Areas of Specialization within EE

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Areas of Specialization Within EE

(Special thanks to EE alumni Erin Gulden, Tim Doyle, John Hines, and Greg Hall, whose ENGL 202C project was used in part in the making of this web page)

There are many areas of specialization within electrical engineering. Below are brief descriptions of some of these areas along with a list of pertinent PSU courses. Many courses apply to multiple areas. When choosing technical electives, it is probably a good idea to make sure to include courses from at least 2-3 different areas rather than focus on a single area. Except where noted, completing the EE core courses (EE 210, 310, 330, 350, and CSE 271) is sufficient prerequisite for each of the courses listed below.

COMMUNICATIONS	COMPUTER HARDWARE	COMPUTER SOFTWARE
CONTROL SYSTEMS	ELECTROMAGNETICS	ELECTRONIC DESIGN
GRAD SCHOOL PREPARATION	OPTICS	POWER SYSTEMS
REMOTE SENSING AND SPACE SYSTEMS	SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES	SIGNAL & IMAGE PROCESSING

In addition, various minors complement the EE degree quite well. Click here for information about the minors that are most applicable to EE students.

COMMUNICATIONS

Overview

The transmission of information in a fast, reliable, and secure way is a necessity in the world that we live in. Study in communications involves the analysis and design of information transmission systems. Principles such as different modulation schemes (such as AM and FM), noise suppression, various transmission media and computer networking are discussed in detail. Different examples of some communications systems include radio, television, the telephone system, computer networks, GPS satellite systems, and microwave transmission lines.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 350 -- Continuous-time Linear Systems
EE 330 -- Engineering Electromagnetics
A Statistics Course (STAT 418 Recommended)

Suggested Electives

Because communications is such a broad based industry, we can identify several technical specialties that are relevant. It is probably not feasible to take all of the communications-related courses, due to the sheer number of courses available. Rather, students need to decide on which aspect(s) of communications to focus.

First, we include the communication theory courses that focus on systems aspects of communications:

EE 367 -- Communication Systems I: a junior-level elective which provides a broad introduction to both analog and digital communication systems and modulation schemes
EE 459 -- Communication Systems II: a follow-up to EE 367 which focuses on the design of communication systems in the presence of noise and the corresponding statistics-based theoretical analysis
EE 458 -- Communication Networks: studies data encoding, network architecture, and the routing of data streams, which are important in the computer communication industry

Next, we may identify those courses that deal with the transmission of communication signals:

EE 432 -- UHF and Microwave Engineering: discusses the analysis and design of microwave transmission lines, amplifiers and filters, which are key elements in many communications systems
EE 438 -- Antenna Engineering: analysis and design of many types of antennas, with laboratory work in AM/FM antenna and array design
EE 439 -- Radio Wave Propagation: a theoretical and practical treatment of how radio waves are affected by the earth, atmosphere, and buildings during the transmission process
EE 412 -- Optical Fiber Communications: a follow-up to EE 320 which provides students with a fundamental understanding of the operation of fiber optic systems, including transmitters, receivers, as well as the fibers themselves
EE 497C -- Wireless Communications: discusses analysis and design of the radio frequency (RF) building blocks which comprise a wireless communications system
EE 497F -- Satellite Communications: a follow-up to EE 367 which provides an overview of satellite communication systems, including modulation schemes, satellite components, satellite link design and orbital mechanics

Other courses that are tangentially related to communications are the following:

EE 414 -- Lasers: Principles and Applications: a follow-up to EE 320 covering the operation of lasers as well as applications such as optical signal processing, holography, spectroscopy, remote sensing (LIDAR), and optical communications
EE 453 -- Digital Signal Processing: a follow-up to EE 351 that covers both the theory and application of DSP, including A/D and D/A conversion, digital filter design, and implementation of the Discrete Fourier Transform via the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm

COMPUTER HARDWARE

Overview

With the proliferation of digital electronics, most electrical engineering systems will include computer hardware as an integral part of the system. Computer hardware courses are equally split between the Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering majors. These courses are generally accessible to EE students who have no advanced software courses.

