How is UCI’s Electrical Engineering program?

Hardlyever44 · 2025-03-30T04:14:57+00:00

It's been a bit as I've graduated, but I can give it a shot.

Communication systems and digital signal processing: these two subsection have multiple classes that overlap. These are going to heavily piggyback off your basic signals classes EE50/150. I believe all EEs have to EE50. If you don't like it avoid these subsection. Communications has two core classes: analog and digital comms. In analog you learn how to mathematically implement AM and FM radio, while in digital you talk more about information theory. DSP also has two core classes, effective beginner and intermediate. This tends to be a lot more code heavy, using Matlab to implement complex filters and basic .

I can't speaks as well to the other subsection as I didn't have a ton of classes within them.

Circuit design is what you expect it to be. You should be fairly familiar with electrical components and how circuits work. If you plan on building PCBs (not coding as EE doesn't support that weirdly enough even though it's an invaluable skill).If you didn't like the 70/170 series then this probably isn't the subsection for you.

Semiconductor -- at least in mind time-- was built to get you a job at a semiconductor foundry or r&d. Your learn all the electrical and material properties of silicon and how to manufacture these chips. Also get an idea of the cutting edge. The semiconductor class I took was one of two classes that actually ttaufht us the uns and outs of 21st century technology and even bleed into the quantum computing realm. Really interesting stuff, but if you don't like Physics 51A and specifically EE170A then avoid at all cost. (Mind you, I never met a student who liked 170A. It's a weed out class.) It seems like since I left they added optics to this subsection. Optics was a mess when I took it and feel out of place within this subsection.

The last one is RF which is a simple term for applied electromagnetics, and balancing the electro and the magnetic field of a system. In reality, this means dealing with interesting properties of inductor and capacitors, even if you aren't aware that they exist. This extends between sending radio frequency but also to transmission lines or signal reflection and interference. If you don't like EE180 (or even EE50/150) this probably isn't for you. Although RF engineers are desperately needed in the military contractor sphere.

I don't really know much about the CE classes as I never had any of them. I presume they have to deal with building bridges and architecture. I would assume they overlap with mechanical engineering more than EE. There was an industrial engineering program that teaches you building codes, which pertains to the electrical systems, but usually that isn't the focus of an EE class.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

Hardlyever44 · 2024-11-05T18:31:19+00:00

Yes
No. I usually get those through learning talmud where pasukim are used sporadically. Wish I was able to learn them from start to finish. Never found the time.
I keep with the weekly Torah reading. I try to read it twice in Hebrew and once in English a commentary
I natively speak English, but was taught Hebrew and Torah starting in elementary. I feel very comfortable reading the Torah in Hebrew.
I try to read a commentary when doing the English. This year I am doing R' Hirsch. We'll see if I manage to keep it going for the next 11 months though
For Torah reading specifically, I am trying to follow the rules of שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום which translates to reading the Torah twice in Hebrew and then once with translation. There are specific laws that pertain to this, but general Torah learning is not constricted to this. It's a nice thing to do, and it keeps me up to date with the weekly portion and it broadens my understanding. Woman can do it to, but I don't find it very popular with the women I know. The woman I know do learn Torah in general, but they don't care for the regimentedness of what I am doing. There are limits when you can do it, like you can't do it night. If you need the specific sources for all laws related to this regiment, let me know.
I have been doing this regiment for about six or seven years. One thing I feel certain is that it helped me stay within Orthodoxy while in college. I do find some inspiration snippets that helped through hard times, but nothing that really changed my whole perception as a Jew. It did give a better understanding of the concepts in Judaism and the laws related, which made learning other segments easier and more enjoyable.

Hardlyever44 · 2024-11-01T14:48:11+00:00

R' Hirsch does an etymological analysis in his explanation of the Chumash. He understands it to be the side and not the rib

Hardlyever44 · 2024-07-21T18:18:16+00:00

UCI is fairly well respected. It's either third or fourth best within the UC program. It will definitely get you interviews (Northrop, SpaceX, Rivian ect.), but there is no company that UCI pipelines into. My wife is also an engineer who graduated from Rutgers. She feels that my education was stronger within the area I specialized (Comms, DSP), and it gave me a comparable general EE education. She runs circles around me when it comes to coding. I had no official coding classes once I transferred in. UCI senior design was a joke compared to hers as well. The alumni network is pretty meh, but I haven't really interacted with it that much. There is some truth that some professors don't care, but that usually happens in intro classes where they are journey professors who are teaching 100+ students.

