Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Faculty
Chair
- H. Vincent Poor (acting) (fall)
- James C. Sturm
Associate Chair
- Claire F. Gmachl
Director of Undergraduate Studies
- Prateek Mittal
Director of Graduate Studies
- Niraj K. Jha
Executive Committee
- Claire F. Gmachl, Electrical & Comp Engineering
- Andrew A. Houck, Electrical & Comp Engineering
- Sharad Malik, Electrical & Comp Engineering
- Peter J. Ramadge, Electrical & Comp Engineering
- James C. Sturm, Electrical & Comp Engineering
- Naveen Verma, Electrical & Comp Engineering
Professor
- Ravindra N. Bhatt
- Stephen Y. Chou
- Jason W. Fleischer
- Claire F. Gmachl
- Andrea J. Goldsmith
- Andrew A. Houck
- Niraj K. Jha
- Antoine Kahn
- Sanjeev R. Kulkarni
- Sun-Yuan Kung
- Stephen A. Lyon
- Sharad Malik
- Prateek Mittal
- H. Vincent Poor
- Paul R. Prucnal
- Peter J. Ramadge
- Mansour Shayegan
- James C. Sturm
- Naveen Verma
- Pramod Viswanath
Associate Professor
- Jason D. Lee
- Barry P. Rand
- Alejandro W. Rodriguez
- Kaushik Sengupta
- Jeffrey D. Thompson
- Hakan E. Türeci
- Mengdi Wang
- David Wentzlaff
- Gerard Wysocki
- Nathalie P. de Leon
Assistant Professor
- Maria Apostolaki
- Minjie Chen
- Jaime Fernandez Fisac
- Tian-Ming Fu
- Yasaman Ghasempour
- Sarang Gopalakrishnan
- Chi Jin
- Saien Xie
Associated Faculty
- Amir Ali Ahmadi, Oper Res and Financial Eng
- Craig B. Arnold, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng
- David I. August, Computer Science
- Jianqing Fan, Oper Res and Financial Eng
- Kyle A. Jamieson, Computer Science
- Gillat Kol, Computer Science
- Kai Li, Computer Science
- Lynn Loo, Chemical and Biological Eng
- Margaret R. Martonosi, Computer Science
- Jason Petta, Physics
- Jennifer Rexford, Computer Science
Lecturer
- Hossein Valavi
Visiting Associate Professor
- Tirza S. Routtenberg
Visiting Lecturer
- Jonathan Hodges
- Ali Javadi-Abhari
- Hamed Rahmani
Program Information
Information and Departmental Plan of Study
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers an academic program of study spanning a wide range of disciplines, connecting the broad fields of information, data, communication, and computing systems to circuits, energy, and the physical world. To prepare students for a future beyond Princeton, the three main themes of the program are (i) a broad foundation, (ii) depth and expertise in a concentration, and (iii) independent work and design.
All students begin with a unifying foundation, after which areas of specialization range from information and data sciences, computing systems, privacy and security, and communication technology, to robotics and autonomous cyberphysical systems, to semiconductor electronic and optoelectronic devices, materials and nanotechnology, photonics and optics, and quantum computing, to circuits with energy and biomedical applications. Students may select one of a set of suggested concentrations, or tailor their own in consultation with their faculty adviser to suit special interests. The ECE program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Students enter the department with a variety of career objectives in mind. Some intend to enter industry directly upon graduation or to continue their studies in graduate school. Others wish to use the electrical and computer engineering program as background for careers in other fields ranging from business to law to medicine. Flexibility in the undergraduate program allows a wide variety of objectives to be achieved and to allow a student to see a wide cross-section of electrical and computer engineering before deciding on an area of concentration. Similarly, students may also formally combine electrical and computer engineering with studies in a wide range of disciplines outside of ECE, from other engineering and science fields to broader topics connecting to society in many ways. (See Interdisciplinary Programs below.)
General Requirements
All candidates for the B.S.E. are required to satisfy the general University requirements and the School of Engineering and Applied Science requirements. The SEAS computing requirement should be fulfilled in the first year if possible.
Each student's academic program must have depth in at least one area plus a reasonable degree of breadth to produce a sound basis for future development. All programs are required to have a strong design component and a strong engineering science component. The specific plan of study is determined in consultation with the student's academic adviser, taking into account ABET program guidelines. All such plans must include the following:
1. Foundations: Electrical and Computer Engineering 201, 203, and at least one of 206 or 308. This requirement is normally satisfied by the end of sophomore year, although 206 and 308 can be delayed if foundational courses in related disciplines make this difficult. These courses are all open to all qualified first-year students.
