UCSC General Catalog 2002

Engineering
School of Engineering

Baskin School of Engineering
335 Baskin Engineering Building
(831) 459-2158
www.soe.ucsc.edu

Dean’s office
335 Baskin Engineering
(831) 459-2158

Undergraduate office
115 Baskin Engineering
(831) 459-5840

Graduate office
361B Baskin Engineering
(831) 459-2576

Professor Sung-Mo (Steve) Kang, Dean
Professor F. Joel Ferguson, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs
Professor Michael Isaacson, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research

Baskin School of Engineering

The Baskin School of Engineering, UCSC’s first professional school, has a high-technology focus incorporating programs and curricula that help educate students to meet the changing demands of society and a high- technology global marketplace. The School of Engineering offers a stimulating academic environment that provides a foundation for professional growth as well as a lifetime of learning. The school’s programs and courses help prepare students for the human aspects, as well as the technical challenges, of careers in engineering and computer science. The departments comprising the School of Engineering are the Department of Computer Engineering, the Department of Computer Science, and the Department of Electrical Engineering.

Undergraduate Study

The School of Engineering offers nine undergraduate degree programs. Students may choose from the following major/minor options:

Bioinformatics B.S.
Computer engineering B.S. or combined B.S./M.S.
Computer engineering minor Computer science B.S.
Computer science B.A.
Computer science minor
Dual degree engineering program (B.A. in the social sciences, humanities, or arts from UC Santa Cruz with a B.S. degree in engineering from UC Berkeley [excluding EECS])
Electrical engineering B.S.
Information systems management B.S.

Bioinformatics. The bioinformatics curriculum combines mathematics, the physical sciences, computer science, and engineering to explore and understand biological data from high-throughput experiments, such as genome sequencing and gene expression chips. The immense growth of biological information stored in computerized databases has led to a critical need for people who can understand the languages, tools, and techniques of mathematics, science, and engineering. The undergraduate bioinformatics degree program prepares students for graduate school or a career in the fast-paced pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries.

Computer Engineering. The computer engineering curriculum’s focus is making digital systems that work. It overlaps with computer science on one end (software systems) and with electrical engineering on the other (digital hardware). The emphasis of our program is on design rather than analysis—on making things work, rather than on explaining the abstract theory of computation or electronics.The program’s emphasis on problem solving provides both excellent training for future engineers and strong background for graduate study. The computer engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The combined B.S./M.S. program provides an opportunity for outstanding undergraduates to begin advanced study and earn both degrees in five years.

Computer Science. The computer science curriculum has options that include topics in hardware and software, giving students a solid grounding in both theoretical and practical aspects of computer technology and computer usage. Students become proficient in many areas, with a good academic foundation for various careers in the software industry, as well as preparation for graduate school.

Dual Degree Engineering. The 3/2 program, a five-year program in association with UC Berkeley, enables students to receive two bachelor’s degrees: a B.A. in a subject within the social sciences, humanities, or arts at UC Santa Cruz and a B.S. in engineering from the College of Engineering at Berkeley (excluding EECS). Many combinations of fields are possible, such as economics and environmental studies or philosophy with civil, mechanical, or industrial engineering.

Electrical Engineering. The electrical engineering curriculum provides a balance of engineering science and design and allows students to specialize in both the traditional topics and the latest subjects in electrical engineering. Students may concentrate their electives in the areas of electronics and optics, communications, or signals and systems. The major is designed to attract motivated students who, upon graduation, will be sought by employers in the high-tech industry.

Information Systems Management. The information systems management (ISM) curriculum combines the fundamental intellectual content of both computer science and business management economics. It is designed to provide a balance of courses on computer programming, systems analysis and design, database systems, and telecommunications with courses in economics and business. It is a rigorous, challenging major for those students wanting to pursue a career of solving business problems through the use of information technology.

Preparation for the major and the major requirements for each degree program offered by the School of Engineering are described in detail in subsequent sections listed under the individual academic programs.

