Electronic Engineering Department
Description of the Department
- General
- Education of a Electronical Engineer
- Research Structures
- Employment possibilities
- Assessment methods
- Grading system
General
The Electronic Engineering Curriculum at the Faculty of Engineering has been divided in two degrees:
- A firsts level degree (3 years full-time)
- A second level degree (2 years full-time)
First Level Degree (Laurea degree)
This degree is 3 years long, the first year has 12 compulsory courses, the second has 14 compulsory courses including a European foreign language course and a Seminars of business organization course, the third one has 7 compulsory courses, 2 selectable courses among 6 courses and a Final examination, in compliance with the General Study Plan, (Manifesto degli Studi) approved for each academic year. ( Available at www.ingegneria.unige.it)
Second level degree (Laurea specialistica degree)
This degree is 2 years long, the first year has 12 compulsory courses, the second is still in development: a probable solution would be 2 compulsory courses and 6 packets of 3 courses each of which the student has to choose a couple, in compliance with the General Study Plan, (Manifesto degli Studi) approved for each academic year. ( Available at www.ingegneria.unige.it)
For both the first level and the second level degree:
The Curriculum is governed by the Curriculum Council (Consiglio di Corso di Studi, CCS) formed by all professors teaching in the curriculum, who elect a Chairman (Presidente).
This Curriculum Council has the following tasks:
- to coordinate lectures and study activities for students, so that they can obtain their degree according to the University Regulation and to prepare the timetable of courses.
- to discuss and approve individual curricula of students;
- to formulate proposals and opinions regarding changes of teaching regulation;
- to submit to the Faculty Council (Consiglio di Facoltà) proposal to activate new courses or to modify the teaching of the curriculum;
- to suggest, the utilisation of facilities, concerning Departmental units and non teaching Staff of the Departments involved, for a more efficient organisation of all teaching activities, in agreement with Department Councils.
Education of a Electronic Engineer.
The professional profile of the electronic engineer combines the scientific and technological skills related to generation, elaboration and transmission of information, as well as to the design and the construction of the necessary equipment to achieve these goals.
There are two kind of curricula the student can follow:
- one which stops with the first level degree and allow the student to easily enter the job world
- another one which stops, after a first level degree, with a second specializing level degree which allow the student to enter the job world with a deeper scientific knowledge on advanced electronic matters.
The first level degree gives a solid basic knowledge on the main electronic engineering subjects while it gives a basic knowledge to enter the job world; it drives the students during the first year proposing a fixed study plan, it starts in the second giving some knowledge about the enterprise life with some seminars then it make the student to face the problem of his language skills with a foreign language course, finally during the third year it leave to the student the choose of a substantial part of his study plan. The student, during the third year, has to choose a professional training course and the subject of his first level degree dissertation with some optional courses.
The cultural content of this degree has, on the one hand, a common basis which characterise all the electrical sector; on the other hand, aspects related to specific applied sectors, with high technological developments.
The second level degree gives a deep knowledge on the advanced electronic engineering subjects; it drives the deepening of the students during the first year proposing a fixed study plan then allow the student to choose in the second year, his curriculum.
Within the context of systems and elaboration of information techniques, the professional profile of the electronic engineer combines skills ranging from component design to system development and use.
It's a polyvalent figure whose activity can be carried out in industry, services or in other applied and research sectors.
It's impossible to mention all the industrial sectors with considerable applied interest for electronic engineering.
However, it can be seen that in this period of technical and scientific development, one of the most reliable indicators to evaluate the technological level of a product, plant or firm, is the level of use of electronic and data processing technology. This technology is an essential instrument at the different levels of the production process in mechanical, iron and steel, petrochemical, biotechnological plants etc...
A typical field of application in the industrial sector, is the production of electronic components and systems, electronic instrumentation, computers, telecommunication systems and biomedical equipment.
Mention should also be made of the fields of application in service activities related to electric energy production, transmission and management of telecommunication and transport systems.
Finally, electronic information technology is being used more and more in all areas of research and development sectors.
Employment possibilities Sectors of Activity
After graduation, electronic engineers have good occupational perspectives in the industrial sector, in tertiary but also in public employment, research and teaching, or they may become self-employed.
In all these sectors, electronic engineers have great opportunities to develop their professional skills relating to their study subjects, also based upon their specific curriculum having the aim to provide a thorough basic preparation in science and engineering.
A favourable trend of development is predict in the next years on account of financial and structural italian and european investments in the electronic field, besides the opportunity of self employment and contractor activity.
Self employment or professional activities in an Engineering Company also offer considerable realisation possibilities.
In industry the rule of the electronic engineer combines the design, the production control and supervision, the research and development, the marketing activity . In the tertiary, the electronic engineer is often employed in elaboration and management data.
An additional possibility, though quantitatively limited, is provided by Research Agencies for which a post-graduate qualification will be available by doctorship in research courses which are taught at the University.
All subjects include a final examination which can be written and/or oral: in some cases intermediate tests are possible, whose results are counted for the final one.
The student has successfully passed his exam when he has obtained at least 18 marks. Thus the grading scale runs from 18 (pass) to 30 (best). If the student exhibited an outstanding performance, the board can unanimously award him a "lode".
