Auburn University First To Offer Wireless Degree

EyesWideOpen writes "Auburn University in Alabama will become the first school in the country to offer a four-year bachelor's degree in the study of wireless technology this fall. Since its inception three months ago an estimated 30 to 50 students have signed up for Auburn's wireless engineering program. 'All engineering students are expected to complete liberal arts and general engineering classes the first two years of school. They then can focus on wireless during their last two years of study by taking courses such as Wireless Design Lab, RF Devices and Circuits, and 3G and 4G Wireless.'"

Comments

Wardriving Degree?

[Komrade S.]

I can't wait to get my Wardriving degree, with a chalk marking hieroglyphics major. Let's not even get into the possibilities of fly-by wireless haxoring exams. Ooo, watch out for that tree little Jimmy!

Electrical Engineering

[miratim]

Wouldn't this kids be better off with a degree in EE, concentrating in wireless? That's like getting a degree in web services instead of Computer Science.

Re:Electrical Engineering

[Chundra]

Well it's like a degree in EE but with no strings attached. *cough*

Egad

[Reality Master 101]

3G and 4G Wireless

Oh, well, that's good. We all know that "3G" and "4G" are such important, well defined engineering terms.

Coming soon to the CS department "Software engineering principles of version 2 and version 3 software.

Why is this a separate degree?

[LaserBeams]

First of all, it shouldn't take four years to learn most of how any kind of networking works. On the computer/electronics side, both are basically the same, it's the transmission that's different.

Now, why not combine wireless with wired networking as a major, and then get more people into that? While wireless is all "hip" and whatnot, you can't do everything wirelessly. Transmitting through thick rock and transmitting top secret data for example. However, if you're knowledgeable with both wired and wireless networks, you are of use to almost any company, even small ones who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford separate "in-house" and wireless network engineers.

Re:Why is this a separate degree?

[kemster]

First of all, it shouldn't take four years to learn most of how any kind of networking works.

Maybe you missed the fact that the students are at Auburn University...

Re:Why is this a separate degree?

[gambit3]

First of all, it shouldn't take four years to learn most of how any kind of networking works.

Yes, it does. And even more. I've worked for a telecom equipment maker for three years now, and the depth of this stuff can be mind numbing. It's a commonly uttered truism here that you need to be working for at least 1 1/2 years to be able to actually say you KNOW what you're doing, and it's not until you've been working with the same thing for around 5 years that you can be considered an expert. And that's living and breathing this stuff day in and day out, without English, arts, and all those other classes getting in your way.

While wireless is all "hip" and whatnot, you can't do everything wirelessly. Transmitting through thick rock and transmitting top secret data for example.

People shouldn't get into this because it's "hip". They should choose it for the same reason they choose ANY major: they should have a reasonable expectation that this is a line of work that they'll enjoy.

And we're not trying to do EVERYthing wirelessly. Just communicating.

However, if you're knowledgeable with both wired and wireless networks, you are of use to almost any company...

Heck, I could've been a janitor, and those are of use to any company. But again, that's not the point. People should major in this because it's something they think they'll enjoy doing.

Wireless?

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, great. That ranks up there with a degree in Communications.

Pontless...

[N3WBI3]

I hate 'special degrees' Wireless shoudl be a specialization in either Computers or Electrical or both. Im sorry wireless fall totally under EM theory, Computer Algorithms, and Electronics. There is nothing in it that an EE major (or Computer Engineering) would not/could not be exposed to in the course of their required courses + their elevtives. Its a gimik to increase admissions, no more no less.

just like the $EthnicGroup Studies majors. They should be specializations in either history or political science. What were beginning to do is produce college graduated who are way too over specialized. I know of EE's who think they dont need E-Mag because they are going to do VLSI.

Sorry for the rant its just my 2 cents.

Re:Pontless...

[i7dude]

"I know of EE's who think they dont need E-Mag because they are going to do VLSI."

this is off topic, but what you said is so true...when i was getting my EE undergrad degree, the technology that we were using was so coarse that secondary EM and micorwave effects were neglegible. then i graduated and was thrown right into the wonderful world of sum-micron design at Ghz speeds...guess what, now EM and microwave theory is very relevant...most students would understand this if they were exposed to the technology that industry uses, rather than lagging behind and having to catch up on 5 years of innovation after graduating.

specializing in a "wireless" degree is useless...if i was hiring...give me somebody with a strong background in EE and Physics over these cupcakes anyday.

dude.

