Electrical & Computer Engineering

Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Delaware

Undergraduate Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are “technical electives?”

A: General technical electives (those classes labeled technical elective on the sample curriculum) are classes of 300 or 400 level in engineering, computer science, or the natural or mathematical sciences.  There are a few exceptions to this rule (for instance, classes that study societal impacts of engineering or science are not generally counted.)  A list of preapproved technical electives may be found here.  Other classes, labeled ELEG/CPEG 3xx/4xx and ELEG/CPEG 4xx, are also sometimes called technical electives, but these must be chosen from among the department’s courses.

Q: Do I need to take the elective courses in the order they are prescribed on the sample curriculum?

A: No.  While the sample curricula list the general technical electives before the ELEG/CPEG technical electives, there is no requirement that you do things in this order.  (The sample curricular are just examples of how the required classes can be fit together to graduate in four years.)  Moreover, there is no rule that says you must take the foundation electives before you take real technical electives, but some technical electives will require certain foundation electives.  Because the foundation electives are (almost) specific courses required for graduation, it is a good idea to take them as early as possible.

Q: I placed out of MATH 241 (or PHYS 207, or CISC 106, etc.) with AP credit.  What should I take in its place?

A: In general, if you place out of a course with high school (or transfer) credits, you should take the next course in the sequence.  A first semester freshman having placed out of MATH 241 will thus generally take MATH 242 in his/her first semester, and be one semester ahead in the math sequence.  Once the end of that sequence is reached, (in this case the student will complete MATH 342 at the end of the sophomore year) there will be a hole (in this case, the rest of the junior class will take MATH 342 in the first semester of the year).  This hole can be filled with a breadth class or technical elective.