Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
The department offers a thesis program and a non-thesis program for the master of science (MS) degree. The program includes common core courses, major depth concentration, and breadth in electrical engineering. A minimum of thirty (30) credit hours of course work and thesis are required for the thesis program, and thirty-three (33) credit hours of course work and master’s comprehensive exam are required for the non-thesis option degree program.
Admissions
To be considered for admission, candidates must have earned a bachelor of science degree (or equivalent) in electrical engineering, or a closely related discipline, from an Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET)-approved program, a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all work attempted beyond sixty (60) semester hours of undergraduate study, and a combined score on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE of at least 1000. International candidates must have earned a bachelor of science degree (or equivalent) in electrical engineering from a recognized non-U.S. academic institution, a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all work beyond the equivalent of sixty (60) semester hours of undergraduate study (as evaluated by the admissions office) and a combined score of at least 1000 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE, and a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if English is not their native language.
Students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than electrical engineering may be required to complete a department-designated sequence of undergraduate courses with grades of “B” or better prior to attempting graduate electrical engineering work.
Thesis and Course Work Requirement
(Thesis Program)
All master of science thesis program students must complete a written thesis. Upon completion of the thesis, an oral defense is required, which consists of a public presentation of the student’s work to the department and the student’s supervisory committee. Students must register for EEL 8976, Master’s Thesis Defense, before the defense presentation.
Thesis
All master of science thesis program students must complete a minimum of thirty (30) credit hours of course work to satisfy the master of science (MS) degree in electrical engineering requirements. Twelve (12) hours are required from the student’s depth area, twelve (12) semester hours in supplemental electives and a minimum of six (6) credit hours are required for the thesis (EEL-6971r). A minimum of three (3) credit hours of supplemental electives should be a course in advanced mathematics, typically a 5000 level course, or a departmental approved substitute. Up to six (6) credit hours of 4000 level courses can be completed on S/U basis. The master’s degree candidate may also be permitted to take up to six (6) credit hours of 4000 level courses for letter grade credits beyond those required for a baccalaureate degree with the approval of the ECE graduate coordinator.
Students must identify their major professors by the end of the first semester of course work and are required to submit a plan of study by the time they have completed twelve (12) credit hours of graduate studies. The plan of study must be approved by the departmental graduate coordinator and the student’s major professor. The student’s major professor also will assist the student in forming the student’s supervisory committee.
All master of science (MS) thesis program students are required to register for EEL 8976, Master Thesis Defense, and at least one (1) semester hour of EEL 6971r, Thesis, in the semester they plan to graduate.
Supervisory Committee
The Supervisory Committee for a master’s degree thesis program student consists of a minimum of three (3) members of graduate faculty who hold master’s directive status. At least half of the committee members must be faculty members form the ECE Department.
Master’s Thesis Defense Announcement
It is the student’s responsibility to post the thesis defense announcement within the department and the College of Engineering at least one week prior to the defense. The announcement should include: thesis title; student’s name; student’s department; major professor and committee members; date; time and location of the defense.
Course Work and Master’s Comprehensive Exam Requirements
(Non-Thesis Program)
All students in the non-thesis MS degree program must submit a formal request to obtain and official approval from his/her advisor (if there is one) and the ECE graduate coordinator to be exempt from the thesis requirement. The non-thesis option degree program requires a student to complete a minimum of thirty-three (33) credit hours of graded coursework beyond those required for the student’s baccalaureate degree. A minimum of three (3) credit hours must be a course in advanced mathematics, typically a 5000 level course. The non-thesis option degree program student must register for and successfully pass the required Master’s Comprehensive Exam, EEL 8966. Student may attempt to take one Master’s Comprehensive Exam in each calendar year. A maximum of three (3) attempts will be permitted.
Transfer Credits
A maximum of six (6) credit hours of letter-grade graduate coursework may be transferred from another academic institution(s) to the student’s current master’s degree program, thesis or non-thesis, with the approval the ECE Departmental Graduate Committee. A grade of “B” or better is required on all transfer credits.
Graduate Seminar Requirement
All full-time master of science (MS) degree candidates are required to enroll in the graduate seminar, EEL 6932r, for each semester that they are enrolled in the graduate program. The details of the seminar are given under ‘Graduate Courses’.