Electrical Engineering Program Educational Objectives

The Electrical Engineering program at the California State University, Northridge prepares a diverse group of graduates for lifelong careers in the field that will allow them to make productive contributions to society and to find personal satisfaction in their work. To accomplish this, graduates of the electrical engineering program will meet the following educational objectives:

1. The ability to apply engineering principles in designing and analyzing electrical circuits and systems.
 

2. The knowledge and application of state-of-the-art design techniques and software tools.

3. The ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing, and work as a productive member of an interdisciplinary team.
 

4. The ability to develop engineering solutions with consideration of their impact on society.
 

5. The ability to maintain life long learning.

Electrical Engineering Program Outcomes

The Electrical Engineering curriculum prepares our graduates to meet the Program Outcomes which are listed below:

1. An ability to apply knowledge of math, science, and engineering to the analysis of electrical engineering problems.

2. An ability to design and conduct scientific and engineering experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.

3. An ability to design systems which include hardware and/or software components within realistic constrains such as cost, manufacturability, safety and environmental concerns.

4. An ability to function in multidisciplinary teams.

5. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve electrical engineering problems.

6. An understanding of ethical and professional responsibility.

7. An ability to communicate effectively through written reports and oral presentations.

8. An understanding of the impact of engineering in a social context.

9. Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in life-long learning.

10. A broad education and knowledge of contemporary issues.

11. An ability to use modern engineering techniques for analysis and design.

12. Knowledge of probability and statistics.

13. An ability to analyze and design complex devices and systems containing hardware and software components.

14. Knowledge of math including differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables and discrete math.

15. The ability to be competitive in the engineering job market and/or to continue their studies at the graduate level.

About Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering majors at Cal State Northridge receive a solid, broad-based education. Among the many topic areas in the basic curriculum are mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer programming, engineering materials, electrical circuits, engineering mechanics, thermodynamics, engineering economy, and numerical analysis. At the Senior level, students are required to take an approved concentration in one of the electrical engineering options: biomedical engineering, communications, digital systems design, control systems, electronics, microwave and antenna engineering, and power systems.

NOTE: The digital systems design option in the ECE program emphasizes hardware; those interested in software design as well should consider the Computer Engineering degree.
 

The ECE department has 16 labs associated with its ECE classes. In the labs, students work alongside professors who may be designing medical instrumentation for health care, developing pagers and satellite communications system, or working on innovations in electrical power systems.
 

All students take part in the department's senior design program, modeled on industry work groups that students will encounter on the job. Like professional engineers, students design and develop a project, from conception through manufacture. In the process, they gain valuable experience in working as a team, dealing with personalities as well as technical areas.

Senior design projects have included a national intercollegiate competition in designing a micro mouse and training it to run through a 10' square maze. Other projects include developing a antenna, television tuner, fabrication of hybrid circuit, etc.
 

The School of Engineering and Computer Science offers an Honors Cooperative Program that allows juniors and seniors to complete their studies while holding down jobs as engineers.
 

A student chapter of the national professional society, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, meets on campus. Other active organizations include Tau Beta Pi, the student engineering society; the Society for Women, Engineers; the National Society for Black Engineers; and the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers.

Careers in Electrical Engineering

The department’s practical approach to engineering offers hand’s on design experience as well as theoretical knowledge. That’s an advantage on the job because graduates actually have experience in constructing projects as well as designing them. Students who enjoy using math and science creatively to solve real-world problems will find rewarding careers as electrical engineers.

Graduates in Electrical Engineering design and build communications systems, information processing, entertainment devices, medical diagnosis equipment, robotics control, navigation, and traffic control systems. Graduates can find work in virtually every industry. Among the major employers are electronic manufacturing firms, communications companies, the entertainment industry, public utilities, oil companies, laboratories, transportation companies, and chemical plants. Some graduates pursue professions as patent attorneys, technical writers, consultants, teachers, or technical sales representatives. This program not only prepares students to enter the work force, but also to enter graduate school to pursue an area of specialization.
 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2000 to 2010 the number of jobs for electrical engineers is predicted to increase by 11.3%. Furthermore, in California, the State Employment Development Department predicts 15.1% growth in jobs for electrical engineers of 15.1% during the same period.
 

High School Preparation

 It must be emphasized that this program is based upon an expectation of adequate high school preparation in science, mathematics, and English. High school courses should include algebra, plane geometry, trigonometry, chemistry, or physics (both desirable), and four years of English. Students who have not had an adequate background of pre-engineering work in high school may be required to take some additional course work in their first year and may not be able to complete an engineering program in eight semesters. Entering beginning engineering students must take or be exempt from the Entry Level Mathematics Test and the Mathematics, Chemistry, and English Placement Tests before registration in basic courses will be permitted.