Pertinent Required Courses

CSE 271 -- Introduction to Digital Systems
CSE 275 -- Digital Design Laboratory

Suggested Electives

CSE 331 -- Computer Organization and Design: a junior-level introduction to computer architecture which discusses how the microprocessor, memory, I/O, etc. interact with each other
CSE 431 -- Introduction to Computer Architecture: a follow-up to CSE 331 which deals more with design issues in computer architecture
EE 447 -- Digital Integrated Circuits: looks at the design of digital integrated circuit building blocks such as logic gates, memory elements, flip-flops, and multiplexers at the discrete component level
EE 458 -- Communication Networks: studies data encoding, network architecture, and the routing of data streams, which are important in the computer communication industry
CSE 471 -- Logical Design of Digital Systems: a follow-up to CSE 271 which discusses the design of sequential circuits and other switching theory topics
CSE 477 -- VLSI Digital Circuits: a follow-up to CSE 471 which provides an exposure to the fabrication and layout of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits
EE 478 -- Field Programmable Devices: a special topics course that teaches the fundamentals of programmable gate arrays (PGA's) and VHDL

COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Overview

Like computer hardware, computer software is used, to some extent, by almost all electrical engineers. Many EE courses use specialty software packages to assist in the analysis/design of various electrical engineering systems. In addition, however, courses SPECIFICALLY related to computer software are available. For the most part, these courses are taught by the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department for Computer Science and Computer Engineering majors. EE students, however, are allowed to take these courses on a space available basis.

Computer software courses can be divided into 2 areas -- programming courses and applications courses. Electrical Engineering students will generally be able to take the applications courses only with prior study of intermediate or advanced programming courses. Programming experience in itself is not a sufficient prerequisite.

Pertinent Required Courses

CMPSC 201C -- Computer Programming for Engineers Using C

Suggested Electives

General Programming Courses (NOTE: These courses DO NOT count as EE technical electives . They count only as ENGINEERING electives or RELATED electives ):

CSE 120 -- Intermediate Programming: a follow-up to CMPSC 201 which teaches C++
CSE 260 -- Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science: a follow-up to CSE 120 which introduces topics such as logic, algorithm development from a mathematical perspective
CSE 465 -- Data Structures and Algorithms: a follow-up to CSE 260 which goes into more depth in areas such as sorting, recursion, data structures, etc.
CSE 428 -- Programming Language Concepts: a follow-up to CSE 465 which focuses on the structure of programming languages
CSE 411 -- Operating Systems: a follow-up to CSE 465 which focuses on the structure and design of operating systems

Programming Application Courses (NOTE: These courses DO count as EE technical electives ):

CSE 451 -- Numerical Computations: covers algorithm development for Fourier Transforms, interpolation, numerical integration, differential equation solutions, etc.
CSE 455 -- Introduction to Numerical Analysis: similar to CSE 451 but a bit more mathematical. Students can NOT take both CSE 451 and CSE 455 for credit
CSE 481 -- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: a follow-up to CSE 120 which covers the theory, implementation, and application of artificial intelligence
EE 485 -- Digital Image Processing: overview of image processing techniques and applications such as image enhancement and restoration
EE 486 -- Fundamentals of Computer Vision: a follow-up to CSE 120 which discusses topics such as object recognition, feature extraction from an image, and dynamic image analysis

CONTROL SYSTEMS

Overview

Control systems are encountered every day, from temperature/climate control systems in buildings to navigational control systems in vehicles. Control systems are also an integral part of any manufacturing process -- electronics are used to monitor and regulate assembly lines. A control systems specialization provides students with the necessary mathematical and computer programming background to analyze and design both analog and digital control systems. Associated lab work helps illustrate the control algorithms learned in the classes.

One sub-category of control systems is robotics. At Penn State, robotics is covered more in industrial or mechanical engineering. However, a controls background, in addition to courses in signal and image processing, provides students with many of the fundamentals needed for future work in robotics.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 350 -- Continuous-time Linear Systems
EE 324 -- Embedded Microcontrollers

Suggested Electives

Basic control theory is covered in a 2-course sequence (EE 428/429) following junior-level linear systems courses which provide the mathematical background (EE 350/351):

EE 351 -- Discrete-time Systems: a junior-level elective follow-up to EE 350 which provides a mathematical foundation for subsequent study in digital signal processing, digital control systems, and image processing
EE 428 -- Linear Control Systems: introductory course, with lab, which provides a theoretical and practical overview of classical analog control methods such as PID control and lag-lead control
EE 429 -- Digital Control Systems: a follow-up to both EE 351 and EE 428 which focuses on modern digital control techniques and the corresponding A/D conversion

Other courses that are tangentially related to control systems are the following:

EE 365 -- Energy Conversion: modeling and analysis of motors and generators, electromechanical energy conversion machines that are integral parts of industrial applications and other control systems
EE 423 -- Power Electronics: studies high-power semiconductors that interface with mechanical systems or convert electric power between different forms
EE 486 -- Fundamentals of Computer Vision: a follow-up to CSE 120 which discusses topics such as object recognition, feature extraction from an image, and dynamic image analysis
ME/IE 456 -- Industrial Robot Applications: introduction to robots, with an emphasis on robot selection, programming, and economic justification for manufacturing applications (Note #1: This course has prerequisites that are not normally taken by EE majors. Note #2: This course counts as an ENGINEERING elective , not an EE technical elective .)

