Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at South Dakota State University traces its origins to early instruction in electrical engineering, which began in 1899 within the physics curriculum. A separate Department of Electrical Engineering was formally established in 1909. In 1968, the department launched the Center for Power System Studies (CPSS) to strengthen collaboration between the university and the regional power industry.
Computer Science developed as a distinct discipline in the early 1980s, beginning with the introduction of a minor in 1980 and the formation of a standalone department soon afterward. The university introduced a bachelor's degree in computer science in 1983, followed by a graduate program in 1991. In 2003, the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science were merged, forming the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. A software engineering program was added at that time but discontinued in 2011 due to budget constraints.
In 2017, as part of a university-wide college reorganization, the department became part of the newly established Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering. Today, the department offers undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and computer science and continues to support industry-focused initiatives through CPSS while maintaining its longstanding role in engineering education at SDSU."