By: Ameya Halarnkar

When and how did you decide to pursue this minor?:

My main reason for choosing an Electrical minor program was twofold. I wanted to explore this field without any CPI based constraints. I had heard from many seniors that this was a difficult discipline to study and it would be challenging to take up. I had competed a basic electronics core course (EE101) in my third semester. The course basket seemed quite appealing compared to ones offered by other minor departments and securing a good grade further motivated me to pursue this minor seriously. Another very important point was that my major (mechanical engineering) is quite compatible with the electrical courses. Having a brief background of electrical courses (JEE syllabus and EE101) definitely helped me in my pursuit of this minor.

Why this Minor?

Electrical being one of the mainstream branches of engineering is worth studying and serves as a good augmentation to our background in mechanical engineering especially considering how most RnD roles in the industry involve interdisciplinary domains as of late. Thermal Engineering and Cooling profiles require a thorough knowledge of CFD analysis in addition to a basic understanding of the underlying electronics in the systems they develop. Certain hardware roles also require knowledge of machine design and electrical systems as a prerequisite. One can also learn Signal Processing which is a powerful tool that provides us meaningful information from sensor data for monitoring and fault diagnosis.

Ideal pathway to complete this minor by the 8th semester?

The courses have a good mix of both digital and analog systems. At the end of the minor, a student can expect to have a good understanding of electrical systems, circuit design, and some signal processing too. The list of basket courses for this minor is as follows. All the courses are 6 credit courses.

1. EE207 (Electronic Devices and Circuits)
2. EE204 (Analog Electronics)
3. EE229 (Signals Processing)
4. EE221 (Digital Electronics)
5. EE321 (Power Electronics)
6. EE325 (Probability and Random Processes)

There are two ways to complete this minor:

1. Choose any 5 out the six basket courses listed above
2. Choose any 4 out of the six basket courses and do one Masters level elective (6xx or 7xx level). Please note that you require prior approval of the HoD, EE before you register for this course. This course should be registered for as an elective and retagged to M during the final retagging period before graduation.

My recommendation would be to start the minor with EE221 as the course covers some basics which may be prerequisites for contents in other courses. EE204/EE207 should be done next as they are fundamental topics and relatively easy. The remaining courses can be done in no particular order. The Masters level course should ideally be chosen according to your specific interests but if you don’t have one then a good suggestion would be EE609: Radiating Systems.

Pursued Courses

3rd Semester:

EE221 (Digital Electronics)

4th Semester:

EE204 (Analog Electronics)

5th Semester:

EE325 (Probability and Random Processes)

6th Semester:

EE229 (Signal Processing)

7th Semester:

EE6109 (EV Powertrains)

8th Semester:

EE701 (Introduction to MEMS)

Course Prerequisites?

No prerequisites are needed for any of the basket courses of the electrical minor. However if one plans to take the masters level elective as their fifth course then it would be advisable to go through the prerequisites (if any) listed on ASC. For example the course EE6109 had Power Electronics (EE321) as a soft prerequisite. As I was not familiar with this topic, I had to request the professor for extra materials to brush up the basics.

Was it difficult managing your minor alongside core Mech courses?

The purpose of doing a minor is to learn something new without the rigors of acquiring a perfect grade. Approaching the minor courses definitely reduces the load on one self and facilitates learning. Since most courses run during Slot 5, there is very little scope of clashes occuring with any of the core courses. Taking one minor and one elective course (optional) is pretty manageable with the core courses and is something undertaken by most students. An electrical minor is not too easy if you don’t attend classes. Nevertheless, by being regular and completing work on time, things become very easy to handle.

Were you able to connect this minor to your interests, projects, or career goals?

Being a thermal and fluids enthusiast, I was keen on exploring applications such as microfluidic cooling systems and thermal management systems. Studying this minor emphasized the importance of miniaturizing existing technologies to achieve precise fluid control, thermal efficiency, and affordability. I enrolled in multiple courses, gaining exposure to practical applications in electro-mechanical sensors and biotechnology. This led to me pursuing my Master’s Thesis under Prof. Amit Agarwal, one of the pioneers in the domain of microfluidics where I learnt the governing flow physics. I am currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I intend to work in the industry further down the line.

