Projected Enrollment:

The initial set of applicants to this programme is expected from the incoming new students to Pure and Applied Sciences and from those who may have initially applied for Engineering at St Augustine. Base on the admission requirements (see below) we are expecting between 30 – 60 Students to enroll in September 2009. We expect this number to dramatically increase for 2010 enrollment after it has been rigorously advertised.

Admission Requirements:

In addition to fulfilling general requirements for admission into the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, applicants must have passes Mathematics and Physics and CAPE or GCE Advanced level, or passes in P04 and M08.

Regional Collaboration:

This programme has the full approval and support of the Faculty of Engineering at the St. Augustine Campus, and is a joint offering between the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at St. Augustine and the Department of Physics at Mona. This collaboration is seen as an expansion of the Faculty of Engineering. Relevant documentations indicating such approvals are attached.

 Overview of the Programme:

The Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics Engineering is designed to serve students who are desirous of pursuing a career path in Telecommunications or Industrial Instrumentation. This 3-year programme is structured so that during the first year students are exposed to foundation courses in engineering physics, computer science and mathematics, along with introductory courses in electronics and electrical circuits. The second year courses provide the core electronics background for this engineering discipline, along with a more advanced engineering mathematics course. All students are required to complete a 1-year extensive project during the final year along with the introduction to engineering management and accounting systems course. They then will take one of the two options; Telecommunications or Industrial Instrumentation, to complete their area of specialty. A course on New Venture Creation and Entrepreneurship has been added to create and foster entrepreneurship activities by our graduates.

During every semester of this 3-year programme, a teaching laboratory and project design courses must be taken by each student. The practical application and testing of the concepts presented in the theoretical classes for that semester will be explored in these lab sessions. Engineering students learn through a combination of design and lab work. This mix of theory and practical application allows students to think things through and then apply their ideas in a variety of real life situations. Students also learn to diagnose problems and develop a variety of solutions.

Programme Objectives:

The overall objectives of this programme are to produce graduates:

• Who have a solid foundation in the core areas of electronics engineering.
• Who will be technically competent for immediate employment in the fields of  telecommunications, industrial instrumentations or microelectronics circuit designs.
• Who have capabilities to design, develop, and test electronic equipment/instrument with high levels of professionalism.
• Who can use modern engineering techniques and tools to identify, formulate, and solve electronics engineering problems.
• Who can adapt to future changes in the discipline as well as to have an in-depth understanding of a specialized area where he/she can better serve his/her organization. 
• Who can apply newly leant theories and skills to the technological and industrial development of Jamaica and the Caribbean region.
• Whose degrees are recognized by international industries and universities.
• Who can demonstrate an understanding of ethical, societal, and professional responsibility, and will have an appreciation of the need for life-long learning.

Programme Description:

Most of the courses currently offered in the Physics Department along with selected courses from other Departments within the Pure and Applied Science Faculty and from the electrical and computer engineering programme at St. Augustine constitute the course requirements for the Electronics Engineering programme. New courses with new course-codes are labeled accordingly. However, the contents of some courses while retaining the same course-codes have been significantly revised and/or given new course names. These are indicated with an “(R)”.

Please click the link below to see the list of courses for the Electronics Engineering Programme:

Electronics Engineering courses

Note:

These courses are compulsory for all Electronics Engineering students at each level of their study.

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the degree, students will be able to: 

• apply current knowledge and adapt to emerging applications of mathematics, science, engineering and technology.
• conduct, analyze and interpret experiments and apply experimental results to improve processes.
• apply creativity in the design of systems, components or processes appropriate to programme objectives.
• function effectively on teams and communicate effectively.
• identify, analyze and solve technical problems using the modern tools of their disciplines.
• recognize the need for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning.
• understand professional, ethical and social responsibilities.
• commit to quality, timeliness, and continuous improvement.
• apply their knowledge and hands-on competence in circuit analysis and design, computer programming, associated software, analog and digital electronics, and microcomputers to the building, testing, operation, and maintenance of electronic systems.
• analyze, design, and implement industrial instrumentation systems, or telecommunications systems.
• utilize statistics/probability, transform methods, discrete mathematics, or applied differential equations in support of electronic systems.

Resources:

Physics Department currently has three full time staff with PhDs in Electronics/Electrical Engineering. There are 27 electronics/electronics engineering courses (including the teaching lab courses). 

 Academic Quality Assurance:

Quality assurance systems will be aligned with that of the Faculty of Engineering at St Augustine where they are well defined and linked to programme outcomes and individual courses learning outcomes. The Faculty of Engineering will oversee the adherence to the guidelines set by the accrediting agency (mainly the IET). Accreditors prefer to see Engineers teaching engineering classes, so all efforts will be made to implement said expectations.

Four year engineering model is currently being proposed by the Faculty of Engineering where students would do the first year within the UWI Open Campus or at the Preliminary Level in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences. A 4-year model will give us the added advantage of seeking IEEE and ABET accreditations.

Programme Developer:           Dr. Paul Aiken 

Programme Coordinator:         Dr Paul Aiken

June 2009