraduate Program Coordinator
• Scott Coldren, Manager of Student Services

For additional information about the Bioengineering Option, consult with John Belina. If you have specific questions regarding a particular specialty area, see the Faculty Research Specialties Page2 for a directory of professors listed by their area of specialization.

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IV. Common Curriculum

You must also:

Fulfill the Technical Writing Requirement by taking a technical course that has a substantial amount of writing. Courses that meet the technical writing requirement are listed in the Courses of Study publication.

Fulfill the requirement of at least three credits of computer programming at a level above that of CS 1110 or 1112 and CS 1130 or 1134 or an advanced computer-engineering course at a level above ECE 3140. (See: Advanced Programming/Computer Engineering Requirements in section IX. Culminating Design Experience)

Note: The courses taken for all three of these requirements may be used to fill credits in other areas, such as Liberal Studies, Engineering Distribution, Advisor Approved Electives, or Major Program requirements.

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V. Liberal Studies Distribution
(***Revised March 1, 2008***)

For more information on the Liberal Studies Distribution, please visit the Liberal Studies web page maintained by the College of Engineering (see web address below). You will need to scroll down the page in order to find the appropriate information.

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VI. Technical Writing

The ability to communicate is essential to successful professional practice. In addition to taking two first-year writing seminars, engineering students must have a significant amount of instruction and practice in technical or scientific writing. They can fulfill the college's technical-writing requirement by enrolling in an Engineering Communications course (e.g., ENGRC 3350 or ENGRC 3500), enrolling in selected courses in the Department of Communication (COMM 2600, 2630, or 3520) or in an approved writing-intensive engineering course. The third option includes the following writing intensive courses:

• BE 4890
• BE 4930 (with co-registration in BE 4500 or BEE 4730)
• ENGRD / EP 2640
• CHEME 4320
• MAE 4272
• MSE 4030-4040
• MSE 4050-4060

Please see the College Technical Writing Program for more details on how the Technical Writing Requirement can be fulfilled.

For information on fulfilling the technical writing requirement by doing a writing-intensive Co-op, contact Engineering Professional Programs, 201 Carpenter Hall or the Engineering Communications Program in 465 Hollister Hall.

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VII. Advisor Approved Electives

Your 6 credits of Advisor Approved Electives must form a relevant and appropriate part of an overall educational plan or objective, as determined by your faculty advisor (subject to the restrictions on Excluded Courses) -- and no one else. The Advisor Approved Electives can be used to broaden your education as an engineer. A wide variety of courses are acceptable; the key is to discuss your interests and educational goals with your advisor and obtain his or her approval. No one else may sign indicating approval of your Advisor Approved Elective choices on behalf of your advisor. (See: Excluded Courses for courses that MAY NOT be used as Advisor Approved Electives.)

Advisor Approved Electives that are generally accepted by advisors include: one extra introduction to engineering course, engineering distribution courses, courses stressing oral or written communication, upper-level engineering courses, advanced mathematics, biological, and physical science courses. Selected business, economics, humanities, social science, and language courses are often acceptable depending on your career goals. Again, the courses you present to your advisor for approval must be sound choices that address your overall career or educational objectives.

Examples of how some students have used Advisor Approved Electives:

• Biology and chemistry course work as preparation for a career in medicine or biomedical engineering (e.g. BIOG 1105/1106, CHEM 3570/3580, BIONB 2220)
• Management and industrial relations courses for a career in management (e.g. AEM 2210/2220)
• Courses in communications; writing and public speaking from the Communication Department or the Engineering Communications Department
• Extra ECE courses in either your specialization area or for added breadth
• To acquire expertise in a career-related 'minor' or concentration, possibly computer science or ORE

Other Electives

The engineering curriculum permits you a great deal of elective flexibility. The only point that needs to be kept in mind is that we define the MINIMUM that you are absolutely REQUIRED to take. Following the minimal path gives a basic academic preparation with which to enter the profession. You are encouraged to take more than the minimum courses, as this will prepare you better to enter the job market or begin graduate studies.

Legitimate and beneficial opportunities can be engaged in that differ from traditional lecture courses. For example: independent design projects, Study Abroad, and an ECE Honors Program to name just a few. Such options can add a great deal of value to your engineering professional training, and enhance the value of your Cornell degree. The choice of whether to take extra courses, engage in meaningful extra-curricular activities, or avail yourself of other university programs is yours. It is important that you plan effectively to use the extra freedom within your engineering education.

The flexibility of the Major program courses --including those of an elective nature-- allows you to pursue diverse interests. You can use your course options to strengthen your electrical engineering program if your goal is to specialize or obtain depth within electrical engineering. Or, you can use Major Approved Electives to complement related interests in other majors of study.

