Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) at VCU

You will be career-ready with hands-on lab modules built into the electrical and computer engineering curriculum. Apply valuable classroom teachings in lab and professional settings that culminates in a capstone design course. Develop skills in college you can use to solve real-world engineering challenges. Access to learning spaces equipped with industry-strength tools allow you to apply the theoretical knowledge from lectures in practical, real-world lab environments.

  • Xilinx Vivado
  • National Instruments
  • Labview
  • Rockwell Automation
  • Factory Talk
  • Studio5000
  • Matlab Simulink
  • COMSOL Multiphysics

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Find your specialty

Find your electrical and computer engineering specialty at the VCU College of Engineering. Hands-on learning opportunities start at enrollment with labs that are integrated into every lecture course. You’ll design, develop and implement electrical hardware and software that are used in control systems, machines, communications systems and more.

Learn real-world electrical and computer engineering applications in labs that teach:

  • Circuits
  • Programming
  • Electromagnetics
  • Digital System Design

Undergraduate Degrees

Two students participating in a hackathon

Hands-on Learning

Access to hands-on learning opportunities begins as soon as you enroll. Learn real-world electrical and computer engineering applications in labs and through research that teach:

  • Big data processing, transmission and storage
  • Embedded computer systems
  • Cyber security, electronic materials and devices
  • Communications and signal and image processing
  • Electric power distribution
  • Smart grids and sustainable energy generation
Two students and a faculty member working in a lab

Your first job won’t be your first job

Your journey at the College of Engineering moves you toward an engineering career. You will have many opportunities to work with employers before graduation, developing an understanding for the kind of work you enjoy and building a network of relationships for the foundation of your career. These opportunities include:

Student Organizations

You can find like-minded students with a passion for electrical and computer engineering at one of the many clubs supported by the VCU College of Engineering.

Co-op: Experience Plus Income

Take a semester away to work a full-time engineering job while maintaining student status. Get paid, learn valuable industry knowledge and grow your professional network.

Vertically Integrated Projects: Research, Creation and Exploration

Get school credit while leading and contributing to large-scale, multi-year research. You will work with other students across a variety of fields, learning the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Internships

Industry experience is your bridge between the classroom and an engineering career. Applying your skills in professional settings gives you practical experience employers value.

Looking to the future

Electrical and computer engineering students find success in a variety of industries. Our graduates have found success in companies like:

  • Northrop Grumman
  • CarMax
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Dominion Energy
  • M.C. Dean
  • The Boeing Company

Internship & Career Fair

Student shaking hands with an employer during career fair

Beyond the classroom

Centered in the heart of Richmond, Virginia (often referred to as RVA), college life at VCU is completely different from a more isolated, traditional campus experience. There’s so much to do, and RVA isn’t just any city. It’s got character. A state capital with an unlikely mix of qualities — historic, artsy, food-obsessed, Southern, diverse, laid-back — it has just the right dose of grittiness to give it an edge.

Explore RVA

Aerial view of the city of Richmond, Virginia