Undergraduate Course Registration Processes
Non-Major Course Registration Policy
Students who are not in the undergraduate Electrical and Computer Engineering major at UW Seattle who wish to take an E E majors-only course should review the information below.
To give ECE/EE undergraduate students first priority, we do not consider non-major registration requests until 2 weeks before the quarter starts. We strongly recommend that students waiting to request registration in EE courses register for other classes as a backup. We often find that there is not space available for non-majors in some of our classes.
To request, students can email undergradece@uw.edu 2 weeks before the quarter begins on the conditions that:
- There is a space available for you in the course
- The necessary prerequisites are completed (or in-progress the quarter prior)
The following restrictions also apply for non-major registration:
- 1 EE course maximum allowed per quarter.
- 3 total EE courses allowed maximum, including courses taken in the past. If you officially audit a course or repeat a course, that is counted as one of the 3.
Additional Notes:
- ECE Undergraduate Advising has the right to deny any non-major registration requests to save any available seats in courses for ECE/EE undergraduate majors.
- ECE Undergraduate Advising will likely encourage you to connect with your current academic advisor to discuss your major or academic plans to ensure you are setting yourself up for success or for parallel major plans. Depending on the number of courses you have already completed, ECE Undergraduate Advising might require that you meet with your current academic advisor prior to approving non-major registration and sharing an add code.
- Some EE courses allow registration for a particular major other than EE/ECE starting a specific registration period. For students who meet those enrollment restrictions, those courses will not count towards their quarterly or total maximums. Students must wait until the designated registration period to register for those courses.
- For example: ENGRUD (Engineering Undeclared) students are able to register in EE 215 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering starting in Registration Period 2. This course would not count towards their quarterly or total maximum.
- EE 499/EE 490 Research Credits do not apply to the 1 EE course maximum or 3 total EE courses maximum.
- Summer quarter EE course offerings might have different enrollment restrictions than when the courses are offered during the academic year. Please see the notes on the summer quarter time schedule for information on enrollment restrictions.
These policies are subject to change.
ECE Graduate Students (MSEE or PhD students)
Current Electrical and Computer Engineering students in the Professional Master’s Program, Daytime Master’s program, or PhD program who are interested in taking an undergraduate EE course must follow the process below. To request, students can email undergradece@uw.edu 2 weeks before the quarter begins on the conditions that:
- There is a space available for you in the course
- The necessary prerequisites are completed or you show proof of instructor permission to take the class without having the listed prerequisites
ECE Undergraduate Advising has the right to deny any requests to save any available seats in courses for ECE/EE undergraduate majors. It is recommended that you consult your respective ECE academic advisor before registering in an undergraduate EE course.
How to Register for Research (EE 499/EE 490)
Have you found a research position in an ECE lab with an ECE faculty member? Read below for information on how to register for research credit.
Course Options
We offer two courses for undergraduate research credit for work done in an ECE lab and with ECE faculty.
1. EE 499: Undergraduate Research and Special Projects
- EE 499 is graded numerically and counts toward degree requirements (subject to certain restrictions – review the restrictions on how many research credits can count for your degree on the BSECE or BSEE degree requirements webpages or on your degree audit).
- Note: EE 499 H is the honors section of EE 499 for students pursuing departmental honors.
2. EE 490: Reading and Research
- EE 490 is graded CR/NC and does NOT count for degree requirements (except as a general elective)
How to Register
Registering for Autumn 2025 Research Credit
Option 1: EE 490/499 Approval PDF Form
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
- The student finds a research position and then prepares a written proposal outlining the research project that the faculty sponsor approves (refer to procedure on page 1 of the PDF form).
- The student fills out and signs page 2 of the PDF form.
- The student sends the PDF form to their faculty sponsor to sign.
- The student emails the completed and signed PDF form to undergradece@uw.edu.
- ECE Undergraduate Advising reviews the form. After confirming the form is appropriately filled out and the student is eligible to register, ECE Undergraduate Advising emails the student a faculty code to register.
Option 2: Automated Online Form
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
- The student submits the online form.
- After submitting, an automated email is sent to the faculty sponsor indicated on the form with the information the student submitted.
- The faculty sponsor replies to the email to approve the request, which will notify ECE Undergraduate Advising.
