Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
http://www.eng.ncat.edu/dept/ecen
John C. Kelly, Jr., Chairperson

DEGREES OFFERED

Electrical Engineering – Bachelor of Science

Computer Engineering – Bachelor of Science

Electrical Engineering – Master of Science *

            Electrical Engineering – Doctor of Philosophy *

*See the Graduate School Bulletin

GENERAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Each program in the Department is individually accredited and program requirements are defined by the individual programs.

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Participation in Cooperative Education (Co-op) is highly recommended for students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Co-op program is an effective means of providing industrially relevant experience beyond what can easily be accomplished in the classroom. Participation in the Co-op program serves both as a form of financial aid for students and also provides them an advantage in seeking full-time employment opportunities. To facilitate student participation in the Co-op program, most department courses required for graduation are offered twice per year. Please refer to the undergraduate student handbooks for the Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering programs for information on specific co-op policies.

Electrical Engineering Program

MISSION

The mission of the BSEE program is to educate our students with the knowledge and skills relevant to the practice of electrical engineering, to instill in them the desire for continuing education, and to maintain a supportive environment for the students, faculty and staff.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

1. Be employed in the electrical engineering profession or continue with graduate education.
2. Demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills in solving interdisciplinary problems
3. Be active in their communities and professional societies.
4. Enhance their professional development through life-long learning.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

The electrical engineering major must complete 125 credit hours following the approved departmental curriculum. Majors must also satisfy all University and College of Engineering requirements.

ACCREDITATION

The undergraduate program in Electrical Engineering, leading to the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) degree, is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (EAC-ABET).

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

A degree in this field prepares a student for careers in electronics, communications and signal processing, robotics, power and control engineering, or for graduate study in electrical or computer engineering.

REQUIRED MAJOR COURSES IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
FRESHMAN YEAR

First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
UNST 100 UNST 110 UNST 120 MATH 131 GEEN 100 GEEN 110 GEEN 160	1 3 3 4 2 2 15	UNST 130 UNST 140 MATH 132 CHEM106 CHEM116 GEEN 120 GEEN 161	3 3 4 3 1 0 2 16

SOPHOMORE YEAR

First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
Cluster Theme    Elective Cluster Theme    Elective PHYS 241 PHYS 251 MATH 431 ELEN 200 ELEN 201	3   3 3 1 3 3 0 16	MATH 231 PHYS 242 PHYS 252 ELEN 300 ELEN 306 ELEN 327 ELEN 328 ELEN 202	4 3 1 3 2 3 1 0 17

JUNIOR YEAR

First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
Cluster Theme    Elective INEN 260 INEN 270 MEEN 313 ELEN 320 ELEN 425 ELEN 301	3 2 3 3 3 3 0 17	Cluster Theme    Elective ELEN 400 ELEN 427 ELEN 433 ELEN 460 ELEN 466 ELEN 4xxa ELEN 302	3 3 3 1 3 1 3 0 17

SENIOR YEAR

First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
ELEN 598c ELEN 6xx ELEN 6xx ELEN 4xxa MATH 450 CAAE 500	3 3 2 3 3 1 15	ELEN 599c ELEN 6xx ELEN 4xxa Technical Elective II b	3 3 3 3 12

Total Credit Hours: 125

a. Three (3) Technical Elective I from at least two areas (ELEN 430, 410), (ELEN 449, 452, 459), (ELEN 450, 470)

b. One (1) Technical Elective II (ELEN 4xx, ELEN 6xx, MEEN 337, MEEN 413)

c. Capstone Design Courses

Computer Engineering Program

MISSION

The mission of the BSCpE program is to educate our students with the knowledge and skills relevant to the practice of computer engineering, to instill in them the desire for continuing education, and to maintain a supportive environment for the students, faculty and staff.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

1.    Be employed in the computer engineering profession or continue with graduate education.

2.    Demonstrate teamwork and leadership skills in solving interdisciplinary problems

3.    Be active in their communities and professional societies.

4.    Enhance their professional development through life-long learning.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

The computer engineering major must complete 128 credit hours following the approved departmental curriculum. Majors must also satisfy all University and College of Engineering requirements.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

A degree in this field prepares a student for careers in computer system design, networks and data communications, or for graduate study in electrical or computer engineering. Specific opportunities include Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit (VLSI) design, digital signal processing, electro-mechanical system design, data and signal communication, controls, embedded systems, biological and chemical system modeling/analysis, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, avionics, robotics, compiler and operating system design, computer system architecture, fault-tolerant system design, and software engineering and design.

