Minor, Certificate, BS/MS and Dual Degree Programs

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Minor Opportunities in Other Program Available for ECE Students
5-Year BS/MS and Senior Privilege (Coming Soon, but you can do it now!)
Minor in Systems Engineering
Co-op Experience in ECE (NEW)
Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Applied Machine Learning (NEW)
Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Combat Systems Engineering
Combined BS In Engineering/MBA Program
Minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering (for Non ECE majors)

Minor Opportunities in Other Programs Available for ECE Students  

ECE Students can choose from a long list of disciplines that offer a Minor option. Obtaining a Minor typically involves taking a set number of additional courses, determined by the department offering the minor, and once completed the Minor is indicated on your transcript. For ECE students, getting a Minor in certain disciplines is easier than others, because some of the courses required by the ECE curriculum can be counted towards the Minor in those disciplines. The most popular Minor options for ECE students are Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics. The requirements for these Minor options can be found in the links below. However, since the departments can change the Minor requirements at any time, and/or change the links to relevant information, please make sure to contact the relevant department and talk to an advisor in that department before you embark towards a Minor.

Requirements for Minor in Computer Science for ECE Students
General Requirements for Minor in Computer Science
Requirements for Minor in Mathematics
Requirements for Minor in Physics

Minors are also available Chemical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. For additional information, please see the following links.
General information on engineering minors
Online form for applying for a minor in engineering (use this form to apply for any of the minors in Engineering)

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5-Year BS/MS in ECE
Combined Advanced Degree Program (CADP) & Senior Privilege  

(Officially, Coming soon; but you can still do 5 year BS/MS now)

Completing a Bachelor of Science degree program in four years, followed by the Master of Science program in one year, is possible, particularly with the Professional (non-thesis) track. To do so, you can take 12 credits of graduate-level courses in the Fall, another 12 credits in Spring, followed by 6 credits in Summer.

However, if you declare that you want to be in the official 5-year BS/MS Combined Advanced Degree Program (CADP), then you get additional advantages as described below.

Advantages of the Dual 5-Year BS/MS in ECE CADP Program

First, if you are in good standing by the time you reach your senior year, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, you can also take advantage of Senior Privilege. Senior Privilege is a unique opportunity that allows you to take up to 6 credits of graduate-level courses during your senior year, pay the lower undergraduate tuition for them, and have them counted towards your undergraduate BS degree requirements. Then, assuming that those classes are required by the MS degree program, you can transfer those credits to your graduate MS degree program requirements.  As a result, you only need to take 24 credits of graduate programs after you complete your undergraduate degree, saving you time and considerable tuition costs. With only 24 credits left, you can complete those 24 credits by taking 9 credits in each of Fall and Spring, followed by 6 credits in Summer, or even, take 12 credits in Fall and Spring, and be done in less than one year!

To take advantage of Senior Privilege, you need to fill out the Senior Privilege Registration Request Form and obtain the necessary approvals.

But, if you are officially in the 5-year BS/MS CADP program, you can also take two additional graduate classes (up to 6 credits) while you are an undergraduate program (say, during your senior year). While these two additional graduate classes will not count towards your undergraduate degree (unlike those taken as part of senior privilege), they will get you to the MS degree so much closer and so much faster. With 12 credits of graduate courses already under your belt by the end of the 4th year, you will only need 18 credits (6 courses), which can be completed in any combination of credits in the following summer, Fall, and Spring semesters. Note that those 18 credits can be completed in just one summer (2 courses) + Fall (4 courses), allowing you to complete the BS and MS degrees in 4 and 1/2 years.

Admission Process and Requirements of the Dual BS/MS in ECE CADP Program

In order to declare to be in the 5-year BS/MS program, you need to satisfy admission requirements.

Interested students MUST apply 2 years and 1 semester BEFORE anticipated completion of the combined BS/MS program. For example, students on the BS-ECE standard curriculum path (beginning Fall Semester of a student's first year) seeking to complete the BS/MS program by May of the fifth year would apply during Spring semester of the third year according to the regular graduate admissions schedule for the subsequent Fall semester. 

Successful applicants to the ECE CADP MUST meet the following admissions requirements:

• Completed ECE-CADP Application Form, maintained/administered by the ECE department.
• Completed CADP Agreement & Confirmation form, maintained/administered by the Registrar.
• A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better (on a 4.0 scale)
• Completion of 80 total credits of the standard BS-ECE curriculum, including 74 credits of STEM coursework.
• Successful completion (grade of C+ or better) of the following undergraduate-level foundation courses (or their equivalent) at an accredited institution: Introductory Mechanics (PHYS 00.220); Introductory Electricity & Magnetism (PHYS 00.222); Calculus I, II, and III (MATH 01.130, 131, 230); and either Mathematics for Engineering Analysis I (MATH 01.235) OR {Linear Algebra (MATH 01.210) AND Ordinary Differential Equations (01.231)}.
• Typewritten statement of professional objectives.

