Undergraduate programs

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers programs in electrical and computer engineering. Cooperative educational arrangements with Portland-area industries, government agencies, and engineering consulting offices are available to qualified students. Qualified freshmen are encouraged to participate in the University Honors Program. Qualified upper-division students should consider the Electrical and Computer Engineering departmental honors track as described below.

The electrical engineering and computer engineering programs at Portland State University are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - Telephone: (410) 347-7700.

Degree Maps and Learning Outcomes

Program Educational Objectives

Admission requirements

Degree requirements

Electrical Engineering B.S.

Electrical Engineering Minor

Computer Engineering B.S.

Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Honors track

Fast Track BS+MS Program

Admission requirements

ECE Admission Requirements

For students gaining 300-level ECE course admission FALL 2018

Terms of Admission & Deadlines

Before students can begin taking 300 level ECE courses, they must be admitted to the program and satisfy the course prerequisites.

  • The application deadline for admission to the program during fall term is April 15.
  • If you are not a current PSU student, please apply to PSU before you apply for admission to our program.
  • The application for our program is on the department web site.

Application Requirements

Only students who meet the following requirements by April 15 are eligible to apply for admission to our electrical engineering or computer engineering programs:

Application Recommendations

We recommend that students complete the following courses before applying for admission:

Selective GPA Calculation

  • The selective GPA is calculated from all lower and upper division math, science, computer science, and engineering courses that are required for one of our undergraduate degree programs and that have been completed with a letter grade by the time of application. See the PSU Bulletin for a list of courses required for our undergraduate degree programs.
  • If a student retakes a course in which they received a grade lower than a C-, the assigned grade during the first time they took the course will be excluded from the calculation. The grades in all subsequent attempts will be included in the calculation.

Admission Criteria

  • All students who have a selective GPA of 3.0 or higher will be admitted.
  • Students who meet our admission requirements but have a selective GPA below 3.0 will be considered for admission by a committee.
  • We do not give preference to any group of students. Students with transfer credits are treated the same as students who complete their courses at PSU.

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission, each student should meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Complete, with a minimum grade of C and a minimum GPA of 2.25, a designated set of courses for each program as follows:

Electrical Engineering:

The engineering core consisting of:

Ch 221General Chemistry I

4

Ch 227General Chemistry Laboratory

1

ECE 101Exploring Electrical Engineering

4

ECE 102Engineering Computation

4

ECE 103Engineering Programming

4

ECE 171Digital Circuits

4

ECE 172Digital Systems

4

ECE 221Electric Circuit Analysis I

4

ECE 222Electric Circuit Analysis II

4

ECE 223Electric Circuit Analysis III

4

Mth 251Calculus I

4

Mth 252Calculus II

4

Mth 253Calculus III

4

Mth 254Calculus IV

4

Mth 256Applied Ordinary Differential Equations

4

Mth 261Introduction to Linear Algebra

4

Ph 221General Physics (with Calculus) I

3

Ph 222General Physics (with Calculus) II

3

Ph 223General Physics (with Calculus) III

3

Ph 214Lab for Ph 201 or Ph 211 or Ph 221

1

Ph 215Lab for Ph 202 or Ph 212 or Ph 222

1

Ph 216Lab for Ph 203 or Ph 213 or Ph 223

1

Freshman Inquiry

Ph 211, Ph 212, and Ph 213 also accepted for Ph 221, Ph 222, and Ph 223

Freshman Inquiry: Comm 220, and Wr 121 for transfer students

Computer Engineering:

Ch 221General Chemistry I

4

Ch 227General Chemistry Laboratory

1

ECE 101Exploring Electrical Engineering

4

ECE 102Engineering Computation

4

ECE 103Engineering Programming

4

ECE 171Digital Circuits

4

ECE 172Digital Systems

4

ECE 221Electric Circuit Analysis I

4

ECE 222Electric Circuit Analysis II

4

ECE 223Electric Circuit Analysis III

4

Mth 251Calculus I

4

Mth 252Calculus II

4

Mth 253Calculus III

4

Mth 256Applied Ordinary Differential Equations

4

Mth 261Introduction to Linear Algebra

4

Ph 221General Physics (with Calculus) I

3

Ph 222General Physics (with Calculus) II

3

Ph 223General Physics (with Calculus) III

3

Ph 214Lab for Ph 201 or Ph 211 or Ph 221

1

Ph 215Lab for Ph 202 or Ph 212 or Ph 222

1

Ph 216Lab for Ph 203 or Ph 213 or Ph 223

1

Freshman Inquiry

Ph 211, Ph 212, and Ph 213 also accepted for Ph 221, Ph 222, and Ph 223

Freshman Inquiry: Comm 220, and Wr 121 for transfer students

2. Have a minimum technical GPA of 2.25

(Technical GPA is based on an average of all major-related classes taken prior to admission).

Selective Admission

If the number of eligible applicants for admission to the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering exceeds that for which resources are available, acceptance will be competitive. In the event selective admission becomes necessary, the GPA computed for the required courses for eligibility for program admission will be used. Priority, within reasonable limits, will be given to resident students.

Although the primary purpose of the selective admission procedures is to limit enrollment to the number of students who can be served at a high level of quality, it is recognized that the rigid application of these procedures may eliminate applicants with high potential but who, due to circumstances beyond their control, have had limited access to the type of preparatory education that is essential to achieving the high performance level required for admission. All such applicants will be considered on the basis of their life experience and leadership qualities in addition to their academic achievement.

Continuation Criteria

After admission to the Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering undergraduate program, students will be expected to make satisfactory progress toward their declared degree and will be subject to the following rules:

  1. The cumulative major GPA must be 2.00 or higher.

  2. At the conclusion of each term of the academic year, full-time students are normally expected to complete a minimum of 12 credits per term applicable toward their degree program. Part-time students are expected to complete a minimum of 12 credits per year applicable toward their degree program.

  3. The Electrical and Computer Engineering BS degree programs require that students receive a C or better in all required upper division courses numbered 300 or higher. If a student is unable to attain this grade after completing the course two times, the student will be suspended from the program.

  4. If a student in BS EE or BS CMPE program fails the same required electrical and computer engineering course two times, they are suspended from the program. The student may reapply to the program.

  5. Students will be placed on probation when their cumulative major GPA as described in (1) is below 2.00, or their progress toward the degree is less than that described in (2).

  6. Students placed on probation for two consecutive terms or for a total of three terms will be suspended from specific degree programs. Students will also be suspended if not enrolled in Electrical and Computer Engineering courses for three consecutive terms.

  7. Students denied admission or suspended must wait at least one term before reapplying. This waiting period does not apply to those denied due to “selective admission.”

  8. Students who have twice been found in violation of the student code of conduct will be automatically suspended from the program or denied admission. Transfer students will normally be expected to provide a disciplinary record from their institution. Any incidences of academic dishonesty are grounds for denial of admission. Full details of this policy are available from the department.

Appeals

Students denied admission or suspended may request reconsideration by submitting a petition. The petition and supporting materials will be reviewed by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Committee. The appeal must be made within 30 days of notice to the student of denial of admission or suspension.

Pass/No Pass Grading Policy

All courses specifically required by the University or by the Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering programs must be taken for a letter grade unless a required course is only offered with a pass/no pass option.