First wireless degree? Not...

[dillon_rinker]

So, what, there's never been a degree in radio engineering before?

I'd go into the huge theory/practice techschool/university debate, but I've finally realized something:

The truly curious and intelligent will get the theory no matter what, because they want to know and find out. The dull masses will not get the theory even when it's taught to them for four years straight. They're probably better served by a practical course of study (with lots of flashing lights).

gimic degrees dont impress employers

[peter303]

I'd hire a plain vanilla degree with good grades and from a competative university any day. In three years the current fads will have changed and only the basics will matter.

Can I have a degree in GigE?

[gelfling]

Why is this a distince degree? It would seem to be self limiting, yes?

"I'm sorry but the job opening is for advanced networking design, I'm afraid that only wireless won't cut it"

And this is news... Why?

[Andy Dodd]

This isn't a first, in any way whatsoever.

Many universities have EE programs that require a concentration. What's a common concentration in such programs? You guessed it, wireless. Even Cornell, which admittedly is not a "strong" school in wireless despite a top-notch EE program since the main physical-layer wireless guy was hired away by Illinois, has a pretty good wireless concentration. (Due to the fact that most of the domain of "wireless" can be covered quite well by the DSP, Information Theory, and the radar people in Space & Plasma Physics, all of which are fields where Cornell is top-notch) All in all, you'll get a much broader exposure to signal theory and RF in general than you would in a "Wireless" degree.

Whatever this program is, I'm sure it pales in comparison to the EE programs at Georgia Tech and the University of Illinios (They have two of the top wireless programs in the country - It's all under the EE umbrella.) I believe GaTech has an antenna testing range and numerous other facilities that rival that of most corporations in the field.

If you want to do wireless, go to Georgia Tech or the University of Illinios. I hear Ohio State is pretty good too, as are UCSD and probably Caltech. If you want to go to a wannabe program that won't get you a broad exposure that'll leave you with backup if wireless dries up, go to Auburn.

Specialized degrees and market forces

[Infonaut]

Universities operate in a marketplace. They recognize that students are free to choose from any number of competitors. So they attempt, however slowly and clumsily, to offer degrees that fit the needs and in some cases the demands, of students.

I'm not a real proponent of specialized degrees, but the world is becoming a very specialized place. I'd also argue it's also getting tougher and tougher to make a living as a generalist, whether coming from a technical or liberal arts background.

Maybe we ought to take notice of why Auburn offered this degree, and the forces behind it, instead of just running up the, "Back in my day, we all got EE degrees and boy were we thankful!" flag.

Just my two cents. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong. After all, I was an International Relations major, so what the fsck do I know about technical degrees?

Alabamer

[LordNimon]

"It's really neat that you can communicate just through the air," Trueblood said in an interview over his cell phone. "Without wires you aren't limited to one specific area. Wherever I go, people can call me. There are a lot of advantages to that."

With such insightful commentary from Auburn's engineering students, it's no wonder that Alabama is such a hotbed of intellectualism.

Wireless 101

[Animats]

Wireless 101

• Week one - selecting a cell phone
• Week two - picking a payment plan
• Week three - making calls
• Week four - receiving calls.
• Week five - using the phone directory
• Week six - sending text messages
• Week seven - roaming
• Week eight - additional phone features
• Week nine - final exam

The University of Texas at Dallas Offers Similar

[EvlG]

For those interested, The University of Texas at Dallas offers a similar degree program called Telecommunications Engineering. Its scope is a bit broader than just wireless.

Check out UTD's page about the program for more information.

Re:Probably Flamebait.

[Valdrax]

It depends on your school. CS, CmpE, and EE are all equally tough where I went to school. Management and IE (aka Imaginary Engineers) got our drop outs. Now THAT's the kind of thing that inspires cynicism in the workforce long before you enter it. All the washouts and losers are going to be your boss!

Of course, we didn't actually have an MIS degree. ...You know, not being an over-priced community college and all.