What tech electives do you think I should take this fall?

[leright]

Hello, I am having some difficulty choosing a course to take for this fall. The course is to fill in my technical elective. I am already filling in my other tech electives with an advanced electronics class (with lab), advanced digital (with lab), and opto electronics (with lab). Now, I just need to choose one more tech elective (4 credits). I am a double major in electrical engineering and physics and I hope to get into semiconductor physics research (applied more at the EE end of things). So, I hope to become more of a physicist than an engineer, but I would like to take part in activities from both fields.

It is also possible for me to not take any tech elective and just take an EE class everyone is supposed to take. I could wait a couple of semesters to take the tech elective in hopes something else is offered.

My choices for tech electives are given below:

VLSI system design: Analysis and design of MOS and bipolar integrated circuits. Fabrication processes, device characteristics, digital circuits for logic and memory functions. Semi-custom and full custom design application. Specific integrated-circuit design, design rules, and case studies. (however, I talked to the prof that is supposed to teach this, and he said it was a mistake to have him teach it since he doesn't know much about the subject and someone else will likely end up teaching it...also, they might not even offer it.)

Engineering Analysis: Must have permission of Department. Theoretical analysis of typical engineering systems using linear equations, finite difference methods, perturbation, and asymptotic expansions. Discrete mathematics and probability theory including error correcting codes, interpolation, samples spaces, independence, and random variables. Lecture 4 hours.

Digital Image Processing: Image representation, image enhancement and restoration, image encoding, feature extraction and image interpretation. Image compression, Applications to HDTD Computer Vision and object Recognition design.

Digital Control systems: Must have departmental approval. Discrete time mathematics, Z-transforms, sampling rates, zero and first-order hold, time delays, system stability, continuous and discrete time systems, interfacing, computer control implementation concepts, state space realization. Lecture 4 hours. (might not be able to take this since control systems is a pre-req, and I haven't had it yet.)

Engineering Optimization: Linear optimization, constraints, slack variables, feasibility, basic solutions, the Simplex method, duality. Non-linear optimization, existence, feasible directions, unconstrained problems, convex and concave functions, basic descent methods, conjugate direction methods, quasi- Newton methods. Constrained minimization, Lagrange multipliers, Kuhn-Tucker conditions. (probably won't be able to take this as it is 600 level, and I probably don't have the proper pre-reqs.

So, what do you think?

 

[Nothing000]

I would take the VLSI course, but that is just because I want to go into ic design.

 

[piercas]

I understand the importance of choosing the right courses to further your academic and career goals. Based on your interests in semiconductor physics research and your double major in electrical engineering and physics, I would recommend taking the VLSI system design or Digital Image Processing courses. Both of these courses are directly applicable to your field of interest and will provide you with valuable knowledge and skills in integrated circuit design and digital image processing, which are highly relevant in the semiconductor industry. Additionally, these courses offer lab components, which will give you hands-on experience and practical application of the concepts learned in class.

However, if these courses are not available or not feasible for you to take, I would suggest considering the Engineering Analysis or Digital Control Systems courses. These courses will provide you with a strong foundation in mathematical and analytical techniques, which are essential in the field of semiconductor physics research.

Ultimately, the decision is yours and it's important to choose a course that aligns with your interests and goals. I would also recommend speaking with your academic advisor or professors in the EE and physics departments for their insights and recommendations. Good luck with your decision!