Program Purpose

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The mission of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering undergraduate program is to develop and train engineers who represent and promote the highest standards of professional ethics, provide leadership, and make innovative and fundamental contributions to the field. Faculty and students will engage in creative design and scholarly research and serve their professional and local communities.

Curricular Structure

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers two undergraduate, Bachelor of Science degrees: Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Engineering (CE). Information about the curriculum for both degrees is listed below.

ECEN Department Catalog

Electrical Engineering (EE)

• EE Flow Chart
• EE Catalog

Computer Engineering (CE)

• CE Flow Chart
• CE Catalog

Program Educational Objectives

1. Apply knowledge in service to community and family and engage in lifelong learning through personal study and continuing education.
2. Develop a fulfilling profession which may include employment in industry or academia, technology-based entrepreneurship, and postgraduate study in engineering or other disciplines.
3. Leverage technical background to make innovative contributions to society and serve in responsible positions of leadership.
4. Be examples of faith, character, and high professional ethics.

 

Learning Outcomes

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In order to prepare graduates to achieve the objectives of the Electrical and Computer Engineering BS degree program, the department has set forth a set of attributes and capabilities that students should possess upon completion of the program. The student outcomes are listed below and can also be accessed from the department home page (http://www.ece.byu.edu/objectives/)

Engineering Problems

An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.

Engineering Design

An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration for public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.

Communication

An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

Ethics

An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.

Teamwork

An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

Experimentation

An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

Lifelong Learning

An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Evidence of Learning

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Direct and indirect measures are used to assess student learning and determine where program improvements are needed.

Direct Measures

• The primary direct measure is competency assessments associated with each course in the program. Each course has 3-6 competencies or skills associated with it, each of which supports one of the Program Outcomes listed above. Each time a course is offered, assessment data for these competencies are gathered and collected for analysis. Assessment instruments include homework assignments, quizes, exam questions, and laboratory exercises.

Indirect Measures

• Indirect measures include senior exit interviews, alumni surveys, and feedback from employers and graduate schools that admit alumni from the program. Post-graduate assessment data is used to determine the extent to which graduates are achieving the Program Educational Objectives.
• An external advisory board consisting of industry representatives, educators, and alumni meets regularly to discuss the Program Educational Objectives and recommend changes and improvements to the Objectives in terms of the needs of program constituents.
• Changes to the Objectives require that students possess a different set of skills and attributes at the time of graduation, so these changes lead to modification of the Program Outcomes.

 

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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• Areas of weakness are indicated by low competency averages or large numbers of students below a threshhold. These areas are addressed regularly and improvements are made to courses, laboratories, and other educational activities (see http://www.ece.byu.edu/abet/). A list of competencies by course can be found at http://www.ece.byu.edu/class/.