Message from the Chair


Welcome to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland.

Rama Chellappa Minta Martin Professor of Engineering and Chair

Our Department offers one of the strongest education and research programs in the nation. We recently celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the ECE Department (1908-2008) here on the College Park campus. For over a century, our vibrant department has established a tradition of excellence in research and education innovation, and I see a future that is even brighter. Led by over 65 faculty members and many more research staff,  the research programs of the department cover a wide spectrum of activities in the areas of:

• Communications and Networking
  
• Signal Processing
  
• Control, Robotics, and Dynamical Systems
  
• Computer Engineering
  
• Optics and Photonics
  
• Circuits and Systems
  
• Electronic Materials and Devices
  
• Bioelectronics and Systems
  
• Applied Electromagnetics

Our location near Washington, D.C. offers unique opportunities for students to engage in research at national and government laboratories, including NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Institutes of Health, and the Army and Navy Research Laboratories.

We place particular emphasis on enriching the student experience. Our Department is strongly committed to undergraduate education, and offers students the opportunity to participate in programs like our Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), such as MERIT-BIEN, as well as the GEMSTONE program.

At the graduate level, our students can participate in our ECE Graduate Student Association, an award winning student organization that fosters a supportive and vibrant community for graduate students.

Our faculty research is supported by annual expenditures of over $30 million. Our level of research expenditures places the department among the very top electrical and computer engineering departments in the nation, a reputation that is supported by national rankings.

Our close affiliation with a number of research institutes such as the Institute for Systems Research, the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, the Institute for Physical Science and Technology, the Maryland Energy Research Center, the Maryland Cybersecurity Center, and the Maryland NanoCenter provides our students and researchers the opportunity for team-oriented, cross-disciplinary research and access to state-of-the-art laboratories.

With approximately 650 undergraduates and more than 500 graduate students, we are the largest and most prestigious academic department within the A. James Clark School of Engineering, the fastest rising engineering school in the country. Our alumni find themselves in high demand for positions in some of the top corporate, government and education institutions and continue to make significant contributions to the field.

I invite you to learn more about our department and the exciting experiences that await you here at Maryland.

Rama Chellappa
Professor and Chair

Also see:
A Message from the Dean
Message from the President

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