No GRE scores are required. The ECE Department Graduate Committee will make admissions decisions on a discretionary, consensus basis after holistic review of an applicant's application package. The committee may also exercise discretion on admission of applicants who do not fit the standard BS-ECE curriculum path. Accordingly, prospective applicants will be encouraged to seek advice of the ECE Graduate Program Chair BEFORE initiating an application to the ECE BS/MS CADP.

Graduation Requirements for the dual BS/MS ECE Degree 

To graduate with the dual BS/MS degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering, students must satisfy the full degree requirements for the BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering Programs. The 4+1 BS/MS in ECE program allows eligible students accepted into the programs to take up to 12 graduate credits during their senior year. Six (6) of these credits can be counted to satisfy the degree requirements of both the BS in ECE and the MS in ECE programs. The remaining graduate credits can only be applied to the MS in ECE program.

In summary, these full degree requirements entail the requirements of

• The existing 128 credit BS-ECE curriculum
• The existing 30 credit MS-ECE curriculum
• A minimum of 152 total credits for completion of the Electrical and Computer Engineering CADP (with 6 credits double counted).

Specific requirements for the graduate level coursework include satisfaction of Category 2 Minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress status as defined by Rowan Global:

• Graduate coursework letter grades must be no lower than “B-“
• Cumulative graduate coursework GPA must remain at 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0) scale

Minor in Systems Engineering                                                                                        

The ECE department offers a newly revamped Minor in Systems Engineering. This Minor is designed in collaboration with industry experts, and its flagship courses, Introduction to Systems Engineering and Model Based Systems Engineering are regularly taught by experienced high-level systems engineers and executives in major area engineering companies to provide the unique industry perspective.

Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means to enable the realization of successful systems. It focuses on defining customer needs and required functionality early in the development cycle, documenting requirements, and proceeding with design synthesis and system validation while considering the complete problem that includes – operations, cost & schedule, performance, training & support, test, disposal, and manufacturing. Systems Engineering integrates all the disciplines and specialty groups into a team effort forming a structured development process that proceeds from concept to production to operation. Systems Engineering considers both the business and the technical needs of all customers with the goal of providing a quality product that meets the user’s needs. In addition, Systems Engineering incorporates concepts of “balanced design” – achieving a product design that meets requirements but does not exceed them, and does so within the constraints of cost, schedule & performance, including life cycle costs; and “risk assessment & management” – understanding the technical and other risks that may be involved and managing the design to effectively mitigate the risks.

Minor in Systems Engineering consists of a total 24 credits, 12 coming from required courses and 12 from electives as follows. Not all courses are offered in all semester, please check Section Tally and plan accordingly. 

Required Courses – 12 credits

Take both of the following two courses:

• ECE 09.421 Introduction to Systems Engineering* – 3-credits, and
• ECE 09.427 Model-Based Systems Engineering* – 3 credits, and

Then, take one of the following

• ENGR 01.411 Introduction to Engineering Optimization; or
• CS 06.390     Introduction to Systems Simulation and Modeling– 3-credits; and

…and one of the following

• MIS  02.325 Project Management; or
• MKT 09.375 Business Logistics** – 3-credits

Elective Courses – 12 credits (or more if the electives you take include a 4 credit course)

Take any four of the Following Courses:

• ECE 09.321 Systems & Control
• ECE 09.433 Electrical Communications Systems
• ECE 09.402 Topics in ECE: Technology Focus Elective***
• ECE 09.4xx Approved ECE Elective****
• ENGR 01.411 Introduction to Engineering Optimization (if not taken as a required class) 

• CS 06.390 Introduction to Systems Simulation and Modeling – 3-credits (if not already taken as a required class)
• CS 07.340 Design and Analysis of Algorithms
• CS 07.321 Software Engineering I
• CS 04.380 Object-Oriented Design
  
  
• ME 10. 342 Quality & Reliability in Design and Manufacture
• ME 10.345 Dynamics Systems and Control
• ME 10.443 Design for X
• CE 08.305 Civil Engineering Systems
• CHE 06.405 Process Dynamics and Control
  
  
• EM 01.511 Strategic Risk Management
• EM 01.512 Quality in Engineering Management
• EM 01.513 Engineering Decision Making
  
  
• MGT 06.677 Management Skills for Engineers
• MKT 09.375 Business Logistics – 3-credits (if not already taken as a required class)
• MIS 02.325 Project Management (if not already taken as a required class)

* ECE students cannot double count these two courses both towards the ECE electives and towards the Systems Engineering requirements at the same time. ECE students taking these two courses for Systems Engineering Minor must take another set of (five) ECE electives towards the degree requirements. However, the ECE electives taken for the Systems Engineering Minor, can be used to satisfy both the SE Minor and the ECE degree requirements.

