Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Chairman
Douglas Fouts, Ph.D.
Code EC, Spanagel Hall, Room 430
(831) 656-2852, DSN 756-2852
fouts@nps.edu
Associate Chairman, Instruction
Frank Kragh, Ph.D.
Code EC, Spanagel Hall, Room 448B
(831) 656-7502, DSN 756-7502
fekragh@nps.edu
Associate Chairman, Student Programs
Monique P. Fargues, Ph.D.
Code EC/Fa, Spanagel Hall, Room 456
(831) 656-2859, DSN 756-2859
fargues@nps.edu
CDR Chad Bollmann, Assistant Professor (2021); Ph.D., Naval Postgraduate School, 2018.
Jon T. Butler, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1987); Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1973.
Roberto Cristi, Professor (1985); Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, 1983.
Monique P. Fargues, Professor and Associate Chair for Student Programs (1989); Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988.
Douglas J. Fouts, Professor and Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (1990); Ph.D., University of California at Santa Barbara, 1990.
David Garren, Professor (2012); Ph.D., College of William and Mary, 1991.
Tri T. Ha, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1987); Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1977.
Robert (Gary) Hutchins, Associate Professor Emeritus (1993); Ph.D., University of California at San Diego, 1988.
David C. Jenn, Professor (1990); Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1989.
Jeffrey B. Knorr, Professor Emeritus (1970); Ph.D., Cornell University, 1970.
Frank Kragh, Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Instruction (2003); Ph.D., Naval Postgraduate School, 1997.
Herschel H. Loomis, Jr., Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1981); Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1963.
John McEachen, Professor (1996); Ph.D., Yale University, 1995.
James Bret Michael, Professor (2004); Ph.D. George Mason University, 1993.
Sherif Michael, Professor (1983); Ph.D., University of West Virginia, 1983.
Donna Miller, Research Associate (2007); MSSE (Software Engineering), Naval Postgraduate School, 2000.
Jihane Mimih, Research Assistant Professor (2017); Ph.D., City University of New York, 2006.
Michael A. Morgan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1979); Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley, 1976.
Giovanna Oriti, Professor (2008); Ph.D. University of Catania, Italy, 1997.
Phillip E. Pace, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1992); Ph.D., University of Cincinnati, 1990.
Matthew Porter, Research Associate (2012); M.S., Naval Postgraduate School, 2011.
John P. Powers, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1970); Ph.D., University of California at Santa Barbara, 1970.
R. Clark Robertson, Professor (1989); Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1983.
Darren J. Rogers, Research Associate (2021); Masters of Science in Information Warfare Systems, Naval Postgraduate School, 2012.
Ric Romero, Associate Professor (2010); Ph.D. University of Arizona, 2010.
John Roth, Assistant Professor (2017); Ph.D., Naval Postgraduate School, 2017.
James Scrofani, Associate Professor (2005); Ph.D., Naval Postgraduate School, 2011.
Weilian Su, Associate Professor (2004); Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004.
Charles W. Therrien, Professor Emeritus (1984); Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969.
Preetha Thulasiraman, Associate Professor (2012); Ph.D. University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2010.
Murali Tummala, Professor (1986); Ph.D., India Institute of Technology, 1984.
John J. Vitalich, Research Associate (2021); MSEE, Naval Postgraduate School, 2003.
Todd Weatherford, Professor (1995); Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 1993.
William Williamson, Research Associate Professor (2017); Ph.D., University of Toledo, 1996.
Yuntao Xu, Research Associate Professor (2021); Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2001.
Xiaoping Yun, Distinguished Professor (1994); Sc.D., Washington University, 1987.
Di Zhang, Associate Professor (2021); Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2010.
Lawrence J. Ziomek, Professor Emeritus (1982); Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1981.
*The year of joining the Naval Postgraduate School faculty is indicated in parentheses.
Brief Overview
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is the major contributor to programs for the education of officers in the Electronic Systems Engineering curriculum, the Combat Systems curriculum, the Space Systems Engineering curriculum, the Electronic Warfare curriculum, the Cyber Systems and Operations curriculum, and the Information Warfare curriculum. Additionally, the department offers courses in support of other curricula such as Information Technology Management; Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I); Space Systems Operations; Underwater Acoustics and Engineering Acoustics.
If needed, an MSEE student will usually spend six to twelve months learning or reviewing material at a junior or senior level before entering into graduate studies. The graduate study portion of a typical program is about one year in duration with a combination of course study and thesis work being performed. The thesis portion of the program is the equivalent of four courses (one quarter) with an acceptable written thesis being a requirement for graduation.
