The Bachelor of Science program in Electrical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, , under the General Criteria and the Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s), and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria.
Electrical engineering is one of the broadest and largest engineering disciplines. Electrical engineers work in the areas of design, analysis and application of electrical and electronic components, circuits and systems. Electrical engineers work in areas focused on the analysis, design and application of information processing systems such as communication systems, medical imaging systems and sensors; others are focused on power and energy, such as power transmission and design of electric drives. The areas in which electrical engineers work span the spectrum from the atomic level to systems level design. An electrical engineer may focus on the physical operation of micro-electronic devices, integrated circuits, electronic circuits or systems that process and transmit signals, information and electrical power.
The electrical engineering curriculum builds upon the base of the one-year core provided by the Engineering Design Division of Watson College. The one-year core, required of all engineering students in the school, provides students with a broad foundation in engineering fundamentals, natural sciences, mathematics, communication skills and laboratory experience. The second year of the program covers basic electrical and computer engineering topics. Breadth in the major areas of electrical engineering is obtained by a series of required courses in the third year; depth in a specialization area within electrical engineering is obtained by a series of technical electives in the fourth year.
Program educational objectives describe what graduates of the program are expected to accomplish within five years of graduation. Graduates of the electrical engineering program are expected to demonstrate progress in four areas:
- Leadership: Graduates will be known for leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship or responsibility as appropriate for their career stage.
- Education: Graduates will continue their education through a combination of independent learning, continuing education and advanced degrees.
- Adaptability: Graduates will demonstrate flexibility in a career that utilizes skills and knowledge gained in their undergraduate engineering program.
- Participation: Graduates will be known as active participants in a wide variety of both professional and non-professional activities, including jobs, professional societies, community activities/service, or government or public service.
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
To receive the BSEE degree, students must complete a minimum of 127 credit hours in the courses outlined below, with a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 (C) in core electrical engineering courses and a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade-point average. All °®¶¹´«Ã½ students must also meet the General Education requirements; for more details, refer to the General Education section of this publication or consult with the Watson College Advising Office or the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.
In the table below, the courses listed in the first year/fall semester and first year/spring semester constitute Watson College’s common first-year program for engineering students. The common first year is administered by the Engineering Design Division, as described in the Engineering Design Division section of the Bulletin.
| First Year/Fall Semester | Credits |
| MATH 224/225 Differential Calculus/Integral Calculus | 4 |
| CHEM 111 Chemical Principles | 4 |
| EDD 111 Intro to Engineering Design | 2 |
| EDD 103 Engineering Communications I | 2 |
| General Education elective (G, D, A, N, H)* | 4 |
| Physical Activity/Wellness (Y, S, B) | 1 |
| Total | 17 |
| First Year/Spring Semester | Credits |
| MATH 226/227 Integration Technique and Application/Infinite Series | 4 |
| PHYS 131 General Physics I | 4 |
| EDD 112 Intro to Engineering Analysis | 2 |
| EDD 104 Engineering Communications II | 2 |
| General Education elective (G, D, A, N, H)* | 4 |
| Physical Activity/Wellness (Y, S, B) | 1 |
| Total | 17 |
| * It is advised that students take one of the required General Education courses in both the fall and spring semesters of the first year. | |
| Second Year/Fall Semester | Credits |
| MATH 324 ODE's for Scientists/Engineers | 4 |
| PHYS 132 General Physics II | 4 |
| CS 211 Programming I for Engineers | 4 |
| EECE 251 Digital Logic Design | 4 |
| EECE 281 EECE Seminar I | 1 |
| Total | 17 |
| Second Year/Spring Semester | Credits |
| ISE 261 Probabilistic Systems I**** | 4 |
| EECE 287 Sophomore Design | 4 |
| EECE 260 Electric Circuits | 4 |
| EECE 212 Linear Algebra & Eng Programming | 4 |
| Total | 16 |
| Third Year/Fall Semester | Credits |
| EECE 301 Signals and Systems | 4 |
| EECE 315 Electronics I | 4 |
| EECE 332 Semiconductor Devices | 3 |
| MATH 323 Calculus III | 4 |
| EECE 382 EECE Seminar II | 1 |
| Total | 16 |
| Third Year/Spring Semester | Credits |
| EECE 323 Electromagnetics | 4 |
| EECE 361 Control Systems | 3 |
| EECE 377 Communications Systems | 3 |
| EECE 387 Design Lab | 4 |
| Professional elective I *** | 3 |
| Total | 17 |
| Fourth Year/Fall Semester | Credits |
| EECE 487 Senior Project I | 2 |
| EECE 486 Senior Project I Lab | 1 |
| Technical elective 1 ** | 3 |
| General Education elective * | 4 |
| General Education elective * | 4 |
| Total | 14 |
| Fourth Year/Spring Semester | Credits |
| EECE 488 Senior Project II | 2 |
| EECE 489 Senior Project II Lab | 1 |
| Technical elective II ** | 3 |
| Professional elective II *** | 3 |
| General Education elective * | 4 |
| Total | 13 |
| Total Credits Over Four Years | 127 |
Students must complete one year of college-level math and basic science appropriate to electrical engineering. The course outline above includes 32 credits of college-level math and science; if students fail to meet a minimum of 30 credits, additional math and/or science electives will be required. It is important that students meet with their major department to discuss options.
* General Education electives must be selected to satisfy the °®¶¹´«Ã½ General Education requirements.
** Technical electives allow EE students to focus on a chosen specialization within electrical engineering and must be selected from a list of approved upper-level EECE courses.
*** Professional electives allow EE students to pursue areas that are relevant to the profession of electrical engineering; suggested choices include, but are not limited to, (i) additional technical elective courses, (ii) courses in business-related areas, (iii) additional math or science courses, (iv) engineering courses outside of EE (e.g., a mechanical engineering course to prepare for professional engineering license exams).
**** Students considering transfer to another SUNY campus are advised to take MATH 323, Calculus III, in place of ISE 261, Probabilistic Systems I, in their second year, spring semester.
Required Course Prerequisites
The following courses, or their equivalent(s), are required prerequisites for the major:
If students do not place into MATH 224, then MATH 223 (or its equivalent) and, if needed, MATH 108 (or its equivalent) and, if needed, MATH 107 (or its equivalent) and, if needed, MATH 106 (or its equivalent) are required prerequisites for completion of the major.
Students who have not had adequate course preparation may need to take CHEM 100 prior to taking CHEM 104 or CHEM 111.
While EDD 103/111/104/112 is preferred, in rare cases, under advisement from the Watson Advising Office, a first-year composition course and an introduction to computer programming course may be used to meet the EDD 103/111/104/112 requirement.