Why Study ECE at VMI?
- Low Student-to-Faculty Ratio
The overall student-to-faculty ratio at VMI is approximately 11-to-1. This means cadets receive individual attention from the faculty. There are no large auditorium classes and no waiting in lines to get questions answered.
All faculty in the ECE Department have Ph.D.'s and are licensed professional engineers. They also have a wide variety of academic, industrial, and military experience in the many areas of electrical and computer engineering.
VMI is a four-year undergraduate institution where teaching is of the highest priority. All classes, including laboratories, are taught by faculty. All faculty in the ECE Department have "open-door" policies and maintain office hours.
Cadets in the VMI ECE curriculum get a broad coverage of areas within the ECE field. The coverage includes circuits, digital systems and computer architecture, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, controls, communications, signal processing, and microelectronics.
All courses in the ECE curriculum have a partial or full laboratory component which provides hands-on opportunities that reinforce theory with practical examples of hardware and software systems. Laboratories are well maintained with state-of-the-art equipment and supplies.
- Independent Study Projects and Design Projects
Even though the department's priority is teaching, cadets can learn to do research as part of an independent study project. A wide variety of projects in many fields of ECE are available including biomedical engineering, robotics, and semiconductor fabrication. In the junior and senior years, a senior design project is given which relies on the research and design skills developed during the cadet's time at VMI.
- Total Character Education
The unique environment at VMI contributes to the development of many elements of a cadet's character which are not necessarily addressed at other institutions. These include military discipline, time management, physical conditioning, leadership, and the ability to work in teams. All are useful life-skills that can be applied in the workplace, in a graduate program, or in a military career, where challenges such as stress, time constraints, and group problem solving are present.