Please Note: Full-time MS students typically finish the master’s degree in four (4) semesters.  

1. Students must inform the Department in writing at the end of their first semester if they would like to choose the MS thesis option.  

2.  At least 30 graduate credits with a cumulative and departmental grade point average of 3.0 or better. Among these 30 credits, at least six credits of ESE 599, with a maximum of 12 credits in total being taken from combination of ESE 597, ESE 599, or ESE 698. 

• Only 3 credits of ESE 698 may be used. Any non-ESE course will need prior approval given by the Graduate Program Director before a student can register. 

3. Minimum of six (6) regular courses. Of these six, at least five (5) regular courses must be taken in the Department; three of the five must be selected from the following CORE Courses:

ESE 502: Linear Systems  
ESE 503: Stochastic Systems  
ESE 511: Solid-State Electronics or ESE 538: Nanoelectronics
ESE 516: Integrated Electronic Devices and Circuits I
ESE 520: Applied Electromagnetics  
ESE 528: Communication Systems or ESE 532: Theory of Digital Communication or ESE 505: Wireless Communications
ESE 545: Computer Architecture
ESE 547: Digital Signal Processing
ESE 554: Computational Models for Computer Engineers  
ESE 555: Advanced VLSI System Design
ESE 566 Hardware-Software Co-Design of Embedded Systems or ESE 587: Hardware Architecture for Deep Learning

4. The ESE 597, ESE 599, ESE 697, ESE 698 and ESE 699 are not counted as regular courses in (3). Topics course, ESE 670, can be counted only once as a regular course.  

5. At least one (maximum three) credit of ESE 597. In exceptional circumstances, the Graduate Program Director can approve a replacement of ESE 597 credits by ESE 599, ESE 699 or ESE 698.

Credits for ESE 597 can only be applied toward the electrical engineering degree if the following requirements are satisfied:

Prior approval from the Graduate Program Director based on the student submitting a proposal and securing an advisor in the ECE Department as well as a contact person at the company involved. Approval will only be granted if it can be demonstrated that the faculty advisor will be kept in close touch with work on the project. To this end, practicum not in the local geographic area will be discouraged.

To obtain satisfactory credit the faculty advisor must verify that a substantial engineering project was undertaken and completed. This will be based on his/her close contact during the entire period of the project with the student and the contact person and upon reviewing a mandatory written report submitted by the student at the project's completion. The faculty advisor will determine the final grade for the course.

6. Students must satisfactorily complete a thesis and complete at least six (6) credits of ESE 599 under their advisor. The thesis must have two readers to read and sign. Both readers are from the department, and one of them is the advisor. The student must give the readers at least three weeks’ time to finish reading and giving comments, if any.

A candidate for the master’s degree may petition to transfer a maximum of 12 graduate credits from another institution towards the master’s degree requirements. Students transferring from non-matriculated status are also limited to a maximum of 12 credits for the master’s degree. 

Please Note: Full-time MS students typically finish the master’s degree in three (3) semesters.  

1. At least 30 graduate credits with a cumulative and departmental grade point average of 3.0 or better. Among these 30 credits, up to six credits may be taken from combination of ESE 597, ESE 599, or ESE 698.  

• Only 3 credits of ESE 698 may be used. Any non-ESE course will need prior approval given by the Graduate Program Director before a student can register. 

2. Minimum of eight (8) regular courses. Of these eight, at least seven (7) regular courses must be taken in the Department; three (3) of the seven (7) must be selected from the following CORE Courses:

ESE 502: Linear Systems  
ESE 503: Stochastic Systems  
ESE 511: Solid-State Electronics or ESE 538: Nanoelectronics
ESE 516: Integrated Electronic Devices and Circuits I
ESE 520: Applied Electromagnetics  
ESE 528: Communication Systems or ESE 532: Theory of Digital Communication or ESE 505: Wireless Communications
ESE 545: Computer Architecture
ESE 547: Digital Signal Processing
ESE 554: Computational Models for Computer Engineers  
ESE 555: Advanced VLSI System Design
ESE 566 Hardware-Software Co-Design of Embedded Systems or ESE 587: Hardware Architecture for Deep Learning 

3. The ESE 597, ESE 599, ESE 697, ESE 698 and ESE 699 are not counted as regular courses in (2). Topics course, ESE 670, can be counted only once as a regular course.  

4. At least one (maximum three) credit of ESE 597. In exceptional circumstances, the Graduate Program Director can approve a replacement of ESE 597 credit by ESE 599, ESE 699 or ESE 698. 

Credits for ESE 597 can only be applied toward the electrical engineering degree if the following requirements are satisfied: 

Prior approval from the Graduate Program Director based on the student submitting a proposal and securing an advisor in the ECE Department as well as a contact person at the company involved. Approval will only be granted if it can be demonstrated that the faculty advisor will be kept in close touch with work on the project. To this end, practicum not in the local geographic area will be discouraged.

To obtain satisfactory credit the faculty advisor must verify that a substantial engineering project was undertaken and completed. This will be based on his/her close contact during the entire period of the project with the student and the contact person and upon reviewing a mandatory written report submitted by the student at the project's completion. The faculty advisor will determine the final grade for the course.

A candidate for the master’s degree may petition to transfer a maximum of 12 graduate credits from another institution towards the master’s degree requirements. Students transferring from non-matriculated status are also limited to a maximum of 12 credits for the master’s degree. 