Students interested in a career in medicine often select life science (such as BIOG 1105 / 1106), chemistry (CHEM 3570 and 3580), and bioengineering course work (in CHEME or EP) as their electives. Students who study energy systems can combine ECE course work with courses from the Nuclear Science or Mechanical Engineering departments. Students with an interest in computer engineering can focus on ECE course work in digital theory and microprocessor/microcontroller systems as well as selecting technical course work from the Computer Science department. The exciting area of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) combines semiconductor fabrication with principles from courses like ENGRD 2020 & 2030.

You have greater flexibility in choosing and designing a particular program if you plan early and carefully, ask a lot of questions, and take the right combination of courses that suits your particular interests.

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VIII. ECE Major Program

The Electrical and Computer Engineering major is fully accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology and is described in detail in the University Announcement Courses of Study. The sample programs provided only suggest the basic structure of the program because it is difficult to depict the flexibility in taking some of your course work in semesters other than those indicated. The sequence of courses may also be influenced by advanced placement or transfer credit.

In addition to 24 credits in the Core Courses, a minimum of 29 credits of Major Approved Electives are required as defined on the graduation checklist. These are broken down into Advanced ECE Electives and Technical Electives Outside of ECE.

Advanced ECE Electives are ECE courses at the 3000-level or above. Please note that there are requirements that some of these courses be at the 4000-level or above as described on the graduation checklist. The Outside ECE Technical Electives include 9 credits of appropriate course work with a total of 3 credits at or above the 3000-level.

*Students may substitute CS 3140 for ECE 3140 without petition.

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IX. Major Approved Electives

A minimum of 6 courses of Advanced ECE Electives is required in the ECE Major Program. The classes must be at the 3000-level or above, but with some restrictions, as described on the Advanced ECE Electives page.

Also required are 9 credits of Technical Electives Outside of ECE, with a total of 3 credits at or above the 3000-level.

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X. Culminating Design Experience (CDE)

The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is committed to providing you with the most useful and relevant educational experience possible. As such, for two years now, the faculty have been redesigning the hands-on component of the undergraduate ECE curriculum. As a result, we now offer a series of enhanced courses called Culminating Design Experiences (CDEs). These courses are an important feature to our ABET Accreditation.

Two CDEs are required for students in the Class of 2004 and beyond. They are required to meet graduation requirements in the place formerly known as Laboratory Courses. The major component of a CDE is a significant, realistic, and open-ended engineering design assignment with realistic constraints. Consideration of most of the following issues will be a integral part of a CDE: an ability to design a component, system, or process to meet desired needs that includes most of the following considerations: economic, environmental; sustainability; manufacturability; ethical; health and safety; social; and political.

As you can see, these CDEs aim to provide as realistic a design experience as possible that will better prepare you to function as an engineering professional in the future.

The ECE Undergraduate Office maintains copies of past semester listings as well.

Advanced Programming/Computer Engineering Requirement

To meet the requirements for the BS degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, students graduating on or after May 2006 must take a least three credits of computer programming at a level above that of CS 1110 or 1112 and CS 1130 or 1132, or an advanced computer engineering course at a level above ECE 3140. Current courses that meet this requirement are:

CS 2110, CS 3220, CS 2024 and CS 2044 (both must be taken), ECE 4730, ECE 4740, ECE 4750, or ECE 4760. Other courses may be allowed by an ECE petition.

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XI. Academic Standards

The grades and grade point averages for courses used to satisfy the Electrical and Computer Engineering minor must meet the same requirements as the Electrical and Computer Engineering major; a grade of C- or better is required for every course in the minor and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3 for all courses in the minor. At least 6 Electrical and Computer Engineering courses with a minimum of 3 credits are required.

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XII. ECE Minor

Eligibility:

Engineering undergraduates affiliated with the following majors are eligible to participate in the Electrical and Computer Engineering minor: ABEN, EP, CEE, CHEME, CS, GEOL, MAE, MSE*, ORE.

• MSE students planning to pursue this minor must receive prior written approval from both MSE and ECE, via petition.

Requirements:

To complete the minor, the student must take at least six (6) courses (minimum of 18 credits), chosen as follows:

I. Two of the following:

• ECE/ENGRD 2100, Introduction to Circuits for Electrical and Computer Engineers - 4 credits
• ECE 2200, Signals and Information 4 credits
• ECE/ENGRD 2300, Introduction to Digital Logic Design 4 credits

II. Two of the following:

• ECE 3030, Electromagnetic Fields and Waves
• ECE3140/CS 3420, Computer Organization, or CS 3410, Systems Programming
• ECE 3100, Introduction to Probability and Random Signals
• ECE 3150, Introduction to Microelectronics

III. One of any other non-project ECE course at the 3000 level or above (minimum of 3 credits).

IV. One of any other non-project ECE courses at the 4000 level or above (minimum of 3 credits).

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XII. Contact Information

Sandi Goodwin, Undergraduate Coordinator
223 Phillips Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
Phone: (607)-255-4309
Fax: (607) 254-4565

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