Major in Electrical
Engineering
Neil E. Cotter
Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Utah
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
OVERVIEW
What is EE?
What do EEs do?
Who do EEs collaborate
with?
What do EEs learn?
What careers await EE
graduates?
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT IS ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING?
Electrical Engineers are inventors and innovators who
apply knowledge of signals, circuits, physics, and
systems to develop technologies to improve people's
lives
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT IS ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING?
Electrical Engineering: Bridging the Gap Among
Disciplines in the 21st Century
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT DO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS DO?
Develop the technologies which
allow people to communicate with
each other and access information
from wherever and whenever.
Collaborations with: CS, Math
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT DO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS DO?
Develop the technologies which will
enable us to generate and
distribute power from renewable
resources and become energy
independent.
Collaborations with: MechE
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT DO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS DO?
Develop the technologies for
affordable, clean, efficient solar
power generation
Collaborations with: Material
Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT DO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS DO?
Develop new technologies that
make sensors smaller, better, and
make systems more reliable and
energy efficient
Collaborations with: Many
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT DO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS DO?
Develop the technologies to
improve medical care: Advances
in biosensors, prosthetics, and
imaging
Collaborations with:
Bioengineering, Medicine
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
EXAMPLE OF EE SYSTEM DESIGN
Artificial Retina: Restore sight to the blind
Image data from an external camera is wirelessly
transmitted to the implant which stimulates electrodes in
an array on the retina to produce formed vision.
Credit: Prof. Gianluca Lazzi
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
EXAMPLE OF EE SYSTEM DESIGN
Wireless networks that “see” through walls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifQkbMJ_sXM
Credit: Prof. Neal Patwari and Dr. Joey Wilson
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Changes in signal
propagation
between antennas
in a wireless mesh
network are used to
estimate an image
map and track
people, even
through walls.
October 2011
WHAT DO EE STUDENTS LEARN?

Tools from Mathematics and Sciences
programming, calculus, linear alg.,
physics, chemistry or biology


Tools from EE
circuits & electronics, electromagnetics, signals & systems,
semicond. physics, digital design


Engineering Design

Technical Communication
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT COURSES DO EE STUDENTS TAKE?
Fall Semester
First Year
ECE 1900
CS 1410
Freshman seminar
Object-oriented
programming
Math 1210 Calculus I
Wrtg 2010 Acad. Writing & Research
LEAP 1501 Ethical Implications of
Engineering
Second Year
ECE 2240
Intro to Electronic Circuits
Math 2250
Differential Equations
& Linear Algebra
Phys 2220
Physics for Sci. & Eng. II
Chem 1210
General Chemistry I
Chem 1215
General Chemistry Lab I
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Spring Semester
ECE 1250
Design
Math 1220
Phys 2210
LEAP 1500
Intro to Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Calculus II
Physics for Sci. & Eng. I
Leap Seminar for
Engineers
ECE 2280
Fund. Engineering
Electronics
Math 2210
Calculus III
ECE 3700
Fundamentals of Digital
& System Design
ECE 2910
Sophomore Seminar
American Institutions (or test)
October 2011
HANDS ON: EE AT THE U


Complete a hands-on interdisciplinary senior research
project, many with industrial sponsors (1/2 of students get
job offers from sponsor)
Hands-on
learning: High
% of
laboratory
courses
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
Information & advising
COURSE ADVISING IN EE
More info:
www.ece.utah.edu
http://www.ece.utah.edu/bsee_handbook
Arlene Padilla Arenaz
MEB 3313, (801) 581-4657
Office hours: Monday - Thursday 8am-12pm, 1:30-4:00pm,
Friday 8am - 12pm,
To make an appointment with the Electrical Engineering
adviser, send an email to ugadvisor@ece.utah.edu.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
EE CLASS OF 2011

46 of 53 graduates had job offers / grad school
acceptance by graduation day

Many had multiple offers

Average reported starting salary: $59,000
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
EMPLOYERS OF OUR GRADUATES

Navsea
Bachtel Marine

Northrop Grumman
Harman Signal Proc.

Raytheon

Reliable Controls

Rio Tinto

Rocky Mtn. Power

Sorenson Communications

Varian Medical Syst.

ATK




Hill AFB
Knolls Atomic Power

L-3 Communications

Micron

Moog Aircraft
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
AVERAGE EE SALARIES BY INDUSTRY
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHAT ARE EE CAREERS?

Astronaut
And more:

Sports Technologist






CEO / CTO
Virtual Reality System
Designer

Music Signal
Processing Expert

Researcher
OLPC Designer

Astronaut
Deep Space Telescope
Imager Designer

Educator
Patent
Attorney
Disaster Robot
Developer
From IEEE Spectrum “Dream Jobs 2011”, Feb 2011.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
WHY BECOME AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER?








Love work AND live life, too
Be creative, solve problems
Work with great people
Design things that matter
Never be bored
Make a big salary
Enjoy job flexibility
CHANGE THE WORLD
Electrical and Computer Engineering
October 2011
SUSTAINABILITY AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING



Power Systems
 Solar cells
 Windmills
 Smart grid
Communications
 Telecommuting
 Internet
 Wireless communications
Materials
 Nano-scale devices
 Quantum dots
 Nanotubes
Electrical and Computer Engineering
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October 2011