Electrical Engineering, B.S.

Engineering is the application of science, mathematics and common sense to solve practical problems and design useful products.

Electrical Engineering, B.S.

Electrical Engineering offers a mix of circuit design, software development, communication systems and power electronics. Our graduates are well prepared for employment in a wide range of companies and research labs.

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

A minimum of 45 credit hours of Engineering coursework to include:

Core Courses

A minimum of 30 credit hours of Mathematics and Science coursework to include:

Notes:

If students do not meet the minimum Mathematics and Science requirements, additional coursework may need to be taken.

Courses below MATH 151 do not apply to the required credit hours in Mathematics and Science.

* Students who do not place into MATH 151 must successfully complete the course prerequisite, MATH 140.

Electrical Engineering

ELEC 150 - Introduction to Electrical Engineering

4.00 credit hours - Fundamental concepts of electrical circuits, components and measurement techniques. Lecture/Laboratory.

ELEC 200 - Digital Logic I

4.00 credit hours - Students learn to design digital logic building blocks and to create combinational and sequential logic circuits. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ENGR 100.

ELEC 250 - Circuit Analysis I

4.00 credit hours - Basic circuit analysis, nodal and mesh, equivalent circuits, independent and dependent sources, power and multi-phase circuits. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ENGR 100.

ELEC 280 - Microcontrollers

2.00 credit hours - Fundamentals of microcontroller design and operation. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 150.

ELEC 310 - Analog and Digital Signals

2.00 credit hours - Methods of transmitting analog and digital signals, maintaining signal integrity, bandwidth limitations, noise. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 200 and ELEC 351.

ELEC 330 - Motors and Actuators

4.00 credit hours - Fundamentals of motor design and operation, electronic drives, encoders, linear actuators. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): Concurrent enrollment in ELEC 351.

ELEC 351 - Circuit Analysis II

4.00 credit hours - Network analysis techniques of direct and alternating current theory. Transient forced and complete responses of circuits. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 250.

ELEC 380 - Power Electronics

4.00 credit hours - Design of high current and high voltage power supplies and circuit design. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 330.

ELEC 460 - Electronic Controls

4.00 credit hours - Temperature controls, PWM motor control, industrial processes, photosensitive devices, opto coupling, timers and transducers. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 351.

ELEC 470 - FPGA Design

4.00 credit hours - Introduces students to advanced design methodologies and practical design approaches for high-performance FPGA applications. Lecture/Laboratory.

Prerequisite(s): ELEC 280.

Engineering

ENGR 100 - Introduction to Engineering

2.00 credit hours - An overview of specific engineering majors, lab safety, competitions, internships, research, post-graduate opportunities and employment options. Examines the relevancy of a liberal arts foundation and how it relates to the field of engineering.

Cardinal Directions Designation(s): Career Preparation.

ENGR 110 - The Engineering Method

2.00 credit hours - Methods and practices employed to develop, commercialize and distribute products and services dependent on engineering will be presented. Includes descriptions of the four major career paths available to engineers. Lecture/Laboratory.

ENGR 120 - Engineering Calculations

2.00 credit hours - Develops the student’s ability to use MATLAB to solve various engineering problems. Lecture/Laboratory.

ENGR 297 - Internship

0.00-12.00 credit hours - Valuable professional experiences supplement classroom instruction and allow students to apply theories and concepts to broader issues and system. Students explore career options within a specific area of study and critically reflect on the experience in a structured manner. May be repeated with different professional experience.

Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing.

ENGR 299 - Independent Study

1.00-12.00 credit hours - Individual studies undertaken with guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated with different content.

ENGR 350 - Measurements I

4.00 credit hours - Methods for digital data acquisition; measurements of pressure, temperature, flow rate, heat transfer and static forces and moments. Lecture/Laboratory

Prerequisite(s): MECH 210 and PHYS 211.

ENGR 397 - Internship

0.00-12.00 credit hours - Valuable professional experiences supplement classroom instruction and allow students to apply theories and concepts to broader issues and system. Students explore career options within a specific area of study and critically reflect on the experience in a structured manner. May be repeated with different professional experience.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

ENGR 399 - Independent Study

1.00-12.00 credit hours - Individual studies undertaken with guidance of a faculty member. May be repeated with different content.

ENGR 400 - Independent Project I

2.00 credit hours - Independent research or design project.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

ENGR 431 - Industrial Metrology and Statistics

2.00 credit hours - An exploration of the tools and methods used to monitor and control production processes, product characteristics and performance including evaluating process stability, detect rates MTTF and MTBF.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

ENGR 450 - Capstone I

4.00 credit hours - Independent engineering design project.

Prerequisite(s): ENGR 400 and Senior standing; concurrent enrollment in both MECH 420 and MECH 440 OR in both ELEC 460 and PHYS 320.

ENGR 451 - Capstone II

4.00 credit hours - Independent research or design project.

Prerequisite(s): ENGR 450.

ENGR 480 - Failure Analysis

4.00 credit hours - Case studies will be analyzed to determine root cause for failed engineering materials and components.

Prerequisite(s): PHYS 263 or MECH 210.

ENGR 497 - Internship

0.00-12.00 credit hours - Valuable professional experiences supplement classroom instruction and allow students to apply theories and concepts to broader issues and system. Students explore career options within a specific area of study and critically reflect on the experience in a structured manner. May be repeated with different professional experience.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

Take advantage of some of the many opportunities to enrich your education outside the classroom! Below are some examples; follow the links for more information.

  • Gain "real-world" experience through an Internship

Many engineering students work part-time in the Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program at Argonne National Laboratory. Co-op students work 15-19 hours per week during the school year and often work full-time during summer and break periods.  

  • Study Abroad

Recent engineering students have studied at the University of Glasgow and Dundee University in Scotland and at Macquarie University in Australia.

  • Get your hands on Research

Engineering students can do research with North Central faculty during the academic year and summers, or spend fall of your senior year doing research at a national laboratory through the Department of Energy's SULI program.  Students present their research at North Central’s annual Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research, and many present at the annual Argonne Symposium and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.