Department of Engineering and Physics

An introduction to the engineering profession, the engineering disciplines, and the engineering design process. Principles of professionalism, ethics, teamwork, and problem solving. Team-oriented, hands-on design project. Fee: Additional fee required.

An introduction to engineering computer-aided design and rapid prototyping. Use of design tools, such as AutoCAD and SolidWorks, along with 3D printing, and CNC milling to fabricate rapid prototype designs. Fee: Additional fee required.

Fundamental programming in the C language for solving physics and engineering problems. Translation of engineering problems into computational models. Introduction to engineering software tools such as MATLAB, Python, etc. Fee: Additional fee required.

Resultants of forces, moments and couples, centroids, area moments of inertia, beams, free body diagrams, two- and three-dimensional equilibrium systems, trusses, frames, and friction. Fee: Additional fee required.

Kinematics and kinetics of three-dimensional motion of particles, systems of particles, and rigid bodies; translating and rotating reference frames, space mechanics; work-energy, impulse-momentum, and impact problems; introduction to vibrations MATLAB applications and dynamic system modeling and design. Motion converters, mobility equations; Geometric synthesis of linkages; gear teeth; analysis and synthesis of gear trains and planetary gear differentials; computer-aided design. 

Analysis and design of basic combinatorial and sequential logic, Boolean algebra, Karnaugh maps, counters, adders, shift registers, multiplexers, and latches. ADC and DAC data conversion, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Fee: Additional fee required.

Prototyping and testing of simple combinatorial and sequential digital circuits using gates, flip-flops, multiplexers, decoders. Introduction to FPGAs and Verilog/VHDL. Fee: Additional fee required.

Fundamental principles of electrical circuits, DC and AC circuit analysis, single and three-phase electric power systems, electric motors. Introduction to circuit components, Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws, superposition, Thevenin and Norton theorems, operational amplifiers, RL and RC transients, circuit simulation with SPICE. Sinusoidal steady-state analysis, transformers, frequency response, Bode plots, resonance and filters, and Laplace transforms. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prototyping and testing of simple DC, AC, and RLC transient circuits, operational amplifiers, transformers, power supplies, filters. Fee: Additional fee required.

Principles and error analysis of measurements will be explored by performing experiments using test equipment and sensors such as oscilloscopes, function generators, multimeters, thermocouples, strain gauges, and photodiodes. Data acquisition and instrument/actuator control will also be covered using LabVIEW programming and instruments and sensor interfaces. Fee: Additional fee required.

An approved concentrated study in a field of engineering not covered in other courses. May be repeated for credit. 

An approved practical engineering field experience, usually in industry, supervised by an engineer and formally reported by the student. May be repeated for credit.

Properties, strength and modes of failure of engineering materials; theory of stresses and strains of ties, shafts, beams, and columns. Fee: Additional fee required.

Introduction to classical thermodynamics through the second law; system and control volume analysis of thermodynamic processes; irreversibility and availability. Energy and the first law. Entropy and the second law. Conventional power and refrigeration cycles. Equations of state, ideal-gas mixtures, properties of gaseous mixtures, combustion and chemical equilibrium. Fee: Additional fee required.

Provides students with hands-on experience in various materials testing methods, as well as basic thermodynamic principle experiments. Engineering data analysis and report writing. Fee: Additional fee required.

Introduction to the operation of dynamic systems, elements of modeling, equilibrium and linearization, Laplace transformation techniques, system response via the transfer function, block diagrams and computer simulation, matrix operations, system response via state variables, and stability. Modeling and simulation of lumped parameter mechanical, electrical, thermal, fluid, and mixed systems, control algorithms, stability, transient response and frequency response. Fee: Additional fee required.

Experiments and simulations of mechanical, electrical, thermal, fluid, and mixed systems, control algorithms, stability, transient response and frequency response. Demonstration of control system design techniques using LabVIEW controlled hardware experiments. Introduction to PLC and automation programming. Fee: Additional fee required.

Concepts and techniques useful in the economic evaluation of engineering alternatives. Application of economic and financial principles to capital investment. Analysis by present worth, annual cash flow, rate of return, benefit-cost, and replacement considerations. Depreciation, taxes, inflation, probability and risk, and evaluation of optimum use of resources. In-depth coverage of ethics and professionalism. Fee: Additional fee required.

Fluid properties; fluid statics, continuity, momentum, and energy principles, laminar and turbulent flow, boundary layers, dimensional analysis and similarity, closed conduit flow, open channel flow, and turbomachinery. One-dimensional open channel flow; compressible flow. Fee: Additional fee required.