Major Requirement: Major area requirements are satisfied by completing at least three (3) courses within a selected major area, with a minimum GPA of 3.5.

See preapproved lists of courses for each area: 

• Communications and Signal Processing 
• Semiconductor Devices and Quantum Electronics
• Power Engineering 
• Circuits and VLSI 

A student without electrical or computer engineering background may petition the graduate committee in writing to take a non-traditional major written exam in a noval subject of interest to electrical and computer engineering. Petitions must include a letter of support from their intended PhD advisor. 

Minor Requirement: adds an extra degree of breadth to the student's PhD education, and makes possible interdisciplinary research. 

A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for at least one course (for MS entry students) or two courses (for BS entry students) selected from the lists corresponding to areas other than the chosen major area:

• Communications and Signal Processing 
• Semiconductor Devices and Quantum Electronics 
• Circuits and VLSI 
• Computer Engineering 
• Power Engineering 

1. A minimum of 14 regular courses (42 regular graduate course credits) beyond the BS degree (including courses taken to satisfy major and minor requirements). The choice must have the prior approval of the designated faculty academic advisor. Any non-ESE course will need prior approval given by the Graduate Program Director before a student can register.

2. The ESE 697 Practicum in Teaching (3 credits) is required to satisfy the teaching requirement. Students must be advance to candidacy in order to take this course.  

3. At least 15 credit hours of ESE 699 for conducting focused research under faculty supervision.

4. The courses ESE 597, ESE 598, ESE 599, ESE 698, and ESE 699 are not counted as regular courses.

5. Courses presented under the title ESE 670 Topics in Electrical Sciences that have different subject matters, and are offered as formal lecture courses, are considered different regular courses but may not be counted more than twice.

6. Prior MS degree in ECE or related area can reduce the course requirements down to six (6) regular courses.

After successfully completing all major/minor course requirements (except ESE 697), the student is eligible to be recommended for Advancement to Candidacy. Students can find more information about this process by reviewing the Departmental Advancement Request Form. 

Students may Advance to Candidacy before completing the Preliminary Examination. 

Our department abides by the Graduate School Calendar deadlines. Students must ensure that they are requesting to advance in a timely manner. 

After advancing to candidacy, students must enroll in 9 credits of ESE 699 to maintain full-time status.

Please note: If for some special reason, an advanced to candidacy student must change their advisor, it is required that the student spends at least two (2) more years on the new research for the dissertation with the new advisor. Shorter completion time is allowed if the previous and new advisors of the student have reached a written agreement. The formal switching of advisors and the agreement between the old and new advisors (if any) must be documented at the time of switching by the Graduate Program Coordinator to be effective. This policy is in effect in order to ensure the high quality of our PhD program, and the above rule will be enforced when the Department submits the Defense form to the Graduate School.

A student is recommended to pass the Preliminary Examination not more than 1.5 years after Advancement to Candidacy. Both a thesis topic and the thesis background area are emphasized. Students must pass the Preliminary Examination at least ONE year prior to their Defense. You can read more about this process by reviewing the Departmental Prelim Request Form.

At least five (5) full days prior to the examination date, the student must deliver to each committee member a readable copy of the following:

1. Formal research proposal – proposal shall include a brief abstract (not to exceed 200 words), a table of contents, and within a standard format of Introduction, Discussion, etc., an outline of the related state-of-the-art, the specific research goals, methods to be followed, preliminary results (if any), prospects for success, alternatives if success is in doubt, etc.  Except where results already obtained are sufficient to justify a near-final draft of one or more papers to be submitted or of whole chapters in the final thesis, the formal proposal should be at least 50 pages.
2. A brief Vita to include name, education, date of admission to ECE graduate program, and area working on.  Part-time students and any students who have interrupted their graduate studies to seek full-time employment must include their record of employment throughout the period.  Any awards, significant publications, or other professional recognition should also be included.

Students must pass the Preliminary Exam at least ONE (1) year prior to their Defense. For more information about scheduling your defense and the requirements, please review this Departmental Defense Request Form. 

1. Types of Assistantships and Funding – PhD students may receive Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), or Graduate Assistant (GA) support. All students with an assistantship receive a Graduate Tuition Scholarship. Funding is typically prioritzed for PhD students.

2. Students who have advanced to candidacy and have been fully supported (RA/TA/GA) all semesters prior to advancement remain eligible for tuition support. State (TA) support is limited to four (4) years total. Additionally, students who do not pass the Preliminary Exam (Prelim) within 1.5 years after advancing to candidacy may lose tuition scholarship eligibility. 

3. Assistantship support is competitive and based on academic progress, research performance, evaluations, and departmental funding availability. All TAs, RAs, and GAs are expected to act professionally and responsibly, as well as fulfill assigned duties reliably. Failure to do so may result in corrective action and/or loss of financial support. 

4. Full-time assistants work up to 20 hours per week. Workload may vary during the semester. If workload exceeds expectations, students should consult with their supervisor. 

5. TAs must arrive at least two (2) weeks prior to the start of the semester in which they serve as TAs and must complete the required TA training.

6. To remain eligible for continued support, students must: 

• Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 
• Make satisfactory academic progress 
• Have a research advisor 
• Receive satisfactory evaluations 
• Earn an "S" in all prior research courses