Semiconductors, 8 Semesters
About Me
Hello, I'm an EE student who graduated in May 2024. This is my schedule that bounced around many different interests and minors, but ultimately ended with a good background in semiconductors to prepare me for a Master's degree. As you read through my semesters, I hope you can see that it is fine to pursue passions like music and classes outside of the department to broaden your knowledge while still being able to finish all of the degree requirements in a reasonable pace.
Schedule
Incoming Credit
| Course | Title | Credit Hours | Source of Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEM 102 | General Chemistry I | 3 | AP Chemistry |
| CHEM 104 | General Chemistry II | 3 | AP Chemistry |
| HIST 1-- | Test-Based Credit | 3 | AP US History |
| MATH 220 | Calculus | 5 | AP Calculus BC |
| MATH 231 | Calculus II | 3 | AP Calculus BC |
| PHYS 1-- | Test-Based Credit | 4 | AP Physics I |
| SPAN 141 | Intro to Spanish Grammar | 4 | AP Spanish |
| RHET 105 | Writing and Research | 4 | SAT Score |
| Total | 29 |
Note: The courses/credits marked with X-- mean they don't count for a particular course, but count as credit hours towards the 128 credit hour requirement for the degree.
I highly, highly encourage any high schoolers and freshman to not repeat any classes you have credit for. Advisors will tell you to repeat classes like Calculus II or Physics Mechanics instead of taking the AP credit, but it is in your best interests to push ahead and take new courses when you enter college. This will save you time, which in college is thousands of dollars in tuition and housing. If you aren't confident in course material, spend a small amount of time in the summer reviewing course content instead of retaking a course.
Semester 1
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 241 | Calculus III | 4 |
| PHYS 211 | University Physics: Mechanics | 4 |
| ECE 110 | Introduction to Electronics | 3 |
| LAST 210 | Life in the Andes | 3 |
| SPAN 228 | Spanish Composition | 3 |
| CHP 199 | Honors Uncommon Reads | 1 |
| ENG 100 | Engineering Orientation | 0 |
| Total | 18 |
I took SPAN 228 for a Spanish minor and the class is essentially RHET 105 but entirely in Spanish. The course is quite tough, but it helped solidify any weak parts of my Spanish because of the constant immersion in class and while writing. Only take this course if you are certain your formal understanding of Spanish can support writing an essay every month.
Also, I had to take CHP 199 to live in the honors dorm my freshman year. I recommend to try and live in those dorms if you are a James Scholar because the environment is great for meeting friends and you are guaranteed to live in ISR, the closest dorm to ECEB.
Semester 2
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CS 101 | Intro Computing: Engrg & Sci | 3 |
| ECE 120 | Introduction to Computing | 4 |
| MATH 286 | Intro to Differential Eq Plus | 4 |
| MATH 415 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
| PHYS 212 | University Physics: Elec & Mag | 4 |
| SPAN 246 | Bodies out of Place | 3 |
| Total | 18 |
Between the Fall and Spring semesters, I went onto the CS 101 website to self-teach python for my MATH 415 python section (now called MATH 257, the replacement for the linear algebra part of MATH 286 after it was discontinued). This is a great course to self-study if you think your programming knowledge is weak, or if you want to learn how to use python as a powerful calculator. It only takes one or two weeks to get through all the content; it's not an intense class.
I took another SPAN class expecing to continue the minor. This was a gen-ed that covered topics very intersting and personal to me. When selecting gen-eds to take, many students like to use this gen-ed by GPA graph to select easy classes to guarantee an A. I understand that this major is hard and A's might be difficult to come by, but this university is extremely large and diverse in its course offerings. I encourage you to branch out and take a gen-ed you are interested in over an "easy gen-ed" because if you are interested in the course content, it will make the class easier than you think.
However, after this semester I decided to switch my minor from Spanish to Computer Science. Trying these things out in freshman and sophomore years is important to understand where you want to ground yourself academically before getting to junior and senior year. Don't be afraid to switch tracks later.
