Nov 09, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog - SCCC & Day Students 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog - SCCC & Day Students [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering


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Department Head: McKinney
Professors: Barsanti, Hayne, McKinney, Peeples, Williams
Associate Professor: Mazzaro
Assistant Professor: Dàvila-Montero, Integlia

General Information

In 1941 the Board of Visitors authorized the establishment of a Department of Electrical Engineering at The Citadel. Because World War II intervened, the first Electrical Engineering degrees were awarded to the class of 1948.  Electrical and computer engineers design and build technologies that change the world and these technologies have changed dramatically in the years since the founding of the department.

Nearly every aspect of modern life has been impacted by the contributions of electrical and computer engineers.  Robotics, aeronautics, electric vehicles, power distribution, communications, homeland security, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and renewable energy are just some of the exciting technologies electrical and computer engineers design.

Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering are very closely related fields.  Electrical Engineering encompasses a wide range of technical areas including microelectronics, power distribution and energy systems, controls, communications, electromagnetics, and robotics. Computer Engineering includes robots, microprocessors, memory systems, networks, embedded systems, chip design, and all aspects of computer organization, design, and programming.

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department is located on the third floor of Grimsley Hall, a first-tier engineering education facility that provides fully-equipped laboratories, classrooms and faculty offices. The related Departments of Mathematics, Cyber and Computer Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil and Construction Engineering are housed adjacent to the department, creating a “micro-campus” of science and technology.

Several student organizations are an active part of The Citadel’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Program.  Included in these are The Student Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), The Citadel Chapter of Tau Beta Pi - the national engineering honor society, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

The Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is to prepare the individual for professional work or for graduate study in the fields of Electrical and Computer Engineering and to provide as many of the elements of a broad education as can be included in a program of professional study leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.

In addressing its mission, the department strives, through small classes and hands-on experience in laboratories closely monitored by full-time faculty, to provide an environment highly conducive both to learning and to the development of close student-faculty relationships.

Both the Electrical and Computer Engineering curricula place emphasis on a broad liberal education base, a strong background in mathematics and basic sciences, and a logical sequence of Electrical and Computer Engineering courses that provide the breadth and depth necessary for continuous professional growth in today’s technological society. While the goal is to provide a broad based engineering education, during the junior and senior years, students have the opportunity to select courses specific to their interests. An integral part of the program is the design component that develops the student’s ability to address practical engineering problems. This is accomplished by the inclusion of engineering design problems and concepts throughout the curriculum, culminating with a mandatory two-semester senior design course in which students undertake significant design projects.

Convinced of the great value of practical experience, the department encourages its majors to obtain gainful employment through internships in Electrical or Computer Engineering or a related field for at least one summer, preferably between the junior and senior years.

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years (3-5 years), Citadel Electrical and Computer Engineering graduates are expected to:

  1. Succeed in the practice of Electrical or Computer Engineering, by ethically and judiciously applying engineering methods to solve problems facing a technologically complex society.
  2. Sustain awareness of engineering-related issues through employment, professional development, professional registration, or graduate education.
  3. Be principled leaders with strong communications and team-building skills.

Student Outcomes

The Citadel’s Electrical and Computer Engineering programs include assessment to demonstrate that students obtain:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. 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.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgement to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Programs

    MajorsMinors

    Courses

      Electrical Engineering

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