Degree Options

The BS degree in Electrical Engineering requires a minimum of one hundred and twenty-six (126) credits that must include:

• Forty-five (45) credits of ECE courses including Computational Models for ECE (520.123), Digital System Fundamentals (520.142), Mastering Electronics & Lab (520.230, 520.231), Signals and Systems (520.214), Introduction to Electromagnetics (520.219), and at least six (6) credits of advanced laboratory, design intensive, or senior design project courses. Up to six (6) credits of Computer Science courses may be used to satisfy the 45-credit requirement. A GPA of at least 2.0 must be maintained in ECE courses. Courses in this group may not be taken Pass/Fail.
• Six (6) credits of engineering courses from School of Engineering departments other than ECE, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, or General Engineering. Students must complete enough of the approved non-ECE advanced design labs so that they have at least twelve (12) credits of combined ECE and non-ECE advanced laboratory, design intensive, or senior design project courses. Courses in this group may not be taken Pass/Fail. Entrepreneurship and Management courses in the Center for Leadership Education, CANNOT be counted as “other engineering courses”.
• Twenty (20) credits of mathematics courses taken from the Mathematics Department or the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department. Students must take Calculus II (110.109), Calculus III (110-202), Linear Algebra (110.201), Differential Equations (110.302), and either Probability and Statistics (550.310/311) or Introduction to Probability (550.420). Courses in this group may not be taken Pass/Fail. Elementary or precalculus courses such as 110.105 or 550.111-112 are not acceptable. (Calculus I may be waived through an examination taken during freshman orientation. If not waived, it must be taken as a prerequisite to Calculus II).
• Sixteen (16) credits of basic sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, earth and planetary sciences) which must include General Physics (171.101-102), General Physics Laboratory (173.111-112), and Introductory Chemistry (030.101). Courses in this group may not be taken Pass/Fail. Courses coded NS cannot count under basic sciences. They can only be counted as a social science (S).
• At least five (5), three-credit courses in humanities and social sciences, and Practical Ethics for Future Leaders (660.400) (2 cr.), and Engineering Solutions in a Global, Economic, Environmental, and Societal Context (520.404) (1 cr.) for a total of 18 credits. If a student has a secondary major in ECE the student still must fulfill the ethics requirement. If a student has an ethics requirement in their primary major, they should first follow that. If their first major does not have an ethics requirement they must take some form of ethics. While Practical Ethics (EN.660.400) and Engineering solutions (EN.520.404) are preferred, they can be replaced with any other 3 credit or 2 + 1 credit variation. The humanities and social sciences courses are one of the strengths of the academic programs at Johns Hopkins. They represent opportunities for students to appreciate some of the global and societal impacts of engineering, to understand contemporary issues, and to exchange ideas with scholars in other fields. Some of the courses will help students to communicate more effectively, to understand economic issues, or to analyze problems in an increasingly international world. The selection of courses should not consist solely of introductory courses but should have both depth and breadth. This means that students should take at least three (3) courses in a specific area with at least one of them at an advanced level (300 or 400 level).
• A programming language requirement must be met by taking Intermediate Programming (601.220) (applies to students entering in 2019 or later).
• Two (2) writing intensive (W) courses (at least 3 credits each) are required. The writing intensive courses may not be taken Pass/Fail and require a C- or better grade. Students may wish to consider a course in Technical Communications to fulfill one of the writing intensive requirements. The course 661.315, The Culture of the Engineering Profession, is recommended by the ECE Faculty as a writing intensive course.

The BS degree in Computer Engineering requires a minimum of 126 credits, which must include the following:

