Editing Electrical Engineering

[[File:Van Leer Building, Georgia Tech.jpg|alt=A brick building, featuring a courtyard below it, on a cloudy winter day.|thumb|The Blake R. Van Leer Electrical and Computer Engineering Building.  The Van Leer Interdisciplinary Design Commons can be seen on the left.]]
'''Electrical Engineering''' is a Bachelors of Science program at Georgia Tech, falling under the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and within the College of Engineering.  It is a discipline of engineering dedicated to the study, design, and application of any device that uses electricity or electromagnetism.  Electrical engineering is a remarkably broad field.  Career paths exist in [[wikipedia:Control_engineering|controls engineering]], [[wikipedia:Power_engineering|power engineering]], [[wikipedia:Microelectronics|microelectronics engineering]], and [[wikipedia:Signal_processing|signal processing]].  Exposure to concepts in [[Computer Science|computer science]] can also prepare electrical engineers for work more loosely connected to the field.
Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering boasts over 1,400 undergraduate students, over 1,100 graduate students, over 20,000 alumni, and is ranked 5th in electrical engineering.<ref>https://www.ece.gatech.edu/</ref> <ref>https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/electrical-engineering-rankings</ref>  Of 163 degrees awarded in the 2020-2021 academic year, 142 recipients were male with the remaining 21 being female.<ref>https://lite.gatech.edu/</ref>
==Student Organizations==
[[File:Gt hkn bridge.jpg|alt=A metal monument in the form of a bridge circuit, with the letters HKN at center.|left|thumb|244x244px|The Eta Kappa Nu Bridge, placed opposite to Van Leer's entrance.]]


[[wikipedia:Eta_Kappa_Nu|Eta Kappa Nu]] (HKN), the national electrical engineering honors society, founded its Beta Mu chapter at Georgia Tech in 1904.<ref>https://hkn.ieee.org/hkn-chapters/all-chapters/beta-mu-chapter/</ref>  Juniors with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, seniors with a GPA of 3.4 or higher, and graduate students in good standing are eligible to join HKN.<ref>http://hkn.gtorg.gatech.edu/howtojoin.html</ref>  The organization hosts numerous social, corporate, and service events throughout the school year.<ref>http://hkn.gtorg.gatech.edu/benefits.html</ref>  Two scholarships, each of $1,000, are available to one undergraduate and one junior in fall and spring, respectively. 

[https://hive.ece.gatech.edu/ The Hive] is a student-led organization within the Van Leer Interdisciplinary Design Commons.<ref>https://hive.ece.gatech.edu/</ref>  The Hive provides students with a number of tools, including 3D printers, PCB fab, wood shop, laser cutters, and electronics stations.<ref>http://wiki.hive.ece.gatech.edu/doku.php</ref>  In order to use these machines, students must register for the "shared user management system" (or "SUMS") and undergo machine specific training.<ref>http://wiki.hive.ece.gatech.edu/doku.php?id=pcb-training </ref>  As a student-led organization, The Hive offers volunteer positions for "Peer Instructors," who staff The Hive while general users work within the makerspace.<ref>https://hive.ece.gatech.edu/getinvolved.html</ref> 

[https://ieee.gatech.edu/#about Georgia Tech IEEE], a chapter of [[wikipedia:Institute_of_Electrical_and_Electronics_Engineers|IEEE]], provides access to the largest professional society of electrical and computer engineers.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20180923200517/http://pes.edu/ieee/ieee/</ref>  Georgia Tech chapter of IEEE offers weekly tutoring sessions for 2000 and 3000-level electrical engineering courses, including ECE2026 and ECE 3040.<ref>https://ieee.gatech.edu/#tutoring</ref>  Georgia Tech IEEE offers undergraduates experience and workshops in two teams, Innovation and Hardware.  The Innovation Team focuses on microcontroller programming, PCB design, and application development.  The Hardware Team focuses on design and fabrication of robots, including PCB design, microcontroller programming, CAD, and manufacturing.<ref>https://ieee.gatech.edu/#resources</ref>  Georgia Tech IEEE is sponsored by relevant companies and organizations within the electrical engineering community, including Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Northrop Grumman.<ref>https://ieee.gatech.edu/#sponsors</ref>

[http://www.wece.gtorg.gatech.edu/ Women in Electrical Engineering] (or WECE) provides academic support, professional development, social events, and community outreach for female electrical engineers.<ref>http://www.wece.gtorg.gatech.edu/about-2/about/</ref>  The organization was founded in Fall 2004 and is sponsored by companies like Cisco, 3M, and Qualcomm.<ref>http://www.wece.gtorg.gatech.edu/sponsors/</ref>

Other relevant organizations include the [http://w4aql.gtorg.gatech.edu/ Amateur Radio Club], the [http://www.bgsa.gtorg.gatech.edu/ Black Graduate Student Organization], [http://ewbgt.org/ Engineers without Borders], the [https://inventionstudio.gatech.edu/ Invention Studio], [https://hytechracing.gatech.edu/ HyTech Racing Team], [https://robojackets.org/ RoboJackets], and [https://tbpi.gatech.edu/ Tau Beta Pi].