REQUIRED MAJOR COURSES IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING

CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR COMPUTER ENGINEERING

FRESHMAN YEAR

SOPHOMORE YEAR

JUNIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR

Total Credit Hours: 128

*Note: Select an advanced course from the digital electronics-VLSI design area and the digital systems-signal processing–algorithm area and a related laboratory from one of the areas.

Computer Engineering Program Advanced Courses/Laboratories

COURSE DESCRIPTION IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

(Undergraduate)

This course covers circuit analysis using Kirchhoff’s Laws, loop and nodal analysis, Thévenin’s and Norton’s theorems, etc., for resistive circuits with DC sources. The transient behavior of first and second order (RC, RL, and RLC) circuits and steady state sinusoidal analysis are also covered. Corequisite: MATH 431. (F;S;SS)

This course provides the students with exposure to current issues in Electrical Engineering.

This course provides the students with exposure to current issues in Electrical Engineering.

This course is a continuation of ELEN-200. It covers sinusoidal steady state solutions to linear circuits in the time and frequency domain. Laplace transforms, transfer functions, Fourier series, Bode plots, passive and active filters, transformers, two-port circuits, and polyphase circuits will also be covered. Prerequisites: ELEN 200 and MATH 431.

This course provides the students with exposure to current issues in Electrical Engineering.

This course provides the students with exposure to current issues in Electrical Engineering.

This course covers the proper use of laboratory instrumentation, principles of measurements, experimental verification of transient and steady state response, frequency response, and resonance of systems with linear passive elements. Theoretical analyses and computer simulations of networks are compared with laboratory experimental results using actual circuits. Corequisite: ELEN 300.

This course is an introduction to electronic circuit design. It covers basic amplifiers, diode circuits, dc biasing and mid-frequency response of bipolar junction transistor (BJT) and field effect transistor (FET) amplifiers. The terminal behavior, and linear and nonlinear modeling of these devices are emphasized. Prerequisite: ELEN 200. (F;S)

This course involves the study of fundamental combinational and sequential logic circuit analysis/design. Combinational concepts covered include Boolean algebra, k-maps, basic logic gates, and small/medium scale integrated circuits. Sequential concepts covered include basic latches/flip-flops, counters, memory registers, and basic synchronous systems. (F;S)

This course deals with the implementation of basic combinational and sequential logic systems. Small and Medium scale integrated circuits utilized in addition to Programmable logic devices. (F;S)

This course covers sample space and events, conditional probabilities, independent events, Bayes formula, discrete random variables, expectation of random variables, expectation of random variables, joint distribution, conditional expectation, Markov chains stationary processes, ergodicity, correlation and power spectrum of stationary processes, and Gausssian processes. Prerequisite: MATH 132. (S)

This course is a continuation of ELEN 300 that covers the time-domain and Fourier analysis of discrete-time signal and discrete-time systems, state-space analysis, frequency response, digital filter design and introduction to discrete signal processing techniques. Prerequisite: ELEN 300. (F;S)

Introduction to control theory course that includes: control system modeling and representation, features of feedback control systems, state space representation, time domain analysis, root locus, and design compensation. Prerequisite: ELEN 400. (S)

This course exposes the students to principles, techniques, and applications of modern digital systems. Design and analysis techniques for combinational and sequential circuits will be discussed. In particular, students will be exposed to: digital system top-down design and analysis, timing, power and performance issues in digital circuits. In addition, the student will be exposed to the Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL)-based system analysis and synthesis, hardware-software co-design, data-flow models, and digital system primitives. Prerequisite: ELEN 327. (S)