Tips
- Be bold and speak to new people in classes and around campus. I striked up a conversation with the person I sat next to in ECE 120 and ended up doing my ECE 445 Senior Design project with them. I wouldn't have made it through 4 techinicals as a freshman if I wasn't doing homeworks and studying with my friends every day. Everyone takes these classes, so don't try and do them alone.
Semester 3
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CS 124 | Intro to Computer Science I | 3 |
| ECE 200 | Seminar | 0 |
| ECE 210 | Analog Signal Processing | 4 |
| ECE 220 | Computer Systems & Programming | 4 |
| MATH 213 | Basic Discrete Mathematics | 3 |
| PHYS 214 | University Physics: Quantum Physics | 2 |
| PHYS 213 | University Physics: Thermal Physics | 2 |
| MUS 133 | Introduction to World Music | 3 |
| Total | 18 |
Computer Science is easy and fun to self-study, so over the summer I went to the learn CS website and did enough lectures and exercises on there to take the CS 124 Proficiency Exam. I wanted to get a head-start on taking CS 173 - Discrete Structures but the class was full so I opted to take MATH 213. This was a great decision because I ended up enjoying the math-heavy focus on discrete math. If you aren't a fan of trying to understand formalism and doing math in general, then try to register for CS 173. Historically, MATH 213 has given out worse grades than CS 173 so it might be the easier option for many students.
Tips
- ECE 210 is a math class. Yes there are circuits at the beginning, but things very quickly turn into abstract concepts that require advanced math. People miss so many points from algebra mistakes and discomfort with integrals so spend extra time trying to hone your math skills. Math will never leave you as an EE, so spend the time necessary to really get it down solid in these beginning classes.
- Study at ACES (this semester I got addicted to the PAR stir fry), or somewhere else away from Grainger Library. This campus is very beautiful, spend time walking around to find comfort spots and other areas to help change your environment througout the day to avoid burnout.
Semester 4
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CS 225 | Data Structures | 4 |
| ECE 329 | Fields and Waves I | 3 |
| ECE 340 | Semiconductor Electronics | 3 |
| MSE 280 | Engineering Materials | 3 |
| MUSE 250 | The World Through Museums | 3 |
| MUSC 484 | Concert Band | 1 |
| Total | 17 |
This is an agressive sophomore schedule. I took this combination of courses because my interests had started to switch towards materials and semiconductors, so I rushed ECE 340 as early as possible to get to take ECE 444 to see if semiconductors were my main interests. However, I kept CS 225 in the schedule which ended up not being useful in my pursuits of semiconductors. The most programming knowledge I've needed to know as of now is how to make graphs in python, which was taught in CS 101.
MSE 280 is also the first course someone would take to start a MatSE minor, and it's a very enjoyable course. I recommend taking the class with Prof. Goodman, he always makes lectures fun and has homeworks done in groups during class time. This class sets up the understanding of crystals that is often times glossed over in later semiconductor classes in the ECE department.
Tips
- ECE 340 has ECE 329 listed as a co-req, but there is almost zero overlap between the two courses so don't feel like you have to take ECE 340 after ECE 329. You want to take ECE 340 as soon as possible to unlock later semiconductor classes.
Semester 5
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 444 | IC Device Theory & Fabrication | 4 |
| MSE 401 | Thermodynamics of Materials | 3 |
| MSE 488 | Optical Materials | 3 |
| MUSC 487 | Marching Illini | 3 |
| Total | 13 |
This semester was when I joined Marching Illini, and I started to enjoy college again. I know of 3 other ECE students in HKN who do MI, so it is definitely possible to sell your soul time to Prof. Houser and still excel in this department.
