Electrical & Computer Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Prasad Shastry,
Graduate Program Coordinator

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers a graduate program leading to the degree Master of Science of Electrical Engineering. The goal of the program is to enhance the student’s understanding of advanced concepts in core areas of modern electrical and computer engineering and to enrich the student’s design and/or research skills in a specialization of his or her choice. Students work closely with the Graduate Program Coordinator in tailoring an overall program best suited to their background and interests. Course sequences, design projects, and research are available in applied electromagnetics, communication theory, control theory, digital systems and computers, microprocessor applications, signal processing, and wireless components and systems. The ECE department has excellent computer and laboratory facilities to support advanced studies in these areas.

Degree Requirements

A total of 33 semester hours is required for the degree and students may do either a thesis (thesis option), design project (design option), or a coursework only option (course option). The specific requirements for each option are as follows:

Thesis Option

• 21 hours of approved EE courses meeting the following conditions:
  • two 9-hour specializations,
  • 6 hours of approved courses containing advanced math,
  • 6 hours of approved 600-level courses.
• 6 hours of approved EE or technical electives
• 6 hours of thesis in one of the student's specializations

Project Option

• 24 hours of approved EE courses meeting the following conditions:
  • two 9-hour specializations,
  • 6 hours of approved courses containing advanced math,
  • 6 hours of approved 600-level courses.
• 6 hours of approved EE or technical electives
• 3-hour project in one of the student's specializations

Course Option

• 27 hours of approved EE courses meeting the following conditions:
  • one 12-hour specialization,
  • one 9-hour specialization,
  • 6 hours of approved courses containing advanced math,
  • 6 hours of approved 600-level courses.
• 6 hours of approved EE or technical electives

In all the options, at least six hours of the EE coursework must utilize advanced mathematical concepts. Examples of such courses are EE 532, EE 550, EE 630, EE 631, EE 640, EE 642, EE 643, and EE 651. Technical electives can be chosen from graduate courses offered by other engineering programs or by the biology, chemistry, computer science, math, or physics departments.

All the courses used to satisfy the degree requirements for the MSEE degree must be listed in the student’s Graduate Program of Study. This document must be completed and approved by the EE Graduate Program Coordinator before completion of 12 hours of coursework. The student must also complete a final degree experience, normally an oral comprehensive or colloquium.

Admission

Successful completion of an undergraduate electrical or computer engineering program is required for admission. In addition to the material described in the general admission section of this catalog, applicants to the MSEE program must also submit their scores from the GRE General Test. Undergraduate GPA, number of repeated undergraduate courses (if any), and GRE scores are the primary factors considered in admission decisions. International students must also submit material and information described in the general admission section of this catalog.

Plans of study are available for those with non-electrical engineering or non-engineering undergraduate degrees. These plans require a number of undergraduate foundation courses to be successfully completed before admission to the MSEE program. Further information can be obtained by contacting the ECE graduate program coordinator.