Undergraduate Advising Office

The School of Engineering Undergraduate Advising Office (Room 115, Baskin Engineering Building) offers general advising for prospective and declared undergraduates majoring in School of Engineering programs. The office handles student petitions (i.e., major declarations, transfer credits, course substitutions), articulations, and degree certifications. Students may obtain additional information and assistance on the School of Engineering web site: http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/advising/undergraduate.

Admission to School of Engineering Majors

General Major Preparation
It is recommended that high school students intending to apply to a School of Engineering major have completed four years of mathematics (through advanced algebra and trigonometry) and three years of science in high school. Comparable college mathematics and science courses completed at other institutions also serve to properly prepare students for these majors.

The School of Engineering strongly encourages applications from transfer students. Due to the prerequisite structure for upper-division courses, it is necessary for prospective transfer students to have completed as many of the lower-division requirements for the respective majors as possible to complete the degree within a reasonable time. Students must plan carefully because many courses must be taken sequentially.

Transfer students should not follow the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) because it will not provide transfer students with enough mathematics and engineering courses to allow them to complete these programs at UCSC in two years. For more information on transfer admission into the UCSC School of Engineering program, see the admissions policy below.

College Board Advanced Placement Credit
Prospective students are encouraged to take the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations in computer science, mathematics, economics, chemistry, or biology, as an acceptable score on these may satisfy both university and major degree requirements. Students must provide verification of exam scores to the School of Engineering Undergraduate Advising Office and other course sponsoring departments in order to be granted credit toward course prerequisites or degree requirements as follows:

Biology: credit for the AP Biology exam can be substituted for Biology 3, Concepts in Biology, and exempt student from the biology placement exam.

Chemistry: a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry exam fulfills the prerequisite for enrollment in Chemistry 1B/M in lieu of the chemistry placement exam.

Computer Science: a score of 4 or 5 on Exam A satisfies Computer Science 12A, Introduction to Programming; a score of 4 or 5 on Exam AB satisfies both Computer Science 12A, and Computer Science 12B, Introduction to Data Structures.

Economics: a score of 4 or 5 on the Microeconomics exam satisfies Economics 1, Introductory Microeconomics; a score of 4 or 5 on the Macroeconomics exam satisfies Economics 2, Introductory Macroeconomics.

Mathematics: a score of 4 or 5 on the Calculus AB exam satisfies Mathematics 19A, Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics, or Economics 11A, Mathematical Methods for Economists; a score of 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC exam satisfies both Mathematics 19A-B or Economics 11A. There is no advanced placement exam in mathematics for Economics 11B credit.

Students may check with the Office of Admissions for details on other AP examinations that also satisfy university requirements.

Direct Admission to School of Engineering Majors (Freshman Admissions)
First-year applicants to UCSC may apply for direct acceptance to a School of Engineering major by indicating the major as their first or second choice on the application. Applicants will be granted direct acceptance based on their high school records, scores on standardized tests, and/or their personal statement.

To take advantage of direct acceptance, first-year students must declare the major in their first term at UCSC. Freshmen who are admitted to UCSC but do not receive direct acceptance to the major may still petition for admission to the major after completing the required foundation courses.

Junior Transfer Admissions to Majors
Students who apply as transfer students with junior status (90 quarter credits or more of transfer credit) who wish to earn a degree from the School of Engineering must indicate a School of Engineering major as their first choice on their UC application. (Students may also indicate an alternative School of Engineering major as their second choice.)

Admission into the major will be based on the student’s academic college record. Applicants are encouraged to take and excel in as many courses that are equivalent to the department’s foundation courses (listed below) as possible. An applicant will be approved, conditionally approved, or declined. Only students who have completed most or all of the foundation courses will be approved or conditionally approved for the major. For most School of Engineering majors, completion of a year of calculus (accepted as equivalent to Mathematics 19A-B or 11A-B), linear algebra, differential equations, a year of calculus-based physics courses (accepted as equivalent to Physics 5A, 5B, 5C), and two programming courses (accepted as equivalent to Computer Science 12A and 12B) are strongly recommended.

Students who are approved for acceptance must declare the major in their first term of enrollment at UCSC.

