Signal and Image Processing
Courses | FAQs | Advisors | EE Tech Areas
Signal and Image processing involves taking signals, images and videos and improving them by digital means. The reasons for improvement could be for analysis, information extraction, communication, display, detection, or recognition. Students who have exposure to the topics of this technical area will be well positioned for software and hardware jobs in digital signal processing (DSP) and digital image processing (DIP).
Courses
Students choose three courses from the following list:
- EE 345S Real-Time Digital Signal Processing Laboratory (F, Sp)
- EE 351M Digital Signal Processing (Sp)
- EE 371C Wireless Communications Laboratory (F)
- EE 371D Introduction to Neural Networks (no longer offered)
- EE 371R Digital Image and Video Processing (Sp)
- M 374 Fourier and Laplace Transforms (F)
FAQ
Which courses in the core curriculum (i.e., required basic sequence and major sequence courses) might indicate whether this is a good technical area for the student?
What are the key courses in this technical area?
What are the immediate and long-term employment opportunities for students who have some exposure to this technical area?
Prospects are pretty good even in this economy; generally excellent compared to other fields. DSP/DIP continues to grow very fast. Jobs exists in theoretical work on DSP/DIP is done in academic environments, national laboratories, and companies; developing new theories for signal/image processing; creating new algorithms, which generally must be fast, and new architectures, such as DSP chips, for very fast and practical implementations. Students can find jobs in companies like Texas Instruments, Motorola, etc.
How important is a graduate degree (MS or PhD) in this area?
Generally, you can get a job easily with a BS, MS or PhD. The degree level simply determines what kind of job: at the BS level, primarily programming, being part of project teams, being given specific development tasks. With an MS, some leadership responsibility becomes possible, more freedom in work direction and project definition; with a PhD, the expectation is leadership in research in development; considerable freedom in defining direction and scope of projects; academic (professor) jobs become possible.
This information provided by Dr. Alan Bovik, a professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Bovik currently holds the Robert Parker Centennial Endowed Professorship in Engineering and is the associate director of the Center for Perceptual Systems.
Faculty Advisors for Basic and Conditional Major Students
The faculty advisors listed below can meet with Basic Sequence and Conditional Major Sequence Students to discuss topics such as:
- Educational opportunities within ECE
- Course planning to meet a student's educational goals
- Short-term and long-term career planning
Students should either meet with the faculty during their office hours or send them an e-mail to make an appointment. Students in Major Sequence should discuss this matters with their assigned faculty advisor.
Bovik, Alan C.
Evans, Brian L.
Ghosh, Joydeep
Heath Jr., Robert W.
Sandberg, Irwin W.