Undergraduate Program

Director of Undergraduate Studies
Ganesh Balakrishnan, Associate Professor

Introduction

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department’s vision demonstrates its long-standing commitment to provide excellent, “world class” quality undergraduate and graduate programs in a vibrant academic environment. In doing this, we serve our varied constituents: our students; local, national and international industry; the federal research laboratories; local, national, and international graduate and professional schools; the state of New Mexico; and our alumni.

The ECE department offers two undergraduate degree programs, one in electrical engineering and one in computer engineering. The technology in both these fields changes very rapidly. For this reason the curriculum in both programs stresses fundamental concepts as well as current application methods. Students are advised to get the latest Advisement Brochure for either program for changes made after this Catalog is published.

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (B.S.Cp.E.)
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (B.S.E.E.)

Admission

Students must be admitted for study at the University of New Mexico and must have completed approximately one year of the appropriate freshman year subjects before applications can be processed for admission to the Baccalaureate Programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Approval from the ECE department is required. Applicants must consult the appropriate departmental advisor for evaluation of academic work before admission can be completed.

The criteria for admission to Baccalaureate Programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering are specified in detail in the ECE Department Undergraduate Handbook, which may be obtained from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Web site. There are 18 credit hours of freshman year technical subjects required by the School of Engineering for admission and a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in those courses is required for admission to undergraduate study in either Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering. A total of 26 credit hours applicable to a degree is required for admission with a grade point average of at least 2.20. All applicants must have completed ENGL 110 or its equivalent before admission. All courses required in a Baccalaureate degree program in the ECE Department must have grades of "C" or better for satisfying both admission and graduation requirements.

Policy on Passing Grades

Students admitted or readmitted to the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering degree programs may not apply a course toward the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering degrees if the grade earned in the course is not a "C" or better, regardless of where that grade was earned. In order to fulfill the requirements for the UNM Core Curriculum, which went into effect in the Fall of 1999, students must have a grade of "C" or better on specific UNM core classes.

Course Prerequisites

No one may enroll in an undergraduate course in the ECE Department without first earning a grade of "C" or better in all prerequisites for the course.

Residence Policy

Students admitted to the B.S.Cp.E or B.S.E.E. degree programs in the ECE Department must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of work applicable to the degrees after admission to the program.

Courses Numbered 300 or Above (8-Credit Hour Rule)

The policy on courses numbered 300 or above is defined by the School of Engineering policy in this Catalog. This policy is commonly referred to as the 8-Credit Hour Rule. Briefly, this policy states that a student may not enroll in courses in the junior year of the curriculum (300-level or above) unless the student is within 8 credit hours of meeting all requirements of the first two years and is enrolled in the remaining courses to satisfy those requirements.

ECE courses numbered 300 through 499 are designed primarily for undergraduate majors in the ECE Department; courses numbered 500 and above are designed primarily for M.S. and Ph.D. students in the ECE department. Therefore, students who have not been admitted to one of the degree programs in the ECE department may take a maximum of four ECE courses numbered 300 or above. This restriction does not apply to students who are taking an approved minor in the ECE department or who are enrolled in an approved dual degree program. Non-degree students who already have a B.S. or M.S. degree and are making up deficiencies for entrance into the ECE graduate program or are engaged in continuing education are given special consideration, but are expected to obtain advising from the ECE Graduate Director each semester.

Additional Information

Advisement

Students are required to consult a departmental undergraduate academic or faculty advisor and obtain approval for registration each semester. At this time, advisors review the program requirements, including scholarship, course requirements, prerequisites and progress toward degree goals. An advisement hold on the student’s academic record is removed only after this review. The department has an Undergraduate Academic Advisor who is available to answer questions students have concerning the undergraduate programs, and to assist students in arranging for consultation with faculty advisors.

Cooperative Education and Part-Time Study

Electrical and Computer Engineering students may participate in a cooperative education program. In this program, students gain engineering experience with full-time employment during part of the year and full-time study for the remainder of the year. It is also possible to participate in programs in which the student has a mixture of part-time engineering employment and part-time study. Because almost all courses required for both degree programs are offered in each of the fall and spring semesters, the department offers a firm base for both cooperative education and part-time study. Both the Electrical and Computer Engineering programs require a minimum grade point average of 2.50 to participate in the Co-op program. See appropriate entry in the School of Engineering - Other Courses of Instruction section of this Catalog.

Engineering Design

Design is at the heart of engineering. Thus, design is integrated throughout the courses offered in the two ECE undergraduate programs, beginning with the very first courses, and culminating in a year-long team-based senior design project. Specifically, in ECE 419 and 420, students from the computer and electrical engineering programs work together in order to create specifications for designing, managing and building a high technology product.

Scholarships

In addition to the scholarships available through the University of New Mexico and the School of Engineering, the ECE department has scholarships available for highly qualified students.