ELECTROMAGNETICS

Overview

There are many applications of electromagnetics within the electrical engineering field. This area is good for students pursuing careers in antenna design, microwave communications, and in the study of wave propagation. Throughout this area, there is a strong emphasis on Maxwell's equations, Faraday's laws, and wave phenomena, which are often understood much more easily when time varying visual simulations replace equations and static diagrams.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 330 -- Engineering Electromagnetics

Suggested Electives

EE 411 -- Principles of Electromagnetic Fields: a follow-up to EE 330 which discussed E/M in theoretical detail, along with applications such as transmission lines, wave guides, and signal propagation
EE 432 -- UHF and Microwave Engineering: discusses the analysis and design of microwave transmission lines, amplifiers and filters, which are key elements in many communications systems
EE 433 -- Fundamentals of Remote Sensing: studies various techniques for atmospheric measuring using both radio frequency approaches (RADAR, radiometry) and optical approaches (LIDAR -- laser radar, spectroscopy)
EE 438 -- Antenna Engineering: analysis and design of many types of antennas, with laboratory work in AM/FM antenna and array design
EE 439 -- Radio Wave Propagation: a theoretical and practical treatment of how radio waves are affected by the earth, atmosphere, and buildings during the transmission process
EE 490 -- Introduction to Plasmas: gives students a basic introduction to electromagnetic properties of plasmas, primarily in astrophysical and geophysical contexts
EE 497C -- Wireless Communications: discusses analysis and design of the radio frequency (RF) building blocks which comprise a wireless communications system

ELECTRONIC DESIGN

Overview

Although almost every electrical engineering sub-discipline uses electronics to some extent, the term electronic design is generally understood to mean the assembly of basic electronic components to accomplish some fundamental task that is replicated many times over in a practical system. The field of electronic design ranges from the basic design of IC's using discrete semiconductor devices to the fabrication of complex circuits on a single IC chip using VLSI techniques.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 210 -- Circuits and Devices
EE 310 -- Electronic Circuit Design I
EE 324 -- Embedded Microcontrollers
CSE 271 -- Introduction to Digital Systems
CSE 275 -- Digital Design Laboratory

Suggested Electives

EE 311 -- Electronic Circuit Design II: a follow-up to EE 310 which focuses on multi-stage amplifier design, feedback, and frequency response characteristics of electronic circuits
EE 423 -- Power Electronics: studies high-power semiconductors that interface with mechanical systems or convert electric power between different forms
EE 447 -- Digital Integrated Circuits: looks at the design of digital integrated circuit building blocks such as logic gates, memory elements, flip-flops, and multiplexers at the discrete component level
EE 448 -- Analog Integrated Circuits: looks at the design of analog integrated circuit building blocks such as operational amplifiers, voltage regulators, current sources, and amplifiers
CSE 471 -- Logical Design of Digital Systems: a follow-up to CSE 271 which discusses the design of sequential circuits and other switching theory topics
CSE 477 -- VLSI Digital Circuits: a follow-up to CSE 471 which provides an exposure to the fabrication and layout of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits
EE 478 -- Field Programmable Devices: a special topics course that teaches the fundamentals of programmable gate arrays (PGA's) and VHDL

Other courses that are tangentially related to electronic design are the following:

EE 418 -- Solid State Device Technology: a practical study of the fabrication of MOS integrated circuits, with a strong laboratory component in which students become familiar with clean room equipment
EE 419 -- Solid State Devices: a follow-up to E SCI 314 which focuses on the physics of semiconductors and the modeling/design of various semiconductors using BJT, JFET, CMOS, NMOS, and BiCMOS technologies
EE 432 -- UHF and Microwave Engineering: discusses the analysis and design of microwave transmission lines, amplifiers and filters, which are key elements in many communications systems
IE 464 -- Assembly of Printed Circuit Boards: this lab-oriented course, which deals with the manufacturing aspects of electronics, is a good complement to the theoretical EE electronics courses. (Note: This course counts as an ENGINEERING elective , not as an EE technical elective .)

