Program Overview

Electrical Engineering Major

The Electrical Engineering Major is a comprehensive program that provides students with a strong foundation in electrical engineering principles and practices. The program is designed to prepare students for a career in electrical engineering or for further study in graduate school.

Major Requirements

The major requirements for the Electrical Engineering Major include:

• Completion of a minimum of 126 semester credits
• A minimum GPA of 2.00 in all electrical engineering courses
• Completion of the University General Education requirements
• Completion of the Electrical Engineering Core Requirements
• Completion of the Math and Science requirements
• Completion of the Technical Electives

University Degree Requirements

The university degree requirements for the Electrical Engineering Major include:

• Completion of a minimum of 120 semester credits
• Completion of the University General Education requirements
• A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU
• A minimum of 30 credits in residence at NDSU
• A minimum of 36 upper-level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher)

University General Education Requirements

The university general education requirements for the Electrical Engineering Major include:

• Category C: Communication (12 credits)
• Category R: Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
• Category S: Science and Technology (10 credits)
• Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts (6 credits)
• Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
• Category W: Wellness (2 credits)
• Category D: Cultural Diversity
• Category G: Global Perspectives
• Category L: Digital Literacy

Electrical Engineering Core Requirements

The electrical engineering core requirements for the Electrical Engineering Major include:

• ECE 111: Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering (3 credits)
• ECE 173: Introduction to Computing 2 (4 credits)
• ECE 211: Circuit Analysis I (4 credits)
• ECE 275: Digital Design 2 (4 credits)
• ECE 311: Circuit Analysis II (4 credits)
• ECE 320: Electronics I (4 credits)
• ECE 331: Energy Conversion (4 credits)
• ECE 341: Random Processes (3 credits)
• ECE 343: Signals & Systems (4 credits)
• ECE 351: Applied Electromagnetics (4 credits)
• ECE 376: Embedded Systems (4 credits)
• ECE 401: Design I (capstone) (1 credit)
• ECE 403: Design II (capstone) (2 credits)
• ECE 405: Design III (capstone) (3 credits)

Math and Science Requirements

The math and science requirements for the Electrical Engineering Major include:

• MATH 129: Basic Linear Algebra 2 (3 credits)
• MATH 165: Calculus I 2 (4 credits)
• MATH 166: Calculus II 2 (4 credits)
• MATH 265: Calculus III (w/ vectors) 2 (4 credits)
• MATH 266: Introduction to Differential Equations 2 (3 credits)
• CHEM 121: General Chemistry I (3 credits)
• ENGR 327: Ethics, Engineering, and Technology (3 credits)
• PHYS 251: University Physics I (4 credits)
• PHYS 252: University Physics II (4 credits)

Technical Electives

The technical electives for the Electrical Engineering Major include:

• Select one of the following:
  • ENGL 320: Business and Professional Writing
  • ENGL 321: Writing in the Technical Professions
  • ENGL 324: Writing in the Sciences
  • ENGL 459: Researching and Writing Grants and Proposal
• Select one of the following lab courses:
  • CHEM 121L: General Chemistry I Laboratory
  • PHYS 251L: University Physics I Laboratory
  • PHYS 252L: University Physics II Laboratory
• ECE Electives: Select 9 credits of ECE 4XX level prefix electives
• Tech Electives: Select 12 credits from the following list of courses:
  • ABEN 456: Biobased Energy
  • BIOL 150 & 150L: General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory
  • BIOL 220 & 220L: Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
  • BIOL 221 & 221L: Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
  • BIOL 315 & 315L: Genetics and Genetics Laboratory
  • CE 309 & CE 310: Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
  • CE/ME 486: Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials
  • CHEM 122 & 122L: General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory
  • CHEM 341 & 341L: Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
  • CHEM 342 & 342L: Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
  • CHEM 364: Physical Chemistry I
  • CHEM 365 & CHEM 471: Physical Chemistry II and Physical Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 425 & CHEM 429: Inorganic Chemistry I and Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
  • CSCI 161: Computer Science II
  • CSCI 222: Discrete Mathematics
  • CSCI 336: Theoretical Computer Science
  • CSCI 366: Database Systems
  • CSCI 372: Comparative Programming Languages
  • CSCI 426: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
  • CSCI 459: Foundations of Computer Networks
  • CSCI 467: Algorithm Analysis
  • CSCI 474: Operating Systems Concepts
  • CSCI 477: Object-Oriented Systems
  • ECE 374: Computer Organization
  • ECE 375: Digital Design 2
  • ECE 494: Individual Study (max. of 6 cr.)
  • ECE 4XX: Any ECE 400 level didactic course
  • ECE 496: Field Experience (max. of 3 cr.)
  • ENGR 310: Entrepreneurship for Engineers and Scientists
  • IME 440: Engineering Economy
  • IME 456: Program and Project Management
  • IME 461: Quality Assurance and Control
  • MATH 270: Introduction to Abstract Mathematics
  • MATH 420: Abstract Algebra I
  • MATH 421: Abstract Algebra II
  • MATH 429: Topics in Linear Algebra
  • MATH 450: Real Analysis I
  • MATH 452: Complex Analysis
  • MATH 480: Applied Differential Equations
  • MATH 481: Fourier Analysis
  • MATH 483: Partial Differential Equations
  • MATH 488: Numerical Analysis
  • ME 221: Engineering Mechanics I
  • ME 222: Engineering Mechanics II
  • ME 223: Mechanics of Materials
  • ME 350: Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer
  • ME 470: Renewable Energy Technology
  • MICR 445: Animal Cell Culture Techniques
  • PHYS 350: Modern Physics
  • PHYS 360: Modern Physics II
  • PHYS 413: Lasers for Scientists and Engineers
  • PHYS 415: Elements of Photonics
  • PHYS 485: Quantum Mechanics I
  • STAT 450: Stochastic Processes
  • STAT 468: Probability and Mathematical Statistics II

Degree Requirements and Notes

• Students must complete all of the courses listed in the Electrical Engineering Core Requirements section with a 2.00 GPA.
• No grade less than a 'C' is accepted in these courses and before enrolling in ECE 3XX level prefix courses, excluding ECE 311.
• For students interested in pursuing one of the areas of specialization, lists of recommendations for specific electives are available from the ECE department.
• Courses not listed on the curriculum will require a substitution form to be submitted to the Office of Registration and Records for degree progress.