Study of the kinematics and kinetics of machines and machine components. Introduction to design specification and procedures for machine components, including linkages, gears, cams, bearings, clutches, shafts, and brakes. Finite element analysis shaft design of joints (threaded fasteners, welds, springs, keys, etc.); design of gear trains; lubrication and bearing design. Application of the principles of statics and mechanics of materials to the design of machine elements. Failure criteria in yielding, fatigue and buckling, statistical considerations. Fee: Additional fee required.

Selected experiments in heat transfer, hydraulics, and fluid mechanics. Fee: Additional fee required.

Mechanical automation integrated with electronics and microcontroller technology; A/D and D/A conversion; parallel I/O; programmable timer operation; interfacing sensors and actuators. Fee: Additional fee required.

Practical laboratory experience in mechatronics. A major design team project to implement a mechatronic robot system. Fee: Additional fee required.

Free and forced vibration of discrete and continuous systems. Lagrange's equation, Fourier series, Laplace transforms; matrix and computational methods. Linear vibration of machine elements, lumped parameter single and multi-degree of freedom systems solutions; computer-aided solutions of linear and nonlinear systems; simple laboratory vibration measurement and comparative vibration analysis. Natural and forced motions, and dynamic loading; vibration of elastic bodies. 

Fundamentals of heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation. Applications to heat exchanges, tubes, surfaces, phase changes, and mass transfer. Numerical methods for solving heat transfer problems. Design of equipment involving heat-transfer processes. Steady-state and transient heat conduction; role of convection for internal and external forced flows and in buoyancy-driven flow; thermal radiation processes and properties. Fee: Additional fee required.

Principles and application of engineering technologies supporting agricultural production. Agricultural vehicle robots, agricultural infotronics, precision agricultural systems, field crop production automation, orchard and vineyard automation, pesticide application control, automated irrigation management, food processing automation, and mechanization, sensing, and control of biological systems. Fee: Additional fee required.

A study of diodes, BJT and MOS transistors, and other semiconductor devices. Transistors in basic amplifier circuits. AC equivalent circuit models, frequency response, single and multi-state amplifiers. Differential, power and feedback amplifiers, oscillators and analog building blocks. CMOS circuits including filters, oscillators, and phase-locked loops. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prototyping and testing of electronic components, circuits and analog systems containing diodes, BJTs, FETs, and Op Amps. Fee: Additional fee required.

Time-domain and frequency-domain analysis of signals and systems, applications of Fourier series, Fourier transform, and Laplace transform in circuits and systems, Analog filters. Signal sampling and reconstruction. Difference equations, Z-transforms, and the discrete Fourier transform. Fundamentals of digital filters. Discrete-time signals and systems, A/D and D/A conversion, filter design, using MATLAB and Simulink. Fee: Additional fee required.

Hardware and software design of embedded systems with peripheral interfaces, using development boards. Team system design project. Fee: Additional fee required.

Design, implementation and testing of embedded systems, peripheral interfaces. Fee: Additional fee required.

A vector calculus based study of the laws of Gauss, Biot-Savart, Ampere and Faraday; application of the equations of Laplace and Poisson to boundary value problems. Development of Maxwell's equations for electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic properties of materials. Wave equation, plane waves and Lorentz force law. Polarization, Poynting's vector, transmission lines, waveguides, and antenna radiation. Fee: Additional fee required.

This course covers fundamental concepts in communication systems with an emphasis on digital communications and applied electromagnetics. The goal is to give students an introduction to both the hardware and theory of modern communication systems. Topics include the following: probability, random variables and random processes, deterministic and stochastic signals, noise, baseband and passband digital signal modulation, transmission line theory, introduction to antennas, radio link budgets, M-ary signaling, and selected topics in analog modulation (e.g., amplitude and frequency modulation). Fee: Additional fee required.

Application of the laws and techniques of circuits analysis to ac circuits. Complex numbers and algebra with an emphasis on phasor representation of circuits. Calculation of the frequency response of circuits. Single and three-phase power distribution, motors and generators. Analysis of AC steady-state circuits, complex power, power factor correction, magnetically coupled circuits. Laplace and Fourier transforms. Representation of circuits by two-port models. Fee: Additional fee required.

Theory, models, properties, and concepts associated with semiconductor devices. Provides detailed insight into the internal workings of the "building-block" device structures such as the pn-junction diode, Schottky diode, BJT, and MOSFET. Including solar cells, LEDs, HBTs, and modern field-effect devices. Systematically develops the analytical tools needed to solve practical device problems. 

Modern device characterization techniques to determine semiconductor material and device parameters and model extraction.  On-wafer probing and electrical and optical measurements.

