Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

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http://www.eecs.utk.edu/

Kevin Tomsovic, Head
Leon Tolbert, Undergraduate Liaison

The goals of the three Bachelor of Science programs, computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering, are to prepare students for entry into the profession; to instill in  students the capabilities required by the discipline, the recognition of the need to enhance the discipline, and the desire for life-long learning; and to equip students with a general knowledge of technical and non-technical disciplines so that they are prepared for further study in other fields including professional and graduate education.

The Bachelor of Science programs are based on a series of integrated courses. Students advance through a program in a sequential manner guided by prerequisite and co-requisite courses in the showcase curricula. These integrated sequentially-developed programs are highlighted by the systematic inclusion of the design process introduced in the second year.

Program Educational Objectives

• Will apply the knowledge of the fundamentals of engineering, science, and mathematics in the practice of computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering or in advanced professional studies; will identify, formulate and solve computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering problems.
• Will design, analyze, and implement complex devices and systems containing hardware and software components while considering a combination of economic, ethical, safety, environmental, and social issues; will be able to use modern engineering and scientific techniques, skills, and tools.
• Will communicate effectively, function on multi-disciplinary teams, and engage in lifelong learning.

Program Outcomes

In addition to the eleven program outcomes listed in the College of Engineering section on National Accreditation, outcomes also include knowledge of probability and statistics including applications, discrete math, and an understanding of advanced mathematics in the areas of differential equations, numerical analysis, linear algebra, and calculus. The computer engineering and electrical engineering programs are under continuous assessment and improvement based on Engineering Criteria 2000. The advisory committee to the department, which is made up of persons from industry, government, higher education students, recent graduates, and faculty, provides constituent input for setting program educational objectives and outcomes and establishing the requisite assessment modes for the program.

General

The courses of study for the Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering are structured to provide a foundation in both the basic sciences and the specialized areas of the respective disciplines. The programs also have sufficient general education electives to enhance the cultural growth of the student and develop professionals with a strong social awareness. The faculty seeks to keep classes small enough to allow effective interaction with students.

The selection of general education elective courses is left to each student but must be made in accordance with established university policy.

To be eligible for the Bachelor of Science degree, a student must earn at least 30 hours of upper-division courses in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Generally, all sophomore- and junior-level courses taught in the department are taught at least twice per year. Senior-level courses are normally offered in either the fall or spring semester. Courses for which a senior course is a prerequisite will be normally offered in the spring semester with the prerequisite senior course being offered in the fall semester. This scheduling arrangement allows for flexibility since the student may elect the normal four-year schedule, an accelerated schedule, or choose to participate in the cooperative engineering program.

The department maintains a number of laboratory facilities to support the undergraduate teaching program. The laboratories are devoted specifically to circuits and systems, communications, computer networks, digital systems, electronics, image processing, electric machines, and power electronics and drives. Multiple Linux and Windows computer laboratories are available to students within the department.

The department requires at least a C in every computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and mathematics course used for the undergraduate degrees.

Progression of departmental undergraduate students to the upper-division programs of the department is competitive and is based on the space available in the department. Factors considered in the decision include overall grade point average, grades earned in courses required in the lower division curricula of the department and College of Engineering, and seriousness of purpose and interest in departmental programs as exemplified by regular and orderly progress through the prescribed curriculum without abuse of withdrawal and course repeat privileges.

Students who take ECE 300  will be evaluated during the semester they are registered for it. Transfer students for whom ECE 300  transfer credit is given may take 9 semester hours in departmental courses before progression evaluation. All students, whether or not they transfer in, who are not accepted into the upper-division program of the department will be put in either a temporary probationary status or a non-progressed status and will not be permitted to register for any upper division courses within the department.

5-Year BS/MS Non-Thesis Program

The department offers a 5 year BS-MS program for qualified students. The primary component of the program is that qualified students may take up to 6 hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee. This program is designed for students attending the University of Tennessee for their Master of Science degree because other universities may not accept these courses for graduate credit since they were used to satisfy requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree. Significant components of the program are: 

• Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.4 to be admitted to the program. Conditional admission may be granted after completing 64 hours of required course work while full admission is granted after completing 96 hours of required course work with a minimum overall GPA of 3.4.
• Students must at least have conditional admission before taking graduate courses for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the departmental chair of the program. Students admitted to the program must request permission from the Graduate School to take approved courses for graduate credit. 
• Students admitted to the program must also follow the normal procedure for admission to the Graduate School. Admission of students into this program must be approved by the department and the Graduate School. Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.

Honors Concentrations  

Students who wish to pursue the honors electrical engineering concentration, honors computer engineering concentration, and honors computer science concentration will normally be part of the Chancellor’s Honors Program.

Candidates for the honors electrical engineering concentration and the honors computer engineering concentration must complete the first year courses for honors concentration in the engineering majors. Candidates for the honors computer science concentration must meet the first year requirements for the Chancellor’s Honors Program.

In addition to satisfying the requirements described above, candidates for these three honors concentrations must also satisfy the following requirements.

• Two upper-division honors courses in computer science or computer science or electrical and computer engineering via Honors-by-Contract or Honors Independent study, or equivalent. The contract or independent study must be submitted to the Chancellor’s Honors Program for approval by the third week of the semester.
• Complete a 3-credit hour senior project course. This can normally be completed as part of the capstone design course, Electrical and Computer Engineering - ECE 400  for computer engineering and electrical engineering majors or Computer Science - COSC 400  for computer science majors.

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