Navigating the Electrical Engineering Curriculum at UCF: A Comprehensive Guide
Electrical Engineering (EE) is a field that profoundly shapes modern life. Electrical engineers are at the forefront of creating, designing, producing, operating, and maintaining the world’s equipment and services, tackling future challenges with innovative advancements in science and technology. At the University of Central Florida (UCF), the Electrical Engineering program provides a robust curriculum designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in this dynamic field. This article provides a detailed overview of the UCF Electrical Engineering curriculum, its various tracks, and the opportunities it offers.
The Electrical Engineering Program at UCF
The Electrical Engineering program at UCF is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles and practices of electrical engineering. The curriculum is structured to provide a strong foundation in core areas, while also allowing students to specialize in areas of particular interest.
Foundational Principles
The program emphasizes a deep understanding of the theory and methods related to the design, analysis, and implementation of electrical engineering systems. Students gain hands-on experience in applying these principles to real-world scenarios, fostering practical skills alongside theoretical knowledge. Focus areas include communications, digital signal processing, electromagnetics, power and control systems. Electrical engineers design and create devices and technologies in areas such as signal processing, renewable power, biomedical sensing, computer architecture, microwave engineering and antenna design, that impact all facets of modern life.
Program Structure and Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from UCF, students must complete 128 semester hours of coursework and satisfy all University and Electrical Engineering program requirements. This includes fulfilling a 36-hour General Education Program (GEP) requirement, which is automatically satisfied by students holding a prior B.S. from an accredited institution or an A.A. degree from a Florida community college. All UCF students must fulfill a 36-hour General Education Program (GEP) requirement. Please consult the UCF catalog for specific details. In order to be admitted to the University, the State of Florida requires two years of high school foreign language (or equivalent). This is called “Foreign Language Admission Requirement”.
Students interested in pursuing a BS - MS (5-year degree), a double-major, or a second Bachelor’s degree in EE should consult the UCF catalog and the EE coordinator, located in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
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Academic Support
All EE students are assigned a qualified Academic Success Coach (ASC) to provide guidance and support throughout their academic journey. The ECE Department is located in the Harris Corp. The ECE department has outstanding faculty engaged in cutting-edge research through several highly competitive, prestigious research grants that they have been awarded.
Specialized Tracks in Electrical Engineering
Starting with the 2017 academic year, the EE curriculum at UCF introduced four specialized tracks, allowing students to focus their studies and enhance their career potential. These tracks are:
- Comprehensive Track
- Communications and Signal Processing Track
- RF and Microwave Track
- Power and Renewable Energy Track
Electrical Engineering Comprehensive Track
The Electrical Engineering Comprehensive Track provides a broad foundation in electrical engineering, covering fundamental concepts across various key areas. The Electrical Engineering Comprehensive Track covers fundamental electrical engineering concepts. The student is exposed to key areas in the discipline, including communications and signal processing, controls, power and energy systems, electromagnetics, microelectronics, electronics, embedded systems and software, etc. The technical electives can be selected to provide more depth in one or more areas of electrical engineering.
Career Prospects
Graduates of this track find employment in a wide range of companies, including Lockheed-Martin, Siemens, Intel, Apple, TI, Harris, and power utility companies, as well as many other regional, national, or international companies.
Communications and Signal Processing Track
This track is designed to train students in the development and application of theory and algorithms in the fields of communications, networked systems, and signal processing. In the Communications and Signal Processing Track students will be trained to develop and apply theory and algorithms in the broad fields of communications, networked systems, and signal processing. Students have a wide range of technical electives to choose from including wireless communication, satellite communication, communication networks, smart grid networks, image processing. Students will graduate with more depth of knowledge in the area of Communications and Signal Processing.
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Career Prospects
Graduates can pursue graduate degrees or find employment in companies such as Harris, Lockheed Martin, Qualcomm, Raytheon, L3 Communications, and Texas Instruments, among others.
RF and Microwave Track
The RF and Microwave Track focuses on applied electromagnetics, providing students with technical elective courses covering a wide range of topics. The RF and Microwave Track provides students an opportunity to take technical elective courses covering a wide range of topics in applied electromagnetics such as antennas, computational electromagnetics, high-speed circuits and systems, bio-electromagnetics, radar, remote sensing and wireless sensors. Students will graduate with more depth of knowledge in the high frequency RF and Microwave field.
Career Prospects
Graduates can pursue advanced degrees or find employment in companies like Harris, Qualcomm, Raytheon, Qorvo, Keysight, and Skyworks.
Power and Renewable Energy Track
This track provides students with fundamental knowledge in power system operation and control, renewable energy integration, machines, microgrid design and operation, power markets, and data analytics. Power and Renewable Energy Track will provide students the fundamental knowledge in power system operation and control, renewable energy integration, machines, microgrid design and operation, power markets and data analytics. They will have an opportunity for hands-on training in smart grid technologies. Students can select from a large number of technical electives covering the areas of power and renewable energy.
Hands-on Experience
Students have the opportunity for hands-on training in smart grid technologies. The 660-square-foot Siemens Digital Grid Lab equips students with the latest skills needed to land jobs in the evolving energy field.