GRAD SCHOOL PREPARATION

Overview

Unless you know exactly what you are going to do in graduate study, the recommended strategy for an undergraduate intending to study beyond the baccalaureate level is to take a series of foundation courses covering several different areas of technology. Specialization can then come at the graduate level. Two reasons for doing this are 1) most graduate programs have some sort of breadth requirement which requires technical courses in multiple sub-disciplines of electrical engineering and 2) exposing yourself to many facets of electrical engineering as an undergraduate may help you decide WHAT to specialize in during your graduate program.

Suggested Electives

EE 411 -- Principles of Electromagnetic Fields: a follow-up to EE 330 which discussed E/M in theoretical detail, along with applications such as transmission lines, wave guides, and signal propagation
EE 419 -- Solid State Devices: a follow-up to E SCI 314 which focuses on the physics of semiconductors and the modeling/design of various semiconductors using BJT, JFET, CMOS, NMOS, and BiCMOS technologies
EE 420 -- Electro-optics: Introduction to Holography: a follow-up to EE 320 that covers the topics more in-depth, with an emphasis on holography
EE 428 -- Linear Control Systems: introductory course, with lab, which provides a theoretical and practical overview of classical analog control methods such as PID control and lag-lead control
EE 453 -- Digital Signal Processing: a follow-up to EE 351 that covers both the theory and application of DSP, including A/D and D/A conversion, digital filter design, and implementation of the Discrete Fourier Transform via the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm
EE 459 -- Communication Systems II: a follow-up to EE 367 which focuses on the design of communication systems in the presence of noise and the corresponding statistics-based theoretical analysis
other courses that are listed in the Graduate Bulletin as prerequisites for 500-level courses

OPTICS

Overview

Optical systems have become increasingly popular for manipulating information (optical signal processing), transmitting information (fiber optics), and remote measurement of electrical properties (LIDAR). Furthermore, electro-optical devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are a mainstay in high-tech electronic gadgets and laptop computers. The broad field of optics provides students with knowledge about the many building blocks within an optical system.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 330 -- Engineering Electromagnetics
E SCI 314 -- Engineering Applications of Materials

Suggested Electives

EE 320 -- Introduction to Electro-optical Engineering: an introductory course in optics/electro-optics which covers lenses, mirrors, polarization, lasers, diffraction, wave motion, and geometric optics
EE 412 -- Optical Fiber Communications: a follow-up to EE 320 which provides students with a fundamental understanding of the operation of fiber optic systems, including transmitters, receivers, as well as the fibers themselves
EE 414 -- Lasers: Principles and Applications: a follow-up to EE 320 covering the operation of lasers as well as applications such as optical signal processing, holography, spectroscopy, remote sensing (LIDAR), and optical communications
EE 420 -- Electro-optics: Introduction to Holography: a follow-up to EE 320 that covers the topics more in-depth, with an emphasis on holography
EE 422 -- Optical Engineering Laboratory: a laboratory-oriented follow-up to EE 320 providing students with hands-on exposure to lenses, lasers, diffraction, holograms, and other optical devices

Other courses that are tangentially related to optics are the following:

EE 433 -- Fundamentals of Remote Sensing: studies various techniques for atmospheric measuring using both radio frequency approaches (RADAR, radiometry) and optical approaches (LIDAR -- laser radar, spectroscopy)

POWER SYSTEMS

Overview

Once the bread and butter of electrical engineering, the power systems field deals with the generation of electrical power on both the large scale and small scale. Large scale power system study involves the understanding of how power is generated at the power plant and then transmitted to homes, businesses, and factories. On the smaller scale, power systems studies motors and generators, which convert energy from electrical to mechanical form and vice versa, and the associated power electronics

Pertinent Required Courses

E E 210 -- Circuits and Devices
EE 310 -- Electronic Circuit Design I
EE 350 -- Continuous-time Linear Systems

Suggested Electives

EE 365 -- Energy Conversion: modeling and analysis of motors and generators, electromechanical energy conversion machines that are integral parts of industrial applications and other control systems
EE 423 -- Power Electronics: studies high-power semiconductors that interface with mechanical systems or convert electric power between different forms
EE 425 -- Symmetrical Components: a follow-up to EE 365 which provides a background in poly-phase power systems, then moves into transmission and transformation of power, with an emphasis on power system performance and electric machinery
EE 461 -- Fundamentals of Power System Analysis and Stability: an overview of the entire power system process: transformers, transmission lines, power system control, power flow, stability
EE 497D -- Electric Machinery and Drives: course under development