Pre-Registration Testing Requirements

The campus requires most beginning students to take the Entry Level Mathematics Exam (ELM) and the English Placement Test (EPT) prior to enrolling in their courses. Refer to the section of the university catalog entitled “Appendices-Admission” for further details on these exams. In addition to these general university requirements, students in any of the engineering programs may also need the following exams:

1. Mathematics Placements Test (MPT) is required prior to enrollment in MATH 150A. Students who have passed or are exempt from the ELM should take this exam prior to enrolling in their classes so they may be placed in the appropriate mathematics course. Students with scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Calculus AB or BC are exempt from the MPT.
 

2. Chemistry Placement Test (CPT) is required with a score of 40 or higher prior to enrolling in CHEM 101. Students who do not receive this score must receive a grade of C or better in CHEM 105 before taking CHEM 101.
 

Transfer Requirements

All degree programs in engineering accommodate students beginning as freshmen or as transfer students. Transfer students should have completed lower-division writing, mathematics, physics, and chemistry courses. Courses that are transferred into the major are reviewed to ensure that they satisfy the same requirements as courses at Northridge. Courses transferred into the engineering major must have been completed with a grade of C or better.

Special Grade Requirements

No grade lower than a C will be accepted for transfer classes from another institution to the Electrical and Computer Engineering major requirements. No CSUN grade lower than a C- will be accepted as satisfactory for courses required for the major. More stringent prerequisite requirements may apply to some courses.

Requirements for the B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering

The B.S. in Electrical Engineering program requires a minimum of 126 units total, including General Education and Title 5 requirements of 27 units, an Electrical Engineering core of 81, and a minimum of 18 units of approved electives.

Electrical Engineering majors must complete a minimum of 37 semester units of upper-division engineering courses, in residency, including Senior Design Project I and II.

Lower Division Required Courses (44 UNITS)

NOTE: All students must pass the English Placement Test with a score of 151 or above before enrolling in any 200-level engineering courses.

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year
 

Upper Division Required Courses (37 UNITS)

NOTE: All students must complete the Lower-Division Writing Requirement before enrolling in any 300-level engineering courses and must attempt the Upper-Division Writing Proficiency Examination before enrolling in any 400-level engineering courses.

Junior Year
 

Select one of the following 3 unit courses

Senior Year

The senior core consists of a set of courses considered essential for all students who are seeking a career in Electrical Engineering.

Upper Division Electives (18 UNITS)

The senior elective packages must contain at least eighteen 400/500-level department courses and labs which are well balanced in both design and analysis. One of the electives must be either ECE 440/L (3/1) or ECE 442/L (3/1). Students will be required to take the corresponding labs for every elective chosen that offers a lab. For each lab taken, the corresponding lecture course is a corequisite. The student’s total engineering program should contain at least one semester of engineering design.

NOTE: Students can take ECE 370L and/or ECE 480L as part of their senior electives.

All senior electives must be approved by a faculty advisor and the Department Chair, or a designee. A number of examples of suggested senior elective packages in the Electrical Engineering degree are listed below. Other programs are also possible and may be developed with an advisor.

TOTAL UNITS IN THE MAJOR - 99

General Education (27 UNITS)

Electrical Engineering majors have to follow a modified general education program depending upon the year and enrollment status as a college student. Returning and transfer students should consult an advisor before planning their general education programs.

Electrical Engineering students are required to take courses in the following GE sections: Analytical Reading and Expository Writing (3 units), Oral Communication (3 units), Social Sciences (3 units), Arts and Humanities (6 units), Comparative Cultures (6 units), U.S. History and Local Government (6 units). All other GE requirements are met through completion of courses in the major. Nine of the GE units must be at the upper-division level and two courses must meet the Information Competency requirement.

TOTAL UNITS REQUIRED FOR DEGREE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING - 126
 

Suggested Senior Elective Packages

PACKAGE A: BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING UNITS
 

Select an additional (4) units from EE Senior Electives with the approval of faculty advisor
 

PACKAGE B: COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
 

Select an additional (3) units from EE Senior Electives with the approval of faculty advisor
 

PACKAGE C: CONTROL ENGINEERING
 

Select an additional (3) units from EE Senior Electives with the approval of faculty advisor
 

PACKAGE D: DIGITAL SYSTEM DESIGN UNITS
 

PACKAGE E: ELECTRONICS and SOLID STATE ENGINEERING
 

Select an additional (3-4) units from EE Senior Electives with the approval of faculty advisor
 

PACKAGE F: MICROWAVE/ANTENNA ENGINEERING
 

Select an additional (3) units from EE Senior Electives with the approval of faculty advisor
 

PACKAGE G: ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEMS ENGINEERING UNITS
 

Select an additional (4) units from EE Senior Electives with the approval of faculty advisor

Minor in Electrical Engineering (21 UNITS OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING COURSES)
 

Out of the 21 units, 17 units must be Upper-Division courses. The student may have to complete prerequisite courses such as Math and Physics. Any required non-Electrical Engineering prerequisite courses will not count toward the required 21 units. This program is not available for student with a major in electrical engineering.

Lower Division

Upper Division

Select an additional two 400/500 level ECE courses. Students will be required to take the corresponding labs for every elective chosen that offers a lab. All senior electives must be approved by a faculty advisor and the Department Chair, or a designee.