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Career Prospects
Graduates can pursue graduate studies or find employment in companies such as Duke Energy, OUC, FPL, Siemens, ABB, and Leidos.
Key Courses and Design Experience
The UCF Electrical Engineering curriculum includes several key courses and design experiences that are crucial for student development.
ECE Junior Design Course
The ECE Junior Design course provides an introduction to the design process. Here students will learn about project definition through the development of appropriate engineering design requirements specifications. They will acquire necessary and required skills such as test equipment utilization, micro-controller development tool usage, schematic capture and PCB design tools etc.
Senior Design Course
The two-semester Senior Design course for EE majors is a dynamic and exciting real-life experience course and is a vehicle for students to demonstrate the engineering skills acquired through their academic study. Students work on real-world projects, applying the knowledge and skills they have gained throughout their academic careers.
Analyze linear circuits, AC analysis, power calculations, first order RL, RC circuits, three phase circuits. The course includes recitation and exploration of areas of study within electrical and computer engineering. Gain an understanding of engineering analysis and computation with structured constructs. Subscripted variables, functions, input/output. Communicate effectively with a range of audiences and collaborate with various teams to establish goals and meet objectives.
Transferring Credits and Course Requirements
UCF has specific policies regarding the transfer of credits and course requirements for Electrical Engineering students.
EE Transfer of Credit
Courses with a common course number taken at any Florida State University System (SUS) institution or Florida community college are automatically transferable. Students with a Bachelor of Science from an accredited institution or an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida SUS institution or Florida community college automatically satisfy the GEP.
Substitutions for Electrical Engineering Requirements
Substitutions for electrical engineering requirements are on a course-by-course basis and MUST be approved through the following site: Transfer Credit Evaluation Request - Registrar’s Office. The decision is typically based on the degree of similarity of the two courses both in content and level of presentation.
Grade Requirements
Courses in engineering core require a grade of C (2.0) or better.
CECS Progress Policy
Students in the Electrical Engineering major are expected to make consistent good progress toward their degrees to remain enrolled in, or eligible for, any major, minor, or certificate in the College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) or the College of Optics and Photonics (COP). To support this, CECS and COP enforce a Progress Policy with two components: the low grade component and the repeat attempt component.
Low Grade Component
Any student majoring in Electrical Engineering who has accumulated 7 or more unsuccessful attempts (i.e., grades below "C" (2.0), U grades, and withdrawals, including in 0-credit courses) over all courses taken at UCF will be placed on Lack of Progress Probation and remain on Lack of Progress Probation as long as the student is enrolled in a CECS or COP major. If a student on Lack of Progress Probation has a tenth unsuccessful attempt over all courses taken at UCF, the student will be Excluded from all CECS and COP majors, minors, and certificates.
Repeat Attempt Component
Any student majoring in Electrical Engineering who repeats any UCF course and does not earn a grade of "C" (2.0) or better on the second attempt will be placed on Lack of Progress Probation and remain on Lack of Progress Probation as long as the student is enrolled in a CECS or COP major. If a student on Lack of Progress Probation does not receive a grade of "C" (2.0) or better by the third attempt in the same UCF course, the student will be Excluded from all CECS and COP majors, minors, and certificates.
Exclusion and Readmission
A student who has been excluded from CECS and COP majors cannot declare any CECS or COP minors or certificates unless as required by the student’s degree program. A student who has been excluded from CECS and COP majors may seek readmission to a major in CECS or COP after earning a bachelor’s degree or relevant associate of science degree, either from another college at UCF or from another institution. To be eligible for readmission to CECS or COP, the student must not have accumulated any additional low grades in subsequent coursework used to complete the earned degree. An excluded student who meets these criteria is not guaranteed readmission to a CECS or COP major. Any student who is readmitted to the Electrical Engineering major will be subject to all probation conditions that applied at the time of exclusion.
Professional Licensure
While licensure or certification may be available in this field of study, our program does not directly lead to such licensure or certification upon graduation. The professional preparation you receive in our program meets the educational requirements for licensure as a Professional Engineer and may still assist you in such pursuits; however, the licensing authority and requirements for Professional Engineers falls under the jurisdiction of the licensing board for the state, territory, or foreign entity in which an engineer practices. If you intend to pursue such credentialing in your state or elsewhere, we strongly advise you to contact the applicable state credentialing authority to familiarize yourself with its specific requirements. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact Dr.
This program prepares students for state-regulated professional licensure or certification.
Why Choose Electrical Engineering at UCF?
UCF's Electrical Engineering program offers numerous advantages:
- Comprehensive Curriculum: A broad foundation with opportunities for specialization.
- Experienced Faculty: Outstanding faculty engaged in cutting-edge research.
- Hands-on Experience: Practical training through design courses and lab facilities like the Siemens Digital Grid Lab.
- Career Opportunities: Graduates are sought after by leading companies in various industries.
- Rankings and Recognition: U.S. News & World Report ranks UCF as a top engineering school.
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