** Business Logistics class has a prerequisite that will be waived for Engineering students. Please go to the Marketing Department chair and request the prerequisite override.

*** ECE 09.402 Topics in ECE is a special topics class, with a different course content presented each time it is offered. Therefore, check with ECE Department Head to verify that the specific ECE 09.402 you are interested will qualify as a Systems Engineering elective.

**** ECE 09.4XX ECE Department regularly offers senior electives on topics that are very relevant to Systems Engineering. Please check with ECE Department Chair for approved 400-level courses that can be used as a Systems Engineering elective.

Co-op Experience in ECE

The ECE Department now offers a unique co-op experience with selected companies. This optional co-op experience allows students to obtain a more concentrated and longer term real-world experience, typically six months or more. Unlike most co-op experiences, the Co-op Experience in ECE need not add time to your degree completion duration, and can be completed along with your ECE degree requirements in four years.

The co-op experience typically starts the summer between your junior and senior years, and continues through the Fall semester of your senior year. The two required ECE classes that are normally offered in Fall, i.e., ECE 09.414 VLSI Design and ECE09.433 Electrical Communications Systems (ECOMMS) will also be offered in Spring for co-op students. You may need to take some electives during that Fall semester, among the many offered during evening hours. 

The co-op may require additional course requirement based on the host company's needs, however the ECE Department will award six credits for your co-op experience that can be used towards ECE degree requirements as follows, all awarded during the Fall semester of your senior year (you will need to register for these courses in Fall):

• 3 credits for the new class ECE 09.499 Co-op Experience in ECE. This class will count towards one of the five required ECE electives. Since this class will also appear on your transcript, it will provide university recognized official acknowledgment that you have in fact completed a co-op experience.
• 2 credits for ENGR 01.403 Senior clinic 
• 1 credit for ECE 09.461 Clinic Consultant.

In Spring of your senior year, you will then take Senior Engineering Clinic, VLSI Design, ECOMMS and ECE electives (and any remaining Rowan Core electives).

Currently, the co-op experience is available at Lockheed Martin, which requires you to take the  four courses that constitute the Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Combat Systems Engineering.

Starting with Summer 2023, we are also planning to offer a new co-op at Atlantic City Electric, which will require the new Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Power Systems Engineering.

Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Applied Machine Learning  

Electrical and Computer Engineering program will be offering a Certificate of Undergraduate Studies (CUGS) in Applied Machine Learning in Engineering. This CUGS will consist of 12-13 credits and is designed to provide a breadth and depth to students who want to specialize in one of the fastest growing fields in all of sciences and engineering.

The ECE Department has significant expertise in machine learning, and has been regularly teaching related courses since 2001. This CUGS puts the existing expertise and the courses together in one package allowing students to gain meaningful background that will prepare them for a career in machine learning and/or graduate programs. A unique aspect of this CUGS is the practical hands-on experience that it provides: the CUGS feature four classes, all of which has their own project components. This CUGS also provides access – primarily for non Engineering students – to Rowan Engineering’s signature hallmark, Senior Engineering Clinic (to be taken twice over two semesters), where students work on projects addressing real-world unsolved problems, many of which are externally funded. Hence, through this four-class sequence, the Applied Machine Learning in Engineering CUGS will provide breath and depth in theoretical foundations of machine learning, as well as a year-long practical hands-on real-world project experience.

The completion of this CUGS will provide students with the necessary tools to start a career in machine learning as it applied to engineering, and/or continue their education through graduate programs. Due to rapid growth of machine learning as a well-established field of science and engineering, we expect the graduates of this program to find high-paying jobs and/or admission to renown graduate programs. In fact, the highest paid graduates of our program are typically hired for machine learning related positions.

Requires Courses (two courses)

• ECE 09.455 Machine Learning

• ECE 09.495 Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Mining
  or
  ECE 09.458 Introduction to Reinforcement Learning

Electives (choose any two of the following)

• ECE 09.454 Introduction to Artificial Neural Networks
• ECE 09.466 Systems, Devices and Algorithms in Bioinformatics
• ENGR 01.403 Senior Engineering Clinic^♦– WI
  (must be taken twice over two semesters, to count as one elective)
• ENGR 01.411 Introduction to Engineering Optimization
• ECE 09.458 Introduction to Reinforcement Learning^◊
• ECE 09.495 Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Mining^◊
• ECE 09.4XX Deep Learning (coming soon)

^♦ Must be enrolled in one of the specific sections of Senior Engineering Clinic that focuses on machine learning topics. Those sections will be announced every semester.

