Electrical and Computer Engineering Advising for Pre-Majors
Pre-Major Advising
(EECE majors should see the advising page for EECE majors).
Students must initially declare as a pre-major to register for courses in the Engineering and Design Department. Because the program has a strong prerequisite structure and EECE courses are typically only offered once per year, it is strongly recommended that pre-majors seek out program advising early. Students interested in pursuing the EECE program must complete a set of prerequisite coursework as a pre-major before they can apply for acceptance as a full major in the program (see Electrical and Computer Engineering Admissions). Applications are accepted at the end of spring and end of summer quarters.
Students who do not complete MATH 124 and PHYS 161 by the end of fall quarter in year one, might not complete the program in four years and should seek advising.
Have questions?
Prospective students and pre-majors should contact EECE@wwu.edu for advising or with questions. Please note that response times may be longer than usual because we are temporarily short-staffed.
What classes should I take in my first year when I am a pre-major?
You will need to complete all required pre-major classes before applying to the major, so those are the classes you should focus on completing. These classes include:
- MATH 124 - Calculus I
- MATH 125 - Calculus II
- MATH 204 - Linear Algebra
- PHYS 161 - Physics I w/Calc
- PHYS 162 - Physics II w/Calc
- CSCI 140 or 141 - Programming Fundamentals
- EECE 111 - Circuit Analysis I
EECE 108 and 109 (Intro to EECE) are also intended to be taken before applying to the major, as they provide an introduction to the discipline; however, they are not strictly required at the time of application. EECE 108 is required for the degree, however, and should be taken at the first possible opportunity in cases where it is not taken before applying to the major.
PHYS 163 (Physics III w/Calc) should also be taken as early as possible by all students, though it, too, is not required to apply to the EECE program.
ENGR 101 (Engineering, Design, and Society) is not required for the degree, but is recommended and it meets the BCGM General University Requirement (GUR). Students may need to wait until Phase II to register for this course since EECE students are excluded from registering during Phase I.
If starting calculus in the Fall quarter
To complete all of these courses in a single academic year, you will need to be able to start in MATH 124 and PHYS 161 in the fall quarter (see Calculus Placement webpage). A plan of study that includes all the pre-major courses to be eligible to apply to the major at the end of the spring quarter looks like this
| Year | Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MATH 124 (5cr) | MATH 125 (5cr) | EECE 111 (4cr) |
| PHYS 161 (5cr) | PHYS 162 (5cr) | MATH 204 (4cr) | |
| CSCI 140 or 141 (4cr) | EECE 108 and 109 (2cr) | PHYS 163 (5cr) | |
| ENGR 101 (3cr) |
Some variation within this plan is possible, such as taking CSCI 140/141 or ENGR 101 in a different quarter, but the MATH, PHYS, and EECE classes need to be taken in the quarters shown above due to the prerequisite structure.
If starting calculus in the Winter quarter
If, relative to this schedule, you are one quarter delayed in completing your MATH and/or PHYS (e.g., if you started in the fall in MATH 115 or 118), you may still complete all pre-major courses within one year by taking summer classes. Since MATH 204, PHYS 163, and EECE 111 are typically offered over the summer, you could pursue a plan of study like this, and apply to the major at the end of summer:
| Year | Winter | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MATH 124 (5cr) | MATH 125 (5cr) | EECE 111 (4cr) |
| PHYS 161 (5cr) | PHYS 162 (5cr) | MATH 204 (4cr) | |
| EECE 108/109 (2cr) | CSCI 140 or 141 (4cr) | PHYS 163 (5cr) | |
| ENGR 101 (3cr) |
If starting calculus in the Spring quarter
Otherwise, if you are two or more quarters delayed in completing MATH and/or PHYS (for example, if you started in MATH 114 in the fall quarter), you will need an extra academic year to be able to complete the pre-major courses. In this case, a plan like this would allow you to apply to the major at the end of spring quarter of your second year:
| Year | Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EECE 108/109 (2) | MATH 124 (5) | |
| ENGR 101 (3) | CSCI 140 or 141 (4) | ||
| 2 | MATH 125 (5) | MATH 204 (4) | EECE 111 (4) |
| PHYS 161 (5) | PHYS 162 (5) | PHYS 163 (5) |
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have additional room in your schedule to take courses beyond the required pre-major courses, you could consider taking the following additional courses:
- General University Requirement (GUR) courses: It is beneficial to complete as many GURs as possible if you have space in your schedule. The EECE program courses will satisfy the QSR, LSCI, SCI, and writing proficiency requirements, so you should focus on taking additional courses with the ACOM, BCOM/CCOM, HUM, SSC, ACGM, and BCGM attributes. Note that ENGR 101 is recommended and meets the BCGM requirement. Please see the GUR webpage for more details about GURs. For questions on GURs, you make seek advising help from the Academic Advising & Student Achievement Center.
