EE Course Map: for students entering in 2012

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) offers 4-year programs leading to the B.Eng. degree in Electrical Engineering and the B.Eng. degree in Computer Engineering. The Electrical Engineering program has been continuously and fully accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (now called Engineers Canada).

First year Engineering, students take twelve courses (34 credit units) that are the same for all programs. Once you enter second year, you select a specific degree program. With the exception of one course, this year is common to both Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Engineering (CME). In the EE program, specialization in Power Systems, Communications, or Electronic Materials & Devices is obtained by choosing appropriate electives in the third and fourth years. There is strong emphasis on laboratory work, analysis and design. The 4th year capstone design project integrates theoretical coursework and design principles.

Communications
Have you ever wondered how this web page was communicated to you, or how you can talk on a wireless phone, or why you get more channels and better pictures with digital television? Communications is the branch of engineering concerned with transmission of information such as telephone voice signals or a song that you might hear on satellite radio, your television, on a CD or on your iPod. These signals are stored and transmitted via many types media and channels and each has a different set of engineering problems to solve. The Communications Engineer finds the best way to communicate signals.

Electronic Materials and Devices
Did you notice the new traffic lights and the new automobile taillights? These are super-efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs), a new semiconductor technology developed by scientists and engineers working together. White LEDs, already available in flashlights, will soon light up laptop computer screens. Medical X-rays have been produced in the same manner for almost a century. New methods, with similarities to a digital camera, are being developed with the aid of materials researchers that include Electrical Engineers at the University of Saskatchewan.

Power Systems
What about those windmills? When the wind stops blowing, why don’t the lights go out and why don’t they get brighter during a windstorm? Electrical Engineers maintain the remarkable stability of our national electrical power system. It is a complex and demanding task and, on rare occasions, we don’t succeed. With no obvious reason, more than 25 million people were in the dark during the 1965 and 2003 power blackouts. Answers were found in a comprehensive study of power system control and protection.

Electronics and Control
How does that touch wheel on the iPod or the touch pad on my laptop actually work? Electronic engineers design circuits for every conceivable application: from space technology to video games, from environmental monitoring to robotic arms for spacecraft or people, and from circuits in our televisions and automobiles to the control systems in Homer's workplace. Control centers are part of oil refineries, mines, smelters, power stations and power networks, communication networks, ships, space vehicles, aircraft and even the dashboard of your car. Engineers design the system of sensors, communication, displays, "levers", and actuators that control remote processes. But will Homer wake up and push the button to withdraw fuel rods and prevent meltdown? Electronic engineers seem to have no limit in creativeness and imagination.