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Computer Engineering is an exciting, rapidly growing and changing field with high-paying jobs in industry, government and education. Computers pervade society, from microprocessors in electronic devices, to personal computers, laptops and workstations, to large parallel and distributed computers for solving complex problems. Computer engineers design computers and computer systems and write software for a wide variety of applications. Some specific areas are robotics, spacecraft and space applications, medical applications, navigation systems, information systems, entertainment systems, virtual reality, telecommunications, computer networks, computer graphics, the World Wide Web, embedded systems and digital systems in general.

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (B.S.Cp.E.) is intended to prepare students for work in industry as well as for graduate school. The ECE Department offers both M.S. and Ph.D. graduate programs in Computer Engineering.

Program Educational Objectives

Computer engineering degree programs vary from institution to institution, so it is important to understand the goals of this program. One important goal of the program is to integrate computer hardware (design), computer software (programming) and electrical engineering into a broad and cohesive program within the framework of an engineering degree. This goal includes providing a core set of courses which lays a firm foundation for specialization in all significant areas of Computer Engineering. Other goals are: 1) to stress fundamental and advanced principles to prepare the student to become a practicing engineer, obtain an advanced degree or engage in continuing education; 2) to provide opportunities for specialization and for hands-on experience through laboratories at all levels; 3) to maintain modern and up-to-date laboratories; and 4) to take advantage of resources within electrical engineering and computer science.

The educational objectives of the electrical engineering program are to educate students to become resourceful practitioners of engineering who:

Are capable of utilizing their engineering skills in industry, nonprofit organizations, and national laboratories, or in pursuit of graduate education;
Are knowledgeable of the professional responsibilities and social context associated with being an engineer; can work in teams and effectively communicate the results of their work;
Develop their knowledge and skills throughout their careers; and,
Function well in a diverse environment.

The Computer Engineering degree program can be looked at as consisting of three major threads that are intertwined: computer hardware, computer software and electrical engineering. The hardware sequence consists of ECE 238L, **338, *438 and *440, all of which include at least some hardware design. The software sequence consists of ECE 231, 330, **331, 335, **344L, and **435; all of these include some software design. Finally, the electrical engineering sequence includes ECE 203, 206L, 213, **314 and **321L.

Curriculum

The Bachelor of Science Program in Computer Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Credit hours required for graduation: 120

		Credit Hours
First Year	First Semester
ECE 101	Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering	1
ECE 131	Programming Fundamentals	3
ENGL 110 (or ENGL 112; or ENGL 113)	Accelerated Composition (or Composition II; or Enhanced Composition)	3
MATH 162	Calculus I	4
PHYC 160	General Physics	3
		14
	Second Semester
ECE 231	Intermediate Programming and Engineering Problem Solving	3
ENGL 120	Composition III	3
MATH 163	Calculus II	4
PHYC 161	General Physics	3
PHYC 161L	General Physics Laboratory	1
		14
Second Year	First Semester
ECON 105 -or- ECON 106	Introductory Macroeconomics Introductory Microeconomics⁽¹⁾	3
ECE 203	Circuit Analysis I	3
ECE 238L	Computer Logic Design	4
ENGL 219	Technical and Professional Writing	3
	Basic Science with Laboratory	4
		17
	Second Semester
ECE 206L	Instrumentation	2
ECE 213	Circuit Analysis II	3
ECE 300	Advanced Engineering Mathematics	4
ECE 330	Software Design ⁽⁵⁾	3
MATH 264	Calculus III	4
		16
Third Year	First Semester
ECE **314	Signals and Systems	3
ECE **321L	Electronics I ⁽⁴⁾	4
ECE **340	Probabilistic Methods in Engineering	3
MATH **327	Discrete Structures	3
	Foreign Language Core ⁽¹⁾	3
		16
	Second Semester
ECE **331	Data Structures and Algorithms ⁽⁵⁾	3
ECE **344L	Microprocessors	4
	ECE Technical Elective ⁽³⁾	3
	Social/Behavioral Sciences Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		13
Fourth Year	First Semester
ECE 419	Senior Design I ⁽⁴⁾	3
ECE *437	Computer Operating Systems	3
	Technical Elective ⁽³⁾	3
	ECE Track Course ⁽²⁾	3
	Humanities Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		15
	Second Semester
ECE 420	Senior Design II ⁽⁵⁾	3
ECE *440	Computer Networks	3
	ECE Track Course ⁽²⁾	3
	Fine Arts Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
	Humanities Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		15

Notes:

⁽¹⁾See ECE Web site for approved list of core electives in the ECE Undergraduate Handbook.
⁽²⁾ECE Track Courses for Computer Engineering consist of: ECE **338 and *438, or ECE **335 and **435.
⁽³⁾Technical Electives are developed in consultation with an academic advisor and can be taken from 300-level or above CS, ECE, MATH, PHYC, or other engineering-related courses.
⁽⁴⁾Course only offered during Fall Semesters.
⁽⁵⁾Course only offered during Spring Semesters.

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering has been and continues to be a very dynamic field that provides exciting and excellent career opportunities. Electrical engineers use mathematics, physics and other sciences, together with computers, electronic instrumentation and other tools to create a wide range of systems such as integrated circuits, telecommunication networks, wireless personal communication systems, diagnostic medical equipment, robots, radar systems and electrical power distribution networks. Their involvement has changed the way we live and work.

