BSEE Major Requirements and Electives (124 credits total)
The BSEE major requirements are comprised of the following areas of study:
Mathematics (24 credits)
- Calculus with Analytical Geometry (1, 2 and 3)
- MATH 124
- MATH 125
- MATH 126
- MATH 207 (formerly MATH 307)* Introduction to Differential EquationsORAMATH 351 Introduction to Differential Equations and Applications
- MATH 208 (formerly MATH 308)* Linear AlgebraORAMATH 352 Applied Linear Algebra and Numerical Analysis
- MATH 224 (formerly MATH 324)* Advanced Multivariable Calculus
* As of autumn 2021, MATH 307, MATH 308, and MATH 324 are renumbered as MATH 207, MATH 208, and MATH 224, respectively. Students can apply either the 200- or 300-level number for each course toward their degree requirements.
Statistics (3 credits)
Choose one of the following classes:
- STAT 390 Probability and Statistics in Engineering and Science
- STAT 391 Quantitative Introductory Statistics for Data Science
- MATH/STAT 394 Probability I
- IND E 315 Probability and Statistics for Engineers
(Students taking 390 or 391 will earn one more credit than necessary for this requirement. Excess credit will apply to Free Electives.)
Sciences (20 credits)
- PHYS 121 Mechanics
- PHYS 122 Electromagnetism & Oscillatory Motion
- PHYS 123 Waves
- CHEM 142 General Chemistry
Computer Programming (9 credits)
- CSE 142 Computer Programming I
- CSE 143 Computer Programming II
Electrical Engineering Core (14 credits)
- EE 215 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering
- EE 233 Circuit Theory
- either EE 235 Continuous Time Linear Systems or EE 242 Signal Processing I (EE 235 has been replaced by EE 242 starting with the autumn 2021 quarter)
Electrical Engineering Major Concentration Area (19-40 credits)
Students must select at least one of several major concentration areas to focus their studies. Please view the Major Concentration Areas Chart and related Concentration Prerequisite Flowcharts for more information.
Professional Issues Course (1-4 credits)
All students are required to take a professional issues ethics course. This requirement covers issues relating to professional development, ethical dilemmas and societal expectations of engineers. Students may choose from the following courses:
- EE 398
- EE 406
- EE 418
- EE 456
Please see a UW ECE adviser for a list of the most current course options. EE 398 is not considered a seminar and thus does not apply to the 2-credit seminar limit (see below).
EE Electives (4-25 credits)
In addition to the Electrical Engineering Core and Concentration Area courses, students must take additional EE courses so their total EE credits equal or exceed 58 credits. Note that the Advanced Technical Communication course (EE 393 or ENGR 333) does notapply to EE or Engineering Electives. The Professional Issues course does apply to EE Electives.
Below are a few non-traditional coursework EE elective options:
- Engineering Internship Program
The Engineering Internship Program provides students with meaningful experience in industry, which can help guide their remaining studies. Students enrolled in the internship program have full-time or part-time paid employment while earning academic credit. Electrical & Computer Engineering students may earn up to 2 credits per quarter (ENGR 321) and apply up to 4 credits (ENGR 321) toward their degree as Engineering Electives or EE Electives.A student may apply no more than 12 credits in total of ENGR 321, EE 499, ENGR 297 or 497 or independent study courses in other departments towards their degree requirements.
- Undergraduate Research (Independent Study)
Students may apply up to 10 credits of EE 499 Special Projects work to the EE Electives requirement. This represents research or a design project carried out under the supervision of a faculty sponsor. Students may register for between one and five credits each quarter; the precise number of credits is determined by the student and the faculty supervisor and is dependent on the amount of work to be carried out. Each credit generally represents between three and five hours of work each week. To register for these credits, please pick up an “EE 499 Approval for Undergraduate Research and Special Projects” form from the Advising Office, obtain a faculty signature and return the form to Advising for an entry code.Students may apply a maximum of 12 research credits, subject to course maximum credit limits and individual area limits, to EE elective, non-EEelective or COE elective requirements.Students may also register for EE 490, which is CR/NC. EE 490 does not apply to any EE degree requirements.
Additional College of Engineering Electives (10 credits)
Students must earn an additional 10 credits in technical courses from departments in the College of Engineering (COE). These credits may come from EE, another COE department or a combination of COE departments. The courses must be at the 200-level or above, with the following exceptions:
The following courses DO count:
- MSE 170 Fundamentals of Materials Science
The following non-EE research courses need ECE adviser approval in order to apply toward COE elective requirements:
- AA 299, 499
- CHEM E 499
- CEE 499
- CSE 498, 499
- HCDE 499
- IND E 499
- MSE 497, 499
- ME 495, 498, 499
The following non-EE research courses do not need approval in order to apply toward COE elective requirements:
- ENGR 297, 497
Students may apply a maximum of twelve research credits to the EE Electives, College of Engineering Electives and/or Approved Non-EE Electives requirements.The sum of the credits from the EE Core, EE Major Area, EE Electives and COE Electives must equal or exceed 68. Please note that the credits do not take the place of the Approved Non-EE Electives requirement.
Seminar Courses Applied to Required Credits
Students may apply a maximum of two seminar credits to the EE Electives, College of Engineering Electives and/or Approved Non-EE Electives requirements. Seminars are considered any course structured as a seminar (typically 1-2 credits), regardless of whether they are graded or CR/NC. EE 398 is not considered a seminar and thus does not apply to the 2 credit seminar limit.
Possible EE seminars include:
- EE 200 Undergraduate Research Exploration Seminar
- EE 491 Undergraduate Seminar – Departmental Colloquium
- EE 492 Electrical Engineering Leadership Seminar
- EE 500 Graduate Seminar
- Some EE 500 seminars may not be open to general enrollment, so please check with the responsible faculty member to determine if the seminar is suitable and you can enroll in it.
Seminars offered by other departments may be counted towards the appropriate class of elective credit, subject to the maximum two credit limit.
Graduate Courses Applied to EE Electives
Under special circ*mstances you may petition, as an undergraduate, to apply up to 4 credits earned in graduate courses toward your minimum 58 required EE credits. Before such a request can be approved, you must demonstrate that you have the required background for the graduate courses. Consult the UW ECE Advising Office for additional information about the petition process.
EE graduate seminars (such as EE 500) do not require petitions and are not subject to the 4 credit graduate course limit. However, graduate seminars are subject to the 2 credit seminar limit.
