The normal period of residency at WPI is 16 terms. In addition to WPI requirements applicable to all students, students wishing to receive the major designated “Electrical and Computer Engineering” must satisfy certain distribution requirements. These requirements apply to 10 units of study in the areas of mathematics, basic science, and engineering science and design as follows:
Program Educational Objectives
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers a balanced, integrated curriculum strong in both fundamentals and state-of-the-art knowledge. The curriculum embraces WPI’s philosophy of education, with a program characterized by curricular flexibility, student project work such as the Interactive Qualifying Project, and active involvement of students in their learning. Through this approach, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Program seeks to have alumni who, in 3–5 years:
- are successful and resourceful professionals who demonstrate appropriate depth and breadth of knowledge in their respective fields and apply that knowledge with integrity;
- are engaged in active lifelong learning, acquiring and applying new knowledge as needed;
- are creative problem solvers and effective contributors in business and society, demonstrating the ability to communicate, work in teams, and understand the broad and ethical implications of their work;
- are engaged broadly in their profession, exhibiting leadership, mentorship, and informed citizenship.
Student Outcomes
Based on the department’s educational objectives, students will achieve the following specific educational outcomes within a challenging and supportive environment:
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgements which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- 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.
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgement to draw conclusions.
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Program Distribution Requirements for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Major
Mathematics and Basic Science (Minimum 12/3 Units)
To succeed in the study of electrical and computer engineering, the necessary foundation far exceeds what can be taught in a few introductory courses. In fact, if you even want to begin to understand what your ECE professors are talking about in lecture, you must begin with a firm basis in mathematics and the natural sciences. Moreover, whether applied to ECE or not, proficiency in mathematics and the sciences is a necessary quality for any educated engineer. Consequently, the ECE major requires a total of 4 units (12 courses) as the “Mathematics and Basic Science” distribution requirement.
The first part of this requirement is sufficient education in mathematics. At least 7 of the 12 required courses must be in this area, including coursework in differential calculus, integral calculus, differential equations, and probability. To see which specific courses fulfill these math requirements, please consult the mathematics course descriptions, and your academic advisor.
The other part of the requirement is coursework in the sciences. A solid understanding of physics is essential to any ECE student, being ultimately necessary for describing the behavior of electricity and magnetism as well as other physical phenomena. Knowledge of chemistry is useful as well, encompassing such topics as atomic and molecular behavior and the chemical properties of materials (such as silicon, which is quite useful in ECE). In recent years, knowledge of biology has also become important to electrical and computer engineers, particularly as biomedical-electrical technologies such as medical imaging continue to advance.
The ECE major requires at least 3 courses in the sciences, 2 of these courses must be in physics, and the remaining course may be in chemistry or biology depending on preference.
Finally, note that the total prescribed mathematics and science courses add up to 3 1/3 units (10 courses). To meet the distribution requirement, you then must take at least 2 more courses in any area of mathematics or science (that is, any other course with the prefix “MA”, “PH”, “CH”, “BB”, or “GE”).
Must include at least 7/3 units of math (prefix MA). Mathematics must include differential and integral calculus, differential equations, and probability.
Must include at least 5 units at the 2000-level or higher within Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), including the MQP. Eligible courses consist of all 2000-level and higher courses with an ECE prefix and ES 3011.
The ECE course units must include at least 1 unit of courses from these approved Electrical Engineering courses:
The ECE course units must include at least 1/3 unit of Computer Engineering courses with topics in digital circuit design, satisfied by any of:
The ECE course units must include at least 1/3 unit of Computer Engineering coures with topics in embedded computing, satisfied by any of:
The ECE course units must include 1/3 unit of Capstone Design Experience. (This requirement is typically fulfilled by the MQP.)
Other Engineering Science and Design Requirements
Must include an additional 1/3 unit of computational engineering, satisfied by ECE 2039 (preferably) or by any 2000-level or above CS course except CS 2011, CS 2022, CS 3043/SS 3043.
Building on a fundamental knowledge of data structures, data abstraction techniques, and mathematical tools, a number of examples of algorithm design and analysis — worst case and average case — will be developed. Topics include greedy algorithms, divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, heuristics, and probabilistic algorithms. Problems will be drawn from areas such as sorting, graph theory, and string processing. The influence of the computational model on algorithm design will be discussed. Students will be expected to perform analysis on a variety of algorithms.
1/3This course provides a broad view of computer networks. The course exposes students to all seven layers of OSI Reference Model while providing an introduction into newer topics such as wireless networking and Internet traffic concerns. The objective is to focus on an understanding of fundamental concepts of modern computer network architecture from a design and performance perspective. Topics covered include physical layer considerations, network protocols, wide area networks, local area networks, wireless networks, switches and routing, congestion, Internet traffic, and network security. Students will be expected to do extensive systems/network programming and will be expected to make use of simulation and measurement tools to gain an appreciation of current network design and performance issues. This course is also highly recommended for RBE and IMGD majors.
