Electrical and Computer Engineering

Consider these questions:

Are you interested in learning how technology improves our quality of life?
Are you intrigued by high-tech gadgets?
Do you enjoy working with computers?

Now, what are you seeking from your VMI Academic Experience?

Are small class sizes and readily-available professors important to you?
Do you prefer an interactive, “hands-on” education with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment?
Are you interested in opportunities to enhance your education through undergraduate research activities and professional conference participation?

Finally, what are your career aspirations?

Are you interested in working in industry or with the government?
Do you want to serve in the military?
Are you considering graduate school and higher education opportunities?

If so, you should consider majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering!!

Our philosophy is to provide the highest quality undergraduate education available, balancing a solid theoretical foundation with an equally strong practical training in the electrical and computer engineering discipline. We stress the importance of high-tech design and problem solving skills coupled with integrity and professionalism. Our wide diversity of course and laboratory offerings is complemented by opportunities to personalize your education through the selection of electives and independent studies. Our curriculum is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

As such, the Educational Objectives of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department are:

The department seeks to prepare graduates who, in a few years after graduation, have:

1. Established themselves in, and made contributions to, a professional career in industry, government, or the military, and/or are continuing their education in graduate school.
2. Remained current in their profession through continuing education, via the completion of graduate coursework, attainment of certifications, or maintenance of active professional licensure, or through personal self-study and/or on-the-job training as part of their career advancement.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Program of Study

In order to meet these goals, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department has designed a program of study to prepare you for a rewarding and successful career. To give you the most flexibility after you graduate from our program, our courses provide a broad foundation in many areas of electrical and computer engineering. For those students seeking additional specialization in a particular area, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers a variety of elective courses, as well as customized independent research courses that are tailored to the specific interests of the students and faculty. The program of study culminates with a capstone design experience that includes a competition with design teams from other colleges and universities in the southeastern U.S.

ECE Elective Policy

The ECE Department requires six credit hours of ECE electives for graduation. While more than six credit hours of electives may be taken, a maximum of six credit hours may be applied to graduation requirements.

The following three-credit ECE Elective courses are offered regularly, and may be used to satisfy the required six credit hours of ECE Electives:

Fall Semesters: EE 413  (Microelectronics), EE 460  (Portable Power)

Spring Semesters: EE 426  (Semiconductor Devices), EE 455  (Electrical/Mechanical Design)

Professional Licensure

During the two semesters prior to graduation, all electrical and computer engineering (ECE) cadets are required to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination as an early step toward licensure as a professional engineer.

The FE Examination is offered several times each year at a number of testing locations. ECE cadets must retake the examination at least once if they do not pass the examination on the first attempt. ECE cadets who wish to be reimbursed for travel expenses must coordinate with the ECE Secretary at least three weeks before the travel date. The ECE Department will fully reimburse all ECE cadets who pass the examination before graduation.

Any ECE cadet who does not meet these expectations, as determined by the ECE Department Head, will not meet graduation requirements.

Honors in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Eligibility:

• Students may apply to the ECE Honors Program no earlier than the beginning of their third class year. The application form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar’s Office through the ECE Department Head.
• Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a minimum ECE GPA of 3.30.

Requirements:

• Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a minimum ECE GPA of 3.30 in order to remain in the ECE Honors Program and be eligible for ECE Honors upon graduation. 
• Students must submit an honors thesis proposal to the ECE Department Head no later than the end of the second class year. The honors thesis proposal must include the following: 
  
  • A description of the project 
  • Approval of the project advisor(s) 
• Students must complete (with no grades below B) a minimum of 3 hours of Undergraduate Research in ECE (EE 491-496 ) or ECE Internship for Credit (EE 469 ).  
• Students must present the results of their work in an external professional forum, such as IEEE, NCUR, ASEE, etc. 
• At the conclusion of their project, but no later than one week before the end of classes that semester, students must submit their final honors thesis to their project advisor(s) and the ECE Department Head for approval.

Scholarship and Internship Opportunities in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Numerous Scholarship and Internship Opportunities are available to cadets majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering! Contact the ECE Department Head, or visit the departmental web site: www.vmi.edu/elen, for up-to-date information.

Transfer Policies

Electrical and computer engineering courses, including online courses, may be transferred to VMI pending an evaluation of equivalency and approval by the ECE Department Head.

Programs

• Electrical and Computer Engineering, B.S.

Courses

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department Head: Colonel Addington

Requirements for a major in electrical and computer engineering are specified in Electrical and Computer Engineering .

• EE 111-115 - Introductory Modules in ECE
• EE 122 - DC Circuits
• EE 129 - Introduction to Digital Logic Circuits
• EE 221 - Discrete Mathematics
• EE 223 - Electrical Circuit Analysis
• EE 225 - Electromagnetic Fields
• EE 228 - Digital Systems Design
• EE 230 - Signal and System Analysis
• EE 240 - C Programming
• EE 242 - C++ and Object Oriented Programming
• EE 255 - Electronics
• EE 321X - Systems Design I
• EE 328 - Computer Architecture
• EE 339 - Microcontrollers
• EE 351 - Electrical Circuits and Machines
• EE 352 - Electronic Devices
• EE 356 - Electronic Applications and Interfacing
• EE 372W - Electronic Communications
• EE 381 - Automatic Control Systems
• EE 413 - Microelectronics
• EE 420 - Green Energy Power Conditioning
• EE 422 - Systems Design II
• EE 426 - Semiconductor Devices
• EE 431 - Digital Signal Processing
• EE 435 - Fault Tolerant Computing
• EE 445 - Computer Networks
• EE 450 - Biomedical Signal Processing and Biomechanics
• EE 455 - Electrical/Mechanical Design
• EE 460 - Portable Power
• EE 469 - ECE Internship for Credit
• EE 470 - Seminar
• EE 471W - System Design Validation
• EE 473 - Selected Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• EE 491-496 - Undergraduate Research in ECE