The curriculum is organized to provide the students with coursework spanning the breadth of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In addition, students concentrate in one major area of specialization within Electrical and Computer Engineering by taking a planned sequence of advanced courses. Currently there are formal concentrations in:
Communications Systems
Computer Systems
Cyber Systems
Guidance, Navigation and Control Systems
Power Systems and Microelectronics
Signal Processing Systems
Network Engineering
Sensor Systems Engineering
The department has about forty faculty members, including tenure track, non-tenure track, and military faculty, contributing to the instructional and research programs.
Degrees
The ECE department offers programs leading to the Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE), Master of Science in Computer Engineering (MSCE), the Master of Science in Engineering Science with a major in Electrical Engineering [MSES (EE)] or the Master of Science in Engineering Science with a major in Computer Engineering [MSES (CE)], the Master of Engineering with major in Electrical Engineering[MEng EE] or the Master of Engineering with a major in Computer Engineering [MEng CE], the degree of Electrical Engineer (EE) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). A student is able to earn one of the academic degrees listed above while enrolled in Electronic Systems Engineering (Curriculum 590 resident or 592 non-resident distance learning), Space Systems Engineering (under Curriculum 566), Applied Physics of Combat Systems (Curriculum 533), and Undersea Warfare (Curriculum 525). The department typically graduates over forty graduate degree candidates per year in resident programs and additional candidates in distant learning programs.
MSEE Degree Program
The MSEE Degree Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, http://www.abet.org. A Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or its equivalent is required for the MSEE degree. Credits earned at the Naval Postgraduate School and credits from the validation of appropriate courses at other institutions are combined to achieve the degree equivalence.
This program provides depth and diversity through specially arranged course sequences to meet the needs of the Navy and the interests of the individual. The department chairman's approval is required for all programs leading to this degree.
Requirements:
- A minimum of 52 credit hours of graduate level work.
- There must be a minimum of 36 credits in the course sequence 3000-4999, of which at least 30 credits must be in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The remainder of these 36 credits must be in engineering, mathematics, physical science, and/or computer science.
- Specific courses may be required by the department and at least four courses that total a minimum of 12 credits, must be in the course sequence 4000-4999.
- An acceptable thesis for a minimum of 16 credits must be presented to, and approved by, the department.
MSEE Program Educational Objectives: The MSEE Degree program has the following objectives (i.e., skills and abilities that graduates are expected to attain 3-5 more years after graduation):
- Technical Leadership: Graduates in the several years following graduation will be known and respected for their technical leadership along diverse career paths in government service and/or the private sector.
- Technical Program Management: Graduates in the several years following graduation will possess the ability to handle assignments related to research, design, development, procurement, maintenance, and life cycle management of electronic systems for Naval and other military platforms.
- Operational Utilization: Graduates in the several years following graduation will possess the ability to understand the capabilities and limitations of military electronic systems and to effectively employ electronic systems in military operations.
MSEE Student Outcomes: In order to achieve the above objectives, the Program curriculum is designed to produce the following outcomes (skills and abilities students will have at the time they complete the Program):
- Independent Investigation: Students will possess the ability to conduct and report the results of a technically challenging, defense-relevant independent investigation.
- Depth and Breadth of Study: Students will complete a course of study that includes appropriate depth and breadth for a masters-level student in an Electrical Engineering program by completing the graduate-level course requirements for one focus area and two specialty areas within the MSEE degree program at the Naval Postgraduate School.
MSCE Degree Program
The MSCE program provides both a broad-based education in traditional computer hardware and software related subjects while at the same time concentrating on military-relevant Computer Engineering topics such as Computer Security, High-Speed Networking, and Distributed and Parallel computing. A Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering or its equivalent is required for the MSCE degree.
Requirements:
- A minimum of 52 credit hours of graduate-level work.
- There must be a minimum of 36 credits in the course sequence 3000-4999, of which at least 24 credits must be in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or Software Engineering.
- Specific courses are required by the department, and at least four courses that total a minimum of 12 credits must be in the course sequence 4000-4999.
- An acceptable thesis for a minimum of 16 credits must be presented to, and approved by, the department.
