Classes
Last updated: 20131008, NTS
Class Basics
Class numbers
First number: units. E.g. 396K, 3 units.
Second number: course level. 8 or 9 is graduate level.
Second and third number can be viewed as one number, in which case 80 to 99 is graduate level. Similar classes are grouped nearby numerically.
Letter: Seems to be arbitrarily chosen and indicate relation within a sub-field. Classes with the same first four characters are related.
Numbers after the first four characters: Indicate which class of that group (the group indicated by first four characters). E.g. 396K-2, 396K-8, 396K-21, etc.
Why is it done this way? Rumor has it that the Texas state legislature has to approve new course names, so UT calls the first four characters the course name and the following characters indicate section. That way new sections (classes) can be added/modified at will.
Signing up for classes
You have to fill out paperwork, get signatures, etc. to get your advising bar cleared.
Write down the course ID of classes you want to take (e.g. 17785).
When it's time to register log into UTdirect and scroll down to the student section. Click on Student Registration and it should take you to a page with the ability to add/drop classes. Add classes by inputting the course ID.
Alternatively, search for rose on UTdirect, click on ROSE, and click on Registration.
Checking grades
Search for ROSE in the UTdirect search bar.
Click on Grade Report.
Proceed to celebrate or cry.
Some suggested classes:
Fall
EE 396K: 8-VLSI FABRICATION TECHNIQUES (Neikirk/Banerjee)
Take with Neikirk!
Regular courses and clean room training in Main Campus. Weekly lab reports plus final report, exams and term paper. No hand in homework.
EE 396V: SEMICONDUCTOR NANOSTRUCTURES (Tutuc)
Make sure you read the first four chapters of Davies and understand density of states before the first midterm!
Class discusses device physics for low-dimensional devices and materials (e.g. quantum dots, 2D materials) as well as some principles of spintronics
Homework, mid and final exams. Take care for all. Some quantum mechanics and solid state physics are recommended before taking this course.
EE 396V: LASER AND OPTICAL ENGINEERING (Bank)
Not sure if offered regularly.
EE 383V: NANOPHOTONICS (Wang)
Very good if you're interested in plasmonics and/or waveguides.
EE 396K: NANOSCALE DEVICE PHYSICS (J. Lee)
Device physics of transistors (MOSFETs and some BJTs)
2 midterms, very reasonable test questions, e.g "qualitatively sketch the I-V curve for a device with higher source/drain doping"
Final paper (~5 pages) and presentation based on the paper (~5 minutes) that you write and present with a partner
No required homework. The homework that is posted isn't particularly useful when studying for exams
Spring
EE 383P: 6-OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES (Bank)
You will take this.
EE 396K: 2-SEMICONDUCTOR PHYSICS (Register)
NTS recommends this class. Going over the lectures yourself is more important than lecture.
EE 396K: 23-SEMICONDUCTOR HETEROSTRUCTURES (Yu)
You will take this.
EE 383V: NONLINEAR OPTICS (Belkin)
Taught very well and is a great introduction/treatment of the field. SDM recommends!
2 take-home midterms
4-5 homework sets
30 min final presentation
Other classes
You might want to consult with LASE members to see what these courses are like.
EE
EE 383L - Electromagnetic Field Theory (Ali Yilmaz)
Take only if you've taken an undgrad EM class already because the pace it fast
Challenging class because of excessive work load, esp. for a grad class
10-11 HW sets
2 24-hour take-home midterms (each take ~20 hrs)
In-class final (difficult to do in 3 hours)
Yilmaz is not very approachable and makes it difficult to ask questions
EE 396K - Nanoscale Devices (Lee)
EE 396V - III-V Device Growth/Fab (Cheng)
Else
Phys 389K - Quantum Mechanics
Learn about operators and dirac brakets before class starts. Nobel laureate profs not recommended.
Various other Physics classes that might be useful
EM 397 - Thin Films (Lu)
Learn about stress and strain before class starts!
Other EM and ME dept classes
Chem and ChemEng classes
Careful with learning curves in chem classes.
CSE dept might have math/modelling classes
Find out if the class is relevant before/on day 1! Some classes won't use MatLab, Mathematica, COMSOL, etc., and might not be useful.
Other departments that might have relevant courses
List of classes offered (2012-2014)
Self-explanatory. Highlighting is an artifact of doc's use and can be ignored. Generally, classes 380-382 won't be very applicable to LASE members. Remember that there may be classes in other departments that you might want to take.
http://lase.mer.utexas.edu/wiki/images/0/09/2012_2014_Grad_ECE_Courses.docx