Electrical engineering curriculum to change in fall

UCLA’s electrical engineering curriculum will undergo several changes in fall quarter to remove certain major requirements deemed unnecessary and include more introductory and design courses requested by students.

The changes are meant to simplify the major requirements for students while allowing them more freedom to take courses related to their area of specialization, said Professor Oscar Stafsudd, professor at and vice chair of the UCLA electrical engineering department.

The new curriculum is the result of years of research and consultation with students and professors, who pushed for the creation of a new introductory seminar, called Electrical Engineering 3, and a design course series, Stafsudd said.

“We worked really hard to consolidate and streamline the way core material is presented to all students, no longer requiring certain courses that seemed to be unnecessary for students of certain specializations,” he said.

While requiring students to take the same amount of units and courses, the new curriculum will include additional lower division lab courses and make two math and statistics classes – Stats 105 and Math 132 – optional.

Returning students can opt to stick the old electrical engineering requirements or can transition into the new curriculum, but incoming students must follow the new curriculum in fall.

Current students are encouraged to work with department counselors to determine the plan that works best for them, Stafsudd said. He added that students can petition to complete a mix of the old and new curricula.

The new two-quarter design series will allow students to gain experience in designing and presenting their own lab work, like they would in a professional setting, Stafsudd said.

Justin Young, a current fourth-year electrical engineering student, said he thinks the change is a good decision because it gives incoming students more access to interactive courses earlier on in their studies.

The department will not receive extra money from the school to fund the new curriculum, said Richard Wesel, associate dean of academic and student affairs at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and professor at the electrical engineering department.

Course offerings and teaching assignments will be adjusted so the department can function without increasing its budget, said Greg Pottie, an electrical engineering professor.

Ahmed Hassan, a current fourth-year electrical engineering student, said he thinks the changes are more efficient for incoming students. He added that he would opt for the new curriculum if he wasn’t graduating next year.

Hassan said the statistics and math courses the department removed from the curriculum are supposed to be foundational math classes, but they are not critical to the major. He added that he has yet to take the classes.

Following the change, all electrical engineering students participating in the new curriculum will take Electrical Engineering 3, which is intended to give students hands-on experience with electrical engineering tools early in their undergraduate careers, Pottie said.

Electrical Engineering 3 is intended for students either late in their first year or early in their second year in the major. The class will include one lecture and lab each week, and senior members of electrical engineering organizations will serve as mentors for younger students in the class.

Young, president of the UCLA Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a student group, said he thinks the changes are necessary and wishes they had been made years ago.

Pottie said the new curriculum took years to implement because of the input that needed to be gathered from students, professors and administrators before the change could take place.

“Change tends to come at a slow pace,” Pottie said. “You need to be cautious, especially because we’ve had a very strong program and a lot of success in the past.”

He added that It was important for faculty and administrative departments to agree with the changes because of their role in teaching and advising students with the new curriculum.

The changes are part of the department’s efforts to modernize the electrical engineering program and keep it competitive with programs at top universities, Pottie said.

 

Contributing reports by Samantha Tomilowitz, Bruin senior staff