The continuous need to improve and discover new systems makes the electrical engineering profession more sought after than ever before. The Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (B.S.E.E.) program provides the student with the necessary skills to compete in such a rapidly changing discipline.

Program Educational Objectives

The principal goal of this program is to provide students with the fundamentals of electrical engineering, thereby providing an excellent base for a successful engineering career. This includes building a sufficient knowledge and analytical capability so that the graduates can continue to expand their knowledge as their fields of interest and the scope of electrical engineering changes. Our core courses are intended to provide a broad base so that those who terminate their formal education with the Bachelor’s degree can continue to grow. Likewise, the base provides insight into fields that students may choose to study at the graduate level. This goal is met by a curriculum in which there is a progression in course work and in which fundamental knowledge of earlier years is applied in later engineering courses.

The educational objectives of the electrical engineering program are to educate students to become resourceful practitioners of engineering who:

Are capable of utilizing their engineering skills in industry, nonprofit organizations, and national laboratories, or in pursuit of graduate education;
Are knowledgeable of the professional responsibilities and social context associated with being an engineer; can work in teams and effectively communicate the results of their work;
Develop their knowledge and skills throughout their careers; and,
Function well in a diverse environment.

Curriculum

The Bachelor of Science program in Electrical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission ABET.

Credit hours required for graduation: 120

		Credit Hours
First Year	First Semester
ECE 101	Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering	1
ECE 131	Programming Fundamentals	3
ENGL 110 (or ENGL 112; or ENGL 113)	Accelerated Composition (or Composition II; or Enhanced Composition)	3
MATH 162	Calculus I	4
PHYC 160	General Physics	3
		14
	Second Semester
ECON 105 -or- ECON 106	Introductory Macroeconomics Introductory Microeconomics	3
ENGL 120	Composition III	3
MATH 163	Calculus II	4
PHYC 161	General Physics	3
PHYC 161L	General Physics Laboratory	1
		14
Second Year	First Semester
ECE 203	Circuit Analysis I	3
ECE 238L	Computer Logic Design	4
ENGL 219	Technical and Professional Writing	3
MATH 264	Calculus III	4
PHYC 262	General Physics	3
		17
	Second Semester
ECE 206L	Instrumentation	2
ECE 213	Circuit Analysis II	3
ECE 300	Advanced Engineering Mathematics	4
	Basic Science or Mathematics Elective	3
	Humanities Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		15
Third Year	First Semester
ECE **314	Signals and Systems	3
ECE **321L	Electronics I	4
ECE **340	Probabilistic Methods in Engineering	3
	ECE Completeness Course ⁽⁴⁾	3
	Social and Behavioral Sciences Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		16
	Second Semester
ECE **344L	Microprocessors	4
	ECE Completeness Course ⁽⁵⁾	4
	ECE Completeness Course ⁽⁵⁾	3
	ECE Completeness Course ⁽⁵⁾	3
	Humanities Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		17
Fourth Year	First Semester
ECE 419	Senior Design I	3
	ECE Completeness Course ⁽⁴⁾	3
	ECE Completeness Course ⁽⁴⁾	3
	ECE Track Course ⁽²⁾	3
	Fine Arts Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		15
	Second Semester
ECE 420	Senior Design II	3
	Technical Elective⁽³⁾	3
	ECE Track Course⁽²⁾	3
	Foreign Language Core Elective ⁽¹⁾	3
		12

Notes:

⁽¹⁾See ECE Web site for approved list of UNM core electives.
⁽²⁾See ECE Web site for approved list of ECE Track Courses.
⁽³⁾Technical Electives are developed in consultation with an academic advisor and can be taken from 300-level or above CS, ECE (except ECE 231), MATH, PHYC, or other engineering-related courses.
⁽⁴⁾Fall ECE Completeness Courses: ECE 341, 345, and **371.
⁽⁵⁾Spring ECE Completeness Courses: ECE **322L, **360, and 381.

Minor Study

Minors in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering are offered to students majoring in Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science.

Minor in Electrical Engineering

Physics and Mathematics students must take: ECE 203, 213, 206L, 238L, **314, **321L and one of **340, **360, and **371.
Computer Science students must take: ECE 203, 206L, 213, **314, **321L and two of **322L, **340, **360, and **371.

Minor in Computer Engineering

Physics and Mathematics students must take ECE 203, 213, 238L, **331, **337 and **344L.
Computer Science students must take ECE 203, 206L, 213, **321L, **322L, **338 and *438.

Substitutions for the above required courses may be made with the approval of the designated ECE advisor for the appropriate minor.

Honors Program

Students with a "B+" average (3.20 degree GPA) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are encouraged to enroll in the University Honors Program. Students in their junior year who have a degree grade point average of 3.2 or above are invited to apply for departmental honors. If the student wishes to participate, he/she should obtain the application from the undergraduate academic advisor. The student completes a supervised research project and paper with the same professor in two consecutive terms, and the project is determined by the professor and the student. ECE students may graduate with baccalaureate honors, departmental honors, or with both. Information is available from University College advisors, departmental advisors and the University Honors Program.

Keys and Symbols Reference