Non-ECE Undergraduate Majors
The USU ECE Department encourages students from non-ECE undergraduate majors to apply to our graduate program. The Department follows the overarching philosophy that graduates from our program should have the basic skills expected to be found in engineers holding a degree in electrical or computer engineering at Utah State University. Therefore, non-ECE undergraduates must demonstrate understanding of the core topics in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
Non-ECE undergraduate majors may be accepted CONDITIONALLY into the ECE Graduate Program if they meet the standard qualifications set by the ECE Graduate Committee, with the condition that they must demonstrate competency in, or complete the following prerequisite courses with a B or better grade. Once the conditions are completed, they will be matriculated into the graduate program.
This requirement is not necessary for PhD EE post masters degree students.
ECE 3410 ‐ Microelectronics I (4 credits)
Fundamentals of transistors, operational amplifiers, and other integrated circuits, along with their utilization in amplifiers, switches, and other applications. Laboratory work required.
Prerequisite/Restriction: ECE 2250ECE 2250 and ECE 3620ECE 3620 (may be taken concurrently).
Semester(s) Traditionally Offered: Spring
ECE 3620 ‐ Continuous‐Time Systems and Signals (3 credits)
Time domain analysis of higher‐order systems: impulse response and convolution. Circuit and system analysis using Laplace transforms. Frequency domain analysis including discrete Fourier series, Fourier transforms, and analog filter design. State‐space representations of systems. Some lab work required.
Prerequisite/Restriction: MATH 2280MATH 2280, ECE 2290ECE 2290, CS 1410CS 1410 (may be taken concurrently).
Semester(s) Traditionally Offered: Fall
ECE 3640 ‐ Discrete‐Time Systems and Signals (3 credits) (EE MAJORS)
Sampling of continuous‐time signals. Time and z‐transform domain analysis of discrete‐time systems. Frequency domain analysis using the discretetime Fourier transform, DFT and FFT. Frequency response and digital filter design. Some lab and computational work required.
Prerequisite/Restriction: ECE 3620ECE 3620.
Semester(s) Traditionally Offered: Spring
ECE 3710 ‐ Microcontroller Hardware and Software (4 credits)
Synthesis of microcontroller systems, including hardware, programming, and interfacing. Covers architecture basics, instruction set, assembly language programming, I/O, timing, and interrupts. Includes hands‐on implementation. Three lectures, one lab.
Prerequisite/Restriction: ECE 2250ECE 2250, ECE 2700ECE 2700, CS 1410CS 1410.
Semester(s) Traditionally Offered: Fall
ECE 3870 ‐ Electromagnetics I (4 credits) (EE MAJORS)
Discussion of Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves, power and energy, reflection and refraction processes, transmission lines, waveguides, and antennas. Explores electrostatic and magnetostatic fields produced by charge and current distributions, as well as electromagnetic forces and materials.
Prerequisite/Restriction: ECE 2250ECE 2250, MATH 2210MATH 2210, MATH 2270MATH 2270, MATH 2280MATH 2280, PHYS 2220PHYS 2220.
Semester(s) Traditionally Offered: Spring
*Depending on the specialization of the undergraduate degree, certain courses (or prerequisites) may be waived if the course or the equivalent was already taken.
**Courses (or prerequisites) may also be waived by passing an exam at the discretion of the course instructor.
***Each course has prerequisites.