Electrical Engineering Major | Virginia Tech (2024)

Program Curriculum

Secondary Focus Requirement

The ECE secondary focus requirement can be completed in one of two ways:

Focus Areas within ECE

The ECE secondary focus requirement consists of 3 ECE courses (9 credits) at the 3xxx level, 4xxx level, or 5xxx level where at least one course (3 credits) is at the 4xxx or 5xxx level. None of the 3 courses can duplicate a course from the student’s major. All courses used for secondary focus must be taken on an A-F basis. For purposes of satisfying the secondary focus requirements, the sum of the number of hours taken from ECE4974 and ECE4994 Undergraduate Research cannot exceed 6 credits.

The following courses are also included in the secondary focus:

The following courses cannot be used toward secondary focus:

Individualized Secondary Focus

(Must be preapproved by ECE Department)

Electrical and computer engineering has applications across a wide variety of fields, such as medicine, human-computer interaction, finance, and entertainment. People with ECE degrees can be entrepreneurs, patent lawyers, policy makers, and business executives. The individualized secondary focus helps students pursue these interests. This option can be used in place of a pre-defined, in-department secondary focus.

The individualized secondary focus typically is pursued via an already defined university-approved program such as a degree, major, minor, or certificate that the student has declared. Students are encouraged to select courses from these programs, subject to the guidelines below.

1. To begin this process, students must first meet with their academic advisor.
2. The student must complete a brief proposal form describing the expected added value to their major. This includes a narrative about how these courses support the student’s career goals and ability to achieve their professional aspirations. This proposal must be approved by the Director of Undergrad Program or designee.
3. Individualized secondary focus plans must include 3 courses within the following parameters:
   1. None of the courses may duplicate the student’s ECE major requirements.
   2. None of the courses can be at the 1xxx level (1xxx courses required for university-approved programs, e.g. minors, can be used for a student’s free electives).
   3. A maximum of one course can be at the 2xxx level, and only if it is a requirement of a university approved program, or if the course is a prerequisite to one or more of the other two courses in the individualized secondary focus.
   4. A minimum of one course must be at the 4xxx level.
4. If the set of courses is part of an already defined university program, the student should attach documentation to the proposal form.
5. If the set of three courses are not part of an already defined university-approved program, the student must also obtain written approval from the department that houses the courses.
6. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the set of courses is available to be taken in a timely manner. The ECE department is not responsible for changes of programs elsewhere in the university.

MATH Elective Requirement

Electrical Engineering majors are required to take one math elective course from the following list. Some courses may include prerequisite courses not required for the BSEE curriculum. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of prerequisites and to ensure that all prerequisites are completed prior to enrolling in the chosen course. Note that courses may be restricted to specific majors during certain semesters.

Enrollment into courses will be based on sufficient resources, including faculty availability and student demand.

Satisfactory Progress Towards Degree

University Policy 91 outlines university-wide minimum criteria to determine if students are making satisfactory progress towards the completion of their degrees. The ECE Department fully supports this policy. Specific expectations for satisfactory progress for BSCPE and BSEE majors are as follows:

• Each student must meet the minimum University-wide criteria as described in Policy 91 and summarized in the Undergraduate Catalog (under Academic Policies)
• Upon completing 2 semesters in ECE, students must have satisfactorily completedECE2024 Circuits and Devices,ECE2514 Computational Engineering,ECE2544 Fundamentals of Digital Systems,MATH2214 Introduction to Differential Equations, andPHYS2306 Foundations of Physics
• Upon completing 3 semesters in ECE, students must have satisfactorily completedECE2804 Integrated Design Project.
• Upon attempting 90 credits, BSCPE and BSEE students must have successfully completed 33 credits of in-major courses and have 2.0 overall and in-major GPAs. (The BSCPE and BSEE in-major GPA includes all ECE courses, including repeats).

Graduation Requirements

Each student must complete at least 129 semester credit hours with a minimum overall GPA of 2.00 and a minimum in-major GPA of 2.00. In determining the Electrical Engineering in-major GPA, all ECE courses, including repeats, are used.

Grade Requirement

Students must earn a C or higher in the following ECE courses:ECE1004 Introduction to ECE Concepts,ECE2024 Circuits and Devices,ECE2214 Physical Electronics,ECE2514 Computational Engineering,ECE2544 Fundamentals of Digital Systems,ECE2564 Embedded Systems,ECE2714 Signals and Systems,ECE2804 Integrated Design Project.

Statement of Prerequisites

Pre-requisites for each course are listed. In general, all ECE courses require a C- or better in prerequisite courses. Students must earn a C or higher in the ECE courses listed above. There are no hidden prerequisites in this program of study. Prerequisites may change from what is indicated. Be sure to consult the Timetable of Classes or check with your advisor for the most current requirements.

Acceptable Substitutions

1. MATH2405H Mathematics in a Computational Contextmay be substituted forMATH2114 Introduction to Linear Algebra
2. MATH2405H Mathematics in a Computational Context+ MATH2406H Mathematics in a Computational Contextmay be substituted forMATH2114 Introduction to Linear Algebra+MATH2204 Introduction to Multivariable Calculus+MATH2214 Introduction to Differential Equations
3. ENGE4735 Interdisciplinary Design Capstone+ ENGE4736 Interdisciplinary Design Capstonemay be substituted for ECE4805 Senior Design Project+ ECE4806 Senior Design Project. Students who wish to enroll in ENGE4735/ENGE4736 must successfully complete all prerequisites for ECE4805 and must be approved by the Director of the ECE Major Design Experience prior to enrolling. These courses will also count in the in-major GPA.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students must have had 2 years of a foreign language in high school or one year at the college level (6 credit hours) of the same language. College-level credits used to meet this requirement do not count towards the degree.

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