Electrical Engineering Major (BSE)

Electrical engineering is the application of scientific and mathematical principles to the design, manufacture, and control of structures, machines, processes, and systems. In the past, the work of electrical engineers has had a direct and vital impact on people’s lives. Electrical engineers have been responsible for the creation of electric power, modern electronics, computers, electronic communication systems, modern flight controllers, automated manufacturing, and medical diagnostic tools. An electrical engineering education continues to provide opportunities for solving problems of great social significance and for increasing people’s quality of life.

The Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) in Electrical Engineering, accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org, spans the disciplines of electronics, computers, circuits, electromagnetic fields, power systems, controls, communications, signal processing, and solid state materials and devices. The degree requires a minimum of 131 credit hours which include 33 credit hours associated with the UNLV’s General Education Core. Graduates of the program will receive a BSE in Electrical Engineering.

Please see the UNLV Electrical and Computer Engineering department web page at www.unlv.edu/ece for more information about department programs, faculty, and facilities. Degree worksheets and 4/5 year plans for the major are available at www.unlv.edu/degree/bse-electrical-engineering.

ABET Program Objectives

Electrical Engineering Program Objectives

The Program Educational Objective of the Electrical Engineering program is to create, apply, and disseminate knowledge immediately or within a few years after graduation the graduate:

1. can successfully practice and mature intellectually in the field of Electrical Engineering or a related field.
2. can be admitted to and successfully progress through a post graduate program in Electrical Engineering or related program.

ABET Student Outcomes

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the program.

Electrical Engineering Student Learning Outcomes

To achieve the above objectives and goals, each graduate of the Electrical Engineering Major will attain the following outcomes before graduation:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Admission to the Major

Minimum GPA: 2.0

To enter the Electrical Engineering (EE) Major, a student must be admitted to the College of Engineering. Admission and transfer policies are described in the College of Engineering section. Students who have been admitted to the College of Engineering and are interested in being admitted to the EE Major will be placed in the Electrical Engineering Pre-major (EEGPRE). A student in the EEGPRE is eligible to submit an application to the Advising Center for advanced standing in the EE Major after completing the 22 credit EEGPRE curriculum listed as an (*) in Major Requirements. Students who have not completed the EEGPRE curriculum and do not have advanced standing in the EE Major cannot enroll in upper division Electrical Engineering courses except for those in the EEGPRE Extended Curriculum listed as a (**) in the Major Requirements.

Department Policies

Regardless of catalog of graduation students must satisfy prerequisite and corequisite course requirements as specified in the current Undergraduate Catalog. All mathematics, science, and computer science courses, and ENG 101  and 102 must be completed with a grade of C or better. All engineering courses and their immediate prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. Electrical and computer engineering students should register for EE 497 - Senior Design Project I in their next to last semester before their anticipated date of graduation. Students should register for Senior Design I, in their next-to-last semester of expected graduation.

Career Possibilities

A Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering specifically prepares graduates for a career in the electrical engineering field. Electrical engineers are responsible for the creation of electric power, electronic circuits, computers, electromagnetic and optical systems, solid state electronic materials, electronic communication systems, signal processing systems, control systems, and biomedical devices. In power engineering, electrical engineers solve problems associated with the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity as well as the design of related devices. Electrical Engineers that work as electronic engineers are responsible for the design and test of electronic circuits in electronic products such as radios, cell phones, computers and medical equipment. Electrical engineers in solid state electronics design the manufacturing processes that fabricate micro and nano-devices such as the components used in sensors or integrated circuits. In computer engineering, electrical engineers apply principles from electrical engineering and computer science to the design and analysis of all hardware and software for a computer system. Electrical engineers in electromagnetism design products based on electromagnetic properties which include antennas, high frequency electronics and optical systems lasers and fiber optics. Electronic communication engineers design systems such as radios, televisions, and cell phones, that require the transmission and reception of information across a channel such as a coax cable, optical fiber or free space. Signal processing engineers develop mathematical algorithms for systems that process and interpret signal information which includes speech recognition systems, noise canceling headphones and GPS systems. Electrical engineers that design automatic control systems such flight controllers, automobile cruise controllers, and robotics use mathematics to model dynamic systems and then use these models to design controllers that control these systems to behave in a desired manner. A Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering can also help graduates find work in other careers such as patent law.