^◊ If not already taken as one of the required classes.

IMPORTANT: 

For students majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), at most two of the four courses taken for this CUGS may be counted towards major degree requirements. Hence, at least two (or more) of the courses taken for this CUGS will have to be taken in addition to regular degree requirements for the ECE major. Non-ECE students should check with their departments and advisors.

Certificate of Undergraduate Studies in Combat Systems Engineering                       

In collaboration with Lockheed Martin Company, the ECE department is now offering a new certificate program, called Certificate of Undergraduate Studies (CUGS) in Combat Systems Engineering (there is also a Certificate of Graduate Studies (COGS) in Combat Systems Engineering (CSE), described in the Graduate Studies section of our website). These certificate programs are intended to help develop the growing workforce needs of the area’s prominent defense industry. In fact, all classes are taught in cooperation with Lockheed Martin engineers. Active participation and successful completion of this program can certainly increase your chances of getting one of those highly sought-after and well-paying defense industry positions. This program is most closely aligned with electrical and computer engineering topics, and therefore offered by the ECE Department. However, it is open to any engineering student who has an interest in the field. Non-ECE students should pay close attention to the prerequisites of the classes in this CUGS. 

 The four courses in CUGS are

• ECE 09.423           Introduction to Radar Systems (prerequisite: ECE 09.341 Signals & Systems)
• ECE 09.424           Introduction to War Gaming and C4ISR (Prerequisite: Senior standing)
• ECE 09.425           Introduction to Command and Control (prerequisites: ECE 09.321 or ME 10343)
• ECE 09.426           Introduction to Weapon Systems (prerequisites: MATH 01230 and PHYS 00220)

Note that the university rules allow up to two classes in a CUGS program to be counted towards graduation requirements of the associated major degree.

IMPORTANT:

ECE Students: Of these four classes, two of them – ECE 09.423 Introduction to Radar Systems and ECE 09.425 Introduction to Command and Control – will count towards ECE BS degree requirements, whereas the remaining two classes, ECE 09.424 Introduction to War Gaming and C4ISR and ECE 09.426 Introduction to Weapon Systems need to be taken in addition to all other regular ECE requirements.

Non-ECE students should check with their departments and advisors.

Combined BS In Engineering/MBA Program                                                                 

Engineering students who plan to pursue a career in business should consider the combined degree program for obtaining a BS in Engineering and an MBA (Master of Business Administration). Students wishing to pursue the combined BS/MBA degree have several options and may be able to complete the MBA program in one year and one summer, depending on when the student wants to start the program.

Completion of foundation courses: Applicants to the MBA program must have completed appropriate courses in mathematics, economics, and various business areas. Some of these courses can be taken as part of the undergraduate engineering coursework while others can be taken during summers. Planning is the key: Once admitted into the Combined Program, students are assigned an advisor from the College of Engineering to assist them in designing a program of study to meet their needs. In the senior year, an additional advisor is assigned from MBA program.

BS in Engineering/MBA Guidelines

• • Students who wish to enter the program during the first-year should notify the Associate Dean of Engineering by March 1 of the year they wish to begin the program.
  • Engineering students can be conditionally admitted to the MBA program as an incoming first-year student or at any time during their undergraduate programs.

Formal acceptance is granted after they meet all the standard MBA admissions requirements, which are:

1. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.5
2. A minimum Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score of 450.
3. A total of at least 1050 points based on the following formula: (GPA * 200) + GMAT score > 1050. An additional 100 points can be awarded for approved managerial work experience.
4. Completion of required foundation courses before starting the MBA Program.
5. The engineering degree is granted upon completing all requirements at the end of senior year.
6. The MBA degree is granted upon completing all requirements with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the MBA courses (the work toward the MBA degree can be pursed as a part-time or full-time student).

Interested students should contact the Associate Dean of Engineering at 856-256-5300

Minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering (for non-ECE Majors)                           

The Minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) offers students majoring in disciplines other than ECE the opportunity to become familiar with principles and design practices used to meet the multidisciplinary needs of modern technology. The ECE minor provides undergraduate students from mathematics, the physical / chemical / biological / computer sciences, and the other engineering disciplines the required background to broaden their scientific and engineering knowledge in ECE, as well as for pursuing graduate work in ECE at Rowan or elsewhere.

ECE Minor is a popular program and admission is restricted to qualified applicants. Admission requirements include approval of department head, completion of appropriate math courses, and a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Applications are accepted as follows: Sept 1 - Nov 1 for Fall admission; and Jan 20 - Apr 1 for Spring admission. Any exceptions must be approved by the Dean's Office. 

For additional details, course / graduation requirements as well as application information, please see our dedicated Minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering page.