Electrical Engineering (BS)

Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus

The Electrical Engineering Department offers a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. The undergraduate degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. 

The mission of the Electrical Engineering Department is to educate students to achieve excellence in the discipline of electrical engineering and to teach them to apply their education to solve practical problems in a socially responsible way. Students are prepared for careers of service, leadership, and distinction in a wide range of engineering and other related fields using a participatory, learn-by-doing, and “hands-on” laboratory, project, and design centered approach. Students are encouraged to participate in lifelong learning as essential in the presence of the ever-increasing pace of technological change. 

Diversity in the students, faculty and staff is embraced and enhances the quality and creativity of the campus experience and environment. 

The primary educational objectives of the Electrical Engineering program (May 2023 revision) are to prepare graduates to: 

1.    Excel in the electrical engineering profession, demonstrating technical agility, personal integrity, a collaborative spirit, articulate communication skills, and a global perspective in the design and commercialization of new products and the solution of engineering problems

2.    Achieve personal career satisfaction while making a positive contribution to their employer and to society.  

3.    Demonstrate understanding of the broad social, economic, and ethical implications of their work.  

4.     Embrace lifelong learning as necessary to remain current and to further develop in their profession; being prepared to pursue graduate degrees for enhanced skills and opportunities.    

The Electrical Engineering degree programs prepare graduates for distinguished practice in professional engineering; equipping students for pursuing engineering solutions to urgent problems while being responsibly aware of all implications. To that end, the curriculum provides a sound theoretical background along with current, practical engineering knowledge. Cal Poly's "learn by doing" philosophy is emphasized by integrating design throughout the curriculum in numerous design-centered laboratories that provide students with hands-on experiences in design synthesis, analysis, characterization, and verification. 

The student begins the major in the first quarter with an orientation class and laboratory; and generally has one or more major courses each quarter until graduation. The many laboratory courses provide practical experience and lead logically from demonstration of theory into design applications. 

During their junior and senior years, students choose technical electives to gain additional expertise in one or more areas of specialization within electrical engineering. These courses deal with the development, design and application of circuits, electronic devices, computers, and systems for communication, controls, information processing and display, and system instrumentation. Senior courses in this area provide specialized preparation in a selected area such as active and passive network synthesis, advanced communications systems, software and hardware aspects of computer system design, microelectronic circuit engineering, microprocessor systems applications, rf and microwave engineering, photonics, biomedical engineering, integrated circuits, and solid-state devices. 

Other courses deal with industrial process control systems, power electronics, and with generation, distribution, control, and utilization of electric power. Senior elective courses in this area provide specialized preparation in a selected area such as advanced control systems, energy conversion, power system analysis, protection and stability, and solid-state motor control. 

Employers recognize that students who have completed such specialized technical courses are early contributors in the workforce. Students wishing to pursue graduate work may select appropriate senior courses in keeping with this goal. 

In the required senior design project, students demonstrate their understanding of engineering knowledge and their ability to apply that knowledge creatively to solve practical problems. 

Involvement in faculty research is possible for graduate students and outstanding undergraduate students. Research areas include computer-aided education, autonomous systems, signal and image processing, electric vehicles, computer architecture and software systems, photonics, polymer electronics, power systems, power electronics, radio frequency electronics, communication systems, biomedical electronics, renewable energy systems, and electric power microgrid systems. 

Our Electrical Engineering curriculum prepares students to take the examinations required to become a licensed professional Engineers. The examinations include the Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E.) exam and the professional engineering exam (P.E.) administrated by the national council of Examiners for Engineering (NCEES). 

Students are encouraged to participate in professional organizations and clubs such as: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS), IEEE Consumer Electronics Society (IEEE-CES), IEEE Power and Energy Society (IEEE-PES), Audio Engineering Society (AES), Cal Poly Robotics, Electric Vehicle Club, Renewable Energy Club, Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Formula Electric challenge, Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Women involved in Software & Hardware (WISH), Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Student Electrical Engineering Council (SEEC), and the Amateur Radio Cub. The Electric Power Institute, sponsored by the university and underwritten by major utility companies and electrical equipment manufacturers, offers advanced seminars and lectures in the electrical power field and facilitates student and faculty interaction with industry.