Engineering and Design

Return to: Departments

Introduction

The Department of Engineering and Design offers Bachelor of Science degree programs that prepare graduates for technical and professional careers in industry. Each program offers a unique mix of theoretical course work and laboratory exercises where students apply theory to solve practical problems in engineering and design. Creativity is encouraged and emphasized. In addition, Western’s General University Requirements (GURs) provide graduates with a solid foundation in communication skills and contribute to a broad-based education.

The programs are:

• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Polymer Materials Engineering
• Industrial Design

Engineering and Design includes professions in which knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences, technical experience and practice are used to plan, design, create and enhance technologies that benefit humanity. Graduates are employed by major technology companies, such as Boeing, PACCAR, Alpha Technologies, Cypress Semiconductor, Nike, and Microsoft, and by firms such as TEAGUE and Ziba Design, although career opportunities range across the spectrum due to the broad nature of the programs.

Students planning to major in any Engineering and Design program should have a solid foundation in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. Students planning to major in Industrial Design should also have a sound background in art and design.

Faculty

DAVID D. GILL (2014) Chair and Associate Professor. BS (Mechanical Engineering), Texas Tech University; MS (Mechanical Engineering), Purdue University; PhD (Mechanical Engineering), North Carolina State University.
TAREK AL-GEDDAWY (2018) Associate Professor. BSc (Mechanical Engineering) Cairo University; MSc (Industrial Engineering) Cairo University; PhD (Industrial and Manufacturing Systems), University of Windsor.
SURA K. ALQUDAH (2014) Associate Professor. BS (Electronics Engineering), Yarmouk University; MS, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering), State University of New York at Binghamton.
JILL DAVISHAHL (2018) Associate Professor. BS (Mechanical Engineering), Union College; MS (Mechanical Engineering), University of Washington.
PENG GAO (2023) Assistant Professor. BS (Mechanical Engineering), Tsinghau University; MS (Mechanical Engineering), Lehigh University; PhD (Mechanical Engineering), Lehigh University.
DEBORAH GLOSSER (2020) Assistant Professor. BA (Computational Linguistics) Ohio State University; JD, Duquesne University; MS (Geophysics), University of Pittsburgh; PhD (Materials Science), Oregon State University.
NICOLE HOEKSTRA (1998) Professor. BS (Mechanical Engineering), MS (Mechanical Engineering), University of Minnesota, Institute of Technology.
XICHEN JIANG (2016) Associate Professor. BS (Electrical Engineering), MS (Electrical Engineering), PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering), University of Illinois.
ANDREW G. KLEIN (2014) Professor. BS (Electrical Engineering), Cornell University; MS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), University of California - Berkeley; PhD (Electrical & Computer Engineering), Cornell University.
JUNAID KHAN (2020) Assistant Professor. BS (Telecommunications Engineering), National University of Computer & Engineering Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan; MS (Electrical Engineering), National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan; PhD (Computer Science), University Paris-Est Marne-La-Vallée, France.
NICOLE M. LARSON (2005) Professor. BS (Mechanical Engineering), Bradley University; MS (Mechanical Engineering), University of Washington.
ERIC C. LEONHARDT (2002) Associate Professor. BA, Whitman College; BS (Industrial Technology-Vehicle Design), Western Washington University; MS (Automotive Systems Engineering), University of Michigan.
YING LIN (2010) Associate Professor. BS, MS (Electrical Engineering), Harbin Institute of Technology; MS (Applied Statistics), PhD (Electrical Engineering), Syracuse University.
JOHN LUND (2013) Associate Professor. BS, Washington State University; MS, PhD (Electrical Engineering), University of Washington.
JUSTIN LUND (2023), Assistant Professor. BS (Industrial Design), Western Washington University; MDes (Design), University of Washington
JOHN MISASI (2015) Associate Professor. BS (Plastics Engineering Technology), Western Washington University; PhD (Polymer Science and Engineering), University of Southern Mississippi.
JASON A. MORRIS (2004) Professor. BS (Mechanical Engineering), West Virginia University; Master of Industrial Design, Pratt Institute.
TODD MORTON (1988) Professor. BS, MS (Electrical Engineering), University of Washington.
ARUNAS P. OSLAPAS (1991) Professor. BFA, Montana State University; MFA, University of Illinois.
MARK PEYRON (2014) Associate Professor. BS (Chemical Engineering), University of Idaho; PhD (Chemical Engineering), University of Washington.
AMR RADWAN (2018) Associate Professor. BS (Electrical Power Engineering), Ain Shams University; MSc (Power Electronics and Power Systems), University of Alberta, Canada; PhD, Energy Systems, University of Alberta, Canada.
BHASKAR RAMASUBRAMANIAN (2021) Assistant Professor. BT (Electrical and Electronics Engineering), Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology; MT (Systems and Control Engineering), Indian Institute of Technology - Mumbai; MS/PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering), University of Maryland.
DAVID RIDER (2010) Associate Professor. BS (Chemistry), Simon Fraser University; PhD (Chemistry), University of Toronto. Joint appointment with Chemistry Department.
WALA SAADEH (2022) Assistant Professor. BS (Computer Engineering), Yarmouk University; MS (Microsystems Engineering), PhD (Interdisciplinary Engineering), Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
DEREK M. YIP-HOI (2007) Professor. BS (Mechanical Engineering), University of the West Indies; MS (Mechanical Engineering), State University of New York-Buffalo; PhD (Mechanical Engineering), University of Michigan.
YUZHANG ZANG (2022) Assistant Professor. BS (Electromagnetic Field & Wireless Technology), Harbin Institute of Technology; MS (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Worcester Polytechnic Institute; PhD (Electrical Engineering), University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Instructors

