The University of Maryland at College Park has emerged as a premier research and educational institution in electronic products and reliability during the last ten years following the establishment of the National Science Foundation sponsored Computer Aided Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) Center. Extensively supported by a consortium of over fifty companies and government agencies, the CALCE Center has focused on the timely transfer of research results and technological innovations to the industry.

In the 1980's, University of Maryland faculty began teaching courses on electronic packaging and wrote the first book on this topic. Today, there are over 15 books and a focused degree program, which have gained the respect of the industry. Offered through the College of Engineering, students from various disciplines including Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Reliability Engineering enroll in the program. The graduate specialization in Electronic Products and Systems (EPS) addresses the issues critical for the design, manufacture and qualification of more cost-effective and reliable electronic products. An active research program and a wide range of dedicated and cross-disciplinary courses are complemented by extensive computer systems and laboratory facilities. Current areas of interest include development of reliability assessment methodology for electronic products, accelerated testing, failure analysis, materials characterization, connectors and contacts, thermal management, high temperature electronics, optoelectronics, advanced electronic products manufacturing, micro-electromechanical systems and sensors.

Instruction is achieved through a "just-in-time" teaching approach, whereby the latest research results and topics of significant industry interest are directly incorporated into the curriculum, educating tomorrow's engineers, researchers and leaders. The EPS instruction is carried out by a combination of industry lecturers, researchers and university faculty that are well known nationally and internationally. Full utilization is made of the rapid growth of information services including multi-media techniques and the internet for the dissemination of educational materials.

In order to meet the coursework requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, introductory and specialized courses, examinations and research projects have been developed. There is considerable flexibility in accomodating diverse undergraduate backgrounds, and graduate programs with various specializations can be pursued. Example areas of specialization within EPS include reliability, mechanics, vibrations, computer aided design, electrical contacts and connectors, thermal engineering, high temperature electronics, optoelectronics and electronics manufacturing with emphasis on environmentally friendly processes.

A framework of appropriate coursework, examinations and research projects leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees is in place. New introductory and specialized courses are continually being developed and offered. To promote a firm understanding of basic engineering principles, the EPS graduate courses are taken in conjunction with fundamental core courses. Typically, about half of the total courses are core courses and the remaining EPS courses. The course selection is tailored to provide specialization in one of the many focus areas in electronic products. Two examples of course sequences for M.S. and Ph.D. degree requirements are given below.

Representative Selection 1: Emphasis on mechanics

M.S. Degree Courses: Mechanical Design of Electronic Systems, Electronic, Product Reliability, Optoelectronic Packaging and Reliability, Applied Elasticity, Computer Aided Design, Linear Vibrations, Advanced Mechanical Engineering Analysis I, Surface Mount Manufacturing

Ph.D. Degree Courses: In addition to the above for the M.S., Plastic Encapsulated Microelectronics, Introduction to Electronic Packaging Materials, Packaging Issues for Extreme Temperature Electronics, Fracture Mechanics, Finite Element Methods, Numerical Analysis I

Representative Selection 2: Emphasis on thermal engineering

M.S. Degree Courses: Mechanical Design of Electronic Systems, Electr$ Product Reliability, Optoelectronic Packaging and Reliability, Advanced Classical Thermodynamics, Advanced Conduction and Radiation Heat Transfer, Advanced Convection Heat Transfer, Advanced Mechanical Engineering Analysis I, Surface Mount Manufacturing

Ph.D. Degree Courses: In addition to the above for the M.S., Plastic Encapsulated Microelectronics, Packaging Issues for Extreme Temperature Electronics, Thermal Management in Electronic Packaging, Viscous Flow, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer I, Numerical Analysis I

Additional information regarding the EPS program may be obtained from:

Courses in theEPS Program

Graduate Program in Electronic Products and Systems