Students whose petitions are denied may still be admitted to UCSC, but they may not reapply for admission to the major(s) for which they were originally considered.

Students who are conditionally approved must complete the remaining required foundation courses for their major in their first term at UCSC and petition to declare the major at the beginning of the following term at UCSC. Conditionally approved students will be evaluated based upon their performance in the foundation courses attempted during their first term at UCSC. Students who are conditionally approved for the major should be prepared to declare an alternative major outside of the School of Engineering in case they are not accepted into a School of Engineering major.

Course Substitutions: The School of Engineering Undergraduate Advising Office may require that a Petition for Course Substitution be approved before credit for a course completed at another institution can be applied to any School of Engineering major requirement. The undergraduate advising staff can help determine if this petition process is necessary based on transcript information provided to them by the student. This petition is in addition to and separate from the transfer credit awarded by the university. Forms are available at the Undergraduate Advising Office. Each petition must be accompanied by a course description, syllabus, and verification of the number of credits earned with a grade of C or better. To guarantee equivalency, departments may sometimes require a grade of B or better. It is very helpful if students can provide further evidence of course content, such as examples of programming assignments, homework, or examinations.

Current Students Admissions into Majors
UCSC students may petition to declare a School of Engineering major (or minor) upon completion (with a grade of C or better) of all the foundation courses for that major. Approval of the declaration petition will be based upon the student’s “declaration GPA” in the foundation courses taken at UCSC (see below).

All students with a declaration GPA of 2.8 or better will be admitted to the requested major. Students with a declaration GPA below 2.8 may be admitted at the discretion of the department.

Foundation Courses
The foundation courses for each School of Engineering major are as follows:

Bioinformatics: Computer Science 12A, 12B (or 13H); Chemistry 1B/M, 1C/N; Mathematics 19A-B

Computer Engineering: Computer Science 12A, 12B (or 13H); Computer Engineering 16 or 16H; Mathematics 19A-B

Computer Science: Computer Science 12A and 12B (or 13H); Computer Engineering 16 or 16H; Mathematics 19A-B

Electrical Engineering: Mathematics 19A-B; Engineering 27; Physics 5A and either 5B, or 5C

Information Systems Management: Computer Science 12A or 13H; Computer Engineering 16 or 16H; Mathematics 19A-B (or Economics 11A, 11B); Information Systems Management 50

Declaration GPA Calculation
The declaration GPA is calculated on grades received for all attempted foundation courses at UCSC. Students are advised not to request Pass/No Pass grading in any foundation courses since a grade of P is treated as a C for calculating the declaration GPA regardless of the content of the evaluation. No Pass and Withdraw grades are treated as an F.

Petition Process
Petitions for declaration of the major are accepted at the beginning of each term between the first day of classes and the campus enrollment deadline (usually the second week of the term). Petitions should include a study plan that allows the student to complete the degree without undue extension of enrollment. Students interested in more than one major should submit one petition listing their major preferences.

The departments will inform students by e-mail of the status of their petitions by the beginning of the pre-enrollment period (usually the eighth week of the term). UCSC students must apply for the major before earning 105 credits. Junior transfer students must apply for admittance to the major as part of the UCSC admissions process.

Appeal Process
Appeal of negative decisions will be evaluated by the academic department to which the student applied. Appeals letters must be submitted in writing to the Undergraduate Advising Office by the last day of classes in the term. Letters of appeal should describe any extenuating circumstances that might affect the faculty’s evaluation of the record.

Students whose petitions and appeals have been turned down may not reapply for the same major.

Letter Grade Policy

Many majors in the School of Engineering have additional restrictions on the use of the Pass/No Pass option. Foundation courses should not be taken Pass/No Pass because doing so may lower students’ declaration GPA and affect their admission into School of Engineering majors. Major grade requirements are as follows:

Bioinformatics major: Same as campus requirements, but foundation courses should not be taken Pass/No Pass, since doing so may lower the declaration GPA needed for admission to the major.

Computer engineering major: All courses required for the major must be taken for a letter grade. Two lower-division exceptions are allowed.