A study of electromagnetic concepts and effects using vector analysis. Prerequisite: MATH 231. (F;S)

This course introduces the fundamentals of microprocessors, microcomputers, and microcontrollers. Both software and hardware concepts are dealt with. Software concepts include assembly language, machine code, flowcharts, and development/debugging techniques. Hardware concepts included communication ports, interrupts, memory, and common microcontroller subsystems. Prerequisite: ELEN 327. (F;S)

This lab gives students experience in applying the concepts learned in the accompanying class to build actual circuits. Lab experiments include writing applications using a hardware description language (HDL) and observing simulated results. Labs also include the use of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) for building circuits described in the HDL. Prerequisite: ELEN327 and ELEN328.Corequisite: ELEN 423. (S)

Study of the electric power system as an interconnection of energy conversion and transmission devices; electric machinery; energy and power; and operation of a power system. Prerequisites: ELEN 300 and 425. (F;S)

This course provides practical experience in microprocessor hardware and software, interfacing, and applications. Microprocessor evaluation boards and simulators are utilized throughout the course.

A study of power circuits and the behavior of motors and generators by laboratory experimentation. Prerequisite: ELEN 306. Corequisite: ELEN 430. (F;S)

This course covers power and energy concepts; basic R, RC, RL, and RLC circuits; three phase circuits; ideal transformers; diodes and ideal op amp circuits; and logic circuits. The Laplace transform method will be introduced and used to solve circuit problems. Prerequisites: MATH 431 and PHYS 242.

This course covers the fundamental principles of modulation theory including amplitude, single- and double-sideband, frequency, phase, pulse amplitude, pulse duration, pulse code modulation methods; and their applications to communication systems with random signals and noise. Prerequisite: ELEN 400. Corequisite: INEN 270. (S)

This course emphasizes the following: the basic postulates of electromagnetism; the integral laws of free space; the differential laws in free space; static fields; and time varying fields. Prerequisite: ELEN 425. (S)

This course is an introductory level of wireless communications. Fundamental theory and analysis of wireless mobile communication systems are introduced, including characterization of radio propagation, channel modeling and coding, and a summary of wireless communication standards and multiple access techniques. Also covered are an overview of information networks and a comparison of wireless and conventional communication systems. Prerequisite: ELEN 400. (F)

This course is an introduction to digital and data communications. The fundamental theory and applications of modem communication systems are discussed, including a general overview of the data communications area, telephone systems, channel coding, concept of data link protocols, interface standard, modems, multiplexing, multiple access and ISDN. Prerequisite: ELEN 400. (F)

This course is a continuation of Electronics I. Principles of semiconductor electronic circuits; single stage and multistage amplifier circuits, frequency response of transistor amplifiers, operational amplifiers, and feedback systems. Coordinated laboratory work. Prerequisite: ELEN 320. (F;S)

This course includes design and analysis of semiconductor electronic circuits using discrete and integrated circuits. Emphasis is on design and experimental verification of amplifiers switching circuits, etc. using linear active devices. Prerequisite: ELEN 306. Corequisite: ELEN 460. (F;S)

The effects of atomic, molecular, and crystal structure on the electrical and physical properties of conducting, insulating and semiconductor materials used in electrical engineering. Prerequisite: ELEN 425. (F)

This course will cover application of linear algebra, complex variable, and discrete mathematics in solving engineering problems. Pre-requisite: MATH 231, MATH 431. (F;S)

This is part one of a two-part capstone design course for the undergraduate electrical engineering program. Each team (typically four students) select a design project from topics suggested by faculty or industry. The teams are responsible for: (1) designing and developing project specifications, (2) planning a budget, and (3) monthly progress reports. Teamwork, technical writing, communications, and project management are stressed throughout the semester. Prerequisites: ELEN 433 and 466. (F;S)

This is a continuation of ELEN- Design Project I. Each team is responsible for (1) implementing the design, (2) demonstrating a workable prototype, and (3) monthly progress reports, and (4) a formal report on the project. Teamwork, technical writing, communications, and project management are stressed throughout the semester. Prerequisite: ELEN 598. (F;S)

