Electrical and Computer Engineering

The first study year is characterized by a broad offer in disciplinary education that builds on and extends the students’ entrance qualification. ECE Students select introductory modules with a total of 45 CP from the CHOICE area.

Students have the option to change their major at the beginning of the second year of studies if they have completed the corresponding modules of the study program in the first year.

ECE students will take the following CHOICE modules (37.5 CP):

• CHOICE Module: General Electrical Engineering I (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: General Electrical Engineering II (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: Module: Programming in C and C++ (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: Classical Physics (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE: Introduction to Computer Science

In addition, they can choose between the modules:

• CHOICE Module: Introduction to Robotics and Intelligent Systems (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: Applied Mathematics (7.5 CP)

In their second year, students take modules totaling 45 CP from in-depth, discipline-specific CORE modules. These modules aim to extend the students' critical understanding of their major's fundamental theories, principles, and methods at the current state of knowledge and best practice.

ECE students will take 45 CP from the following CORE modules:

• CORE Module: Signals and Systems (7.5 CP)
• CORE Module: Digital Signal Processing (7.5 CP)
• CORE Module: Communications Basics (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Electromagnetics (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Electronics (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Wireless Communication (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Information Theory (5 CP)
• CORE Module: PCB design and measurement automation (5 CP)

The first two years of the ECE program offer a rigorous theoretical foundation together with lab experiments that illustrate the principles practically and already show the programming of digital signal processors, printed circuit board design, and advanced measurement tools and procedures. The theoretical education with corresponding labs covers analog and digital circuitry, deterministic and random signal processing, probability and information theory, and communication. Signals covered start from DC and single sinusoids and move over to general deterministic or random functions and specific ones like audio, speech, and video, enabling students to treat them with the corresponding mathematical and algorithmic tools. Different transmission media are characterized, be it wireline or wireless, and suitable transmission methods and algorithms are covered together. The education in the first two years provides a solid foundation enabling students to do internships in research environments and professionally contribute to industrial projects.

Students prepare and make career decisions after graduation during their third year. They take a mandatory summer internship to explore options fitting individual interests and gain professional experience.

The 5th semester also opens a mobility window for comprehensive study-abroad options. Finally, the 6th semester is dedicated to fostering students' research experience by involving them in an extended Bachelor thesis project.

ECE students will take 15 CP of major-specific and major-related Specialization modules to consolidate their knowledge at the current state of research in areas of their choice.

ECE will students choose 15 CP from the following Specialization Modules:

• Specialization: Wireless Communication II (5 CP)
• Specialization: Coding Theory (5 CP)
• Specialization: Digital Design (5 CP)
• Specialization: Radio-Frequency (RF) Design (5 CP)

The third year exposes students to advanced topics, allowing them to pick already graduate-level modules, such as protocol aspects and coding theory. It also rounds up the knowledge with radio frequency engineering aspects and the programming of FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays).

As part of Constructor University's commitment to student employability, all students are required to participate in a mandatory two-month internship of 15 CP that will usually be completed during the summer between the second and third year of study. It provides students with the opportunity to gain real-world experience in a professional setting, allowing them to apply their knowledge and understanding to a professional context, reflect on the relevance of their major to employment and society, and gain professional guidance. As an alternative to the full-time internship, students interested in setting up their own company can apply for a start-up option to focus on the development of their business plan.

The CONSTRUCTOR Track is another important feature of Constructor University’s educational model. The Constructor Track runs orthogonal to the disciplinary CHOICE, CORE, and CAREER modules across all study years and is an integral part of all undergraduate study programs. It provides an intellectual tool kit for lifelong learning and encourages the use of diverse methodologies to approach cross-disciplinary problems. The CONSTRUCTOR track contains Methods, New Skills and German Language and Humanities modules.

Methods
Methods and skills such as mathematics, statistics, programming, data handling, presentation skills, academic writing, and scientific and experimental skills are offered to all students as part of the Methods area in their curriculum. The modules that are specifically assigned to each study programs equip students with transferable academic skills. They convey and practice specific methods that are indispensable for each students’ chosen study program. Students are required to take 20 CP in the Methods area. The size of all Methods modules is 5 CP.

To pursue ECE as a major, the following Methods modules (20 CP) need to be taken as mandatory modules:

• Methods Module: Matrix Algebra & Advanced Calculus I (m, 5 CP)
• Methods Module: Matrix Algebra & Advanced Calculus II (m, 5 CP)
• Methods Module: Probability and Random Processes (m, 5 CP)
• Methods Module: Numerical Methods (m, 5 CP)

New Skills Modules
This part of the curriculum constitutes an intellectual and conceptual tool kit that cultivates the capacity for a particular set of intellectual dispositions including curiosity, imagination, critical thought, and transferability. It nurtures a range of individual and societal capacities, such as self-reflection, argumentation and communication. Finally, it introduces students to the normative aspects of inquiry and research, including the norms governing sourcing, sharing, withholding materials and research results as well as others governing the responsibilities of expertise as well as the professional point of view. Students in this study program are required to take the following modules in their second and third year:

• New Skills Module: Logic (m, 2.5 CP)
• New Skills Module: Causation and Correlation (m, 2.5 CP)
• New Skills Module: Argumentation, Data Visualization and Communication (m, 5 CP)

Furthermore, they must choose either

• New Skills Module: Linear Model/Matrices (me, 5 CP) or
• New Skills Module: Complex Problem Solving (me, 5 CP)

as well one of the following modules:

• New Skills Module: Agency, Leadership and Accountability (me, 5 CP) or
• New Skills Module: Community Impact Project (me, 5 CP).

German Language and Humanities Modules
German language abilities foster students’ intercultural awareness and enhance their employability in their host country. They are also beneficial for securing mandatory internships (between the 2nd and 3rd year) in German companies and academic institutions. Constructor University supports its students in acquiring basic as well as advanced German skills in the first year of the Constructor Track. Non-native speakers of German are encouraged to take 2 German modules (2.5 CP each), but are not obliged to do so. Native speakers and other students not taking advantage of this offering take alternative modules in Humanities in each of the first two semesters.

The curriculum of the study program is outlined in the schematic study plan:

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