Electrical Engineering

Career potential

Electrical engineers design electrical and electronic systems in computers, household appliances, televisions, communications equipment, automobiles, airplanes, satellites and the space shuttle. This requires understanding of electronic circuits, measurement systems, digital signal processing, computer-aided design (CAD), microprocessors and wireless communication. To be qualified as an electrical engineer, you will need at least a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. A master's degree is desired for your professional career.

Upon graduation, you will have basic design, experimental and communication skills needed for continued study at the graduate level or for positions that require knowledge in electrical engineering. You will also have a broad liberal arts background to help you with your personal development. You can pursue advanced degrees in careers other than engineering, for example, in law, medicine or business administration.

Electrical engineers have rewarding careers in various industrial and government sectors with job responsibilities in design, research and development, operations, maintenance, marketing, sales and administration. Electrical engineers may work in companies that are developing sensors and instrumentation, semiconductor integrated devices, computers, telecommunication systems, wireless networks, audio and video home entertainment systems, consumer electronics, aerospace and aviation systems, medical electronics, imaging techniques, and others.

The Dallas-Fort Worth region has been attractive and rewarding for electrical engineers in recent years. Numerous local, national and international high-tech companies offer excellent career opportunities for undergraduates and graduates in electrical engineering.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can assist you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

Majoring in electrical engineering

UNT offers an innovative undergraduate program leading to a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. The program integrates concepts, analysis, design and development of state-of-the-art electrical and electronic systems with strong industrial and relevant content. Through your course work, you will gain knowledge and skills that you will need to solve real-world electrical engineering problems. Also, a one-year sequence of business and marketing courses will help you achieve a global outlook for your profession.

The electrical engineering course work covers areas in electronics, communication systems, computer systems, VLSI design, electromagnetics and signal processing. The design projects are integrated into the course work so that you can learn how to solve practical engineering problems in a creative and relevant setting. In addition, the course work ensures that you will have an opportunity to solve multidisciplinary engineering problems, to foster leadership by working in teams, and to develop effective oral and written communication skills.

You will also study art, business, management, humanities, chemistry, social sciences, engineering ethics and professionalism, which fulfill objectives appropriate to the electrical engineering profession.

The bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering is a new program designed to meet the criteria of ABET Inc. Accreditation for this degree will be sought as soon as students graduate from the program.

Laboratories

UNT's Electrical Engineering department has the state-of-the-art instructional and research laboratories to provide introductory and advanced, hands-on experiences for students.

Electronic Instrumentation Laboratory

This laboratory has basic instrumentation tools and equipment for engineering design courses and projects. The equipment includes AC/DC power supplies, signal generators, circuit analysis tools, high-performance oscilloscopes and other standard measurement equipment.

Digital and Mixed Signal Conditioning Laboratory

This laboratory is equipped with standard design tools and instrumentation, such as digital waveform generators, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers and software-based test and analysis systems, for digital and mixed signal conditioning experiments.

RF and Electromagnetic Scattering Laboratory

This laboratory has high RF bandwidth equipment, transmitter/receiver pairs for experiments over a wide range of frequencies, test equipment for high-frequency pulsed signals, RF sensing and identification systems, microwave scattering near-field measurement equipment and advanced scattering simulation software.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Laboratory

This laboratory provides infrastructure for computer-aided, design-related electrical engineering courses, including several advanced workstations with CAD software, which enable design, test and simulation of a variety of electronic chip designs.

Intelligent Signal Processing Research Laboratory

This research laboratory is dedicated to design and development of advanced signal processing algorithms and electronic systems for applications in industry, defense and space sectors. The research areas include signal detection and estimation, information fusion from various sensor sources, infrared and microwave imaging, robust signal processing, pattern recognition, and target identification.

Wireless Systems Research Laboratory

Research in this laboratory is focused on system-level issues that are critical for the design of high-performance wireless networks and sensor networks. Current research topics include measurement and modeling of wireless channels, experimental and theoretical study of system performance, integrated communications and positioning, real-time signal processing, coding theory and optimum network deployment.

Scholarships

Students with outstanding academic records have an excellent chance to earn scholarships throughout their studies. Since a majority of project-oriented classes are taught by industrial experts, students will have excellent opportunities for internships and/or employment.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, you should prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• Science … 3 years
• Mathematics … 4 years
• English … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required for all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. While in high school, you need to take Algebra I and II, geometry and trigonometry for your mathematics requirements, and take chemistry and physics to meet your science requirements.

You need to talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

To the benefit of transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System, which makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you are attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

You may declare a major in electrical engineering immediately upon enrolling at UNT.

Charting your path with academic advising

Faculty members in the College of Engineering will help you select courses necessary to earn your degree. They can also provide you career guidance and advice. The department office is in UNT Research Park, Room B270, 3940 N. Elm St. (Hwy. 77) in Denton.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.