B.S. in Electrical Engineering

Admission to the EE major is competitive. Please review the following prerequisites and application process carefully.

Prerequisites

Students may be conditionally admitted into the EE program with certain prerequisites in progress, but all prerequisites must be completed in order to enroll. To qualify for admission to EE, applicants must first be admitted to UWT and be on track to complete the following by the end of summer quarter before starting the major*:

• Calculus I (TMATH 124), Calculus II (TMATH 125), Calculus III (TMATH 126)
• Differential Equations (TMATH 207)
• Physics I (TPHYS 121), Physics II (TPHYS 122)**
• Electrical Circuits (TCES 215 - must have AC/DC)
• Programming: 5 credits of Introduction to Computer Programming C, C++, Python, or JAVA based languages. TCSS 142 is an example of one such course (5)

*All pre-requisite courses must be completed in the last seven years

**If the physics series is completed at UW Tacoma, no additional lab science is required. Transfer students may need one additional approved lab-based science course (Chemistry I -TCHEM 142 or Biology I - TBIOL 120) to meet the total number of lab science credits required (18 minimum) for graduation.

GPA Requirements

• Required cumulative prerequisite GPA of at least 2.5, with a minimum grade of 2.0 in each individual prerequisite course.
• Required minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all college coursework. 

Notes for Transfer Students:

• You may need one additional approved lab-based science course (Chemistry I -TCHEM 142 or Biology I - TBIOL 120) to meet the total number of lab science credits required (18 minimum) for graduation. 
• UW Seattle and UW Bothell students seeking to transfer to UW Tacoma also need to have a transfer application on file to be considered for admission.
• If you are not admitted to UWT, you cannot be admitted to the CES/EE major, but you may hold off on accepting your offer of admission to UWT until you have your program admissions decision. 
• Transfer students at Washington State community colleges are encouraged to pursue the Associate in Science - Transfer Track 2 to meet the admission requirements. Use the UW Course Equivalency Guide to determine the equivalent prerequisites at your school. 

Strong applicants typically have grades of 3.0 and higher in prerequisite math, science, engineering and programming courses, as well as a solid cumulative GPA.

Applications are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Completion of all prerequisite courses
• Grades in prerequisite courses -- individually and cumulatively (competitive applicants will have earned at least a 2.5 in each prerequisite course)
• Overall previous academic performance
• Completion of at least 45 college-level credits

Before starting the application, make sure you're ready to apply:

• You've been admitted to UW Tacoma and met the requirements to apply to the major (previous tab).
• You have completed at least 45 college-level credits.
• You completed the prerequisite courses listed in the Admission Requirements tab.
• You've earned a minimum grade of 2.0 in each prerequisite course and maintain a minimum cumulative prerequisite GPA of 2.5.
• You're meeting the July 1 priority application deadline. The application may close at any time after the priority deadline once the program reaches capacity.

Core Courses

• TCES 310 Signals and Systems (5)
• TCES 312 Electronics and Analog Circuits (5)
• TEE 315 Electrical Circuits II (4)
• TEE 316 Electronics and Analog Circuits II (5)
• TEE 317 Electric Machines (5)
• TCES 330 Digital Systems Design (5)
• TEE 331 Applied Electromagnetics (4)
• TEE 341 Communication Theory (4)
• TEE 372 Computer Architecture for EE (3)
• TCES 430 Microprocessor Design (5)
• TEE 431 Power Systems (5)
• TEE 451 Control Systems (5)
• TCES 421 Digital Integrated Circuit Design (5)
• TEE 453 Digital Signal Processing (5)
• TEE 480 Senior Project I (2)
• TEE 481 Senior Project II (4)
• TEE 482 Senior Project III (4)

Additional Math/Science Requirements

• T PHYS 123 Physics III (Waves)
• TMATH 208 Matrix Algebra
• 5 Credits of Additional Programming (e.g. TCSS 143 Object Oriented Programming)

The EE schedule planning grid shows a sample pathway to complete the B.S. in Electrical Engineering degree. Work with your advisor to make sure you are completing required courses for the program and electives for your area of interest.

Electronics

• TCES 431 Essentials of VLSI Testing and Hardware Security (5)
• TEE 417 Power Electronics (5)
• TEE 433 Sustainable Energy for Future Power Grid (5)

Embedded Systems

• TCES 460 Embedded Systems (4) or TCES 430 Microprocessor System Design (5)
• TCES 461 Hardware for Cryptography (5)
• TEE 463 Systems Science and Engineering (5)

Signal Processing

• TEE 454 Digital Communications (5) or TEE 456 Wireless Communications/RF Electronics (5)

Computer Networks

• TCES 425 Introduction to Computer Communication Networks (5)

Alternatively, you may choose one of the following classes:

• TEE 490 Special Topics in Electrical Engineering (1-5) Max 5
• TEE 497 Internships (1-5) Max 5
• TEE 498 Directed Readings in Electrical Engineering (1-5) Max 5
• TEE 499 Undergraduate Research in Electrical Engineering (1-5) Max 5
• TEE 461 Image Processing (5) 
• TCSS 487 Cryptography (5)
• TCSS 488 Coding Theory (5)

TEE 390 Undergraduate Seminar in Electrical Engineering is a workshop style course to help you solve problems and develop a deeper understanding of EE material. The course, overseen by a faculty member and a student mentor includes lectures and problem sessions in mathematics, programming, problem solving, and EE applications.

See also:

• The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) at UW Tacoma provides academic support in math, science, statistics and writing to all UWT students. 
• The Learning and Research Commons (LARC) is the hub of support for all members of our campus community for teaching, learning, conducting research, and using technology to support all of these endeavors.