ENGINEERING AT NEW PALTZ
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SUNY New Paltz is committed to academic excellence. We offer high-quality undergraduate and master’s programs that prepare students to participate effectively as members of the engineering profession of today and tomorrow and to function as thoughtful and responsible members of modern society. We strive to create and maintain a challenging learning environment supportive of engineering study for a diverse student body. In addition, we provide engineering education and technical support to the campus community, regional industry and the community-at-large.
Mission
This mission follows closely those of our institution and is stated as:
1) Offering high-quality undergraduate programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a master’s program in Electrical Engineering to a diverse student body;
2) Providing engineering education and technical support to the campus community, regional industry and the community-at-large;
3) Admitting students who show promise of succeeding in the challenging field of engineering;
4) Having our students gain technical knowledge, social skills and confidence to contribute as productive and responsible members of the engineering profession and the society.
Objectives of the Computer Engineering Program:
The educational objectives of the ECE program are to produce graduates who:
1. Enter professional careers or pursue graduate studies in engineering or
related fields.
2. Advance in their professional careers through completion of engineering
projects that utilize teamwork and communication skills, lifelong learning,
independent and creative thinking, and leadership;
or
advance in their careers by completing graduate coursework, earning graduate
degrees, and by doing, presenting and publishing original research.
3. Work beyond their primary responsibilities to promote engineering to others,
through active membership in professional societies or community outreach.
Outcomes of the Computer Engineering Program:
- Fundamental Knowledge
The graduating students of the Computer Engineering Program will possess knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering and have the capability of applying this knowledge to identify, solve engineering problems, and verify the results. - Experimental Skills
The graduating students of the Computer Engineering Program will have significant experience in the practical aspect of their profession through laboratory courses, with an opportunity for co-op positions. The students will have developed the ability to verify theoretical expectations against simulation and experimental results. - Design Competence
The graduating Students of the Computer Engineering Program will have learned the trial-and-error design process, consisting of preliminary design, verification assisted by computer simulation, improved design, etc. Students will have acquired the personal skills of group interaction through a variety of progressive experiences integrated in the curriculum, initiated by course and laboratory teamwork design, and culminating in the comprehensive senior-year design project. - Social Awareness
The graduating students of the Computer Engineering Program will have benefited from our departmental setting within a liberal arts college by having access to a wide selection of courses on contemporary world’s issues, languages and cultures. Consequently, the students will have developed the capability to recognize the impact of their engineering decisions within the global and societal context. - Professional Aptitude
The graduating students of the Computer Engineering Program will have the ability to function effectively, professionally and ethically, both as an individual and as a member of a team. The graduating students will be able to clearly and effectively communicate their ideas in both written and oral forms. In addition, the students will be instilled with the need for life-long learning.
Learning Environment
Engineering students at New Paltz have the opportunity to study in an environment
supportive of their academic needs. Engineering courses are taught by research-oriented
engineering faculty; small class and laboratory sizes encourage faculty/student
interaction. Students have access to a well-equipped infrastructure including
state-of-the-art facilities, industry-standard laboratories and modern computer
facilities.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is designed to provide students with a solid knowledge of mathematics,
science and engineering concepts and the ability to apply them to engineering
problems. Design is emphasized throughout the engineering program. Students
also complete a series of courses in general education that complement their
engineering education and encourages them to understand engineering roles in
a broader context. The flexibility of the engineering curriculum serves full-
and part-time students, traditional and non-traditional students, and students
new to engineering as well as those who have had some experience in technical
areas.
Graduates
Our students graduate with an understanding of the roles, responsibilities
and professional ethics expected of engineers; with the communication and teamwork
skills needed to function effectively in a range of work environments, and
with the ability to think critically and adapt to a changing world. Our graduates
are well prepared to be successful in entry-level positions in industry and
research, and to pursue further study and advancement in their chosen fields.
Industry Involvement and Co-op/fieldwork Program
A key feature of engineering at New Paltz is the close working relationship
the College enjoys with local high-technology industry. The interest and support
of industry inspired the development of the program and now ensures that it
will remain relevant to expanding and changing industrial needs. We encourage
our students to participate in co-op/fieldwork experiences while at New Paltz,
and we maintain a high after-graduation placement rate. Students, who complete
a pre-arranged and supervised co-op/fieldwork and submit a report, receive
3 credits.
Engineering Advisory Board (EAB)
The Engineering Department has a very active external advisory board with
participants contributing from the many high tech engineering and related companies
located in the Hudson Valley. The EAB's mission is to provide information
and guidance to the SUNY New Paltz Engineering Department in regards to their
curriculum, their graduates and the quality of things being done at SUNY New
Paltz and to help steer the direction of the engineering board to create the
best quality students they can to provide superior professionals for local
industries. Some of the specific functions of the EAB are: to assist in providing
co-op or intern positions for our students; to provide information and opportunities
for full time employment for the graduating students; help identify speakers
for the engineering seminar program; and provide feedback for the engineering
curriculum through an evaluation of our students' performance during several
years of professional activity within these companies.
