Electrical and Computer Engineering

Bradley Bazuin, Chair
Main Office: B-236 Floyd Hall (Parkview Campus)
Telephone: (269) 276-3150
Fax: (269) 276-3151

Ikhlas Abdel-Qader
Johnson Asumadu
Massood Atashbar
Steven M. Durbin
Pablo Gómez
Janos Grantner
Dean Johnson
Sandun Kuruppu
Simin Masihi
Damon Miller
Lina Sawalha
Ralph Tanner

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) offers two different undergraduate degrees; a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E) in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) in Computer Engineering. Additionally, the department offers a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in Computer Engineering, as well as a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. An accelerated degree program allows qualified B.S.E. students to complete classes which count towards their M.S.E. degree while still enrolled as an undergraduate.

The undergraduate programs provide high-quality engineering education in the closely related fields of electrical and computer engineering. Graduates may pursue careers in a wide variety of fields, including design of systems and components, research and development, technical sales, manufacturing, consulting and technical instruction and teaching.

Areas of specialization within Electrical Engineering include electronics, control systems, instrumentation, power generation and transmission, semiconductor device fabrication, signal and imaging processing, and telecommunications. Cross-disciplinary work is becoming increasingly common, with EEs working in biomedical, automotive and computer related fields, for example.

Computer engineers can specialize in the design of reconfigurable digital systems, hardware and software for embedded systems, network design, computer architecture and digital integrated circuits. An increasing number of consumer products incorporate computer technology, linking to the Internet as well as directly to each other. Systems which were once stand-alone electromechanical in nature are now part of a larger system controlled by one or more processors. No longer fixed in place, many modern computing devices are part of mobile platforms, and this trend is expected to continue in the future.

Accelerated Degree Program
The Accelerated Master’s Degree Program (AGDP) allows qualified undergraduate students in the Electrical Engineering program or in the Computer Engineering program to complete the requirements for the Master’s degree at an accelerated pace. Currently, earning 126 undergraduate credit hours is required to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering; 130 undergraduate credit hours are required to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. The Master’s degree requirement is 33 graduate credit hours with the non-thesis option, or 30 hours with the thesis option. In either case, at least half of the credit hours must be taken at the 6000-level. Having enrolled in the AGDP program students may count up to 12 credit hours of 5000-level courses taken during their undergraduate studies at WMU toward a Master’s degree in either Electrical Engineering or in Computer Engineering. Full time students may be able to complete both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in a five-year period.

Cooperative Education
Students may elect the cooperative plan of education. In this plan, the student alternates a semester of study on campus with a semester of compensated industrial experience. Students may work in any area in which computer engineers or electrical engineers may be found.

Academic Advising
Students should contact the electrical and computer engineering academic advisor as early as possible. The advisor is available to assist in individual program planning, to recommend electives appropriate to a student’s educational objectives, to discuss employment opportunities, and to help solve academic problems. The academic advisor is located in Room E-102, Floyd Hall, (269) 276-3270. The department chair’s office is located in Room B-236 Floyd Hall, Parkview Campus, (269) 276-3150.

Course Substitution and Transfer Credit
Substitutions and transfer credit must be approved. Requests for substitutions and transfer credit must first be submitted to the electrical and computer engineering academic advisor. Requests are then evaluated based on a policy available in the department.