==Career Paths==
The ubiquity of electronics and electricity in all fields creates a number of possible positions and fields for electrical engineers.  The following list is not exhaustive, further information can be found through [https://career.gatech.edu/ C2D2].  
* Controls: programming and electrical design of systems used in automotive, manufacturing, and aerospace 
* Embedded Systems: programming and integration of embedded systems.  Dishwashers, cars, 3D printers, and WiFi routers are all examples of embedded systems
* Silicon: design and fabrication of integrated circuits and devices in personal devices or embedded systems
* Power Systems: design of electrical generation and transmission technologies, i.e. for utility companies or governments
==Is Electrical Engineering right for me?==
It should be noted, first off, that electrical engineers enjoy a great degree of financial security in the U.S.  The number of jobs available and the limited quantity of qualified engineers to fill them has driven the median annual salary of a Georgia Tech electrical engineer to $77,000.<ref>https://academiceffectiveness.gatech.edu/surveys/reports/georgia-tech-career-survey-salary-report-ay-2019-2020/georgia-tech-career-survey-report-ay-2019-2020</ref>

Options outside of engineering are also available to electrical engineers.  For example, a bachelor's in EE is extremely attractive to law firms because of its application in patent law.  

That being said, the curriculum for Tech's electrical engineering major is notoriously strenuous.  Many classes (i.e. [[ECE 2031]], [[ECE 3043]]) have a strong reputation of taking far more than their allotted weekly lab times.  If you find yourself struggling with math-heavy classes like [[ECE 2026]] but enjoying programming-heavy classes like [[ECE 2036]], consider changing your major to [[Computer Engineering]] or [[Computer Science]].  
==Degree Requirements==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" |General Core <ref>https://www.cc.gatech.edu/future/undergraduates/bscs/corereq</ref>
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center;"
|Course
|Description
|-
|APPH 1040/1050/1060
|Wellness Requirement (2)
|-
|ENGL 1101, 1102
|English Requirement (2)
|-
|CS 1301
|Computing Requirement (2)
|-
|[https://catalog.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/core-curriculum/core-area-c/# 6 credits of Humanities Classes]
|Humanities Requirement (6)
|-
| [[Government/History Requirement|One History/Government Requirement Class]]
| History/Government Requirement (3)
|-
|[[Economics Requirement|COE Economics Requirement]]
|COE Economics Requirement (3)
|-
|[[Social Science Classes|6 credits of Social Science Classes]]
|Social Science Requirement (6)
|-
|MATH 1551, 1552
|Calculus Requirement (6)
|-
|MATH 1554
|Linear Algebra Requirement (6)
|-
|[https://gt-student-wiki.org/mediawiki/index.php/Ethics_Requirement Ethics Requirement]
| Ethics Requirement (3)
|-
|PHYS 2211, 2212 + CHEM 1310/1211K + 1 more [[Other Science]]
|Lab Science Requirement (16)
|}
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! colspan="2" |Major Requirements <ref>https://catalog.gatech.edu/programs/signal-information-processing-robotics-autonomous-systems-electrical-engineering-bs/</ref>
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center;"
|Course
|Description
|-
|ECE 1100
|ECE Discovery Studio (1)
|-
|[[ECE 2020]]
|Digital System Design (3)
|-
|[[ECE 2026]]||Introduction to Signal Processing (3)
|-
| [[ECE 2031]] ||Digital Design Laboratory (2)
|-
|[[ECE 2035]] OR ECE 2036 ||Programming for Hardware/Software Systems OR Engineering Software Design (4)
|-
|[[ECE 2040]]||Circuit Analysis (3)
|-
|ECE 3005
|Professional/Technical Communication for ECE (1)
|-
|ECE 3025||Electromagnetics (3)
|-
|ECE 3040 ||Microelectronic Circuits (4)
|-
|ECE 3043||Measurements, Circuits, and Microelectronics Laboratory (2)
|-
|[[ECE Elective|2 3xxx/4xxx level ECE Electives]]
|ECE Elective Requirement (6)
|-
|[[MATH 2551]]
|Multivariable Calculus (4)
|-
|[[MATH 2552]]
|Differential Equations (4)
|-
|[[Probability/Statistics Class]]
|Probability/Statistics Requirement (3)
|}

==Threads ==
Electrical engineering offers [https://catalog.gatech.edu/programs/electrical-engineering-bs/#threadstext threads], or specializations, in eight different areas. Each thread acts as a specialization and also dictates the number of hours of [[free electives]] each student gets.

These include:

#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/signal-information-processing-thread Signal and Information Processing]
#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/robotics-autonomous-systems-thread Robotics and Autonomous Systems]
#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/telecommunications-thread Telecommunications]
#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/electronic-optoelectronic-devices-thread Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices]
#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/circuit-technology-thread Circuit Technology]
#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/bioengineering-thread Bioengineering]
#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/electric-energy-systems-thread Electric Energy Systems]
#[https://www.ece.gatech.edu/sensing-exploration-thread Sensing and Exploration]

Each thread offers further specializations.  For instance, the Robotics & Autonomous Systems thread offers specializations in Sensing & Exploration, Electrical Energy Systems, and Telecommunications (among many others).
==References==

<references />
[[Category:Majors]]