ECE At-A-Glance

Students | Degrees | Graduation | Rankings | Academics | Research and Labs | Study Abroad | Diversity | Department Contacts

Overview

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The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers degrees beginning at the undergraduate level Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering to graduate programs, which include both master’s degrees and PhDs. Our programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Our undergraduate and master’s degrees prepare electrical engineering students to apply electrical, electronic and magnetic theory to solve problems related to the development, design and operation of electrical hardware and software, control systems, electrical machines and communication systems. Computer engineering students design, develop and implement new and changing hardware and software technology, making computers faster, smaller, more effective and less expensive.

A student may take one of two approaches to earn a master’s degree. In the “traditional” path, students choose to work on an industry or academic research project in a program that ends with a thesis and final exam. In the “industry” path, students collaborate with industry partners in concentrations of interest from the industry standpoint, perform an academic research project or take part in an internship.

Every PhD student works closely with a dedicated faculty advisor on a challenging research problem, which results in a dissertation. The university expects the majority of a doctorate candidate’s time in the program to be devoted to solving that research problem. Approximately 90 percent of the ECE doctoral students receive fellowships or graduate assistantships, and are provided a stipend and tuition coverage.

Our graduates are recruited by major companies, including IBM, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, AT&T, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Ford, and GM. Some of our best students continue their studies in the PhD program at Ohio State as well as America’s other top graduate programs. Many of our PhD graduates hold faculty positions at other universities in the United States and overseas.

Students

Enrollment and Admission

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ECE Total students (Fall 2015): 1,441

ECE Undergraduate enrollment: 916

  • ECE majors: 544
  • Pre-ECE majors: 373

ECE Graduate students: 525

  • Master’s program: 292
  • Doctorate program: 233

Credentials

  • Average GRE (quantitative) for 2012-2013
  • Master’s degrees: 775/163*
  • Doctorate degrees: 785/164*

(*second number reflects new GRE rating system)

Degrees Offered

  • Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Combined BS/MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Graduation (Summer 2015 through Spring 2016)

  • Bachelor’s degrees: 218
  • Master’s degrees: 151
  • Doctorate degrees: 42

Current Rankings

Ohio State’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering programs are consistently ranked among the best in the country by U.S. News and World Reports. In March 2014, the publication rated:

  • Ohio State as the top-ranked ECE department among Ohio universities.
  • ECE programs 19th out of 189 programs nationally.

Academics

Faculty and students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering focus on studies in a variety of specialized areas, including:

  • Analog and RF electronic circuits
  • Communication/signal processing
  • Computer and digital systems
  • Computer vision/image processing
  • Control systems
  • Electromagnetics
  • Remote sensing
  • Microwaves
  • Optics/photonics
  • Nanotechnology/electronic materials
  • Robotics/intelligent transportation
  • Networking
  • Sustainable energy and power systems

Research and Labs

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Research is a critical and integral part of the educational experience within Ohio State’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. For 2016, the department received more than $20.1 million in funding for diverse research on projected linked to international corporations, government, health care and the military.

The research opportunities for ECE students at all levels are unique and challenging. Under the direction of faculty members, students work on research problems that may involve laboratory work, computer programming, data analysis, and literature searching. Research projects prepare students for future graduate studies and/or the corporate world in ways regular curriculum alone cannot achieve.

ECE’s facilities include state-of-the-art classrooms and dozens of laboratories in three buildings (Dreese, Caldwell and the Electroscience Lab, one of the top academic labs in the U.S. for research in electromagnetics and related sciences.) Our additional 32 labs include the Information Processing System Laboratory, the Control Research Laboratory, the Solid State Electronics and Photonics Laboratory, the High Voltage Laboratory and the High Performance Computing and Networking Laboratory.

Other laboratories include:

  • Analog VLSI Lab
  • Center for High Performance Power Electronics
  • Circuit Laboratory for Advanced Sensors and Systems (CLASS)
  • Computational Biology and Cognitive Science Lab (CBCSL)
  • Control and Intelligent Transportation Research Lab
  • Control Systems Implementation Lab                      
  • Distributed Dynamical Systems Lab
  • Electronic Materials and Devices Lab (EMDL)
  • Electronic Materials and Nanostructures Lab (EMNLAB)
  • High Performance Computing and Biomedical Informatics Lab (HPC-BMI Lab)
  • Information Electronics Research Group
  • Institute for Materials Research (IMR)
  • Integrated Optics Lab
  • Mechatronics-Green Energy Systems Laboratory
  • Microelectronics Lab, a shared-user microfabrication cleanroom
  • Microwave Remote Sensing Lab
  • Mixed Signal Electronics Systems Lab (MISES)                      
  • Nanoelectronics and Optoelectronics Lab (NOEL) and Polymer Device Lab (PDL)
  • Non-Linear RF/Microwave Lab
  • Ohio Nanoscale Patterning Center
  • Power-Aware Computer Systems (PACS) Laboratory
  • Photonics Research Lab
  • Robotics Lab                        
  • Semiconductor Epitaxy and Analysis Lab (SEAL)                  
  • Smart Energy Laboratory
  • Software Radar Lab
  • Traffic Monitoring Laboratory

Study Abroad

In addition to hundreds of options for study abroad offered by the university, the ECE department has two unique exchange program arrangements with outstanding sister universities in China. Students can study at the School of Electronic, Information and Electrical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) or at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UETSC).

Department History

1884: First electrical engineering class taught at Ohio State

1888: Electrical Engineering program launched

1891: First undergraduate degrees awarded

1900: Master’s degree program authorized

1928: First doctorate degree awarded

1940: First electron microscope in U.S. built at Ohio State

2004: Department of Electrical Engineering renamed Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Diversity

• ECE graduate students represent different countries from all around the world.
• The department boasts the highest percentage of female electrical and computer engineering faculty in the country.
• 14.9% of ECE students in 2015 were female, compared to 7.4% in 2007.
• The number of underrepresented minorities (African American, Hispanic and Native American) in ECE’s student body was 5.5% in 2015.

Faculty

  • ECE currently boasts 48 tenure-track faculty, 12 research-track faculty and four professors of practice.
  • One is a member of the National Academy of Engineering
  • 21 are Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellows

Department contacts

Department Chair

Professor Joel T. Johnson, johnson.1374@osu.edu

Graduate Program

Graduate Studies Chair: Professor Prof. Andrea Serrani, serrani.1@osu.edu

Graduate Program Advisors: Patricia K. Toothman, toothman.8@osu.edu; Beth Bucher, bucher.8@osu.edu

Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Academic Advisors: Alissa Kasmer, kasmer.4@osu.edu and Alex Thomas, thomas.2994@osu.edu 

Undergraduate Honors and Research Advisor: Professor Bradley Clymer, clymer.1@osu.edu

Director of Development

Kathleen Coen, (614) 688-2212, coen.40@osu.edu

Public Relations Coordinator

Ryan Horns, (614) 688-1420, horns.1@osu.edu