� Other courses that are tangentially related to power systems are the following:

any course in CONTROL SYSTEMS

REMOTE SENSING AND SPACE SYSTEMS

Overview

For many years, the largest research group in the EE Department at Penn State, the Communications and Space Sciences Laboratory (CSSL) , has studied the ionosphere and related effects such as weather and thunderstorms. Problems of interest include the design of instrumentation as well as the study of natural phenomena. The research interests have influenced undergraduate courses in many ways, especially in COMMUNICATIONS , ELECTROMAGNETICS , and OPTICS . In addition, courses specifically in the area of space sciences have also been developed.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 330 -- Engineering Electromagnetics

Suggested Electives

EE 433 -- Fundamentals of Remote Sensing: studies various techniques for atmospheric measuring using both radio frequency approaches (RADAR, radiometry) and optical approaches (LIDAR -- laser radar, spectroscopy)
EE 439 -- Radio Wave Propagation: a theoretical and practical treatment of how radio waves are affected by the earth, atmosphere, and buildings during the transmission process
EE 490 -- Introduction to Plasmas: gives students a basic introduction to electromagnetic properties of plasmas, primarily in astrophysical and geophysical contexts
EE 492 -- Introduction to Space Sciences: introduces students to the fundamentals of space sciences by providing a background in the physical/chemical properties of the atmosphere and ionosphere and discussing other topics such as solar wind and sun-trapped particle belts

SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

Overview

Because semiconductors are the active components inside nearly all modern electronic devices, all advances in electronics ultimately come down to making better semiconductor devices and understanding how they work. Silicon is the basic ingredient in most devices and the primary material studied at the undergraduate level, though the principles are easily extended to other materials.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 210 -- Circuits and Devices
EE 310 -- Electronic Circuit Design I
E SCI 314 -- Engineering Applications of Materials

Suggested Electives

EE 418 -- Solid State Device Technology: a practical study of the fabrication of MOS integrated circuits, with a strong laboratory component in which students become familiar with clean room equipment
EE 419 -- Solid State Devices: a follow-up to E SCI 314 which focuses on the physics of semiconductors and the modeling/design of various semiconductors using BJT, JFET, CMOS, NMOS, and BiCMOS technologies
CSE 477 -- VLSI Digital Circuits: a follow-up to CSE 471 which provides an exposure to the fabrication and layout of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits

Other courses that are tangentially related to semiconductor devices are the following:

IE 464 -- Assembly of Printed Circuit Boards: this lab-oriented course, which deals with the manufacturing aspects of electronics, is a good complement to the theoretical EE electronics courses. (Note: This course counts as an ENGINEERING elective , not as an EE technical elective .)
any course in ELECTRONIC DESIGN

SIGNAL & IMAGE PROCESSING

Overview

Signals -- both 1-D signals such as speech and audio signals, and 2-D signals such as images and video signals -- represent information. Processing these signals means extracting certain parameters from that information, filtering it to remove undesired components, coding it for efficient transmission, or many other operations. Because digital technology supports extensive manipulation and interpretation of signal/image data, signal processing is increasingly becoming digital. Therefore, a basic understanding of the effects of analog to digital conversion is key in understanding the design of modern signal processing algorithms. The signal and image processing field is a programming-intensive one in which various algorithms to perform these tasks are implemented.

Pertinent Required Courses

EE 350 -- Continuous-time Linear Systems
CMPSC 201 -- Computer Programming for Engineers Using C

Suggested Electives

EE 351 -- Discrete-time Systems: a junior-level elective follow-up to EE 350 which provides a mathematical foundation for subsequent study in digital signal processing, digital control systems, and image processing
EE 453 -- Digital Signal Processing: a follow-up to EE 351 that covers both the theory and application of DSP, including A/D and D/A conversion, digital filter design, and implementation of the Discrete Fourier Transform via the Fast Fourier Transform algorithm
EE 485 -- Digital Image Processing: overview of image processing techniques and applications such as image enhancement, deblurring, and restoration
EE 486 -- Fundamentals of Computer Vision: a follow-up to CSE 120 (C++) which discusses topics such as object recognition, feature extraction from an image, and dynamic image analysis

Other courses that are tangentially related to signal/image processing are the following:

EE 367 -- Communication Systems I: a junior-level elective which provides a broad introduction to both analog and digital communication systems and modulation schemes
EE 459 -- Communication Systems II: a follow-up to EE 367 which focuses on the design of communication systems in the presence of noise and the corresponding statistics-based theoretical analysis
CSE 481 -- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: a programming-intensive course which provides the foundations for developing computer algorithms capable of decision making

Last Updated: June 5, 2001
By: David Salvia