The first in a sequence of two senior capstone design project courses. Student teams will complete a system design project under the supervision of an industry or mission client. Teamwork, project planning and management, specification, budgeting, design review, prototyping, testing, weekly reporting, project reports, and oral presentations. The deliverables are Project Proposal, Conceptual Design Review, and Preliminary Design Review. Fulfills a General Education Cultural Competency (CC) requirement. Fee: Additional fee required.

The second in a sequence of two senior capstone design project courses. Student teams will complete a system design project under the supervision of an industry or mission client. Teamwork, project planning and management, specification, budgeting, design review, prototyping, testing, weekly reporting, project reports, and oral presentations. The deliverables are Critical Design Review, Final Implementation Review and Design Report for the client. Fee: Additional fee required.

An interdisciplinary physical science course that covers the main educational topics in chemistry, physics, and earth science. This course is designed for elementary education majors but may be taken by any student to fulfill a natural science elective general education requirement. No prior knowledge of science is assumed.

An interdisciplinary physical science lab that provides hands-on experimentations in the main educational topics of chemistry, physics, and earth science. This lab is designed for elementary education majors, but may be taken by any student to fulfill general education requirements. No prior knowledge of science is assumed. 

A descriptive study of modern astronomy for the general student with an emphasis on the structure and dynamics of stars, galaxies and the universe. The sun, planets and other objects in our local solar system will also be considered.

A laboratory course taught in conjunction with PHYS1060. Observational and laboratory activities are included, some in the evenings. 

A comprehensive non-calculus-based approach to the fields of physics. Designed for students whose career goals are architecture, business, physical therapy, science education, and pre-medicine. Emphasis is placed on problem solving. Topics covered include mechanics, heat, thermodynamics and sound.

The laboratory uses the discovery approach to physical principles. The laboratory will cover basic labs in mechanics, wave motion and heat.

A comprehensive non-calculus-based approach to the fields of physics. Designed for students whose career goals are architecture, business, physical therapy, science education, and pre-medicine. Emphasis is placed on problem solving. Topics covered include electricity and magnetism, light and optics and modern physics.

The laboratory uses the discovery approach to physical principles. The laboratory will cover basic labs in electricity and magnetism, light and optics. 

A comprehensive calculus-based examination of the fields of physics. Designed for science students whose career goals are in engineering, physics, chemistry, medicine, and veterinary science. Topics covered include mechanics, thermodynamics, wave phenomena and fluid mechanics.

The laboratory uses the discovery approach to physical principles. Selected experiments from the fields of mechanics, wave motion and heat will be performed. Fee: Additional fee required.

A comprehensive calculus-based examination of the fields of physics. Designed for science students whose career goals are in engineering, physics, chemistry, medicine and veterinary science. Topics covered include electricity and magnetism, light and optics.

A comprehensive calculus-based examination of the fields of physics. Designed for science students whose career goals are in engineering, physics, chemistry, medicine and veterinary science. Topics covered include electricity and magnetism, light and optics. Fee: Additional fee required.

Basic ideas of quantum theory which led to the Rutherford-Bohr model of the atom, elementary quantum mechanics using Schrodinger's equation with applications to atoms, molecules, nuclei and elementary particles will be studied. Topics include: atomic and molecular spectra; ionic and covalent bonds; theory of alpha, beta and gamma decay, and quantum statistics of Bose and Fermi particles.

This course is designed to provide students with experience in experimental research techniques used in modern physics. Emphasis is placed on experimental methods and procedures and the relationship among various observable quantities and data analysis. Experiments performed will include determining electron charge to mass ratio, lattice spacing determination using low-energy electron diffraction, nuclear decay rate measurements, spectroscopy, and others pertaining to topics covered in class. Fee: Additional fee required.

A vector calculus-based study of the laws of Gauss, Biot-Savart, Ampere and Faraday; application of the equations of Laplace and Poisson to boundary valued problems. Development of Maxwell's equations for electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic properties of materials. Wave equation, plane waves and Lorentz force law. Polarization, Poynting's vector, transmission lines, waveguides, and antenna radiation.

An introduction to the physics of the solid state of matter. Topics include crystal structure, lattice vibrations and electronic band structure of crystals, electrical, optical, and thermal properties of solids, transport and other non-equilibrium phenomena in uniform and non-uniform solids.

A beginning course in quantum mechanics which starts with the postulates and derives Schrodinger's equation from physical optics principles. Several simple systems are studied and the properties of eigenfunctions are used to introduce matrix methods and operator theory. Emphasis is placed on mathematical formalism with applications to atomic systems.