KIRK DESLER (2021) Instructor. BS (Plastics Engineering Technology), Western Washington University; MBA (Business Administration), Western Washington University.
MATTHEW HOOGESTRAT (2019) Instructor. BS (Industrial Design), Western Washington University.
PAUL D. KEARSLEY (2012). Senior Instructor. BS (Industrial Design), Western Washington University.

Other Departmental Information

Advising and Declaration of Major

Students who intend to complete one of the majors should immediately obtain advisement from the department program coordinator/pre-major advisor to declare their pre-major and plan a program of study. Because Engineering & Design programs require long course sequences with strong prerequisite structures, students should begin their studies within the department in their first year at Western. Students should start immediately fulfilling the math and science requirements of the program. The pre-major advisor/program coordinator for this department is located in ET 204, 360-650-4132.

Academic Standards

Students are required to follow all prerequisite requirements for courses and seek early departmental advisement. A grade of C- or higher is required to pass all engineering and design program requirements and all prerequisites for those courses. Students are required to drop any major class if they receive a K grade or a D+ or lower grade in the prerequisite class.

Students may request a program course exception (any grade lower than a C- in a required program course is always considered a program exception). To make a request, a student must submit an Exception Request Form for consideration by the Engineering and Design Curriculum Committee. The form can be found in the student resources section of the Engineering and Design Department website. In the exception request, a student must clearly and thoroughly state their request and provide a detailed explanation why the exception is being requested and why it is appropriate. The form is then submitted to their department faculty advisor who must add their comments and recommendation before forwarding the form to the committee. Students should expect that the Curriculum Committee will need ample time to consider the request; deadlines are listed on the form.

Students that do not make sufficient progress towards their major may be removed. For details, please see the department’s Forms, Policies, and Procedures.

Programs

• Electrical and Computer Engineering, BS
• Industrial Design, BS
• Manufacturing Engineering, BS
• Polymer Materials Engineering, BS

• Embedded Systems Minor
• Sustainable Design Minor (see Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy Department)
• User Experience (UX) Design Minor (In Moratorium)

Courses

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described in the University Academic Policies  section of this catalog.

