Undergraduates have ample opportunities for conducting real research in labs alongside graduate students and faculty.Academics / Undergraduate / Electrical Engineering Major (BS Degree)Curriculum and Requirements
Academics
/ Undergraduate
/ Electrical Engineering Major (BS Degree)
The electrical engineering curriculum includes courses in electronic circuits, solid-state electronics, electromagnetics, optics, lasers, controls, digital signal processing, communication, and networks. The curriculum challenges students to:
- Apply their electrical engineering skills to a variety of challenges in industry, academia, or in the pursuit of other fields.
- Attain careers in which they become leaders in their chosen fields, work in multidisciplinary teams, make decisions that are socially responsible, and communicate effectively.
- Continuously learn new concepts, identify new directions, and adapt in response to the needs of a rapidly changing world.
Degree Requirements
An overview of the curriculum for new students starting in the 2026-27 academic year is displayed below. The new engineering core requirement, Engineering Foundations will replace the Engineering Analysis sequence for all McCormick undergraduate degrees. The full curriculum will be published to the Northwestern University Academic Catalog in September 2026.
Engineering Core Requirements (26 units)
- Mathematics (4 units)
- Basic sciences (4 units)
- Engineering Foundations (3 units)
- Design, Communication, and Innovation (3 units)
- Social Sciences/Humanities Theme (7 units)
- Unrestricted electives (5 units)
Major Program Requirements (22 units)
- Required courses (11 units)
- Technical electives (10 units)
- Design course (1 units)