MSES (CE) Degree Program
Students who do not have BSCE degrees and are unable to achieve BSCE equivalency can pursue the MSES (CE) degree. Such students must, by virtue of their education and on-the-job experience, be capable of successfully completing the Computer Engineering Program Core and Specialization Tracks. Except for BSCE degree equivalency, the requirements for the MSES (CE) degree are the same as those for the MSCE degree.
Requirements:
- A minimum of 52 credit hours of graduate-level work.
- There must be a minimum of 36 credits in the course sequence 3000-4999, of which at least 24 credits must be in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or Software Engineering.
- Specific courses are required by the department, and at least four courses that total a minimum of 12 credits must be in the course sequence 4000-4999.
- An acceptable thesis for a minimum of 16 credits must be presented to, and approved by, the department.
MSES (EE) Degree Program
Students who do not have BSEE degrees and are unable to achieve BSEE equivalency can pursue the MSES(EE) degree. Such students must by virtue of their education and on-the-job experience be capable of successfully completing one of the MSEE Degree Program specialization tracks. Requirements:
- A student needs a minimum of 52 credit hours of graduate level work.
- There must be a minimum of 36 credits in the course sequence 3000-4999, of which at least 20 credits must be in graded EC graduate courses, and at a minimum, an additional 12 quarter credit hours in engineering, mathematics, physical science, and/or computer science.
- At least 12 quarter credit hours must be in the sequence of advance courses 4000-4999.
- An acceptable thesis for a minimum of 16 credits must be presented to, and approved by, the department.
MEng EE Program
The Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering is a course-based degree program for non-resident students enrolled in distance learning programs.
Requirements:
- Students must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours of graduate level course work which includes a minimum of three courses and 10 credit hours of 4000 level course work.
- MEng (EE) degree programs must contain a minimum of 5 courses in electrical and computer engineering.
- This degree program is quite flexible and can be designed with a focus tailored to meet distance learning customer requirements for work-force development.
MEng CE Program
The Master of Engineering in Computer Engineering is a course-based degree program for non-resident students enrolled in distance learning programs. Specific courses are required by the department.
Requirements:
- Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours of graduate level course work which includes a minimum of four courses and 12 credit hours of 4000 level course work where at least three of the four 4000-level courses must be graded.
- MEng (CE) degree programs must contain a minimum of eight courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or Software Engineering.
- This degree program is quite flexible and can be designed with a focus tailored to meet distance learning customer requirements for work-force development.
EE Degree Program
Students with strong academic backgrounds may enter a program leading to the degree of Electrical Engineer. The EE degree program requires more course work and a more comprehensive thesis than a master's degree program but does not require the seminal research demanded in a Ph.D. program.
Requirements:
- A minimum of 96 total graduate credits is required for the award of the engineer's degree, of which at least 24 must be in accepted thesis research, and at least 54 credits must be in Electrical and Computer Engineering courses.
- At least 36 of the total hours are to be in courses in the sequence 4000-4999. Approval of all programs must be obtained from the Chairman, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
TSSE Program
The Total Ship Systems Engineering Program is an interdisciplinary, systems engineering and design-oriented program available to students enrolled in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, or Applied Physics of Combat Systems programs. The program objective is to provide a broad-based, design-oriented education focusing on the warship as a total engineering system. The eight-course sequence of electives introduces the student to the integration procedures and tools used to develop highly complex systems such as Navy ships. The program culminates in a team-performed design of a Navy ship, with students from all three curricula as team members. Students enrolled in programs leading to the Electrical Engineer Degree are also eligible for participation. Entry requirements are a baccalaureate degree in an engineering discipline with a demonstrated capability to perform satisfactorily at the graduate level. The appropriate degree thesis requirements must be met, but theses that address system design issues are welcome.
Ph.D. Degree Program
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has an active program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Joint programs with other departments are possible. A noteworthy feature of these programs is that the student's research may be conducted away from the Naval Postgraduate School in a cooperating laboratory or other installation of the federal government. The degree requirements are as outlined under the general school requirements for the doctor's degree.
ECE Department Laboratories
The laboratories of the department serve the dual role of supporting the instructional and research activities of the department. The department has well-developed laboratories in each specialty area.
