What's it like to study EE?

[daijobu]

College STEM issues seem to be a hot topic lately.  

 

I want to know what it's like to study undergraduate electrical engineering these days.  

 

Are students spending a lot of time in labs?  

If so, what are they doing?  Wiring breadboards, using oscilloscopes?

Or are they doing more pencil/math work?

Does coursework vary much from university to university, or is there a standard EE course of study?

Do undergrads specialize in some sub-field?

Has the major changed much in the past 20 years?

 

Besides strong math and science, what else can one do to prepare specifically for EE in college?  

[Mrs_JWM]

It's gEEky - because you can't spell "geek" without EE! Sorry - that is the lamest EE joke, but it's the only one. :)

 

My husband studied MechE, but he works with colleges and universities to improve their engineering programs. I'll ask him what they're up to and get back to you.

[dbmamaz]

I was an EE major for almost 2 years, back in the dark eighties.   I had to take 4 semesters of physics and 3 of calc and yes, some circuitry labs and 'engineering graphics' but then, obviously, i didnt do the last 2 years.

 

If you look at the schools websites, you should be able to find the class requirements for each year for each major.

[8filltheheart]

I don't know about EE specifically, but for engineering in general Different universities take different approaches. Some universities have labs dedicated strictly to undergrads and take heavy hands on approaches toward engineering, some focus more on individual research options, some are more classroom oriented. This is where college choice makes a difference.

 

For EE specifically, strong math and physics is what I would guess. EEs have to take so much physics that they are close to physics major. UA has a pre-designed EE/physics double bc it only requires EE to take a few extra classes. Here is their flow chart for an idea of what to expect.

http://ece.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/07/EE_Flowchart_Double_Major_with_Physics_2004.pdf

[Jane in NC]

My husband comments that today's automotive engineers are more like the electrical engineers of the past whereas today's EEs are more like computer science people.  EEs today are often involved in hardware design.  In general he thinks today's mechanical engineers resemble yesterday's electrical engineers.

 

One of his colleagues has specializations in both electrical and mechanical engineering.  He does design work with valves--and all of the wiring connected to them. 

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

Here are the requirements for Stanford's B.S. in EE: http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofengineering/electricalengineering/#bachelorstext

 

The core requirements list looks almost identical to the courses DH took in the late '90's. The electives list looks different (green electronics, nanotech, advanced photonics vs. RADAR and lasers).

 

DH spent between 45 & 60 hours/week on EE. The workload was lighter for the courses where it was just lecture & problem sets, heavier for the lab courses. He felt underprepared by his high school coursework compared to the foreign students and because grading was on a curve, he had to work his backside off in order to compete with them. This is where homeschoolers have a real advantage because they are not limited to the standard U.S. high school STEM sequence. DH attended a prep school with selective admissions (not a famous one, but still better than the typical PS) and took AP Calculus, AP Physics, etc. and it still wasn't enough to prepare him for his college engineering courses.

 

I see you have daughters. I would recommend getting in touch with your local Society of Women Engineers chapter and seeing if they have any outreach events. http://aspire.swe.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=120

[dbmamaz]

I felt at a disadvantage because most of the boys had been playing with circuitry kits in high school and i'd never seen one.  again, decades ago.

[bluedarling]

I felt at a disadvantage because most of the boys had been playing with circuitry kits in high school and i'd never seen one.  again, decades ago.

 

Same here!  (I switched to Computer Science because of it.) 

[Crimson Wife]

I felt at a disadvantage because most of the boys had been playing with circuitry kits in high school and i'd never seen one.  again, decades ago.

Or younger. I spent yesterday at a Science Olympiad meet for middle schoolers and one of the events is "Shock Value", aka circuits. While the overall composition of the SO teams seemed fairly evenly split between boys & girls, the Shock Value competitors were overwhelmingly male.

[Arcadia]

Hubby graduated more than 10 years ago. However as kids we have already played with the soldering iron, breadboard, cathode ray oscilloscope and taken part in IEEE competitions for high school seniors.

 

IEEE Pre-university information page with great links to other pages

http://www.ieee.org/education_careers/education/preuniversity/index.html

 

She might also want to do a read through of the Forest Mims electronics books

http://www.forrestmims.com/engineers_mini_notebook.html

 

Also check out Make: Electronics (Learning by Discovery) book by Charles Platt

[daijobu]

 

 

She might also want to do a read through of the Forest Mims electronics books

http://www.forrestmims.com/engineers_mini_notebook.html

 

Also check out Make: Electronics (Learning by Discovery) book by Charles Platt

 

We are working through the Platt books and they are awesome.  Thank you for pointing out the Forrest Mims books.  What a resource! 

[Serenade]

 EEs have to take so much physics that they are close to physics major. UA has a pre-designed EE/physics double bc it only requires EE to take a few extra classes. Here is their flow chart for an idea of what to expect.

http://ece.eng.ua.edu/files/2011/07/EE_Flowchart_Double_Major_with_Physics_2004.pdf

 

My husband often mentions all the physics he had to take for his EE.  He said the physics classes he took as an undergrad EE major were considered graduate level classes in the physics department.

 

He has also mentioned that the studies for an EE degree today are not as rigorous as what engineering students went through in the past.  He works in industry and is not a faculty member, but this is what he hears from friends and acquaintances who are.

 

ETA:  My DH specializes in RF (radio frequency), specifically hardware.  He has been in the business now for over 30 years.  Thought I would also mention that he graduated from high school not expecting to go to college -- he was planning to go to a trade school to learn about small appliance repair, when a family friend mentioned that if he was really good with math and liked to design things, he ought to consider engineering school.  So he canceled his plan for the trade school, enrolled in community college for two years, transferred to the University of Florida and graduated with honors.  He took an unconventional path, but he has been gainfully employed for more than 30 years now, with only one short layoff.