Computer engineering minor: Same as campus requirements.

Computer science major and minor: All courses required for the major and minor must be taken for letter grades. Two lower-division exceptions are allowed.

Electrical engineering major: All courses required for the major must be taken for letter grades. Two lower-division exceptions are allowed (not to include Electrical Engineering 70).

Information systems management major: All courses required for the major must be taken for letter grades. Two lower division exceptions are allowed.

Note: for the purpose of admission into any School of Engineering major, a grade of Pass will be treated as a C, which may adversely affect your admission to the major.

Disqualification Policy

GPA Requirement
Your cumulative School of Engineering GPA is calculated from all required and elective courses you have taken for your major. Your term School of Engineering GPA is calculated from all required and elective courses you have taken for your major in the previous quarter as a UCSC student. School of Engineering GPA calculation follows the same rules as UCSC GPA calculation.

If both your cumulative and term School of Engineering GPAs are 2.0 or greater, then you are in good departmental standing. If either your cumulative or term GPAs are less than 2.0, then you are on departmental probation. If you are already on departmental probation and your cumulative School of Engineering GPA falls below 2.0, you are subject to disqualification from the major. If your term School of Engineering GPA falls below 1.5 in any term, you are also subject to disqualification from the major.

Ethics Requirement
Graduates of the School of Engineering are expected to become professional with the highest ethical standards. A knowledge and practice of professional ethics is a requirement for the degree. Examples of professional society codes of ethics are available at http://ieee.org/about/whatis/code.html and www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm.

Students found guilty of a single incident of academic dishonesty may, at the discretion of the department, be disqualified from the major. In addition, students may be subject to other possible university sanctions. A second incident of academic dishonesty will result in automatic disqualification from the major.

Additional Notes on Disqualification
Please note the Repeating Courses policy in the School of Engineering section of this catalog. Two failed attempts in a class will endanger your opportunity to continue in a School of Engineering major.

Computer Science and Information Systems Management have additional disqualification criteria. Please see those sections of this catalog for details.

Repeating Courses

Due to its impacted status and the need to identify students having difficulty in School of Engineering courses, no School of Engineering course may be attempted more than twice without prior approval from the chair of the department offering the course. Since one can withdraw during the ninth week of instruction, a class in which a W is given is counted as an attempt.

Courses Taken Elsewhere After Enrollment

It is the intent of the Baskin School of Engineering that all degree requirements be completed at UCSC or prior to first enrollment at UCSC. Course substitutions, such as taking a course at another UC campus, in the Education Abroad Program, or at a community college, require preapproval to be obtained prior to taking the class. Applications and procedures for preapproval are obtained from and given to the School of Engineering Undergraduate Advising Office.

Articulation agreements do not apply to enrolled students. You must get preapproval before taking a class at community college.

The School of Engineering does not provide course substitution for School of Engineering general education courses, such as topical courses, Computer Science 2, Computer Science 10, or Computer Engineering 3.

When a student declares their major, minor, or proposed major in a School of Engineering program, the decision as to whether a course taken elsewhere will be accepted for this School of Engineering major or minor will be made by the major department at that point.
(Note: There is no guarantee that a course will be applicable towards a School of Engineering major, minor, or proposed major even if the student has completed even more advanced courses in that department.)

Honors Courses

As the first step in the establishment of an honors program, the School of Engineering began by offering two honors courses in the 2002–03 academic year: Computer Engineering 16H, Honors Applied Discrete Mathematics, and Computer Science 13H, Honors Introduction to Programming and Data Structures. Computer Engineering 16H provides a more challenging version of Computer Engineering 16, and Computer Science 13H provides a more challenging version of both Computer Science 12A, Introduction to Programming and Computer Science, and 12B, Introduction to Data Structures. Other honors courses are being planned. Honors courses have limited enrollment, typically fewer than 30 students, and students are eligible for them based on performance in high school and college courses, standardized test scores, and a personal interview.

Graduate Study

The School of Engineering offers eight graduate programs designed to prepare students for advanced study and research in major areas of biomolecular, computer, and electrical engineering, as well as computer science: