What is Electrical Engineering?
Electrical engineering is an exciting field that has been on the
cutting edge of technology for more than a century. Electrical engineers
design, develop, build and
test
electrical and electronic devices such as high definition television,
embedded computer systems, solar power generators, microprocessor chips,
electronic amplifiers, laser sources, robots and intelligent systems.
Electrical engineering majors learn the physics of electricity and
magnetism; mathematics of circuits and systems; and engineering tools of
analysis and design. They are trained in the design and manufacture of
economical and safe products that enhance the quality of life of human
beings.
Career Opportunities in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineers are needed to develop, design, manufacture,
test, evaluate, market, sell and manage electrical and electronic
systems. Job prospects for electrical engineers are quite good.
Tech EE graduates have gone to work for companies including Boeing, Raytheon, AdTran, Motorola, Intel, TVA, AEDC, Bell South,
Nashville Electric and
Square-D.
Salary Trends
According to
a Winter
2005 issue published by the National Association of Colleges and
Employers, the average beginning annual salary for electrical
engineering graduates was $51,113. The range of salaries for recent TTU
ECE grads is $40K - $56 K.
High School Preparation
All
Tennessee Tech
freshman applicants are considered within a competitive admission
process for Summer, Fall, and Spring semesters. The primary criteria for
admission are the applicant's performance in high school as indicated
by class rank or grade point average and performance on
the ACT.
For direct admission to the electrical engineering program an applicant
should have at least a 2.25 GPA and a 20 ACT score in math and physical
sciences.
To Major in Electrical Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Students who satisfy the above GPA and ACT requirements may choose electrical engineering as a major when they
apply for admission to
Tennessee Tech. They will be assigned to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and
an ECE faculty member
will serve as their academic advisor. Those may be admitted to the
Basic Engineering Department and start their first year in Basic
Engineering. Once they decide on their major, they may transfer to the
department offering that major. Those who do not meet the minimum
requirement for admission to an engineering program may pursue their
studies at TTU in
the General Engineering Curriculum. After successfully completing
the Calculus
I course and achieving a grade point average of 2.25, they may transfer
to the ECE Department to pursue electrical engineering. An ECE faculty
advisor will work with students to set up a program of study and plan
course work for the major.
General Curriculum Requirements
To receive a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, a
student will have to successfully complete the BSEE curriculum, which
has been developed to meet the University General
Education
requirements as well as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology requirements. This requires the completion of English
composition (6 hrs.), literature (3 hrs.), speech (3 hrs.), humanities
and fine arts (6 hrs.), social and behavioral sciences (6 hrs.),
mathematics (18 hrs.), physics (8 hrs.), and chemistry (4 hrs.). In
addition, students are also required to take ENGR1020 Connections to
Engineering and Technology (1 hr.) and CSC 2100 (3 hr.), C-Programming
courses.
Electrical Engineering Requirements
EE majors are required to take 28 hours of EE core courses and 30
hours of EE electives with a sequence of two courses in one area of
specialization (Circuit and Signal Processing, Computer and Digital
Systems, Control Systems, Electronics, Physical Phenomena, Power, and
Telecommunications),
and a 4 credit senior capstone design sequence. Students will also take
3 hours of engineering fundamentals, 3 hours of fundamentals of
engineering design and 6 hours of engineering/math/science and
business electives.
Additional
information, including a description of the work, job outlook, and earnings, is available in the the
electrical and electronics engineers section of
the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.
For More information contact:
Dr. R. Wayne Johnson, Professor and Chair
E-mail:
WJohnson@tntech.eduPhone: 931-372-3397
Office: Brown Hall 217
