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DEGREE Electrical Engineering, BS

Major in electrical engineering

As an electrical engineering major, you can learn to design, develop, analyze, research and create systems for a wide variety of fields, including power generation, communication, healthcare and instrumentation. You’ll also learn about the devices and components that make up these systems —from the smallest transistors (of which there can be hundreds of billions on a single chip!) to antennas, lasers, electric engines and even fusion devices that could provide power for the world.

Electrical engineering majors learn the tools for analyzing and operating systems, including signal processing, control and machine learning. You can even focus on the mathematics, tools and practices associated with machine learning and data science in engineering with our new Machine Learning and Data Science named degree option. In the UW-Madison ECE department, our program will match your ambition.

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At a glance

Electrical and computer engineering department

25
faculty in our department who are women
10
undergraduate ranking among public universities in computer engineering
9
undergraduate ranking among public universities in electrical engineering
Facts & stats

Program and Degree Information

Determine what kind of student you will be and learn more about what information you need to apply.

Freshman A freshman includes anyone who is currently a student in high school or who has not taken college coursework since graduating from high school.

Transfer Student A transfer student is anyone who has attended another college or university after graduating from high school and wishes to enroll in an undergraduate degree program at UW–Madison.

Cross-campus Student Cross-campus transfer students are students who are currently enrolled in another school or college at UW-Madison who wish to transfer into the College of Engineering.

Reentry Student Students who previously attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an undergraduate and would like to complete their first undergraduate degree will need to apply for reentry admission. Reentry students are those who have not been enrolled in courses for a semester or more.

Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).

 

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The College of Engineering is committed to recognizing the potential and accomplishments of incoming and enrolled students by supporting their education through a variety of scholarships at the college and departmental level.

 

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Educational Objectives
We recognize that our graduates will choose to use the knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their undergraduate years to pursue a wide variety of career and life goals, and we encourage this diversity of paths. Whatever path our graduates may choose, we expect them to be meeting the following objectives at least three to five years after graduation.

  1. Employment in industry, government, academia, or nonprofit using their degree knowledge or skills for professional functions such as teaching, research and development, quality control, technical marketing, intellectual property management, or sales. Graduates may eventually reach a leadership position supervising others.
  2. Continuing education through self-study or short courses and workshops through their employer, local or online educational institutions, or attendance at professional events such as conferences.
  3. Taking a principal role in starting a new business or product line.
  4. Pursuing a postgraduate degree.

Learning Outcomes

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Enrollment and Degrees Conferred

Enrollment, Fall 2017
BS Electrical Engineering: 435

Degrees conferred, 2017-2018
BS Electrical Engineering: 105

Our Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET

View the Undergraduate Guide for information on requirements, four-year plans and more.
View the Guide
Signal processing iStock image

Machine learning and data science option offers ECE undergrads in-demand skills

In the last couple of decades, technology has become very efficient at collecting information from the physical world, including wearable medical sensors, radar systems integrated into automobiles and satellites monitoring…

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