by Allen Drake

During the spring of 1995 in response to an initiative from the Undergraduate Committee, the Department's faculty voted to approve the general concept for a new curriculum. EE curricula are being updated across the nation, and while we want to keep up, we still want to maintain our excellent reputation and have it possible for students to complete their studies within 128 credits. Our aim is to make the course of study at UNH more streamlined, more relevant to today's industry, and more flexible in specifying the higher level courses, so that students can specialize in a broader range of topics. We are also concerned about the lower number of students going in to electrical or computer engineering, another nationwide phenomenon, and we intend that the changes envisioned will make us more attractive to prospective freshmen. The highlights of the changes include the following:

1. Introduction of a new freshman EE course. This will give students a flavor of what they're getting into by following the EE curriculum and entering this profession. Concepts will be taught by showing that practical problems can be solved by applying engineering principles to realistic electrical and computer problems. Other engineering departments have had such a course for years, and we're hoping that ours may generate some excitement for electrical and computer engineering, as well as a sense of ownership among first year students, who will then be less likely to drop out of the EE program. Through it we also hope to attract undeclared students from within the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences..

2. Revamping the circuits and electronics courses. Currently we require four circuits and electronics courses for the Systems Engineering Option majors and three circuits and electronics courses for our Computer Engineering Option majors. Under the new curriculum three circuits and electronics courses will be required of all majors. The topics covered will be somewhat modified from any three of the present courses.

3. Elimination of the required junior course in networks and the required senior courses in communication and controls. This material will be covered at a more basic level in two signals and systems courses in the junior year. There will also be more systems material in the circuits and electronic courses than is presently the case.

4. Elimination of the Systems Engineering Option. Students currently have to choose either the Systems Engineering Option or the Computer Engineering Option in their junior year. Under the new curriculum a student can refrain from choosing, take standard electrical engineering courses, and receive a standard B.S. in electrical engineering. A student will still be able to choose the Computer Engineering Option (or some other option), which will entail taking the standard courses plus having some professional electives specified.

5. A more open senior year. Except for the required senior project and General Education requirements specified by the University, the senior year for EE majors will consist only of professional and free electives. This will allow students the flexibility to explore many topics in depth.

In the academic year 1995-96 five faculty committees worked on developing the new courses, and these will be implemented so that the Class of 2000 will be the first to experience the new curriculum. This means, for example, that only the new freshman course, EE 401, needs to be ready for the fall of 1996. Jennifer Bernhard, our newest faculty member, was put in charge of coordinating EE 401, and she is excited about her assignment and how several EE faculty will be involved. Her syllabus states that the goals are to initiate students' basic problem-solving, communication, and time-management skills, and to introduce the profession and activities of electrical engineering. We wish her the best as she pioneers in this new venture for us.