Hardest EE Class: Student Opinions & Experience

[Chunkysalsa]

I realize this probably fits better in Academic Guidance but I figure I'll get better results here.

I'm trying to set up my schedule and I'm wondering what, in your personal opinion, were the hardest classes you've had to take. To me hardest doesn't just mean conceptual problems but also the amount of time one had to put into the class to be successful. Although I'm an undergrad, some graduate class opinions are always interesting as well.

 

[cabraham]

Electromagnetics fields.

 

[Proton Soup]

emag, communications, thermodynamics, senior design

 

[goodname]

definitely electromagnetic theory but once mastered then all others should come to ground.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

What about a class on Signals and Systems? I don't know if I should take EM next semester along with Circuit Analysis II, Electronic Circuits or in spring with Signals and elec circuits 2.

 

[Perfection]

For me, whatever class is earliest...

EE might be tough, but getting up in the morning? No contest.

 

[gb7nash]

For me, whatever class is earliest...

EE might be tough, but getting up in the morning? No contest.

I was fortunate enough to never have an 8am class. I hear they're brutal.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

I had a chem lab at 8am once, will never ever do that again.

 

[gb7nash]

I had a chem lab at 8am once, will never ever do that again.

I had a physics lab friday night. I feel your pain.

 

[rbj]

What about a class on Signals and Systems?

piece of cake. nowhere near the hardest.

but it is one of the most important. particularly when you consider what other courses prerequire it. like communications sysyems, statistical communications, electronics, linear circuits and filter theory, control systems, DSP, distributed networks (transmission lines) and antennae theory, biomed electronics.

I don't know if I should take EM next semester along with Circuit Analysis II, Electronic Circuits or in spring with Signals and elec circuits 2.

 

[rppearso]

I am taking EMag right now as a stand alone (I am a practicing chemical PE) looking to do a masters in EE. I have also done advanced engineering math and I would have to say that math class was at least as hard as emag if not a bit harder. I have always heard emag was the worse so I took it, if I can do well in emag and work full time then I should be able to do a masters.

My goal is thermal imaging of which there does not seem to be a lot of knowlage or people doing it.

 

[u_know_who]

Electronics. BJT MOSFET kill me. :p

 

[Chunkysalsa]

Consensus seems to be EMag. Is that class much harder than all the rest or does it hover right above.

 

[LotusEffect]

I'm currently doing electrical engeering and yeah Emag was one of the hardest. But strangely, at my university, the linear control class is the most failed. But doing it this semester, I can tell it's just a teacher thing :P.

 

[dlgoff]

On the first day of class when I took electromagnetic theory, the professor stated he had never given an A in his class, any missed homework would give you an F for the class, and an F if you couldn't derive Maxwell's Equations on the final.

 

[sixstringartist]

Sig and Systems isn't bad at all. Where I took it, it was 95% calculus so if you feel comfortable with calc it'll be a breeze.

EM seems to be brutal where I got my undergrad. Our nonlinear theory course was mind numbing but that's not my thing. I am sure someone else could run with it.

 

[seang]

electromagnetics is hard, but don't be discouraged. somebody's got to do it.

study hard and take pride in shaming the rest of your class ;)

 

[mdjensen22]

On the first day of class when I took electromagnetic theory, the professor stated he had never given an A in his class, any missed homework would give you an F for the class, and an F if you couldn't derive Maxwell's Equations on the final.

Ouch.

Mine was the first programming course in assembly - mostly because it was the first programming I had ever had to do.

 

[jasonRF]

Electronics. BJT MOSFET kill me. :p

Me too! E&M was challenging, but it made sense to me and was quite enjoyable. You only had to remember a few things, and you can derive the rest yourself. But Transistors? they never made sense to me at all! So I took a bunch more EM, and almost no more electronics!

Jason

 

[Mike_In_Plano]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned diff eq. You definitily have to grind to get through that class. It was sophmore level and difficult. Signals and systems didn't strike me as being as hard as controls, and neither was near as hard as discrete time time signal processing. Again, do all the homework or crash.

EM I struck me as being unnaturally difficult for those that were generally strong in math. I think that too many defaulted to trying to memorize their way through the material rather than find a way to visualize it. Conceptualization + good math + homework = happy emag results. Memorization = tailspin and crash in emag

 

[Chunkysalsa]

Diff Eq has been quite easy for me and is actually my favorite class this semester, but I'm quite mathy. So far my only As in college have been in my math classes and I've decided to even pick up a math minor.

Thanks for all the results guys, I now know not to overload myself next spring like I am in fall.Oh and how about Microcontroller's? Seems like a class that easy for those who are good at programming.

 

[Maru]

Semiconductors...a notorious class where I'm from