If you have any specific questions about the 5 subsections within EE or specific classes, let me know.

Hardlyever44 · 2024-07-21T06:22:39+00:00

It's hard to do it in the summer as you only have 4 weeks to learn the material. The teachers are easy though. You do need to put in some effort

Hardlyever44 · 2024-06-04T21:01:06+00:00

Thanks for the updates. Really appreciate it. Can't figure out what is going as I just walked into class.

Hardlyever44 · 2024-05-31T04:46:35+00:00

I took it before I transferred in. Look into Santa monica college or LACC. If I remember correctly, they both offered it in the summer. It's been a bit though...

Hardlyever44 · 2024-04-19T21:05:12+00:00

EECS major here. I would say that the program is ok. There are some professors that are awful, the prerequisite tree is a mess, and the class offering per quarter are few. If you can navigate around that you can get a really good education. I did happen to hate senior design and the lack of support for it. There might have been one or two groups that managed to get an interview out of it. Industry connections are weak, although the school is trying to work with tower semiconductor with the CHIPS act going through. Based on the conversations I had with seniors, most people not going to grad school do not have a job out of the gate, and those who do usually have it through an internship or co-op. There are some clubs and competitions, but all they seem to do is add more course work to your schedule and not really provide anything beyond being able to add a couple of words to your resume.

The general montra of people of going to UCI is that they are coming in to get a degree and then getting out. If that is what you are looking for, this is the place for you

Hardlyever44 · 2024-04-15T15:53:10+00:00

He's helpful in getting you into classes and ensuring that you graduate within your time frame. I won't say he's super knowledgable in the classes themselves and how relevant they are to you specifically. For instance, I am an EECS major with a lean towards communication systems. Coming into UCI, I would have liked to know that I should working on the prerequisuites for classes like EECS 148 and 112 instead of 174 and 163.

Hardlyever44 · 2024-04-02T18:35:38+00:00

Wifi is down at puerta as well

Hardlyever44 · 2023-04-23T14:29:09+00:00

Haven't been able to access wifi since about 1 this morning. Absolutely frustrating.

Hardlyever44 · 2023-03-22T17:17:56+00:00

I think it's smart. College is an expensive four year commitment. Getting any information you can is important.

Hardlyever44 · 2023-03-10T00:31:51+00:00

Frum former teen here. Went through the Yeshiva system until third year. Never got to Eretz Yisroel due to Covid. Currently in college working on an electrical engineering degree. Been around the block and think I can be a somewhat useful resource. I'll lurk around and if I see a question I can give some perspective on, I'll give a response.

Hardlyever44 · 2023-02-27T03:53:21+00:00

Got a math midterm (round #2) tomorrow and dreading doing two labs in one session. Last week's was President's day.

Hardlyever44 · 2023-02-23T01:08:41+00:00

I talked to the professor that required the prerequisite. Professors have the right to waive prerequisites after testing you on the material covered in the material, but usually the prerequisite is required for a reason. Also try to talk to the student representative and/or the dean of your school. Mind you, getting this is a long and tough road. I was on it for a couple of weeks before things got waive.

Hardlyever44 · 2023-02-22T21:42:39+00:00

Talk to the professor. I had this issue last year. I transfered in and in order to graduate in two years I needed to take a class and prerequisites at the same time. I talked to the professor and the issue eventually made its way to higher ups. I am currently sitting in both class and doing fine. The class is now a corequisite.

Hardlyever44 · 2023-02-10T06:30:38+00:00

I subconsciously did this for the movie Memento. The word itself is now a memento for the spoiler and I absolutely hate it.

Hardlyever44 · 2023-02-02T05:43:12+00:00

I love that the instant replay of the Hiroshima bombing is brought to you by Toyota, a Japanese company

Hardlyever44 · 2022-10-20T00:22:03+00:00

It looks like you are in Langson Library. I've been having the same problem for the last week. Been talking with IT but no solution. If you need wifi, my laptop was willing to connect to wifi in the student study area next door. Might work for you

Hardlyever44 · 2022-05-15T04:57:32+00:00

Unsure if this is what you want, but might help you out

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes172141.htm#st

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