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ECE110 with ECE120

Relevant Course Reviews:

Who should take them?

Typically, ECE 110 & 120 are taken in the fall semester by electrical engineers and computer engineers, respectively. Taking ECE 110 in the fall allows you to take ECE 210 in the spring, whereas taking ECE 120 in the fall allows you to take ECE 220 in the spring. ECE 220 is a prerequisite for more advanced computer engineering classes such as CS 225, ECE 385, and others. ECE 210 is a prerequisite for more advanced electrical engineering classes, such as ECE 310. The concepts discussed in ECE 110 and 120 are mostly unrelated. ECE 110 covers basic circuit design up through transistors, and ECE 120 uses the idea of transistors to develop logic gates and built up through computer architecture. It is not necessary to understand ECE 110 concepts prior to taking ECE 120.

Workload:

ECE 110 consists of weekly online PrairieLearn assignments, which usually take around 2 or 3 hours per week. 110 has 3 PrairieLearn midterms taken at the CBTF, the lowest of which is dropped and replaced with your grade on the final, if it improves your grade. 110 has weekly 3 hour laboratory sessions, which can be completed within the lab period. There are also several "Explore More" modules that must be completed throughout the semester. These modules take at most 30 minutes to an hour per module.

ECE 120 consists of weekly written homework assignments, which can take around 3 or 4 hours per week. 120 also has several out of class labs that must be completed as homework. These labs involve programming assignments and circuit wiring.

Both ECE 110 and 120 workloads are manageable if you practice good time management, attend lectures regularly, and keep up with the homework.

Recommendation:

Most likely, taking these two courses together should be no problem. Many freshmen students take both courses in the fall, which allows them greater freedom to choose between later classes in the next semesters. Since they are unrelated, there are no concepts discussed in either course that is important for the other course.