Advisory Curriculum Committee (ACC)
In order to assess that the specific objectives and expected outcomes of the engineering programs are satisfied, the Engineering Department has established the Advisory Curriculum Committee (ACC). The constituencies of this committee include: alumni (2), students (2), faculty (2), EAB (2), Department Chair and Director of College Institutional Research. The ACC meets every semester to provide specific course and program assessment, as well as evaluate assessment methodology as related to the engineering program objectives and outcomes.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Opportunities are available for undergraduate students through the C-STEP Program (for woman and minority students) and the School of Engineering and Science (for all students) to conduct research during the summer. Students receive a generous stipend. Undergraduate research enhances student’s chance in finding a suitable engineering job.
Transfer Students: Application and Transfer Credit Procedure
Students
wanting to complete their engineering education at SUNY New Paltz must complete
the application form and forward it directly to the Admission
Office. The Admission Office is responsible for evaluating the student's transcript
and making an acceptance decision. This office will also evaluate the transfer
credits requested by the student. If the student is transferring in from a
local community college, transfer of credit will be in accordance with the
agreed upon transfer credit articulation policies. Under certain circumstances,
if the Admission Office is unable to evaluate specific courses and is unable
to make a decision on transferability of credits, the Chair of the Engineering
Department will consider the matter and render a decision after evaluating
the course description and pre-requisites. Additional information is available
in departmental brochures: "Electrical Engineering,""Computer
Engineering,"
and "What Do I Need To Get In?"
The Program Requirements Checklist
Each program requirements are listed in the program course checklist and are
included in every student file. At the end of each semester, student grades
are transferred into the program course checklist. When the course checklist
is completed, and the student has satisfied all program requirements, he/she
is then eligible to graduate. The program course checklist is used for advising
and planning purposes as well.
Seminars
The Engineering Department offers several seminars each semester that cover
a variety of subjects. To partially satisfy the life-long requirement of ABET
(The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), engineering students
are required to attend at least five engineering seminars and write a brief
report on each one (that is to be included in their file). Only two reports
per semester are accepted.
Engineering Design
ABET requires that each student complete one and one half years of engineering
topics to include engineering sciences and engineering design appropriate to
the student's field of study. At New Paltz, the design experience is developed
and integrated throughout the engineering curriculum.
The experience begins in Introduction to Engineering with an introduction to basic engineering design. As engineering majors progress through the major they gain engineering design experience at increasing levels of complexity within many of the engineering core and technical elective courses. Open-ended problems are assigned and students must complete design projects in many of their courses. Advanced elective courses afford students the opportunity to complete more substantial design projects in their areas of interest.
To assist students in choosing courses with appropriate design content, each course is assigned a number of design credits. Our engineering programs require sixteen or more engineering design credits to be completed by the time of graduation. Each student is required to maintain a design folder on file with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. By the time of graduation, the folder must contain at least 5 increasingly complex design projects, for which two projects must be from an elective and/or senior level courses. (This is a strict graduation requirement.)
In the senior year, the design experience culminates in a major design project
completed in the courses Senior Design I and II. Under the guidance of the
engineering faculty, students draw on the technical knowledge and skills that
they have developed throughout the undergraduate experience in order to select
and complete a substantial design project. The project grade is based on a
formal report, an oral presentation (attended by engineering faculty, students,
and constituents), and the project's overall performance. Senior design projects
may be chosen from any of the areas of specialization in which the Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers technical elective courses.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers a comprehensive
program in electrical engineering which is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation
Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
(ABET). Students may choose electives in microelectronics, communications,
signal processing, control, robotics, energy conversion, microwaves, electromagnetics
and computer engineering.
Electrical engineering continues to be a growth program in the field of engineering due to a rapidly changing technological society and expanding industrial needs. The program at New Paltz is designed to meet these needs generally and those of the Mid-Hudson Valley specifically.
The curriculum consists of a general education component, a pre-engineering phase (pre-engineering major code 516) and upper division engineering coursework (electrical engineering major code 517). Electrical engineering students must meet a modified General Education requirement. The pre-engineering and general education requirements are exactly the same for the electrical engineering and the computer engineering programs.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM
131-132 credits
General Education 18 credits
Pre-Engineering Requirement 40 credits
Electrical Engineering Core 50-51 credits
Technical Electives 23 credits
Although it is possible for a dedicated student who begins the math sequence
with Calculus I to complete all degree requirements in four years, our students,
like those at most engineering schools in the United States, typically require
an additional semester to complete the program.
GENERAL EDUCATION (18 credits)
Choose one (1) course from each of the following six categories:
1. American History
2. Art
3. Humanities
4. Social Science
5. Western Civilization
6. World Civilization
For the list of courses in each category, please refer to the "GE III Requirements
for Electrical and Computer Engineering" brochure.
PRE-ENGINEERING REQUIREMENT (40 credits)
The pre-engineering course of study
consists of 40 credits in mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry,
introductory engineering, and English.