Nano-electronics Lab
This laboratory supports design and analysis of semiconductor devices, design and development of VLSI integrated circuits, and design, implementation and testing of microprocessor and VLSI systems. Major equipment of the lab includes: Semiconductor Parameterization Equipment, Capacitance-Voltage measurement equipment, Semi-automatic Probing stations, High Speed Sampling Scopes, Logic Analyzers, Printed Circuit Assembly tools, Unix and PC workstations, Silvaco(TM) TCAD simulation tools, Tanner and Cadence Design tools and Semiconductor Parameterization Equipment (high power capability), Manual Probing stations (2+), Wire-bonding equipment, and PC workstations. The lab supports courses and thesis research projects in the MSEE degree Computer/Nanotechnology track and Power/Solid state track. This lab will be a major player in the nanoelectronics of the NPS Nano/MEMs initiative.
Digital Electronics/Microprocessor Lab
This laboratory is an instructional lab that supports courses in digital logic design and microprocessor-based system design. Students acquire practical knowledge through hard-wired and programmable logic design. Programmable design includes CPLDs (complex programmable logic devices) and FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays). Students learn how to develop combinational and sequential circuits using hardware description languages, VHDL and/or Verilog. They learn the design, verification, and simulation process used in contemporary digital computer design using tools like ModelSim, Precision, and Synplify Pro. This lab supports instruction in microprocessor programming and interfacing, as well as system design involving high-speed pipeline processors and architectures. Specifically, ARM is used as a representative RISC (reduced instruction set computer) processor. Students gain an understanding of embedded computing through assignments that create systems which acquire inputs (data, keyboard entry, A/D etc.) and produce outputs (processed data, displayed data, D/A, etc.). For example, students program an NXT robot that accepts human-supplied controller input and produces signals that drive actuator motors.
Circuits and Signals Lab
This laboratory provides support for instruction and research in the areas of basic analog design, discrete component testing, fundamental circuit design, and communication theory. The laboratory is equipped with CAD facilities capable of schematic capture, circuit simulation, and fault detection. The lab utilizes various test equipment to include, but not limited to, oscilloscopes, signal generators, spectrum analyzers, multi-meters, and high-speed data acquisition equipment.
Academic Computing Lab
This laboratory is the largest PC-equipped learning resource center in Spanagel Hall and the primary PC computational facility for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It is primarily a teaching laboratory for accomplishing computer assignments that are assigned as part of ECE courses. It is also used for research-related computing but only when such computing does not interfere with course work. The laboratory serves approximately 350 students annually and supports over 25 courses and over 12 curricula. It is also heavily used for student thesis preparation. The computers in this lab are, by necessity, high-end systems because the vast majority of software used in the lab are scientific and engineering applications that are extremely computationally intensive. The NPS Information Technology Assistance Center (ITAC) organization supplies labor for maintenance and upgrading of this facility.
Optical Electronics Lab
This laboratory provides educational and research support in the areas of fiber optics, lasers (including a fiber sigma laser), integrated optics and electro-optics. The laboratory has a variety of fiber optics instrumentation (including two OTDRs, a fusion splicer, optical spectrum analyzer, connector application equipment, a 1.5 Gb/s digital pattern generator and BER tester, an optical fiber amplifier, optical autocorrelator for pulsewidth measurement, various diode laser controllers), RF and microwave instrumentation (signal synthesizer, microwave spectrum analyzer), and general purpose test instrumentation. A variety of detectors, integrated optical modulators and imaging equipment are also available. The lab supports EC3210, EC3550, EO3911, EC4210, thesis students, and research in fiber optic communications and optical signal processing.
Electromagnetics Lab
This laboratory supports instruction and research in the area of microwave systems and technology. This is accomplished with a mix of hardware, instruments, test systems, and software. Included in the lab inventory are scalar and vector microwave network analyzers, electromagnetic software for simulating antennas, ships and aircraft, and a software design system for simulation of microwave circuits and systems. There is also a fully automated anechoic chamber for antenna pattern measurements.
Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems Lab
The objective of the Radar and Electronic Warfare (EW) Systems Laboratory is to educate military officers and civilians in the technology and operational characteristics of electronic warfare. The Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems Laboratory supports both research and teaching. The hardware laboratory contains instrumented radar and electronic warfare equipment and has been in operation for over 35 years. Each radar system is well instrumented to operate as a teaching tool. The equipment allows the student to experience hands-on knowledge of performance characteristics, conduct experimental research, and reinforces concepts that are taught in the classroom.
Controls and Robotics Lab
This laboratory is mainly an instructional lab that supports experiments for all courses in Guidance, Navigation, Controls, and Robotics. Lab facilities include servo control stations and associated computers (equipped with A/D and D/A data acquisition cards, LabView, and Matlab/SIMULINK software) that are used to conduct simulations and physical experiments, modeling, analysis, and design of control systems. The lab is also equipped with advanced robots to support robotics laboratory assignments and thesis projects in robotics.
