Pathways to Your Major Design Experience (MDE)

Fred Terry

September 3, 2007

In planning your B.S.E.E. program, you should keep in mind many things (program requirements, obtaining a firm yet broad education for life-long learning, etc.). One major thing you should keep in mind is getting to your MDE class. MDE’s always have at least one significant prerequisite class and therefore can have strong effect on your schedule plans. In a sense, an MDE looks a multi-course coupled system. It may be necessary to target more than a year in advance for a particular MDE. Of course, you can alter your plans, but keeping your goals in mind will minimize chances for disappointment.

Note: EECS 311&312 can now be taken before EECS 320. However, the circuits faculty feel that understanding of the physics of operation of transistors makes you a better designer. In all of the plans below, I show 320 being taken before 311 or 312. You make take them in either order or currently. EECS 312 is currently offered both Fall and Winter semesters. EECS 311 is now offered Winter-only but due to high student demand has been offered both semesters also (the fall offering is now not guaranteed).

Your choice of MDE will usually determine many of your Core Electives and Upper Level EECS electives.

Current EE MDE classes:

• 411 Microwave Circuits I
• 413 Monolithic Amplifier Circuits
• 425 Integrated Microsystems Laboratory
• 427 VLSI Design I
• 430 Radiowave Propogation and Link Design
• 438 Advanced Lasers and Optics Laboratory
• 452 Digital Signal Processing Design Laboratory
• 470 Computer Architecture

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1 Path to 411. Taking 311 before 411 is recommended but is not a requirement.

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2 Pathway to 413.

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 3 Paths to 425. There are 3 completely legal pathways. However, I strongly recommend taking both 414 and at least one of the 2 circuits classes (311 or 312) prior to 425.

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 4 Path to 427. Students should also seriously consider taking 270 and perhaps also 370 in preparation for 427.

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 5 Path to 430.

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 6 Paths into 438. For EE students, since EECS 230 is a requirement anyway, we recommend you take this prior to EECS 334 even though it is not a requirement. For students planning graduate work in optics or electromagnetics, I strongly recommend the center path (with EECS 330).

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 7 Path to 452.

Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 8 Path to 470.