Electrical Engineering

This guide is set for the undergraduate level with some advanced and elective concepts. I would recommend following it in order, solving as many problems where you can, and build circuits as you go.

How to use this guide

• Do problems.
• Build things.
• Follow prerequisites.
• Each section gives the main text plus useful alternatives. You don't need to go through everything.

Part 0: Mathematical Foundation

Calculus

Needed before: everything.
Learn: multivariable calculus, vector calculus.
Primary: James Stewart, Calculus, or Thomas, Calculus.

Linear Algebra

Needed before: signals, control, ML, systems.
Learn: vectors, matrices, eigenvalues, linear systems.
Primary: Gilbert Strang, Introduction to Linear Algebra + MIT OCW lectures.

Differential Equations

Needed before: circuits, signals, control.
Learn: linear ODEs, dynamic systems, transient behavior.
Primary: Boyce & DiPrima, Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems.

Complex Variables

Needed before: circuits, signals, electromagnetics.
Learn: complex plane, phasors, Fourier/Laplace transforms, transfer functions.
Primary: Brown & Churchill, Complex Variables and Applications.

Probability and Random Variables

Needed before: communications, DSP, control.
Learn: random variables, noise, stochastic signals.
Primary: Alberto Leon-Garcia, Probability, Statistics, and Random Processes for Electrical Engineering.

Discrete Mathematics

Needed before: digital logic, architecture, algorithms.
Learn: Boolean algebra, sets, combinatorics.
Primary: Kenneth Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications.

Part 1: Physics Foundation

Needed before: core EE.
Learn: mechanics basics, electrostatics, magnetism, circuits, induction, waves, materials.
Primary: Halliday, Resnick & Walker, Fundamentals of Physics. Or Young & Freedman, University Physics.
Priority: go through the electricity and magnetism sections rigorously.

Part 2: Core EE

Circuit Analysis

Build on: differential equations, complex variables.
Learn: Kirchhoff laws, nodal/mesh analysis, Thévenin/Norton, RC/RL/RLC transients, phasors, frequency response, Laplace circuits.
Primary: James Nilsson & Susan Riedel, Electric Circuits.
Alternatives: Hayt, Kemmerly & Durbin, Engineering Circuit Analysis. Agarwal & Lang, Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits.

Electronic Circuits / Microelectronics

Build on: circuit analysis.
Learn: diodes, MOSFETs, BJTs, transistor amplifiers, biasing, op-amps, feedback, amplifier frequency response, basic digital circuits.
Primary: Adel Sedra & Kenneth Smith, Microelectronic Circuits.
Alternative: Behzad Razavi, Fundamentals of Microelectronics.

Signals and Systems

Build on: differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables.
Learn: continuous/discrete signals, LTI systems, convolution, Fourier series/transform, Laplace transform, z-transform, sampling, filtering.
Primary: Alan Oppenheim & Alan Willsky, Signals and Systems + MIT lectures.
Alternative: B. P. Lathi, Linear Systems and Signals.

Electromagnetics

Build on: vector calculus, physics E&M.
Learn: field theory, electrostatics, magnetostatics, Maxwell's equations, EM waves, transmission lines, waveguides, radiation, antennas.
Primary: Hayt & Buck, Engineering Electromagnetics, or Matthew Sadiku, Elements of Electromagnetics.
Alternatives: Ulaby & Ravaioli, Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics, David Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics.

Solid-State Devices

Build on: physics E&M, modern physics.
Learn: crystals, energy bands, carriers, drift/diffusion, pn junctions, BJTs, MOS capacitors, MOSFETs, fabrication basics.
Primary: Robert Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals.
Alternatives: Streetman & Banerjee, Solid State Electronic Devices, Donald Neamen, Semiconductor Physics and Devices.

Digital Logic and Computer Systems

Build on: discrete math.
Learn: Boolean algebra, combinational logic, sequential logic, FSMs, arithmetic circuits, memory, processor design, instruction sets, assembly.
Primary: David Harris & Sarah Harris, Digital Design and Computer Architecture.
Alternative: Mano & Ciletti, Digital Design.

Part 3: Branches

A. Devices, Photonics, and Electromagnetics

• Advanced semiconductor devices: Sze & Ng, Physics of Semiconductor Devices.
• Photonics/optoelectronics: Saleh & Teich, Fundamentals of Photonics, Yariv & Yeh, Photonics: Optical Electronics in Modern Communications.
• RF/microwave: David Pozar, Microwave Engineering.
• Solid-state physics: Charles Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics.

B. Circuits

• Analog IC design: Behzad Razavi, Design of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuits, Gray, Hurst, Lewis & Meyer, Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits.
• Digital VLSI: Weste & Harris, CMOS VLSI Design, Rabaey, Chandrakasan & Nikolić, Digital Integrated Circuits.
• RF circuits: Behzad Razavi, RF Microelectronics.
• Power electronics: Mohan, Undeland & Robbins, Power Electronics: Converters, Applications, and Design.

C. Signals, Communications, and Control

• DSP: Oppenheim & Schafer, Discrete-Time Signal Processing, alternative: Proakis & Manolakis, Digital Signal Processing.
• Communications: Proakis & Salehi, Communication Systems Engineering, Haykin, Communication Systems, Proakis, Digital Communications.
• Information theory: Cover & Thomas, Elements of Information Theory.
• Control: Norman Nise, Control Systems Engineering, Ogata, Modern Control Engineering, Franklin, Powell & Emami-Naeini, Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems.
• Advanced random processes: Papoulis & Pillai, Probability, Random Variables, and Stochastic Processes.

D. Computer Engineering

• Architecture: Patterson & Hennessy, Computer Organization and Design, then Hennessy & Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach.
• Networks: Kurose & Ross, Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach.
• Embedded systems: learn through microcontroller projects.

Part 4: Bench Work

Core practical text: Paul Horowitz & Winfield Hill, The Art of Electronics.
Gentler start: Paul Scherz & Simon Monk, Practical Electronics for Inventors.

Suggested Order

1. Calculus + introductory physics.
2. Differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables.
3. Circuit Analysis + bench work.
4. Digital Logic.
5. Electronic Circuits + Signals and Systems.
6. Probability, Electromagnetics, Solid-State Devices.
7. One or two branches: DSP, analog IC, RF, architecture, etc.