• EECE 108 - Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering Seminar
• EECE 109 - Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering Lab
• EECE 111 - Circuit Analysis I
• EECE 210 - Circuit Analysis II
• EECE 220 - Electronics I
• EECE 233 - Digital Electronics
• EECE 244 - Embedded Microcontrollers I
• EECE 300 - Directed Independent Study
• EECE 310 - Continuous Systems
• EECE 311 - Discrete Systems
• EECE 320 - Electronics II
• EECE 321 - Electronic Systems
• EECE 333 - Digital System Design
• EECE 344 - Embedded Microcontrollers II
• EECE 346 - Probability and Statistics for Electrical and Computer Engineering
• EECE 360 - Communication Systems
• EECE 361 - Signal Propagation
• EECE 362 - Wireless Networking and Applications
• EECE 372 - Power Circuits and Electromechanical Systems
• EECE 374 - Energy Processing
• EECE 378 - Power System Analysis and the Smart Grid
• EECE 383 - Machine Learning for Engineers
• EECE 384 - Artificial Intelligence and Reinforcement Learning
• EECE 385 - Cyber-Physical Systems
• EECE 400 - Directed Independent Study
• EECE 401 - Capstone Project Introduction
• EECE 402 - Capstone Project II
• EECE 403 - Capstone Project III
• EECE 404 - Capstone Project IV
• EECE 433 - Digital Signal Processing
• EECE 444 - Embedded Systems
• EECE 460 - Digital Communication Systems
• EECE 480 - Control Systems
• EECE 495 - Directed Research in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• EECE 501 - Linear Systems Modeling and Analysis
• EECE 502 - Random Processes
• EECE 503 - Data-Driven Engineering
• EECE 512 - Engineering Optimization
• EECE 521 - Custom Integrated Circuit Design
• EECE 529 - Microwave Engineering
• EECE 561 - Antenna Theory and Design
• EECE 562 - Edge Computing and Analytics in IoT
• EECE 565 - Signal Estimation and Detection
• EECE 573 - Dynamics and Control of Power Converters
• EECE 585 - Formal Verification of Cyber-Physical Systems
• EECE 591 - Graduate Seminar I
• EECE 592 - Graduate Seminar II
• EECE 691 - Master’s Research Project
• EECE 699 - Continuous Enrollment

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described in the University Academic Policies  section of this catalog.

• ENGR 100 - Engineering Exploration
• ENGR 101 - Engineering, Design, & Society
• ENGR 104 - Introduction to Engineering and Design
• ENGR 115 - Innovation in Design
• ENGR 130 - Introduction to Materials and Manufacturing Processes
• ENGR 170 - Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering
• ENGR 214 - Statics
• ENGR 225 - Mechanics of Materials
• ENGR 295 - Engaged Engineering Project
• ENGR 351 - Electronics for Engineering
• ENGR 352 - Introduction to Automation and Control

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described in the University Academic Policies  section of this catalog.

• ID 110 - Industrial Design Foundation 1
• ID 120 - Industrial Design Foundation 2
• ID 130 - History of Industrial Design
• ID 210 - Sophomore Industrial Design 1
• ID 220 - Sophomore Industrial Design 2
• ID 230 - Sophomore Industrial Design 3
• ID 240 - Two-Dimensional Design for Industrial Designers
• ID 300 - Directed Independent Study
• ID 310 - Perspective and Rendering 1
• ID 320 - Industrial Design CAD Skills
• ID 330 - Advanced Industrial Design CAD Skills
• ID 340 - Perspective and Rendering II
• ID 350 - Junior Industrial Design I
• ID 360 - Junior Industrial Design II
• ID 370 - Junior Industrial Design III
• ID 380 - Materials for Design
• ID 400 - Directed Independent Study
• ID 410 - Senior Industrial Design I
• ID 420 - Senior Industrial Design II
• ID 430 - Senior Industrial Design III
• ID 440 - Industrial Design Internship
• ID 450 - Industrial Design Internship Presentation
• ID 460 - UX Design Capstone

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described in the University Academic Policies  section of this catalog.

• MFGE 231 - Introduction to Metal Manufacturing Processes
• MFGE 250 - Introduction to Manufacturing Automation
• MFGE 261 - Introduction to Computer-Aided Design
• MFGE 300 - Directed Independent Study
• MFGE 332 - Introduction to CAM and CNC
• MFGE 333 - Design for Manufacture
• MFGE 340 - Applied Numerical Methods for Engineers
• MFGE 341 - Quality and Continuous Improvement
• MFGE 365 - Machine Design
• MFGE 381 - Manufacturing Process Planning
• MFGE 395 - Directed Research in Manufacturing
• MFGE 400 - Directed Independent Study
• MFGE 434 - Advanced CAM and CNC
• MFGE 453 - Industrial Robotics
• MFGE 454 - Systems Integration
• MFGE 462 - Advanced CAD Modeling and Analysis
• MFGE 463 - Design of Tooling
• MFGE 464 - Modeling and Analysis of Mechanisms

Return to: Departments