Electrical and Computer Engineering Department College of Engineering Florida Institute of Technology

College of Engineering's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Is a Hotbed of Innovation at Florida Tech

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is part of the College of Engineering (COE) located at the F. W. Olin Engineering Complex on the Florida Institute of Technology's main campus in Melbourne, Florida. COE is the largest college in Florida Tech, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as well as the Engineering Accreditation Council of the ABET. COE is the oldest college on campus, as Brevard Engineering College, the former name of Florida Institute of Technology, was founded in 1958 to support the engineering field for NASA professionals working and researching in Kennedy Space Center. Leading college review publications list Florida Institute of Technology's College of Engineering among America's Best Graduate Schools and Florida Tech as one of the Top 14 technical institutions for engineering.

ECE Programs Prepare the Upcoming Generations of Electrical and Computer Engineers to Push Multiple Technologies Forward

Florida Tech students have accepted the challenge of pursuing a field of study with potential to revolutionize the world in which they live. ECE's mission is to prepare students to become successful professionals in a dynamic global environment driven by multiple technologies that are constantly evolving. By fostering a desire for lifelong learning through a broad-based interdisciplinary core education, both the electrical and computer engineering programs in ECE provide opportunities for undergraduate research that reflects the expanding world around, and gives students the tools to advance the state-of-the-art in their chosen specialization area as they progress into graduate and even post-graduate studies and specialties.

The electrical and computer engineering department, offering B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in computer engineering and electrical engineering, focuses on physical electronics, information processing, wireless communications, and firewall design. Computer engineering majors focus on transistors and gates through progression of embedded controllers, math and science fundamentals and applications, computer architecture, and concurrent programming techniques, while electrical engineering majors focus on transistors and gates through communications control, electromagnetic, computer and photonic systems, hardware systems, software simulation, and analysis.

Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical engineering applies engineering and science methodologies to the analysis of biological and physiological problems and the delivery of healthcare. The biomedical engineer serves as an interface between traditional engineering disciplines and living systems, and may focus on either applying the patterns of living organisms to engineering design, or engineering new approaches to human health. A biomedical engineer may use his or her knowledge of engineering to create new equipment or environments for such purposes as maximizing human performance or providing non-invasive diagnostic tools. Students can choose elective courses in areas of interest offered by other engineering disciplines.

Research, a Hugely Important Component of a Florida Tech Education, Prepares Students for a Future in Labs or Teaching

Because a major component of ECE involves "hands-on" learning, the department has integrated the laboratory experience into many of its classes. Students can be assured that they will not only know the material critical to electrical and computer engineering, but they also will be able to demonstrate mastery of the material when they graduate. There are more than 12,000 square feet of well-equipped laboratory facilities available for use by students, faculty members, and researchers. Computing facilities include many PCs running both Linux and Windows-based operating systems that are networked via Ethernet and a WAN. Research facilities support basic and applied research in communications, photonics, and signal processing. Agencies of the federal and state governments, as well as major corporations, support research efforts in these and other technical areas.

The ECE department conducts research primarily in the three areas of communications, information processing, and physical electronics. The research is funded by both government and industrial sources that include the National Science Foundation; U.S. government agencies; Harris Corporation; Northrop-Grumman Inc.; Lockheed, Inc.; the State of Florida; and other public and private sources. Although graduate student and faculty members use research facilities principally for theoretical and experimental research and development, they are often available to students for experimental investigations to supplement courses.

Research in communications is organized and coordinated through FIT's Wireless Center of Excellence (WiCE). Within WiCE the research focuses on areas related to wireless communication, wireless multimedia communications, and wireless sensor systems. Students are involved in research projects evaluating propagation of radio waves, planning and optimization of voice and data services in cellular systems, various aspects associated with wireless sensor networks, and topics addressing challenges in providing multimedia communication over wireless links. WiCE is very well connected with several industry partners that help in the selection of relevant research topics and provide the center with state-of-the-art design tools and CAD software.

In the area of information processing, much of the research contributes to the solution of national problems in signal and image processing. These include automated object detection, pattern recognition, image fusion, noise reduction, and speech processing. Techniques being used include neural networks, wavelets, higher-order statistics, and statistical pattern recognition. Algorithms have been developed for near-real-time detection and classification of nuclear explosions, and for the fusion of infrared and visible imagery, word identification, and noise reduction.

Investigations in the field of physical electronics primarily deal with photonics research and materials. Photonics research is performed in fiber-optic sensors and communications systems. Research includes unique fiber-optic devices and techniques using modal multiplexing allowing communications channels to operate with expanded bit rates and optical encryption and switching devices. Fiber-optic sensors are developed for 2-D and 3-D structural health monitoring of strain and material failure, environmental applications such as hydrogen detection, and for homeland security applications. Work is also being performed in materials research for hydrogen detection.

Innovators, Textbook Authors, Award Winners, and IEEE Fellows Populate the World-Renowned Faculty of the ECE Department

The Florida Tech Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty consists of 12 faculty members, all excellent educators with national and international reputations in neural networks, multimedia communication, fiber optic sensors, signal and image processing, and, most recently, electric energy system planning and operation. Many of the faculty members are authors of textbooks used around the world, including an author of an e-book, a fiction thriller, which demonstrates the broad capabilities and interests of the faculty members. The ECE department has two fellows of the IEEE on its faculty, Profs. Robert L. Sullivan and Fredric M. Ham. In 2009, Dr. Ham was elected an IEEE Fellow for leadership in Neural Network education research and applications. Dr. Sullivan was elected to IEEE Fellow in 1994 for his contributions to electrical engineering education and became a Life Fellow of the IEEE in 2006.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Computer Engineering Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
  Master of Science (MS)
• Electrical Engineering Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
  Master of Science (MS)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees 40
• Doctoral Degrees 1
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? Yes
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? No

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Required for some, optional and final exam, faculty-supervised specialized research
• Doctoral Degrees Required for some, Required and complete program of significant original research
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied372
• Accepted242
• Acceptance Rate65%
• Enrolled31
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic Not Reported
• Application Fee - International Not Reported
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Yes
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline April 1st Not Reported
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline September 30th Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's Degreesminimum GPA of 3.0, bachelor's degree from an ABET-accredited program
• Doctoral's Degrees3 letters of recommendation, resume, minimum GPA of 3.2, and statement of objectives, on-campus interview (highly recommended)
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL required, 550 paper based, TOEFL iBT

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *$20,214
• Out-of-state tuition *$20,214
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsMarch 1
• Types of financial support availableResearch Assitantships, Teaching Assistantships, Tuition Waivers, Career or Field-Related Internships, Financial Support for Part-time Students, Institutionally-sponsored Loans, Graduate Assistantships, tuition remissions

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students132
• Female Percentage14%
• Male Percentage86%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students132
• Part-time Percentage27%
• Full-time Percentage73%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino14%
• Black / African American3%
• White / Caucasian50%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native0%
• Asian8%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races3%
• Unknown22%

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty12
• Full-time Percentage75%
• Part-time Percentage25%
• Female Percentage8%
• Male Percentage92%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchElectro-optics, electromagnetics, microelectronics, communications, computer architecture, neural networks
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last year$445,027