ECE 444 is an outdated class that is very different than industry, but still helps set you apart in applications for internships because not many universities can offer a class like this for undergraduates. Lecture gives you a good foundation for understanding the process flow of a semiconductor device but the lab doesn't translate to industry well because it is using old equipment (that may break in the middle of the semester like when I took the class).
MSE 401 is somewhat useful for a semiconductor degree if you are interested in crystal growth and the class helps with understanding mixtures of materials. The first half of the semester is a breeze because MSE students do not take PHYS 213 because the content is almost identical. MSE 488 is extremely interesting and is again fairly easy in the first half of the semester for an ECE student because of large overlap with ECE 329. The class has to spend time with understanding Maxwell's Equations but after ECE 329 you will be very comfortable with them. Once you start applying that to materials you will learn many things applicable to semiconductors, photonics, and optics.
Semester 6
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 200 | Seminar | 0 |
| ECE 385 | Digital Systems Laboratory | 3 |
| MSE 405 | Microstructure Determination | 3 |
| PHYS 486 | Quantum Physics I | 4 |
| MUSC 465 | Men's Glee Club | 1 |
| MUSC 484 | Concert Band | 1 |
| Total | 12 |
ECE 385 takes up large amounts of time, so finding a good partner is essential. This class is required but gears more towards CompE than EE, so keep that in mind if your interests aren't aligned towards FPGAs. However, you learn tons in this class and even get a chance to make a final project on whatever you want like making Tetris from digital hardware.
I highly recommend MSE 405 for anyone in semiconductors and nanotech if possible. Learning the theory and application behind imaging techniques is very useful when going into a subfield that operates on devices you physically cannot see. These skills also are valuable in internship applications for semiconductor companies to get a job in their yield or similar departments.
PHYS 486 is one of the most fun classes I have ever taken here. ECE 340 skips over the wavefunction but it's important to have a better quantum toolbelt to take into upper level semiconductor and nanotech classes.
Tips
- Learn LaTeX. This skill is invaluable for writing clean lab reports for ECE 385 and will carry you far in later classes with typesetting homeworks and anything else needed.
Semester 7
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 313 | Probability with Engineering Applications | 3 |
| ECE 350 | Fields and Waves II | 3 |
| ECE 498 SB3 / SB 4 | Manipulating Quantum Systems | 3 |
| MUSC 460 | Chamber Singers | 1 |
| MUSC 487 | Marching Illini | 3 |
| Total | 13 |
ECE 498 is a class I would only recommend for graduate students. The course is very quantum heavy in theory and requires an understanding of optics that made me very thankful I took MSE 488 before. However, the class helps with being familiar with current quantum literature and sets you up well for speaking the quantum language.
ECE 350 is very intersting and the knowledge of waveguides is quite applicable to an optics/photonics route.
Tips
- For ECE 313, I recommend reading the course notes thoroughly alongside going to lectures. And, make use of the extensive database of old homework questions if you are stuck on questions. The class is very math heavy but for most EE's this shouldn't sound too scary.
Semester 8
| Course | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 445 | Senior Design Laboratory | 3 |
| ECE 443 | LEDs and Solar Cells | 3 |
| ECE 342 | Electronic Circuits | 3 |
| ECE 343 | Electronic Circuits Lab | 1 |
| ECE 330 | Power Circuits and Electromagnetics | 3 |
| MUSC 460 | Chamber Singers | 1 |
| MUSC 465 | Men's Glee Club | 1 |
| Total | 17 |
Because I had more non-ECE technical hours than ECE, I had to drop the MatSE minor to make room in my schedule to graduate. These classes are more typical EE courses like circuits and power, but I made sure to take ECE 443 to stay semiconductor adjacent. ECE 443 has lab in the nanofab in the ECEB and is like a specialized continuation of ECE 340.
ECE 445 should not be taken if you are interested in semiconductors. Please, find an advisor to do a senior thesis. The class is very PCB, programming, power, and robotics oriented and has litle room for those who like physics, theory, quantum, and semiconductors.