Review by: Aniruddha Ranade

Courses Completed

1. EE 221 - Digital Electronics
2. EE 321 - Power Electronics
3. EE 210 - Signals & System
4. EE 335 - Probability and Random Processes
5. EE 204 - Analog Circuits

What is the minor field about?

EE minor is targeted towards introducing students with the first course from the several verticals in EE. The exposure is shallow and broad.

How is it useful in terms of applications in Mechanical?

The minor provides exposure to several domains in EE. This can be particularly useful to those who plan to work on the design of experiments and will have to deal with sensor selection, interfacing and signal processing. Students who wish to work on the design and development of interdisciplinary products can benefit from this exposure. However, due to the preliminary nature of the exposure, it is equally easy for those not undertaking this minor, to equip themselves with the knowledge, in a short span of time.

What is the preferred order of doing the minor courses and why?

There is no particular order for doing these courses. However, some students prefer to do Digital Electronics (EE 221) in parallel to the EE 101 course as there is an overlap between the syllabus.

Brief idea of individual courses

The syllabus and grading statistics can be found on ASC. Attending the lectures typically suffices for all the courses. The exams are easy and are loosely based on examples solved in the class. Depending on the instructor, the courses may have assignments, tutorials, course projects and some lab sessions.

1. EE 221 - Digital Electronics: This course is interesting and easy.
2. EE 321 - Power Electronics: In this course, design and analysis of power management circuits are discussed. The exams are of medium difficulty.
3. EE 210 - Signals & System: The course is interesting and concepts taught here, have applications in a variety of areas from image processing to control theory. Some assignments on implementing filters on signal samples were given in the course. The exams for the course were easy.
4. EE 325 - Probability and Random Processes: In this course, concepts in probability are discussed, followed by an introduction to random process and Markov chains. The exams are of medium difficulty.
5. EE 204 - Analog Circuits: The course is interesting and concepts are introduced keeping in mind the applications. The exams for the course were easy.

Check for the course, EE 207 - Electronic Devices & Circuits, also offered as a minor course. Some students prefer doing this course.

Brief idea of the profs of the department

The difficulty of the course, assessment pattern and grading varies with the instructor. However, in general, for the minor courses, the instructors are typically lenient and more focused on intuitive and application-oriented learning. Typically the courses require less input outside the classroom and are easy to score. The learning experience from the course improves if course projects and some lab sessions are part of the course.

Did the minor influence your career decisions (both in terms of placement/univ) and if yes, how so? Also mention if it helped in your placement/univ applications:

No, for me, the minor didn’t significantly influence the career decision. It definitely adds to the breadth of exposure and that was the primary reason why I decided to pursue it. The exposure from the minor is preliminary and directed towards building only the basics.