Dear ECE Student,

I am pleased to welcome you to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of South Alabama. You have made the right choice by selecting the ECE Department for your undergraduate/graduate degree. I am sure this will bring immense professional rewards to you in the near future.

Electrical engineering and computer engineering are among the fastest evolving disciplines in our technological society. The developments in electrical and computer engineering have substantially improved the standard of living of humanity. The domain of electrical and computer engineering encompasses from massive electrical energy systems to nano-scale integrated circuits, from life studies in bioengineering to satellite/wireless communication systems, and from industrial process control to information technology and ultrafast supercomputers.

Ours is a relatively young ECE program in the state of Alabama. At this time, the ECE student body consists of over 350 undergraduate and 95 graduate students. The ECE Department is making tremendous progress towards providing the highest quality educational experience to our students. For example, we have just invested over $225K to upgrade our instructional laboratories with the state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. An additional $75K will be invested for instructional lab improvement in 2003-2004 academic year.

We offer two undergraduate degree programs – Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) and Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (BSCpE). Both of these programs are accredited by EAC/ABET under the EC 2000 criteria (for the maximum possible six years). Currently, we also offer a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree. Students also get the opportunity to get involved with extracurricular activities through various professional societies such as the IEEE, Eta Kappa Nu, Socitey of Woman Engineers, etc.

Our programs provide a solid foundation for entry into the engineering profession. Our graduates work in most industries such as computer, power, electronics, telecommunication, manufacturing, information technology as well as defense and other government agencies.

We have a team of experienced and well qualified faculty in our department. All of our faculty have earned Ph.D. degrees and none of our classes are taught by graduate students. About 40% of our faculty members are Fellows of their respective professional societies.

The ECE faculty is pursuing an aggressive research program. Our funded research volume increased from 330K dollars to almost 3.2M dollars over the past eight months. Current sponsors of our faculty research projects include National Science Foundation, Army Research Office, Department of Energy and Engelhard Corporation.

I wish you the best as you proceed through the ECE degree program of your choice. The ECE faculty and staff are here to assist you in all possible ways. Please feel free to call, email or stop by if you need additional information.

Sincerely,

Mohammad S. Alam

Professor and Chair, ECE Department