Bachelor brochure Electrical Engineering

I dream of …
asphalt lanes
that charge
electric cars
The major for those who want to control
the future
Electrical Engineering is a crucial part in controlling
our future and that is something you can see in
many applications. So you are exposed in your first
year of study to three societal themes:
- Communication (The Connected World):
Like a chip that works using light signals instead
of electrical signals, Bluetooth or WiFi.
- Healthcare (Care and Cure): Medical applications
like an MRI scanner or combating cancer cells
using electromagnetic waves.
- Environment (Smart and Sustainable Society):
Finite sources like oil and gas will be exhausted
at one point. Alternatives are sun and wind.
But the wind doesn’t always blow. How can
energy be stored? How can you store electricity?
institutes in the Eindhoven region. This means
that there are many part-time professors, inspiring
guest lectures, internships and excursions that give
the study that bit extra. The electrical engineering
student association Thor ensures that there are
many other great things you can do with your fellow
students in addition to studying.
Suitable student
Are you mainly keen on science subjects? Are you
inquisitive about the world around you and do
you see things that are needed for improvement?
Do you want to wander off the beaten path, are
you ambitious and do you become inspired by the
thought that your efforts can help make a positive
change in people’s daily lives? Then Electrical
Engineering is something for you!
Alumnus Richard Engelaar
“In my work as a technology consultant at Accenture I don’t use the
intrinsic knowledge from my study on a daily basis yet every day I still have
the feeling that I gained an indispensable foundation at TU/e. The social
skills, the way of thinking, the network you establish there: that certainly
is a benefit in your career. And an internship abroad – I spent six months in
New Zealand – is important; the experience you gain during that period can
be a plus for employers. I have only been working for one and a half months
but I already know that the combination of engineering and business really suits
me. And the variation: as a consultant you see lots of different companies and
organizations from the inside. I will be here for some time yet, I’m sure of that!”
Student Koen Loonen
“We focus on everything in which electricity and magnetism play a role. I think it’s really
extraordinary how much we know nowadays about such complex issues. People used to have no idea.
And now? Now people have solar panels on their roofs, geothermal heat pumps for their homes and
many people make use of home automation, or domotics. Electricity is almost everywhere. In navigation
systems, the GPS network or in wireless chips for your cell phone. That’s all Electrical Engineering.
Personally, my interest is in control engineering, the control and optimization of large complex systems
like power stations. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in our field. If I can do my bit, then I
am happy to do so!”
TU/e Bachelor College
Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) clusters
its Bachelor study programs in the Bachelor College.
As a student of the TU/e Bachelor College you have
the opportunity to shape your study on the basis
of your interests and ambitions. The Bachelor
consists for the most part of your major, that field
in which you later intend to work as an engineer. It
is the foundation of your study program. This leaflet
tells you more about the contents of the Electrical
Engineering major in relation to the Bachelor study
so that you can find out if Electrical Engineering is
the right choice.
“We focus on everything in
which electricity and magnetism
play a role”
This is Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering plays a role in everything
involving electricity and magnetism. For instance
in the development of electrical motors for cars or
the design of the very latest wireless chips for cell
phones. Electrical Engineering is crucial in almost
every modern technology: from reading information
on a DVD to signal processing in medical
equipment. At TU/e, for instance, we focus on
wireless energy transfer. What can that mean for the
future? Suppose the battery of your cell phone or
tablet is always fully charged, then you won’t need a
separate charger. And you can use your TV anywhere
because you won’t have to plug it in!
“Sustainability is becoming
increasingly important in
our field”
Typically Electrical Engineering in
Eindhoven
With more than eighty first-year students Electrical
Engineering in Eindhoven is the biggest university
electrical engineering study in the Netherlands.
Yet Electrical Engineering remains a relatively
small study program. We provide a stimulating
environment for study in which you build up good
relationships with lecturers and fellow students.
In addition to extensive international relationships,
the department has good contacts with the many
technologically leading companies and research
The Bachelor study program
Major
Half of the three-year bachelor study consists
of the chosen major. It is the foundation of your
study. In the Electrical Engineering major you follow
theory subjects like an introduction to electrical
engineering, signals, networks, electrical and
transistor circuits, systems, electromagnetism
and telecommunication. You also learn to put this
theory into practice in design-based learning (DBL)
assignments that you undertake in a team. You
are taught by lecturers who have earned traces in
research and by part-time professors who also work
in industry.
Basic subjects
In addition to your major, you follow a number of
basic subjects like mathematics and physics, and
you learn engineering design. Professional skills
like cooperation and organization become integral
part of your skills. These subjects give you the solid
foundation you need as an engineer.
Electives
A quarter of your Bachelor study program comprises
elective subjects that enable you to accentuate
aspects of your study. You may opt to broaden your
knowledge with subjects from another field or dig
deeper in your own field. The Automotive and Venus
Exploration projects are examples of what you could
choose for your free electives.
USE subjects
Finally, you choose USE subjects, USE meaning
User, Society and Enterprise. These subjects show
how technology always operates in a broader
context. Engineers develop technology for users to
contribute to solutions for societal problems and to
create business opportunities for industry.
Very concrete: the first year
In the first year you learn the basics of Electrical
Engineering. In addition to the basic subjects,
you have electrical engineering subjects (signals,
transistor circuits and systems) and projects.
Theory is explained in lectures. During exercise
sessions, supervised self-study, you exercise with
the material. If you opt for a project in your electives,
you apply the theory to that project. You spend a day
and a half each week on a project. Each academic
year consists of 60 credits (ECTS) and each credit is
equivalent to 28 hours of study. The first academic
year is divided into two semesters of four periods
of eight weeks that you complete with two weeks of
exams.
Intensive coaching
Experienced TU/e coaches offer you personalized
advice from the start to the finish of your study,
beginning during your enrollment when you and your
coach look at the major that best suits you and the
best ways of filling in your electives. In this way you
shape your study program in line with the interests
and ambitions you have. And should you realize
during the first year that a different major suits
you better, then you and your coach look at how
you might be able to switch major during the year.
Additional to a personal coach, you also get help
from a study counselor and senior students who
mentor groups of first-year students of which you
are a member. During your initial period of study,
they can guide you in your study.