Electrical Engineering Technology, B.S. (Engineering)

Program Description

The Bachelor of Science graduate with a major in Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) is an engineering technologist who can bridge the gap between scientific advancement and practical electrical devices and systems. Research in all fields of electrical engineering has produced an abundance of new knowledge in recent years. Many of these advanced scientific achievements have been unused due to the shortage of engineering technologists specifically educated to convert scientific information into practical devices and systems.

The EET major helps equip students with the various skills necessary to adapt new scientific knowledge to new products. Technical selections are offered in the senior year to provide some degree of specialization, but all graduates receive a well-rounded basic education in electrical and electronic design principles. The strengths of the program include: an applied hands-on program; extensive laboratory experience; promising job placement; and accreditation by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

EET graduates who wish to continue their professional development can take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination in Pennsylvania, a prerequisite for taking the Professional Engineering examination.

Students are directed to https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/general-education/ for an explanation of the Penn State General Education requirements.

What is Electrical Engineering Technology?

Electrical engineering technology (EET) is an engineering technology field that implements and applies the principles of electrical engineering. Like electrical engineering, EET deals with the design, application, installation, manufacturing, operation or maintenance of electrical/electronic systems. However, EET is a specialized discipline that has more focus on application, theory, and applied design, and implementation, while electrical engineering may have more of a generalized emphasis on theory and conceptual design.

You Might Like This Program If...

• You enjoy problem-solving and math.
• You prefer practical rather than theoretical solutions, and application and implementation over conceptual modeling.
• You enjoy working on multidisciplinary teams on complex problems.
• You want to acquire knowledge to get a good job in industry.
• You want to pursue a career as a technologist in sectors such as manufacturing, product design, testing, or technical services and sales.

Direct Admission to the Major

Incoming first-year students who meet the program admission requirements are admitted directly into the major. Admission restrictions may apply for change-of-major and/or change-of-campus students.

For more information about the admission process for this major, please send a request to the college, campus, or program contact (listed in the Contact tab).

Degree Requirements

For the Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, a minimum of 128 credits is required:

18 of the 45 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes: 3 credits of GWS courses; 9 credits of GN courses; 6 credits of GQ courses.

Requirements for the Major

To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn a grade of C or better in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44.

Common Requirements for the Major (All Options)

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Prescribed Courses
CHEM 110	Chemical Principles I	3
CHEM 111	Experimental Chemistry I	1
EET 419	Project Proposal Preparation	1
ENGL 202C	Effective Writing: Technical Writing	3
MATH 140	Calculus With Analytic Geometry I	4
MATH 141	Calculus with Analytic Geometry II	4
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
EET 312	Electric Transients	4
EET 331	Electronic Design	4
EET 420W	Electrical Design Project	3
Additional Courses
Select 2-3 credits of the following: 1		2-3
EDSGN 100	Cornerstone Engineering Design
EGT 101 & EGT 102	and Introduction to Computer Aided Drafting
Select 3 credits of the following:		3
CMPSC 101	Introduction to Programming
CMPSC 121	Introduction to Programming Techniques
CMPSC 201	Programming for Engineers with C++
Select 6-8 credits of the following: 1		6-8
PHYS 150 & PHYS 151	Technical Physics I and Technical Physics II
PHYS 211 & PHYS 212	General Physics: Mechanics and General Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
Select 3-4 credits of the following:		3-4
MATH 230	Calculus and Vector Analysis
MATH 250	Ordinary Differential Equations
MATH 411	Ordinary Differential Equations
STAT 200	Elementary Statistics
Select 4 credits of the following: 1		4
CMPEN 271 & CMPEN 275	Introduction to Digital Systems and Digital Design Laboratory
CMPET 117 & CMPET 120	Digital Electronics and Digital Electronics Laboratory
Select 3-4 credits of the following: 1		3-4
CMPEH 472	Microprocessors
CMPET 211	Embedded Processors and DSP
Select 3-4 credits of the following: 1		3-4
EE 310	Electronic Circuit Design I
EET 205 & EET 210	and
Select 3-5 credits of the following: 1		3-5
EE 485	Energy Systems and Conversion
EET 213W	Fundamentals of Electrical Machines Using Writing Skills
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better
Select 5-8 credits of the following: 1		5-8
EE 210 & EE 314	Circuits and Devices and Signals and Circuits II
EE 315	Electrical Signals and Circuits with Lab
EET 311 & EET 114	Alternating Current Circuits and Electrical Circuits II 2
Requirements for the Option
Select an option		26

¹

Courses required by PSU 2 EET programs.

