Electrical Engineering
From calculus and circuits to electronics, signals, and power systems.
Curriculum outline
Year 1 · Engineering foundations
Fall — Engineering orientation, chemistry and materials, engineering design I, mechanics, Calculus I, and linear algebra. Winter — Programming, engineering design II, introduction to electrical and computer engineering, electrical fundamentals, Calculus II, and dynamics.
Year 2 · Electrical engineering core
Fall — Electrical and computer engineering seminar, introductory electronics, digital systems, programming, advanced engineering mathematics, and mathematical physics. Winter — Circuit analysis, signals and systems, electric and magnetic fields, computer organization, and hardware design and communication.
Year 3 · Technical electives and breadth
Begin upper-year electrical engineering electives for breadth and depth. Include a math or science elective and complementary studies. Engineering economics and entrepreneurship may be taken in Year 3 or 4.
Year 4 · Advanced electives and capstone
Continue technical electives and complementary studies, include a free elective, and complete the fourth-year design project. Take engineering economics and entrepreneurship here if you did not take it in Year 3.
Curriculum reference · University of Toronto
This roadmap is designed for university-level self-study.
The sequence follows the University of Toronto calendar for students entering in Fall 2026. Course selection is flexible in Years 3 and 4.
Year 1 study guide and free resources
Fall: study calculus and linear algebra alongside mechanics and materials. Keep a design notebook. Winter: continue calculus, add programming and circuits, and use mechanics and your design notebook to test a prototype.
Each week: read the assigned topic, solve problems without the notes, then check and correct your work. Use a source exam or project as an end-of-term checkpoint. The published Calculus I lessons are listed below.
Year 1 · Fall
- Engineering orientation
Set a weekly study schedule and read the syllabus as an example of how to document a design project.
MIT OCW · Engineering design syllabus - Chemistry and materials for engineers
Start with bonding and crystal structure. Explain why metals and insulators behave differently.
MIT OCW · Solid-state chemistry - Engineering design practice I
Define a user need, list measurable requirements, and sketch three concepts.
MIT OCW · Toy Product Design projects - Engineering mechanics
Study vectors, moments and equilibrium. Draw a free-body diagram before writing equations.
Engineering Statics · Free online text - Calculus I
Review functions and limits before differentiation, then move to applications and basic integration. Try the unit exam after the practice sets.
MIT OCW · Single Variable Calculus - Linear Algebra
Start with systems of equations and elimination. Check your solution by substitution.
MIT OCW · Linear Algebra
Year 1 · Winter
- Computing and introductory programming
Practice variables, loops and functions. Write a function that computes current from voltage and resistance.
MIT OCW · Programming in Python - Engineering design practice II
Prototype one fall design, test it against your requirements, and report what you would change.
MIT OCW · Toy Product Design projects - Introduction to electrical and computer engineering
Skim the course overview and preview the circuits unit to see how software and hardware fit together.
MIT OCW · Introduction to EE and CS - Electrical fundamentals
Read Chapter 9 before Chapter 10. Predict a circuit measurement, then test it in the simulator.
OpenStax · Current and resistance · PhET - Calculus II
Continue with integration techniques, then sequences and series in the final unit.
MIT OCW · Single Variable Calculus - Dynamics
Work from kinematics and Newton’s laws to energy and momentum. Solve one problem with two methods.
MIT OCW · Classical Mechanics
Calculus I course sequence
Suggested pace: one to two weeks per module, with time for review and a final exam. Start with functions. Continue with Limits and Continuity, then Rates of Change.
- Functions, limits and rates of change
- Derivative rules and the chain rule
- Implicit differentiation and related rates
- Linear approximation, graphing and optimization
- Antiderivatives and accumulation
- Definite integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
- Substitution and applications to charge and energy
- Cumulative review and practice final
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