UB Programs At-A-Glance

Electrical Engineering

Department of Electrical Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
332 Bonner Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-2050

Phone: 716.645.3115
Fax: 716.645.3656
Web: www.ee.buffalo.edu/

Vladimir Mitin
Chair

James J. Whalen
Director of Undergraduate Studies

About the Department

Electrical engineers work in research and development, product design, manufacturing, operations, service, technical sales and marketing, consulting, education, and environmental problem solving.

The undergraduate and graduate programs provide the scope of knowledge and training for employment in the field. The undergraduate program also forms the basis for further study at the graduate level. The curriculum emphasizes communications and signals, microelectronics and energy systems, and engineering materials and devices for electronics and photonics.

Communications and signals include wireless communications, communications systems, digital signal processing, and image and video processing. Microelectronics and energy systems include electronic instrumentation, integrated circuit systems, RF and microwave circuits, energy generation and conversion, and power conversion and control. Materials and devices for electronics and photonics include electronic device fabrication, electrical and optical characterization, laser spectroscopy, and photonics. Students interested in computer hardware and software may take courses offered by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, including computer networks, high-performance computing, and VLSI.

The program serves both students who intend to enter industry directly and others who plan to continue their education through graduate study.

Electrical Engineering has a well-equipped electronics laboratory (415-417 Furnas) that is primarily used by undergraduates. The department has its own computer lab (213-214 Furnas) for electrical engineering software such as PSPICE and Microwave Office. Both undergraduate and graduate courses make extensive use of the EE computer lab.

The focus group for Communications and Signal Processing has the Communications Systems Lab (Batalama@eng.buffalo.edu) and the Multimedia Communications Lab (lkondi@eng.buffalo.edu). The focus group for Energy Systems has labs in the Energy Systems Institute (http://www.esi.buffalo.edu) and in the Electronic Packaging Lab (http://www.packaging.buffalo.edu).

The focus group for Microelectronics, Photonics, and Materials has the Advanced Microscopy Lab; the Device Simulation and Characterization Laboratory; Integrated Nanostructure Laboratory; Laboratory for Advanced Spectroscopic Evaluation, Materials; Device and Circuit Simulations Laboratory; Microelectronic Fabrication Laboratory; Microwaves and EMC Laboratory; Photonic Devices and Simulation Laboratory; and Plasma Processing Laboratory. Web page links for these labs can be found at http://www.ee.buffalo.edu/eefocus/MPM.html.

Electrical Engineering’s approach to education is to blend lecture and laboratory experience involving a mixture of experiment and simulation.

For aulitional general information about the field of electrical engineering, see http://www.ee.buffalo.edu/general/general_information_index.html.

For information about our departmental goals and objectives, please see our mission statement.

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate: B.S.
Combined: B.S./M.B.A.
Graduate: M.S., M.Eng., Ph.D.

About Our Degrees

Acceptance Criteria - B.S.

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in technical and engineering courses.

Acceptance Information

Number of applicants (2002-2003): 324
Number of accepted majors (2002-2003): 194
Total number of majors currently enrolled: 429

Acceptance Information - B.S./M.B.A.

Good standing as an electrical engineering undergraduate student and acceptance as a graduate student by the School of Management.

Degree Requirements

See the Undergraduate Catalog.

Transfer Policy

Transfer students must first apply to the university and meet the university transfer admission requirements before consideration for admission to the Department of Electrical Engineering. Electrical engineering courses completed at other colleges and offered as substitutes for UB courses are evaluated individually by the EE Undergraduate Curriculum Committee; determination is made by an evaluation of the student’s transcripts, course content, contact hours, and grades earned. Most courses taken from an ABET-accredited college-level electrical engineering department are acceptable. Evaluations for transfer credits of general education, basic science, and engineering science courses completed at other universities and colleges are done through the Office of Student Services, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 410 Bonner Hall. For more information, see the Transfer Policy section in Engineering and Applied Sciences, School of, in this catalog.