- Upon receiving faculty approval, ECE Undergraduate Advising reviews the submission. After confirming the submission is appropriately filled out and the student is eligible to register, ECE Undergraduate Advising emails the student a faculty code to register.
- (If the faculty sponsor denies the request, ECE Undergraduate Advising will contact the student).
Registering for Winter 2026 Research Credit
The ONLY OPTION for registration for winter 2026 research credit and onward will be by following Option 2: Automated Form listed above. We will no longer accept the EE 490/499 Approval PDF Form.
FAQs
What is the deadline to register for research credit?
- We strongly encourage students to register for research in advance of the start of the quarter to avoid late registration fees and to ensure they are set up for productive research in the quarter.
- Refer to the academic calendar for deadlines to add a class.
How many credits of research can I take per quarter?
- A student can register for between 1 and 5 credits of research in a quarter.
- 1 credit equates to approximately 3 to 5 hours per week throughout the quarter.
- For example, 5 credits of EE 499 would mean working in the lab approximately 25 hours a week every week of that quarter.
- Determining the number of credits that you will register for requires a conversation between you and your faculty sponsor to discuss how many hours the research project requires, how many hours you have the capacity to work, etc.
How many total credits of research can I take?
- You can take a maximum of 10 credits of EE 499 and a maximum of 25 credits of EE 490 throughout your time as a student.
- Refer to the next question to see how many can actually count toward your degree.
How many credits of research are allowed to count toward my degree requirements?
- BSECE students who started in the major Autumn 2024 or later:
- Up to 6 credits of EE 499 research credits can apply towards Advanced ECE Electives
- Up to 6 credits combined of EE 499 research credit and ENGR 321 internship credits can apply toward Advanced ECE Electives
- Students can still register for up to 10 credits of EE 499 research credits, but any credits of EE 499 taken in excess of the maximum of 6 combined credits of EE 499 and ENGR 321 will count as a general elective.
- BSECE students who started in the major prior to Autumn 2024:
- Up to 10 credits of EE 499 research credits can apply towards Advanced ECE Electives
- Up to 10 credits combined of EE 499 research credit and ENGR 321 internship credits can apply toward Advanced ECE Electives
- BSEE students:
- Up to 10 credits of EE 499 can apply towards the EE electives requirement
- Students may apply no more than 12 credits in total of EE 499, ENGR 321, ENGR 297 or 497 or other independent study courses in other departments towards their EE elective and COE elective requirements.
What if my research is not in an ECE lab/with an ECE faculty member, but I want to earn research credit?
- You will NOT be able to register for EE 499 or EE 490.
- However, you can inquire if your faculty sponsor’s home department offers research credit. Ask your faculty sponsor about this.
- If you register for research credit outside of the department, the course will most likely count as a general elective, but we recommend you meet with ECE Advising to discuss how/if this would count toward your degree requirements.
How to Register for Engineering Internship Credit (ENGR 321)
Have you secured an internship that is at least 50% engineering related? Read below for information on how to register for engineering internship credit.
ENGR 321: Engineering Internship Education
- The CC@E (Career Center @ Engineering) offers internship credit (ENGR 321). Review the CC@E’s Internship Credit website for more information on the course, how to register, fee structure and deadlines to register.
How many credits of ENGR 321 are allowed to count toward my degree requirements?
- BSECE students who started in the major Autumn 2024 or later:
- Up to 4 credits of ENGR 321 can apply toward Advanced ECE Electives
- Up to 6 credits combined of EE 499 research credit and ENGR 321 internship credits can apply toward Advanced ECE Electives
- BSECE students who started in the major prior to Autumn 2024:
- Up to 4 credits of ENGR 321 can apply toward Advanced ECE Electives
- Up to 10 credits combined of EE 499 research credit and ENGR 321 internship credits can apply toward Advanced ECE Electives
- BSEE students:
- Up to 4 credits of ENGR 321 can apply toward EE/COE electives
- Students may apply no more than 12 credits in total of EE 499, ENGR 321, ENGR 297 or 497 or other independent study courses in other departments towards their EE elective and COE elective requirements.
Students can still register for more than 4 credits of internship credits, but any credits of ENGR 321 taken in excess of the maximum allowed toward your degree will count as a general elective.