Breadth at the Edges: One-Credit Courses

A unique and distinguishing feature of our project-track MSECE is our suite of 1-credit courses.

In conversations with various stakeholders, one common theme that emerged was the critical need for “breadth at the edges.”  Engineers need technical depth in selected areas but also the ability to communicate with those who work in adjacent areas and, when needed, to dive in and become an expert on a new topic.

Obtaining this breadth from traditional 3-credit courses is simply impossible. These courses typically require prerequisites and include material that is focused on the specific needs of the discipline. A new kind of course is needed.

Our approach is to complement the traditional curriculum with an innovative suite of 1-credit courses that are not simply a trivial “watering down” of material in longer courses. They require re-thinking a topic and identifying new organizing principles so as to convey the essence without requiring a long string of prerequisites.

Our current list of one-credit courses includes the following:

Course #	Title	Area
ECE 50631	Fundamentals of Current Flow	MN
ECE 50632	Intro to Quantum Transport	MN
ECE 50633	Boltzmann Law: Physics to Machine Learning	MN
ECE 59500	Advanced Lithography	MN
ECE 59500	Applied Quantum Computing I-Fundamentals	FO & MN
ECE 59500	Applied Quantum Computing II-Hardware	FO & MN
ECE 59500	Applied Quantum Computing III-Algorithm and Software	FO & MN
ECE 59500	Computer Vision for Embedded Systems	CE
ECE 59500	Data Analysis - Design of Exp - Mach Learning	MN
ECE 59500	Essentials of Transistors	MN
ECE 59500	Intro to Power Electronics	PES
ECE 59500	Introduction to Compilers: Code Generation	CE
ECE 59500	Introduction to Compilers: Compiler Basics	CE
ECE 59500	Introduction to Compilers: Optimization	CE
ECE 59500	MEMS I: Microfabrication and Materials for MEMS	MN
ECE 59500	MEMS II: Fundamentals of MEMS Design	MN
ECE 59500	MEMS III: Applications in MEMS	MN
ECE 59500	Microfabrication Fundamentals	MN
ECE 59500	Semiconductor Fundamentals	MN
ECE 59500	Semiconductor Manufacturing	MN
ECE 59500	Theory and Practice of Solar Cells: A Cell to Systems Perspective	MN
ECE 60422	Primer On RF Circuit Design	FO
ECE 60423	RF System Design	FO
ECE 60424	RF Design: Passive & Active Components	FO
ECE 61010	Time Domain Simulation and Optimization for Design	PES
ECE 69500	Big Data for Reliability & Security	CNSIP
ECE 69500	Communication for Engineering Leaders
ECE 69500	Epidemic Processes	AC
ECE 69500	Epidemic Processes Over Networks	AC
ECE 69500	Fiber Optic Communications	FO
ECE 69500	Intro to Mathematical Fundamentals for Systems and Control Theory	AC
ECE 69500	Nanophotonic Modeling	MN
ECE 69500	Quantum Detectors	FO
ECE 69500	Quantum Networks	FO