The Certificate Program in Electronics Technology is designed to provide the students with a broad-based knowledge of circuit theory and electronics, with laboratory work included to ensure that good hands-on experience is acquired along with the deep understanding of fundamental and changing technologies. All the courses in this certificate program can be applied towards the A.S. or B.S. degree in Electronic Engineering Technology.

Required Courses: (8)
17.213 Circuits I
17.214 Circuits II and Laboratory
17.215 Circuits III and Laboratory
17.216 Circuits IV
17.355 Electronics I & Laboratory
17.356 Electronics II & Laboratory
17.357 Electronics III & Laboratory
17.358 Electronics IV & Laboratory

Course Descriptions

17.213 Circuits I
Discusses: electrical circuits; voltage, current and resistance; energy, power and charge; Ohm's Law, Kirchhoff's Current Law and Kirchhoff's Voltage Law; simplification and conversion techniques for networks containing sources and/or resistance; Thevenin's and Norton's theorems; fundamentals of magnetism and magnetic circuits; properties of capacitance and inductance and associated transient behavior of circuits.
Prerequisite: 92.125 (May be taken concurrently), 90.267.
Credits: 3

17.214 Circuits II and Laboratory
Provides a continuation of 17.213. Topics include sinusoidal waveforms, phasors, impedance and network elements. Mesh and nodal analysis of AC circuits; series and parallel circuits, superposition and Wye/Delta conversions are also covered. The use of power supplies and various electrical measuring instruments will be studied. DC circuit analysis concepts studied in 17.213 will be verified by laboratory experiments. Written reports are required. Alternate lecture and laboratory sessions.
Prerequisite: 17.213.
Credits: 2

17.215 Circuits III and Laboratory
Serves as a continuation of 17.214. Topics to be discussed include maximum power transfer, real and reactive power; resonance; and polyphase systems. Oscilloscopes, voltage, current and phase measurements are demonstrated. Other topics include series and parallel sinusoidal circuits, series-parallel sinusoidal circuits, series resonance, parallel resonance and transformers. Filters, 2-port networks, computer aided circuit analysis (SPICE). Computer terminals will be available in the laboratory and their use is expected. Written reports are required. Alternate lecture and laboratory sessions.
Prerequisite: 17.214.
Credits: 2

17.216 Circuits IV
Circuits IV is a continuation of passive circuit analysis, where the student is introduced into the frequency domain. LaPlace techniques are used to analyze electric circuits using sources and elements similar to those in earlier circuit analysis courses. The concept of boundary conditions is introduced along with initial value and final value theorems. There is a brief review of mathematical concepts such as logarithm, exponential functions and partial fraction expansion to aid the student for newer analysis techniques. The S plane is introduced as a graphical technique to plot the poles and zeros of a function and acquire an insight into the time domain. The duals of electrical elements in other engineering fields (mechanical, fluids, and thermal) are introduced and analyzed using LaPlace techniques. Bode plots are used as another tool to gain insight into the time domain. The cascade interconnect is introduced along with the concept of transfer functions and impulse response. Filter circuits are again analyzed but this time in the frequency domain using the concepts of LaPlace and Bode.
Prerequisite: 17.215.
Credits: 3

17.355 Electronics I and Laboratory
This course introduces Electronics from a fundamental perspective and analyses of circuits from a practical point of view. Semiconductor devices and their application are stressed. This course surveys the operating characteristics of pn junction diodes, transistors and operational amplifiers, and analyzes their application in actual circuits. The use of diodes in power switching circuits and the use of transistors in logic circuits and amplifiers will be covered extensively. Examples and homework, based on present-day applications, are designed to provide practice in the use of fundamental concepts and applications. It is expected that following the four-course electronic sequence, students will be able to use the textbook used in this course or other professional level electronic texts for further study of specific electronic topics. The course includes computer applications in solving problems involving models of electronic devices and circuits. Coverage of some topics is based on notes handed out that augments coverage in Sedra and SMith.
Prerequisite: 17.215, 42.226.
Credits: 2

17.356 Electronics II and Laboratory
This course surveys the operating characteristics of bipolar junction transistors (BJTs); circuit symbols; nonlinear, large-signal behavior of BJTs; operational amplifiers and analyses; and their application in actual circuits. Large-signal, piecewise, linear DC BJT circuits and small-signal AC BJTs will be studied. This course covers BJTs as used in amplifiers, switches cutoff, and saturation. P- and N-channel MOSFETs and junction field-effect transistors (FETs) will be introduced and discussed. These include linear, small-signal AC models. Examples and homework, based on present-day applications, are designed to provide practice in the use of fundamental concepts and applications. The course includes computer applications in solving problems involving models of electronic devices and circuits. Coverage of some topics is based on notes handed out, which augment coverage in the text.
Prerequisite: 17.355.
Credits: 2