- Additional mathematics courses: If you finish MATH 204 and still have time before applying to be an EECE major, as well as space in your schedule, you could take MATH 224 and MATH 331.
- Technical elective courses: You may begin meeting the EECE "technical elective" requirement by taking any of the courses shown on the Approved List of Technical Electives. Please note that many of these have prerequisite courses to be mindful of.
Also, as mentioned above, students should take PHYS 163 at the earliest possible opportunity; while it need not be completed before applying to the major, the course is required for the degree.
You must first be declared as an EECE pre-major.
Also, pre-majors must register for both EECE 108 and 109 at the same time since they must be taken concurrently.
The Engineering and Design Department has decided to restrict ENGR 101 enrollment during Phase I of registration to only those majors which strictly require the course. EECE majors and pre-majors may use the course to fulfill the BCGM GUR, and can register once Phase II of registration starts. Please see WWU's Important Dates and Deadlines webpage for the dates of Phase I and Phase II registration for each quarter.
MATH 124: F, W, S, Summer
MATH 125: F, W, S, Summer
MATH 204: F, W, S, Summer
PHYS 161: F, W, Summer
PHYS 162: W, S, Summer
PHYS 163: F, S, Summer
CSCI 141: F, W, S, Summer
EECE 108/109: W only
EECE 111: S, Summer
ENGR 101: F, W, S
Please note that schedules can deviate from year to year, and please consult Browse Classes for the officially scheduled courses.
Sometimes these required courses can fill up. The Physics courses in particular often have waitlists. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, try and get yourself on the waitlist in as many sections as possible, and try to do this as soon as possible. It can be unnerving to wait and not know if you'll be admitted, but a lot of students add/drop at the start of the quarter, so seats can open up later on. Even if you are not admitted right at the start of the quarter, attend class for the first week, as well, in case you are admitted.
In some cases, it can indeed make sense to retake a course to improve one's chances of being accepted into the major. In particularly competitive years when there are a lot of applicants, pre-major GPA is very important since it is the primary factor used in admissions decisions (see EECE Admissions page, and the EECE Admissions FAQ).
While no GPA guarantees admission since an admissions essay also factors in and competitiveness varies from year to year based on the volume of applications received, students with pre-major GPA's above 3.25 have historically been admitted at a high rate. For GPA's below 3.25, it is much more difficult to predict; in some years the EECE program admits most everyone, while in other years the program has had to turn away 25% of applicants.
If you have one or two lower grades in courses, retaking those courses may help your overall pre-major GPA significantly. To compute your pre-major GPA, you may download the pre-major GPA calculator spreadsheet; this allows you to play "what if" scenarios to assess how much of an improvement you might expect by retaking a course.
Since enrollment in EECE 210 or EECE 233 is restricted to students in the major, students awaiting admissions decisions should follow these guidelines when registering for fall courses:
- MATH 224. Review the posted times that EECE 210 and 233 will be offered, and then register for a section of MATH 224 that does not conflict with those EECE courses. If you are admitted, you will take EECE 210 and EECE 233 concurrently with MATH 224 in the fall.
- GUR. For most students, the next priority is to enroll in a GUR course that also does not conflict with EECE 210 or EECE 233.
- Plan a backup. Consider your alternate major or backup plan in case you are not admitted. If you have another major in mind, sign up for courses that would help you progress in that field. Should you gain admission to the EECE program, you can drop these backup courses and add EECE 210 and EECE 233 at that time.