2. Core: Electrical and Computer Engineering 302. This requirement is normally satisfied by the end of junior year.
3. Mathematics: At least one upper-level mathematics course. This may include: MAE305/MAT301, MAE306/MAT302, ORF309/MAT309, COS 340 or any other 300-/400-level mathematics course. The course selected to satisfy this requirement may not be counted toward the concentration requirement, toward the breadth requirement, or as a departmental.
4. Concentration: Three courses in a chosen concentration. (See Program of Study.)
5. Breadth: At least one 300-/400-level ECE elective course in an area distinct from the area of concentration. Some COS and PHY courses are also possible. Note: ORF 309 cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.
6. Engineering science: An engineering course with a significant scientific component must be taken outside of ECE to satisfy this requirement. Many courses can be used to satisfy this requirement; note, however, that a course comprised largely of mathematics or applied mathematics does not satisfy the requirement. The course used to satisfy the engineering science requirement cannot also be used to satisfy the concentration requirement or the breadth requirement, nor can it be counted as a departmental requirement. The following is a non-exhaustive list of possibilities: COS 217, 226, 320, 402, 423, 425, 451, 487; MAE 206, 221, 222, 324, 328, 344, 345, 433, 434; CEE 205, 207, 305, 471; MSE 301, 302; CBE 245, 246, 341, 415, 447; ORF 307, 311, 405, 406, 417.
7. Design: At least one upper-level electrical and computer engineering course with substantial design content beyond ECE 302 must be selected. These courses include ECE 375, 404, 458, 462, 475, 482 and COS 426, 436. This requirement may also be satisfied through junior work or a senior thesis with a substantial design component.
8. Balance and completeness: ECE students must take at least two upper-level (300- or 400-level) technical courses in each of the last four terms, called "departmental" courses. Of the eight departmental courses, at least five must be ECE courses and normally include 302 and the senior thesis (497, 498). The remaining three courses can be taken in CEE, CHM, CBE, COS, EEB, ECE, ENE, MAE, MAT, MOL, MSE, NEU, ORF, or PHY. Courses in or cross-listed with electrical and computer engineering counted toward this requirement must be closely related to the student's academic program.
Note: Junior independent work (397, 398) and the senior thesis (497, 498) cannot be used to fulfill the breadth or concentration requirements.
9. Senior thesis: A two-term senior thesis is required. Students must enroll in ECE 497 (fall) and ECE 498 (spring). A grade will be given at the end of each term. A senior thesis must include an oral presentation to the faculty at the end of each term.
10. Oral presentation: This requirement is normally satisfied by the senior thesis presentation at the end of the senior year. The midyear thesis presentation does not satisfy the requirement.
Program of Study
After the foundational courses, each student must develop depth in a coherent area of concentration. Concentrations may be interdisciplinary and include courses from other departments in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, as well as from related fields such as biology, chemistry, neuroscience, physics, and others. However, the courses must form a coherent theme, and normally, two of the courses will be ECE courses or designated equivalents. ORF 309/MAT 380 may be used to satisfy either the upper-level mathematics requirement or the concentration requirement, but not both. The current list of standard concentrations may be found at https://ee.princeton.edu/academics/undergraduate/curriculum.
Graduate courses (500 level) are open to undergraduates after the completion of a permission form containing the signatures of the instructor and director of undergraduate studies.
Independent Work
Independent projects outside normal, structured lecture or laboratory courses are a valuable educational experience, and are most like what a student will experience in life after academia. Most students find them intellectually challenging but also extremely fulfilling. The projects may be done in collaboration with a faculty member's research program, or they may be "self-driven." Each student doing independent work will be required to give a presentation during a department-organized session given at the end of each term. Sophomore and junior independent work is highly encouraged (ECE 297, 298, 397, 398) and a two-semester thesis is required.
Interdisciplinary Programs. Interested students may combine their work in electrical and computer engineering with that in other departments through interdisciplinary certificate programs such as robotics and intelligent systems, computing applications, optimization and quantitative decision science, engineering physics, materials science and engineering, neuroscience, engineering biology, environmental studies, applied and computational mathematics, sustainable energy, and technology and society. Students fulfilling a certificate program will receive a special certificate upon graduation. Concentrators should consult with their advisers to develop an ECE program that best combines their ECE interest with the interdisciplinary program. Additional materials on a certificate program may be obtained by contacting the director of the program.
Further Information. Additional information on the departmental academic program and requirements is given in the electrical and computer engineering handbook, available from the departmental undergraduate office, Room B304, Engineering Quadrangle, or online at https://ee.princeton.edu/academics/undergraduate/program. Prospective concentrators in electrical and computer engineering should consult the director of undergraduate studies as early as possible for purposes of planning an academic program.