17.357 Electronics III and Laboratory
This course introduces electronics from a fundamental perspective and analyses of circuits from a practical point of view. It is expected that following the four course electronic sequence, students will be able to use the textbook used in this course or other professional level electronic texts for further study of specific electronic topoics. Differential amplifiers and frequency response of different types of amplifiers will be discussed. After taking this course a student should be able to design and analyze different types of multistage amplifiers. They will be able to know the frequency response of such amplifiers. Examples and homework, based on present day applications, are designed to provide practice in the use of fundamental concepts and applications. The course includes computer applications in solving problems involving models of electronic devices and circuits. Coverage of some topics is based on notes handed out that augments coverage in Sedra and Smith.
Prerequisite: 17.356.
Credits: 2

17.358 Electronics IV and Laboratory
Feedback, 4 topologies, method of analysis (Experiment 1 – Verify feedback equation of 3-stage amplifier). Amplifier stability, phase and gain margin, compensation (Experiment 2 – Effects of feedback on frequency response). Sinusoidal oscillators (Experiment 3 – Wienbridge oscillator). Active filters – Butterworth, Chebychev filter specifications (Experiment 4- Active filter design). A/D converters D/A converters. SPICE simulations are required for most experiments
Prerequisite: 17.357
Credits: 2

Students enrolled in UMass Lowell certificate programs must complete the indicated series of certificate program courses, generally consisting of both required courses and electives. Students may complete the certificate programs at their own pace, enrolling in one or two courses per semester (which is the average recommended course load). Students should anticipate at least two hours of preparation for every hour of classroom instruction and they are required to maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or better to receive the certificate.

Courses held on campus typically meet one night per week, three hours each night, for 14 weeks during the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters (Summer courses are also offered over two 6-week condensed sessions). Call for a course bulletin or check our website course listings for specific course scheduling information.

Application into the Program
Those who wish to enroll in a certificate program should submit a completed application form and arrange to have their official high school transcript or GED sent to Continuing Studies, Corporate and Distance Education. Applications, transcripts, and other correspondence should be sent to: University of Massachusetts Lowell, Admissions/Continuing Studies, Dugan Hall, Room 110, 883 Broadway Street, Lowell, MA 01854-5104. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and there is no fee to apply. Upon acceptance, notification will be sent to students.

Registering for Courses
Continuing Studies offers courses during the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Information about current course offerings, schedules, and registration procedures is published regularly on our website at http://continuinged.uml.edu. If you would like to receive a printed Course Bulletin, please contact our Faculty and Student Support Center at (978) 934-2474.

You may take courses without being officially enrolled in a certificate or degree program, but you must meet the particular course prerequisites. Registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Class size is limited. We recommend that you register early to reserve your place in class.

Transfer Policy
With the program coordinator's approval, one course may be transferred from another accredited institution to satisfy certificate program requirements. The course should be equivalent to UMass Lowell instruction, applicable to the intended program, and the student must have received a grade equivalent to a C- (1.70 on a 4.00 scale) or better.

Academic Advising
Program coordinators and general Faculty and Student Support Specialists are available by appointment to help students determine appropriate course loads, discuss admission requirements, and review the transferability of courses. To schedule an appointment with a program coordinator or Faculty and Student Support Specialist, please call Continuing Studies at (978) 934-2474. General walk-in advising is available Monday through Thursday from 8:30am-8:00pm and Friday from 8:30am-5:00pm at the Continuing Studies Faculty and Student Support Center located in Southwick Hall, Room 202 on UMass Lowell North. For online advising, email our Faculty and Student Support Specialists at Continuing_Education@uml.edu.

Awarding of Certificates
Upon successful completion of the certificate program, students must submit a completed Certificate Petition Form to Continuing Studies. Upon verification, students will be mailed their certificates. Receipt of the certificate will be noted formally on the student's transcript with an award date of October, February, or June.

Tuition
Please refer to our website course listings or our current printed course bulletin for the latest information on tuition and fees.

For More Information
For additional information on any of our programs, call Continuing Studies  at (978) 934-2474 or email Continuing_Education@uml.edu.

For information on Financial Aid, call the University's Financial Aid Office at (978) 934-4220.