1/3This course develops the skill of analyzing the behavior of algorithms. Topics include the analysis — with respect to average and worst case behavior — and correctness of algorithms for internal sorting, pattern matching on strings, graph algorithms, and methods such as recursion elimination, dynamic programming, and program profiling. Students will be expected to write and analyze programs. Undergraduate credit may not be earned both for this course and for CS 5084.
This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.
1/3This course introduces students to modern network security concepts, tools, and techniques. The course covers security threats, attacks, and mitigations at the operating-system and network levels (as opposed to the software level). Topics include authentication, authorization, confidentiality, integrity, anonymity, privacy, intrusion detection and response, and cryptographic applications. Students will become familiar with modern security protocols and tools. Assignments will involve security-testing software for uncovering vulnerabilities, network packet analyzers, and security applications to create secure network implementations. Assignments and projects will use a Linux base for implementation.
1/3Must include an additional 2/3 unit of engineering science and design at the 2000-level or above, selected from courses having the prefix AE, AREN, BME, CE, CHE, CS (other than CS 2011, CS 2022, CS 3043/SS 3043), ECE, ES, FP, ME, or RBE.
The above Engineering Science and Design course units must incorporate 1/3 unit of Engineering Design by either: 1) including ECE 2799 within the “Electrical and Computer Engineering Courses” (preferred option) or 2) including one of the following courses within “Other Engineering Science and Design (ES/D) Requirements”: BME 3300, CS 3733, ES 3501, ME 2300, ME 4320.
Building on a fundamental knowledge of data structures, data abstraction techniques, and mathematical tools, a number of examples of algorithm design and analysis — worst case and average case — will be developed. Topics include greedy algorithms, divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, heuristics, and probabilistic algorithms. Problems will be drawn from areas such as sorting, graph theory, and string processing. The influence of the computational model on algorithm design will be discussed. Students will be expected to perform analysis on a variety of algorithms.
1/3This course provides a broad view of computer networks. The course exposes students to all seven layers of OSI Reference Model while providing an introduction into newer topics such as wireless networking and Internet traffic concerns. The objective is to focus on an understanding of fundamental concepts of modern computer network architecture from a design and performance perspective. Topics covered include physical layer considerations, network protocols, wide area networks, local area networks, wireless networks, switches and routing, congestion, Internet traffic, and network security. Students will be expected to do extensive systems/network programming and will be expected to make use of simulation and measurement tools to gain an appreciation of current network design and performance issues. This course is also highly recommended for RBE and IMGD majors.
1/3This course develops the skill of analyzing the behavior of algorithms. Topics include the analysis — with respect to average and worst case behavior — and correctness of algorithms for internal sorting, pattern matching on strings, graph algorithms, and methods such as recursion elimination, dynamic programming, and program profiling. Students will be expected to write and analyze programs. Undergraduate credit may not be earned both for this course and for CS 5084.
This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.
1/3This course introduces students to modern network security concepts, tools, and techniques. The course covers security threats, attacks, and mitigations at the operating-system and network levels (as opposed to the software level). Topics include authentication, authorization, confidentiality, integrity, anonymity, privacy, intrusion detection and response, and cryptographic applications. Students will become familiar with modern security protocols and tools. Assignments will involve security-testing software for uncovering vulnerabilities, network packet analyzers, and security applications to create secure network implementations. Assignments and projects will use a Linux base for implementation.
1/3Subdisciplines Within ECE
Given a solid foundation, the MQP will allow you to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of one or more of the subdisciplines that compose the field of electrical and computer engineering. As a guide to the areas of study that can be investigated in an MQP, the ECE Course Flowchart identifies seven subdisciplines as possible areas for in-depth study leading to an MQP. Note that students should not feel constrained by these area designations — this is only one of many possible ways to organize the diverse field of electrical and computer engineering. Many if not most MQPs will incorporate subject matter from several different subdisciplines. The purpose of this list is to guide students interested in a particular area to coursework within a subdiscipline (Area Courses), relevant courses to choose from outside the subdiscipline (Related Courses), and faculty whose research and MQP advising interests fall within the subdiscipline (Area Consultants).
Building on a fundamental knowledge of data structures, data abstraction techniques, and mathematical tools, a number of examples of algorithm design and analysis — worst case and average case — will be developed. Topics include greedy algorithms, divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, heuristics, and probabilistic algorithms. Problems will be drawn from areas such as sorting, graph theory, and string processing. The influence of the computational model on algorithm design will be discussed. Students will be expected to perform analysis on a variety of algorithms.
1/3