Power Systems Lab
The Power Systems Laboratory supports postgraduate education and thesis research related to the design, analysis, simulation and implementation of power converter and electric drive technology. Thesis research projects are closely coupled to current Department of Defense priorities including more-survivable power system architectures such as DC Zonal Electric Distribution, Integrated Power Systems, and electric propulsion. In coursework and projects, students employ modern device technologies, hardware-in-the-loop synthesis tools, simulation packages, measurement devices, and power converter and electric machine modules to assess component operation, develop feedback controls, and study evolving power system challenges. An emphasis is placed on prototyping and validating against detailed simulation models.
Digital Signal Processing Lab
This laboratory supports instruction and research in the area of Digital Signal Processing. Research and student thesis include work in the areas of detection and classification of signals, face recognition, acoustic communications, multirate signal processing and other areas. Lab facilities include several Windows based workstations and the capability of programming Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) for real time applications.
Computer Communications and Networking Lab
This laboratory supports instruction and research in computer network design, engineering, and infrastructure development. The lab is currently divided between guided media (wire and fiber optic) networks and wireless networks. The lab also has facilities within the NPS High Performance Computing lab for network simulation and experimentation. Thesis work and research undertaken include modeling and simulation of high-speed and wireless networks and related protocols, video transmission and voice transmission over digital networks, traffic modeling, simulation and analysis, design and simulation of wide area networks, and related areas. Guided media lab facilities include routers, LAN switches, Voice-over-IP servers, Telcom fiber optic switches, ATM switches, video processing equipment, a channel simulator, protocol analyzers, network simulation packages, and computer workstations. The wireless lab facilities include WiFi, WiMax, VoIP, and sensor mote equipment, as well as a variety of signal generation and analysis equipment.
Secure Computing Lab
This lab contains computing facilities for classified projects (up to the SECRET level). It contains a variety of computing platforms from Windows-based PCs to a Linux cluster. The lab is also heavily used by students preparing classified documents including class presentations and theses.
Cryptologic Research Lab (CRL)
This laboratory is the NPS's center for research in communications engineering, focusing on physical layer design issues for wireless communications devices. Research areas emphasized are non-binary modulation, forward error correction coding, software defined radio, spread spectrum systems, cellular systems, wireless local and wide area networks, and interference mitigation. The CRL's facilities include many tools for modern communications engineering, such as eight software defined radio design stations; a state-of-the-art wireless fading channel simulator; arbitrary waveform generators; microprocessor-, digital signal processor (DSP)-, and field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based signal possessing development systems; and various signal generation, capture, and analysis tools.
Flash X-ray Lab
The NPS Flash X-ray Laboratory provides DoD support, testing and research capability to study weapons effects on electronics. It provides a Gamma radiation source to verify operation of electronic circuit and systems in a nuclear weapons environment. The machine can additionally be used to study Electro Magnetic Pulse for nuclear or microwave weapons. This is one of two Flash X-ray systems in the Navy (NRL).
Signal Enhancement Lab
The ECE department does a significant amount of research in wireless communications functions, both transmitting and receiving, in-the-clear and encrypted, solving interference, electromagnetic compatibility and radio spectrum utilization issues. Applications include Direction Finding, Improvised Explosive Device detection and jamming, and low-profile and Ultra-Wide-Band antenna development. This laboratory provides hardware and software support of these projects and is entirely research-supported.
Other support facilities within the department include the Calibration and Instrument Repair Laboratory. Classified instruction and research are supported by appropriately certified facilities.
Calibration and Repair Lab
The Calibration Lab and Electronics Repair Lab is a dual function facility that provides Electronics Calibration capabilities and Electronics General Repair functions.
The Electronics Test Equipment Repair Lab is a full-time, stand-alone repair facility. It provides a wide repair support for all NPS Electronics Test Equipment that are listed in the Property Book Inventories, maintained by each department. Repair parts, test equipment and library of repair and service manuals are also maintained on site.
The Calibration Lab is a Type 4 Electronics Field Repair Facility (FCA) assigned to region METCALPAC, Tech HQ, NAVSEASYSCOM. All test equipment that falls within the assigned Phase Packages (4 Phases) are all supported.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Course Descriptions
EC Courses
EO Courses