About Our Courses

Suggested Introductory Courses


The typical class size for:

Freshman/introductory courses is: 100
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 50-180
Upper level/advanced courses is: 10-50

In the Department of Electrical Engineering, what do student teaching assistants (TA's) do?

TA’s assist professors in all courses with laboratory and recitation sections. They frequently lead small-group discussion sections. TA’s also assist with grading exams.

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

Faculty Specializations

See http://www.ee.buffalo.edu/people/faculty/index.html for descriptions of the specializations of our faculty.

Faculty Distinctions

Tau Beta Pi Teacher of the Year
Milton Plesur Excellence in Teaching Award
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

The director of undergraduate studies, James J. Whalen, may be contacted at jjw@eng.buffalo.edu.

Special Academic Opportunities

Independent Study

Approval is required to use EE 499 Independent Study as a senior technical elective. See the requirements for approval at: http://www.ee.buffalo.edu/academics/undergrad/courses/ee499_checklist.html.

Internships

Senior engineers apply their skills and knowledge to field-based problems as interns in return for academic credit. Students are directed by company engineers and are advised by a faculty member. Typically the student is required to work at a local company eight to twelve hours per week for a full semester.

Co-ops

See http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Outreach/new_work01.html for information about the Co-operative Engineering Educational Program.

Extracurricular Activities


See the UB Student Association.

Complementary Programs and Courses

Majors that Complement Electrical Engineering

  • Business Administration
  • Computer Engineering
  • Engineering Physics


Minors that Complement Electrical Engineering

  • Computer Engineering
  • Mathematics
  • Physics


Courses Outside Electrical Engineering that Could Improve Employment Opportunities

  • EAS 480 Technical Communications
  • EAS 495 ECI (Internship)
  • Business or management

Advising Information

During the first two years of all engineering programs, students are advised by one of the senior SEAS academic advisors in 410 Bonner Hall. The SEAS academic advisors should be consulted on general education requirements and on required courses in chemistry, engineering and applied science, math, and physics. Once admitted to the BSEE program students are assigned an advisor who is an EE faculty member. Students are encouraged to consult their EE advisor about the sequence of EE requirements and technical electives, especially for the senior year.

The first two years of the undergraduate curriculum emphasize the physical sciences and mathematics. The third year consists of coordinated sequences in digital principles, microprocessors, and microcomputers; physical electronics and electronic circuits; electromagnetic theory; and signal analysis and transform methods. Fourth-year courses are primarily elective and designed to broaden the background, reinforce lab skills, and develop design concepts. By selection of technical electives, undergraduates have the flexibility to concentrate in communications, photonics, semiconductors, lasers, signal processing, computers, energy systems and related studies.

Career Information

The electrical engineer is involved in a spectrum of changing and challenging activities such as research, development, product design, manufacturing, maintenance and service engineering, sales, and environmental problems and education. Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment. Electrical equipment includes power generating and transmission equipment used by electric utilities; electric motors, machinery controls; and lighting and wiring in buildings, automobiles, and aircraft.

Alumni in Electrical Engineering have found employment in the following fields:

  • Circuit layout designer
  • Consulting
  • Digitizer applications engineer
  • Education
  • Electrical drafter
  • Environmental problem solving
  • Maintenance
  • Management
  • Manufacturing
  • Operation of technical systems
  • Product design
  • Research and development
  • Service
  • Technical sales and marketing


Salary Information

Beginning salaries: B.S. average is $49,946; 25-75% range is $46,000 - 55,000.
Factors influencing salary: Skills, experience, internship, project and design experience, geographic location, and size of company.
Educational level influence on salary:
M.S. average is $61,605 and 25-75% range is $50,000 - 68,000; Ph.D. average is $71,672 and 25% - 75% range is $60,000 – 83,000.

What percentage of graduates goes on to graduate school?

25%

Formal system of tracking graduates?

The department does have a formal system for tracking graduates. Tracking is done by the Engineering Alumni Association.

What percentage of graduates goes on to find related employment?

100%

Links to Further Information About This Program