Academics Overview
Undergraduate Program
The required undergraduate programs are contained in the curriculum tables shown in this section. The undergraduate curriculum gives students a broad education in electrical and computer engineering and enables them to pursue all career options in a fast-changing technical environment. In addition, students may select from a wide variety of elective courses in electrical and computer engineering and other related disciplines allowing them to specialize at the senior level. If a student wishes, specific specialization options are available, including analog VLSI, MEMS, power systems, signal processing, communication systems, high frequency communications, control systems, and digital systems.
Licensing as a Professional Engineer (PE) allows an engineer to perform engineering services for the public and to supervise the design and construction of public works. Students who wish to eventually earn a PE license should take and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam while seniors. The FE exam consists of a general engineering section as well as a section on the specific major. The accreditation of the department’s degree programs by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accelerates the additional exam and experience requirements that must be met later in the engineer’s career. Further information can be found at www.tbpe.state.tx.us.
The B.S. in Electrical Engineering offers interested students the opportunity to take up to four elective courses from other engineering departments that teach material tested by the FE. A list of these courses is maintained by the ECE department. The B.S. in Computer Engineering and the dual B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are not recommended paths to PE licensing. Passing the FE exam offers one means that satisfies the final comprehensive evaluation for students seeking a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering. Passing results on the FE exam are required for admission to candidacy for Ph.D. students.
Success in engineering courses is highly dependent on knowledge and skills in mathematics. It is strongly recommended that students be prepared to take calculus classes at Texas Tech. Students who are not adequately prepared for calculus, chemistry, and/or physics must take appropriate courses before enrolling in MATH 1451, CHEM 1307, 1107, and/or PHYS 1408. Students will be responsible for arranging a course of study with an advisor’s counsel and approval. Students whose high school courses include physics, chemistry, mathematics through analytical geometry, and at least two credits of a single foreign language are expected to follow the sequence of courses shown in the curriculum. However, students who lack credits in any of these areas of study in high school should consult with departmental advisors to determine a suitably adjusted first-year schedule. The exceptionally well-prepared student should consult the section of this catalog on credit by examination.
Students must meet all degree and prerequisite requirements with grades of C or better. After grades are posted for the current semester, students who have not met prerequisite requirements for any course will be dropped from that course by the department. It will be the responsibility of the student to add additional courses to maintain a full load.
No ECE course may be repeated more than three times by electrical engineering, computer engineering, or electrical engineering/computer science majors; affected students will be required to choose another course of study in a different academic department. Repeat limit is not applicable to students seeking a minor in electrical engineering. Grades of W will not be counted against the repeat limit.
Students seeking an electrical engineering, computer engineering, or dual electrical engineering/computer science degree must take a minimum 18 hours at the 3000 level or above in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas Tech.
Graduate Program
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers students the opportunity of graduate study under the direction of faculty members in an atmosphere of enthusiasm for learning. Master’s and doctoral degrees are awarded to students completing a comprehensive program of courses, examinations, and thesis or dissertation. Courses provide breath and depth of knowledge; thesis and dissertation projects are an important expression of creative research activity. A non-thesis option is available for master’s students.
The master’s degree program prepares students for successful professional careers based on a broad foundation, together with specialized technical expertise, in electrical engineering. The doctoral degree program prepares students for engineering-based leadership roles in society involving the solution of important technological problems and the advancement and dissemination of knowledge.
Graduate students can find thesis and dissertation topics in a variety of areas, with research conducted in the following multidisciplinary centers, laboratories, and industry-sponsored programs: For more information on these opportunities, please visit ECE Research Labs.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering encourages study abroad, and graduate students have studied in Denmark, France, Spain, and Mexico.
Before being recommended for admission to a degree program, students may be required to take (without graduate credit) undergraduate leveling courses designated by the department.