This course is a study of the phenomena of solid-state conduction and devices using band models, excess carriers in semiconductors, p-n junctions, and devices. Prerequisite: ELEN 460 or consent of instructor. (F)

This course covers analysis, design and applications of digital integrated circuits. These circuits may include resistor-transistor logic (RTL), diode transistor logic (DTL), transistor-transistor logic (TTL), emitter-coupled logic (ECL), metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gates and n-channel MOS (NMOS) logic, complementary MOS (CMOS) logic, Bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS) structures, memory circuits, and interfacing circuits. Prerequisite: ELEN 460 or consent of instructor. (F)

This course covers the analysis, design and application of analog integrated circuits. These circuits may include operational amplifiers, voltage comparators, voltage regulators, Integrated Circuit (IC) power amplifiers, Digital to Analog (D/A) and Analog to Digital (A/D) converters, voltage-controlled oscillators, phase-locked loops, and other special-function integrated circuits. Prerequisite: ELEN 460 or consent of instructor. (S)

Introduction to power semiconductor devices, naturally commutating converters, AC regulators, DC switching regulators, static power inverters, and application techniques. Prerequisite: ELEN 320. (F)

This course presents the various processes utilized in the fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits. Oxidation, diffusion, ion implantation, metalization, and epitaxial processes will be discussed. Limits on device design and performance will be considered. Prerequisite: ELEN 470 or consent of instructor. (S)

Laboratory experiments in the fabrication of silicon p-n junction diodes, MOS capacitors and MOS field effect transistors will be performed. Oxidation, diffusion, Photolithography, and metalization techniques will be presented. Corequisite: ELEN 614 or consent of instructor. (S)

This course is a survey of modem methods for specifying algorithms, simulating systems, and mapping specifications onto embedded systems. It presents an introduction to the technologies used in the design and implementation of programmable embedded systems, such as programmable processors, cores, memories, dedicated and configurable hardware, software tools, schedulers, code generators, and system-level design tools. Prerequisite: ELEN 427 or consent of instructor. (F)

This laboratory course is an introduction to developing processor-based embedded systems. The development tools include a C++ cross compiler, an Electronically Programmable read Only Memory (EPROM), and an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) programmer. A student project is part of the laboratory requirements. Prerequisite: ELEN 433 or equivalent. Corequisite: ELEN 621. (F)

Digital system top-down design and analysis will be presented. Topics include timing, power and performance issues in digital circuits, Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL)-based system analysis and synthesis, hardware-software co-design, data-flow models, and digital system primitives. Prerequisite: ELEN 427 or consent of instructor. (F)

This course covers the design of modem uniprocessors, and their memory and Input/Output (I/O) subsystems. Performance, microarchitecture, and design philosophies used to realize pipeline, superscalar, Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) and Complete Instruction Set Computer (CISC) processors will be studied. Prerequisite: ELEN 427 or consent of instructor. (S)

This course will study CMOS technology and device characteristics in order to develop layout design rules for VLSI circuit building blocks such as inverters and logic gates. Layout techniques for complex gates and designing combinational and sequential logic circuits will be introduced. Prerequisite: ELEN 427 or consent of instructor. (S)

This is an introduction of Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools for integrated circuit design and verification. These CAD tools include geometric pattern generators, design rule checkers, circuit simulators, and Programmable Logic Array (PLA) generators. A student design project is part of the laboratory requirements. Corequisite: ELEN 629. (S)

This course introduces telecommunication networks utilization and design. Emphasis is on using and designing voice, video and image digital networks. Prerequisite: ELEN 400 or consent of instructor. (S)

This course develops a working knowledge of the basic signal processing functions, such as digital filtering spectral analysis, and detection/post-detection processing. Methods of generating the coefficients for digital filters will be derived. Alternate structures for filters, such infinite impulse response, will be compared. The effect of finite register length will be covered. Prerequisite: ELEN 400 or consent of instructor. (F)

Experiments and student projects will be performed which are related to the practical applications of digital signal processing techniques to data acquisition, digital filtering, control, spectral analysis, and communications. Corequisite: ELEN 650. (F)