Any specific courses in your minor that stood out (positive or negative)?

1. EE207 (Electronic Devices): I did not take this course but it starts with Quantum Theory (PH107) followed by a recap of semiconductor theory and devices (diodes and transistors) which we learnt as one of the extra topics covered in the JEE Mains Syllabus. The course is an introduction to semiconductor physics and applications.

2. EE221 (Digital Electronics): Taught by Prof. Subhananda Chakrabarti, this course had very good grading and no DX policy. In this they you will learn about Boolean Algebra, Logic Gates, Circuit Theorems, Combinatorial and Sequential Circuits. There is some overlap with EE207 though.

3. EE204 (Analog electronics): Taught by Prof. Sandip Mondal, this was the easiest course of the bunch. There were only four evaluations and the professor announced that assessments will contain questions solely based on his tutorials. You will study in detail about Opamps and MOSFETs and delve into the basics of Control Theory (ME311/ME319).

4. EE229 (Signal Processing): Taught by Prof. Sibi Raj Pillai, this course is not for the faint hearted. This course is mathematically intensive and difficult to understand demanding a lot of in-class attention and frequent practice. We learn the properties of a system including linearity, shift-invariance, causality, and stability followed by the the theory behind some useful tools such as Fourier Series and Fourier Transforms as well as implementation in Matlab using the signal processing toolbox. The courses involves the derivation of the famous Nyquist Shannon Sampling Theorem. This course opens the door to several advanced courses in Electrical Engineering and has applications in various branches as well.

5. EE325 (Probability & Random Processes): Taught by Prof. Sharayu Moharir, the course builds on the topics taught during JEE preparation and later delves into the abstract concepts and theory such as definitions of probability, spaces and random variables. The Notations and all can get boring later on but overall this is a relevant course for students interested in AI/ ML applications.

6. EE701 (Introduction to MEMS): Taught by Prof. SP Duttagupta, the professor had a non-conventional teaching style where he would not provide slides or notes instead explaining concepts orally. The course starts with a basic understanding of design and analysis of MEMS. The later part of the course has lectures dedicated to understanding the working of currently used MEMS devices like accelerometer, piezo-sensors and various applications . Tutorial sessions were also conducted for familiarisation with software tools like , COMSOL and FreeCAD which are helpful during the project part of the course. The professor is known for being very lenient with grading.

7. EE6109 (EV Powertrains): Taught by Prof. Sandeep Anand, I had taken this course with the intention to learn more about Hybrid and Electric Vehicles which are a hot topic under investigation and the future of the automotive industry. However the mechanical aspects of these vehicles are barely covered in one lecture and the course is actually a Power electronics course in disguise. The course starts off very slowly with the need for EVs and various aspects of the modern energy crisis but takes a steep turn when the electrical components of EVs come into the picture. Thus, it took considerable effort from my end, and I had to refer to external materials to keep up with others who had done the prerequisite. The course involved a project component where we had to study various charging strategies for EVs. Although the course itself was brutal, the exams were easy and the grading was pretty chill. However I would not recommend doing this course if you want to learn about EVs or if you do not have a background in Power electronics.

Tips for juniors:

The CPI cutoffs for this minor are not very high, and many times there are also a few seats vacant at the end of pre-registration. From my experience, I would recommend starting with EE221 as it is the most basic course and it lays a foundation for all the other courses. The next course that should be taken is either EE204 or EE207 as both are logical successions of EE221. Both course are pretty easy and should be completed before moving on to more advanced courses.

Would you recommend doing a minor in general? Why or why not?

Minor courses allow you to officially explore other departments while at the same time getting credit for it. It adds value to your major degree and though it does not make one an expert in a particular field it can be a gateway to various future opportunities. Depending on the minor, one can gain sufficient knowledge to pursue higher studies in an interdisciplinary domain. A minor degree may also be pursued simply out of genuine interest in a particular department without any specific end goal. However, having some clarity about what interests you would enable you to enjoy what you learn and make your extra efforts worthwhile. I personally feel it is beneficial to do a minor but one should do it only for expanding one’s skill set without worrying about grades.