²

EET 114 does not require a grade of C or better.

Requirements for the Option

Computer Engineering Technology Option (26 credits)

Available at the following campuses: Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre

General Electrical Engineering Technology Option (26 credits)

Available at the following campuses: Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre

General Education

Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all baccalaureate students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.

The keystone symbol appears next to the title of any course that is designated as a General Education course. Program requirements may also satisfy General Education requirements and vary for each program.

Foundations (grade of C or better is required and Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Quantification (GQ): 6 credits
• Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits

Breadth in the Knowledge Domains (Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Arts (GA): 3 credits
• Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
• Humanities (GH): 3 credits
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
• Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits

Integrative Studies

• Inter-Domain Courses (Inter-Domain): 6 credits

Exploration

• GN, may be completed with Inter-Domain courses: 3 credits
• GA, GH, GN, GHW, Inter-Domain courses. This may include 3 credits of World Language course work beyond the 12th credit level or the requirements for the student’s degree program, whichever is higher: 6 credits

University Degree Requirements

First Year Engagement

All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.

Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.

First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.

Cultures Requirement

6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements

• United States Cultures: 3 credits
• International Cultures: 3 credits

Writing Across the Curriculum

3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.

Total Minimum Credits

A minimum of 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.

Quality of Work

Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.

Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition

The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

Wilkes-Barre

Timothy Sichler
Assistant Teaching Professor
44 University Drive
Dallas, PA 18612
570-675-9135
tjs37@psu.edu

Harrisburg

AB Shafaye, M.S.
Program Chair
Olmsted Building, W256a
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6349
mes121@psu.edu

Suggested Academic Plan

The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2023-24 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition (Note: the archive only contains suggested academic plans beginning with the 2018-19 edition of the Undergraduate Bulletin).

General Option: Electrical Engineering Technology, B.S. at Wilkes-Barre Campus

The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.

*

Course requires a grade of C or better for the major

‡

Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education

#

Course is an Entrance to Major requirement

†

Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement

University Requirements and General Education Notes:

US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).

W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.

General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

¹

Math electives include:

MATH 230, MATH 250, MATH 408, MATH 411, MATH 444, MATH 446, STAT 200.

²

GEET electives include:

&CMPEH 449, CMPET 401, CMPET 402, CMPET 403, CMPET 412, CMPEN 431, EET 441, EE 453, EET 410, EET 413, EET 414, EET 456, EET 478, ET 496

³

Electronics Elective:

Select 4 credits from: EET 402, EET 423, EET 431.

⁴

System Elective:

Select 8 credits of technical electives from: EET 408, EET 409, EET 433.

Career Paths

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, electrical engineering technologists work closely with electrical and electronics engineers and computer hardware engineers in the computer systems design services industry. Opportunities can be found in a variety of firms engaged in electronic manufacturing, industrial control, applications engineering, and in power utilities. EET graduates are encouraged to continue their professional development by taking the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination at the end of their senior year; the FE exam is a prerequisite for taking the Professional Engineering Examination.

Careers

• Design, maintain, troubleshoot electronic circuits and systems. These range from power electronics, fiber optics, control systems, networking technologies, electronic systems, etc.
• Strong focus on power generation and distribution.
• Strong introduction to embedded systems.
• Automation of facilities: From distribution centers to manufacturing plants.
• Experience in the use of hardware used in instrumentation laboratories.
• This program trains students in the same software as currently used by industry.

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

Graduates of the EET program are eligible to pursue graduate studies in a variety of programs such as Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, etc.  In some cases prior to being accepted to these programs, graduates of the EET program may be required to take additional math courses.

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology at Penn State Wilkes-Barre is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technology Program Criteria.

Professional Licensure/Certification

Many U.S. states and territories require professional licensure/certification to be employed. If you plan to pursue employment in a licensed profession after completing this program, please visit the Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures by State interactive map.

Contact

Wilkes-Barre

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND COMMONWEALTH ENGINEERING
44 University Drive
Dallas, PA 18612
570-675-9135
tjs37@psu.edu

https://wilkesbarre.psu.edu/academics/eet

Harrisburg

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY
Olmsted Building W256
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-4349
klb68@psu.edu

http://harrisburg.psu.edu/science-engineering-technology/ee-eet/bachelor-science-electrical-engineering-technology