Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Electrical Engineering, B.S.


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Major Code: 7041 Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science
Delivery Mode(s): Classroom Age Restriction: No
Admission Status: Undergraduate Location(s): Main Campus - Melbourne

The goal of the electrical engineering major is to provide the student with a total learning experience. It is designed to expose the entire spectrum of electrical engineering concepts from the basic building blocks of transistors and gates, through communications, control, electromagnetic, computer and photonic systems. Electrical engineering majors develop an extensive knowledge of hardware, along with skills in software simulation and analysis. In the senior year, students design, build and test complete systems as part of their senior design course.

The educational objectives for electrical engineering are to produce graduates who will establish themselves as practicing professionals who will engage in advanced studies in engineering or a related field; display awareness of the importance of an opportunities for lifelong learning; excel in the global marketplace; and demonstrate the ability to work successfully as members of professional teams and function effectively as responsible professionals.

A major component of the electrical engineering major at Florida Tech involves hands-on learning. The electrical engineering student begins taking electrical engineering courses during their freshman year. The freshman-level courses include programming and interfacing an embedded microcontroller. Laboratory experience and computer-based analysis are integrated into most classes and all laboratories.

In electrical engineering, a strong emphasis is on the mastery principle. It is assured that electrical engineering students not only know the material critical to engineering, but also can demonstrate mastery of the material, which is the goal of everyone in the program.

During the freshman and sophomore years, students learn the basics of electrical engineering along with college-level mathematics and physics. In addition, courses in computer design with hands-on lab experiences are taken both terms of the freshman year.

Throughout the sophomore and junior years, students learn the basic analytical techniques of engineering-ways in which the engineer views physical situations and uses mathematical techniques to design basic subsystems. Many of the courses taken by students at this level offer integrated lab experiences. In this way, students can visualize the practical aspects of various electronic theories they encounter.

During the senior year, students continue to build their knowledge base to develop a systems approach to engineering design. They gain a deeper knowledge in at least two specializations through combination lecture/lab courses, followed by advanced courses in related areas. Through electives, students may explore various topics within electrical engineering for which they have developed specific interests.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering must complete the minimum course requirements as outlined in the following full-time curriculum. Deviations from the recommended program may be made only with the approval of the student’s advisor and concurrence of the department head, in accordance with ABET criteria. Students may complete these requirements on a part-time basis.

Proficiency in certain key areas is of primary importance to success as electrical engineers. For this reason, a student who receives a grade of D in any of the following courses is strongly urged to repeat the course to attain a grade of at least C:

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 90 percent of all the courses listed below under the freshman and sophomore years before being allowed to register for upper-level (3000/4000) courses.

Electrical engineering majors who have completed 24 credit hours and have not passed COM 1101 Composition and Rhetoric  will register for this course in the next available semester. Students who have completed 48 credit hours and have not passed COM 1102 Writing About Literature  will register for this course in the next available semester.

Courses that are acceptable as humanities/social science electives are identified as such in the Course Descriptions  section. Definitions of electives for engineering programs are presented in the Academic Overview  section.

Additional policies and procedures governing degree requirements may be found in the program’s student handbook and online in the learning management system.

Freshman Year


Sophomore Year


Junior Year


Senior Year


Fall (18 credit hours)


Spring (15 credit hours)


Total Credits Required: 130


*A list of approved electives is available from the department.

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