EECS announces new curriculum
Changes intended to give students more flexibility
The department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has announced a new curriculum that has been approved for EECS majors in the class of 2020.
Students in the classes 2017, 2018, and 2019 will have the option of pursuing a Course 6 degree with either the old or new set of requirements. The updated curriculum has been approved for 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-7.
"The new curriculum puts more choice in students’ hands while providing a solid grounding in the essential elements of an education in electrical engineering and computer science,” Anantha Chandrakasan, EECS Department Head, said in an email to undergraduates.
Key changes to the curriculum for 6-1, 6-2, and 6-3 include the removal of one of the introductory EECS labs. “This will allow earlier engagement with core subject areas,” Chandrakasan said.
Under the old curriculum, students were required to take 6.01 and 6.02 to fulfill the introductory lab requirement, but under the new curriculum, students have the option of completing 6.0001 and 6.01, 6.02, 6.03, or 6.S08; 6.01 and a 3-unit programming module; or 6.S08 and a 3-unit programming module. Additionally, under the new curriculum, students need only complete 6.UAT (which will be 9 units) or 6.UAR instead of the previous requirements: 6.UAT and 6.UAP, or 6.UAR.
According to the EECS requirements checklist, the department requirements under the old curriculum include 14 to 15 courses for 6-1 and 6-3 majors, 15 to 16 courses for 6-2 majors, and 16 courses for 6-7 majors. Under the new curriculum, the 6-1, 6-2, and 6-3 programs will require 13 courses plus 6.S080, a 3-unit programming module, or 6.0001, and 6-7 will require 14 classes.
There are a few new courses that come with this announcement: 6.041 will be broken into two half-semester courses, 6.041A and 6.041B; 6.009 will become a new 12-unit foundation-level subject; and 6.031, a 15-unit header-level subject that starts spring 2017.
6.005 will be split into two classes, 6.009 and 6.031, to “prepare students for higher level coursework by giving them the skills needed to write software that operates robustly,” Chandrakasan said. In 6.009, students will design medium-sized programs in Python, and in 6.031, students will work in Java to create large-scale software.
Because 6.005 will be retired, and because 6.031 has multiple prerequisites, 6.031 will not carry 6.005’s classification as a REST subject. 6.004 will become a REST subject starting fall 2016.
This article was edited to include the updates to the 6-7 curriculum.