The required courses are:
Mathematics Credits
64251 Calculus I 4
64252 Calculus II 4
64353 Calculus III 4
Computer Science
25210 Computer Science I: Foundations 4
Physics
75201 General Physics I 4
75202 General Physics II 4
Chemistry
22201 General Chemistry I 4
Engineering
47101 Introduction to Engineering Science 3
40193 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering 3
English
41160 Freshman Composition I 3
41180 Freshman Composition II 3
or
41205 General Honors English I 3
41206 General Honors English II 3
ADMISSION TO THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING MAJOR
Students completing the pre-engineering sequence with a grade point average of 2.50 or above are eligible for admission to the electrical engineering program (major code 517). Note that the general education and pre-engineering requirements are identical for both electrical and computer engineering majors. Therefore, a student who has successfully completed the pre-engineering requirement may declare either the electrical engineering (major code 517) or the computer engineering (major code 518) upper division major. Students are strongly advised to complete at least six credits of general education courses before applying for admission to an engineering major. The admission of transfer students will be based on a detailed comparison of their transcript with the New Paltz pre-engineering requirements and consultation with an advisor from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
DEPARTMENTAL ACADEMIC POLICIES
Pre-engineering students may not enroll in engineering or engineering related
courses other than Introduction to Engineering (47101), Fundamentals of Electrical
Engineering (40193), and Technical Communications (47309). Exceptions are frequently
granted for Circuits Laboratory (40209), Circuit Analysis (40293), Digital
Logic Laboratory (45208), Digital Logic Fundamentals (45230), Ordinary Differential
Equations [ODE] (64359), and Linear Algebra (64362). Permission to register
in any of these courses must be obtained from the Department before registration.
Students are required to receive grades no less than a C- in any course that is used to staisfy the Engineering major requirements. Courses taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis cannot be applied toward the engineering degree requirements.
UPPER-DIVISION ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS
The upper-division engineering course work, which leads to the Bachelor of
Science degree in Electrical Engineering, consists of the electrical engineering
core and a series of technical electives.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CORE CURRICULUM (50-51 engineering credits)
The following courses constitute the electrical engineering core:
| Total Credits | Design Credits | Engr/Sci Credits | ||
| 40209 | Circuits Laboratory | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 40293 | Circuit Analysis | 3 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| 40311 | Signals and Systems | 3 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| 40320 | Electronics I | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40321 | Electronics II | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40322 | Electronics I Lab | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 40323 | Electronics II Lab | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 40340 | Engineering Electromagnetics I | 3 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| 40341 | Engineering Electromagnetics II | 3 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| 40408 | Senior Design Project I1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 40409 | Senior Design Project II1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 45208 | Digital Logic Laboratory | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 45230 | Digital Logic Fundamentals | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 45308 | Microprocessor Laboratory | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 45331 | Microprocessor System Design | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 47309 | Technical Communications | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 64359 | Ordinary Differential Equations | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 40394 | Engineering Statistics | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 64362 | Linear Algebra | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 75315 | Mechanical Engineering2 | 3 or 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 50-51 | ||||
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TECHNICAL ELECTIVES (23 credits)
Twenty-three credits of technical electives are required which must include at least three electrical and/or computer engineering (40xxx and/or 45xxx) lecture courses (9 credits) and two engineering (40xxx and/or 45xxx) laboratories (2 credits). Students must obtain the advice of their advisor about their choice of electives before registering. (Engineering Graduate Courses can be used as undergraduate Technical Electives.)
Lecture Group
| Total Credits | Design Credits | Engr/Sci Credits | ||
| 25340 | Operating Systems I | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 25341 | Operating Systems II | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 25353 | Software Engineering | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 25393 | Computer Science 2A | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 25410 | Design and Analysis of Algorithms | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 25420 | Languages and Machines | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 25450 | Design of Programming Languages | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 40312 | Communication Systems | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40316 | Control Systems I | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40317 | Digital Control Systems | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40342 | Microwave Fundamentals | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40436 | Microelectronic Technology | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40451 | Electromechanical Energy Conversion | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40452 | Electric Power Systems | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 40493 | Solid State Devices | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 45493 | Embedded Systems | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 45493 | Digital Systems Design | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 45493 | Computer Communication | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 45423 | Digital Integrated Circuits | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 45435 | VLSI Design | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 64320 | Discrete Mathematics | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 64375 | Numerical Methods | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 64488 | Partial Differential Equations | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 75309 | Modern Physics I | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 40494 | Co-op/fieldwork | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Laboratory Group
| Total Credits | Design Credits | Engr/Sci Credits | ||
| 40302 | Antennas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40303 | Microwave Fundamentals | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 40304 | Control | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40305 | Communication | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40306 | Microwaves Circuits | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 40493 | Microelectronics Technology | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40493 | Digital Control | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 40493 | Electric Power Systems | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 45401 | VLSI Design | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Footnotes
1Senior Design Project I and II (40408 and 40409 - 6 cr).
Seniors must register during each of the last two semesters preceding their graduation for Senior Design Project I and II. A single project under the
direction of a single faculty member will be spread over two semesters. This project should provide a meaningful engineering design experience and should draw on the cumulative technical background of the student.
2Choose one of the following two courses.
75315 Engineering Mechanics (4)
75422 Thermodynamics (3)
Course Descriptions
- General Engineering Course Descriptions
- Computer Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Graduate Courses
» Download Electrical Engineering Handbook *
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