Advising and course selection for Spring 2016 is underway. Advising starts Monday, October 19, 2015, and online registration opens on Wednesday, October 28, 2015. Your registration eligibility date is based on earned credits and class standing.

Who Is My Advisor?

Please consult the list on the Advisors bulletin board across from the ECE main office, 610 Cobleigh Hall, or look at the Advisor listing online as part of your DegreeWorks worksheet.

NOTE that if you are a student who has been identified in the COEX (College of Engineering Exploration) group, you will already have received an email message from the COEX advisor, Karen Steele, regarding COEX advising.  The COEX desigation is simply a sub-category of any of the engineering majors for students working on getting to the M-151 (pre-calculus) level of mathematics. COEX students must see Karen Steele rather than an ECE faculty advisor.  karensteele@montana.edu , https://www.montana.edu/scheduler/login/student/?fac=170 .

ECE Advising Procedure

The ECE Department will be following the same advising procedure as in previous semesters. You will need to stop by your advisor's office and schedule an individual appointment. Some advisors will have appointment time blocks posted outside their offices where you can sign up for the time that fits your schedule, while other advisors will use email or the online scheduler to make appointments.

Don't know who is your advisor? See the list on the Advisors bulletin board across from the ECE main office, 610 Cobleigh Hall, or check DegreeWorks.  Again, COEX students are advised by Karen Steele.

BEFORE COMING TO YOUR ADVISING SESSION, PLEASE PREPARE THE FOLLOWING

  • The list of courses you are currently taking this semester (Fall 2015).
  • The tentative list of courses you plan to take next semester (Spring 2016).
  • The estimated semester in which you expect to graduate.

At the end of your advising session, your advisor will sign an advisor evaluation form for you to complete. You will need to bring that signed form to the ECE office in order to pick up the PIN information to equip you for online course registration

Spring 2016 updates and information

  • EE students need to take 9 credits of EELE Professional Electives. Some EE students end up taking two 4-credit elective classes totaling 8 credits and just need one more credit to fulfill the 9 EELE elective credit requirement.  If this is your situation, you might be interested in taking a 1-credit EELE course. The options include Independent Study (EELE 492), Undergraduate Research (EELE 490), or Internship (EELE 498).  These special courses require individual arrangements, so see your advisor.  Another option is the 1-credit Multidisciplinary Seminars (EELE 394) course, which requires you to attend 12 campus seminars on your own during the semester. Or you can, of course, take a 3 or 4 credit EELE class. See your advisor if you have questions.
  • A special graduate-level course in "Wave Optics Simulation" will be offered in Spring 2016 as EELE 538. The course will be taught by Zeb Barer and Curt Vogel. Pre-requisite is EELE 581, Fourier Optics/Imaging Theory, or an equivalent course, or permission of the instructors.
  • The alternate year or annual electives for the spring 2016 semester include:
    EELE 408 Photovoltaic Systems
    EELE 432 Applied Electromagnetics
    EELE 451 Power Electronics
    EELE 461/561 Digital System Design 
    EELE 484/584 Laser Engineering
    EELE 522 Adaptive Control
    EELE 538 Advanced Topics in Emag and Optics: Wave Optics Simulation (see note above)
    EELE 583 Remote Sensing Systems
  • For future planning: during Summer 2016 we expect to offer EELE 203 Circuits II as a first 6-week course (live lecture and lab), and EELE 261 Digital Logic as an online lecture with a work-at-home-on-your-own lab.

Special Notes

  1. If you plan to graduate in Spring 2016, you should already have completed the Application for Baccalaureate Degree. If you have NOT done so, you are LATE, so please see your advisor immediately and get the application process completed!
  2. The application for Summer or Fall 2016 graduation will be taken care of early in the spring semester, with a deadline of March 1, 2016. Using DegreeWorks, create a "Plan" showing the courses you will need to complete your degree, and let your advisor know that you are nearing your graduation semester, then remember to see your advisor in February to finalize the degree application process. Refer to our ECE Degree Application Instructions.

  3. Please be aware that if you plan to graduate in Spring, Summer, or Fall 2016, you are required to take the FE Exam before you graduate. You may take the FE Exam either the semester of graduation or the semester prior to graduation, but keep in mind that the FE Exam requires advance registration. You must be registered for EGEN 488 the semester you plan to take the FE Exam. The format of the exam is now electronic using the MSU Testing Center. You must make your own exam appointment individually through the MSU Testing Center.  More information about the FE Exam requirement.

    NOTE: If you are graduating in May 2016 and did not take the FE exam already, you must take the exam in the Spring of 2016.  If you are graduating in Summer or Fall 2016, you may take the exam later in the year. You must take the exam no more than one semester prior to the semester you will graduate; therefore, if you plan to graduate in spring 2017 or later, the spring 2016 exam opportunity does NOT apply to you.

    Spring 2016 FE Exam: Registration for the spring FE exam period (computer-based, six hour duration) is open year-round. Go to the website www.ncees.org, create a user account, and then select your desired exam site location and available appointment dates. Appointments will be made available in two-month windows (Jan-Feb, Apr-May, Jul-Aug, Oct-Nov), so spring 2016 graduates need to schedule their exam appointment in the Jan-Feb or Apr-May windows. If the available appointment dates do not match your availability, you may consider taking the exam at another testing center (e.g., Helena, Billings, or Missoula). The exam fee is $225.

    You will not be able to graduate if you do not follow the proper FE and EGEN 488 procedures. Don't let this happen to you!!

Questions: ECE Department, 610 Cobleigh Hall, 994-2505. Office hours: 8AM-noon and 1PM-5PM.