• Forty-two (42) credits in Computer Engineering, which must include:
• At least fifteen (15) credits of Electrical and Computer Engineering courses, which must include Computational Models for ECE (520.123) Digital System Fundamentals (520.142), Signals & Systems (520.214), and Mastering Electronics and Lab (520.230 520.231).
• At least fifteen (15) credits of Computer Science courses, which must include Intermediate Programming (601.220), Data Structures (601.226) and Computer System Fundamentals *(601.229). (*You can count either 601.229, Computer Systems Fundamentals, or 520.222, Computer Architecture as a CE required course.)
• The program must also contain a substantial advanced laboratory and design experience component, appropriate for the student’s interests. This requirement can be met by taking twelve (12) credits of advanced laboratory, design intensive, or senior design project courses from those given in the attached advising checklist in Section I.C. At least six (6) of these twelve credits must be from ECE or CS courses. A GPA of at least 2.0 must be maintained in Computer Engineering courses. Courses in this category may not be taken Pass/Fail.
• Six (6) credits of engineering courses from School of Engineering departments other than Computer Science, ECE, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, or General Engineering. Students must complete enough of the approved non-CS/ECE advanced design labs so that they have at least twelve (12) credits of advanced laboratory, design intensive, or senior design project courses. Courses in this group may not be taken Pass/Fail. Entrepreneurship and Management courses in the Center for Leadership Education, CANNOT be counted as “other engineering courses”.
• Twenty-four (24) credits in mathematics courses taken from the Mathematics Department or the Applied Mathematics and Statistics Department. Calculus II (110.109), Calculus III (110.202), Linear Algebra (110.201) or Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (550.291), Discrete Mathematics (550.171), Probability and Statistics (550.310/311) or Introduction to Probability (550.420) must be taken. Elementary or precalculus courses, such as 110.105 or 550.111-112, are not acceptable. Courses in this category may not be taken Pass/Fail. Calculus I may be waived through an examination taken during freshman orientation. If not waived, it must be taken as a prerequisite to Calculus II.
• Sixteen (16) credits of basic sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, earth and planetary sciences) which must include General Physics (171.101-102), General Physics Laboratory (173.111-112), and Introductory Chemistry (030.101). Courses in this group may not be taken Pass/Fail. Courses coded NS cannot count under basic sciences. They can only be counted as a social science (S).
• At least five (5), three-credit courses in humanities and social sciences, and Practical Ethics for Future Leaders (660.400) (2 cr.), and Engineering Solutions in a Global, Economic, Environmental, and Societal Context (520.404) (1 cr.) for a total of 18 credits. If a student has a secondary major in ECE the student still must fulfill the ethics requirement. If a student has an ethics requirement in their primary major, they should first follow that. If their first major does not have an ethics requirement they must take some form of ethics. While Practical Ethics (EN.660.400) and Engineering solutions (EN.520.404) are preferred, they can be replaced with any other 3 credit or 2 + 1 credit variation. The humanities and social sciences courses are one of the strengths of the academic programs at Johns Hopkins. They represent opportunities for students to appreciate some of the global and societal impacts of engineering, to understand contemporary issues, and to exchange ideas with scholars in other fields. Some of the courses will help students to communicate more effectively, to understand economic issues, or to analyze problems in an increasingly international world. The selection of courses should not consist solely of introductory courses but should have both depth and breadth. This means that students should take at least three (3) courses in a specific area with at least one of them at an advanced level (300 or 400 level).
• At least two (2) writing intensive (W) courses are required (at least 3 credits each). The writing intensive courses may not be taken Pass/Fail and require a grade of C- or better. Students may wish to consider a course in Technical Communications to fulfill one of the W requirements. The course 661.315, The Culture of the Engineering Profession, is recommended by the ECE Faculty as a writing intensive course.

A combined bachelor’s/master’s degree provides students with a number of distinct advantages:

1. Students graduate with a competitive edge in the job market.
2. Master’s degrees can usually be completed in one year instead of two as undergraduate courses may be counted toward the master’s degree.
3. After a Johns Hopkins student completes eight semesters and earns a Bachelor’s Degree, the Whiting School of Engineering will pay 50% of the student’s tuition every semester while he or she is a graduate student.

Eligibility and Application Process

• This program is available only to undergraduates in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department majors.
• Students are encouraged to discuss interest in the combined program with their advisor during the junior year to make sure they are well positioned to gain maximum benefit from the program.
• The application can be submitted anytime, from the first semester of your junior year until the end end of the first semester of your senior year. If the first semester of your senior year is the fall semester, you should submit your application no later than December 22nd at 11:59 PM. If the first semester of your senior year is in spring, the last day to apply is May 31st at 11:59PM. If you have missed the deadline, please talk to the academic program coordinator about alternate entry into the program.
• Admission decisions are made on academic performance that includes undergraduate GPA. It is expected that students will have a 3.5 GPA.
• ECE Graduate Policy on Double-Counting Courses: WSE policy allows Bachelors-Masters students to double-count two courses (400 level or higher), but also states that “If an individual program adopts double-counting policies more strict than these, the program’s policies override the school-wide policies”. ECE does not allow double-counting undergrad courses towards a Masters Degree. Credits can only be used to fulfill requirements under one degree, not both.
• Undergraduate students can use 400 level courses to fulfill Master’s level requirements while they are still registered as undergraduates, but once their undergraduate degree has been conferred, they must register for 600+ level courses.