This course covers sample space and events, conditional probabilities, independent events, Bayes formula, discrete random variables, expectation of random variables, joint distribution, conditional expectation, Markov chains, stationary processes, ergodicity, correlation and power spectrum of stationary processes, and Gaussian processes. Prerequisite: ELEN 400 or consent of instructor. (F)

This course deals with concepts and techniques for digital image analysis and processing. Topics include image representation, image enhancement, edge extraction, image segmentation, geometric structure, feature extraction, knowledge representation, and image understanding. Prerequisite: ELEN 400 or consent of instructor. (S)

This laboratory course will demonstrate many important and practical applications of digital image processing techniques. The experiments include image enhancement, feature extraction, Hough transform, various transforms in spatial and frequency domains, image understanding and quantization.  Prerequisite: ELEN 400 or consent of instructor. (S)

The power system representation, transmission lines, symmetrical and asymmetrical faults, electric power flow, power systems control and stability are studied in this course. Prerequisite: ELEN 430. Corequisite: ELEN 657. (F)

In this laboratory course, basic concepts, transmission lines, power flows, faults, and transient and steady-state stability will be investigated. Consent of instructor. (F)

This course introduces the theory of linear systems represented by state equations. Topics include the Jordan canonical form, solutions to state equations, relationship to transfer functions, stability, controllability, and pole placement design. Prerequisite: ELEN 410 or consent of instructor. (F)

This laboratory course demonstrates methods of system identification and control. Verifications of control system designs in both the time domain and frequency domain will be studied. Co requisite: ELEN 668. (F)

This course covers the theory and application of genetic algorithms. Genetic algorithms combine a Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest with a randomized, yet structured, information exchange to form an improved search mechanism with surprising robustness. Engineering applications of genetic algorithms for design and control will be presented. Prerequisite: ELEN 400 or consent of instructor. (S)

This course introduces neural network design and development. Emphasis is on designing and implementing information processing systems that autonomously develop operational capabilities in adaptive responses to an information environment. Prerequisite: ELEN 400 or consent of instructor. (F)

This laboratory will explore the design and development of intelligent, autonomous, physical agents. An emphasis will be placed upon machine intelligence experiments with visual sensors, tactile sensors, robotic manipulators and autonomous inexpensive mobile robots. Prerequisite: ELEN 433 or consent of instructor. Corequisite: ELEN 678. (F)

This lecture course is used to introduce engineering topics of current interest to students and faculty. The subject matter will be identified before the beginning of the course. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. (F;S)

This is an investigation of an engineering topic, which is arranged between a student and a faculty advisor. Project topics may be analytical and/or experimental and should encourage independent study. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. (F;S)

DIRECTORY OF FACULTY

B.S., M.S., Ph.D., University of Idaho

B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

B.S. Carnegie-Mellon University; M.S., Ph.D. Howard University

B.S., M.S., Northwestern University; Ph.D., Ohio State University

B.S., Chung-chang Institute of Technology; M.S., Naval Postgraduate School; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.S., Karadeniz Technical University, M.S., Polytechnic Institute of New York, Ph.D., University of Michigan

B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.S. North Carolina State University; M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology

B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., North Carolina A&T University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.S., M.S., State University of New York-Stony Brook; Ph.D., University of Alabama

B.S., M.S., Delhi University; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Technology

B.S., Ph.D., University of Delaware

B.S., Yonsei University, M.S., Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.S., M.S., University of South Carolina, Ph.D., Clemson University

B.S., California Institute of Technology; M.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.S., M.E., Kyungpook National University, Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.S., Duke University; M.S., Purdue University; Ph.D., University of Kansas

B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; M.S., University of Florida; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.S., M.E., Michigan Technological University; Ph.D., University of Utah

B.S., Cheng Du University of Science and Technology, P.R. China; M.S., ChongQuing University, RR. China; Ph.D., Tennessee Technological University

B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., North Carolina A&T University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University

B.Eng., McGill University; M.S., Ph.D., Ohio State University

Departments in the College of Engineering