MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering is designed to provide in-depth specialization in a particular area in electrical or computer engineering. Areas of specialization offered by the program are communication and signal processing, computing systems, control systems and robotics, and power and energy systems. Students choose their area of specialization in consultation with their advisor.
Admission
The program admits students with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering or a related area. Students from other engineering fields, mathematics or science can be admitted as well with an extra requirement to complete undergraduate level background deficiency courses determined at the time of admission. Such courses will not count towards the MS degree completion requirements.
To be considered for admission to the program the minimum requirements are:
- Student must have earned a GPA of at least 3.000 (or an equivalent score from another country) in the bachelor's degree.
- Students whose bachelor’s degree is from an institution outside the U.S. are required to submit official scores of the GRE General Test along with the admission application. However, there is no minimum score requirement.
- Applicants whose native language is not English must provide English proficiency exam scores. One of the following is required: TOEFL score at or above 79 in internet-based exam or IELTS score at or above 6.5.
The following are optional but encouraged, especially if the student’s GPA and/or GRE do not truly reflect the student’s skills and/or abilities:
- Statement of purpose, and/or
- Two letters of recommendation.
Program Requirements
Each MS in electrical and computer engineering student chooses a major specialization area. Major areas in the department are communication and signal processing, computer engineering, control systems and robotics, and power and energy systems.
Students must choose one of the three graduating options: thesis, project or coursework‑only. A total of 30 credit hours of graduate work is required for all options. All courses must be approved by the student’s advisor and the graduate coordinator. Students are advised to consult their advisor (if thesis or project option) or graduate coordinator (if coursework only option) before taking any courses, especially if they are below 600 level or offered outside the home department (i.e., for courses that are not ECE or CS prefixed).
Students are strongly advised to choose their area of specialization in consultation with their advisor and/or graduate coordinator before completing their first semester. To ensure that students take relevant courses, students should seek approval from their advisor or graduate coordinator at each semester unless they have filed a plan of study. Courses that are taken without prior approval may affect the plan of study process, if deemed not to satisfy the graduation requirements.
Graduating Options
Thesis Option
Students need to complete an in-depth research project. Students should conduct extensive literature review, identify gaps, propose a research question, and seek a solution to the research question. This is ideal for students who desire to develop their research skills or plan to pursue a research career. Students will defend their findings to their thesis committee. One out of the three committee members must be outside the home department. Students are encouraged to take 6 credit hours of individual reading courses with their advisors leading to taking thesis credits.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 792 | Linear Systems | 3 |
| ECE 876 | MS Thesis | 6 |
| Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Probabilistic Methods in Systems | ||
| Optimization Techniques for Cyber-Physical Systems | ||
| Select 18 credit hours of graduate courses | 18 | |
Selection has to be made in consultation and with the consent of the thesis advisor | ||
At most 6 credit hours of CS 893 Individual Reading or Project | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Project Option
Students solve a specific problem or an issue of significance. Typically, students will find and implement a solution to the problem identified. The problem and its solution might be less original compared to the thesis option. Students will identify a problem, define a solution approach, implement it, collect necessary data and analyze. Students will submit a written project report to a committee of three faculty members (with graduate status) and present their findings. Students are encouraged to take 3 credit hours of individual reading courses with their advisors leading to taking project credits.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 792 | Linear Systems | 3 |
| CS 891 | Project | 3 |
| Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Probabilistic Methods in Systems | ||
| Optimization Techniques for Cyber-Physical Systems | ||
| Select 21 credit hours of graduate courses | 21 | |
Selection has to be made in consultation and with the consent of the project advisor | ||
At most 3 credit hours of CS 893 Individual Reading or Project | ||
At most 6 credit hours below the 700 level | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Coursework Option
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 792 | Linear Systems | 3 |
| Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Probabilistic Methods in Systems | ||
| Optimization Techniques for Cyber-Physical Systems | ||
| One of the following applied learning component courses 1 | 3 | |
| Computer Systems in Data Analytics | ||
| Digital Communication Systems II | ||
| Optimal Control | ||
| Operation and Control of Power Systems | ||
| Select 21 credit hours of graduate courses | 21 | |
Selection must be approved by the graduate coordinator of the program | ||
No credit hours of CS 893 Individual Reading or Project will apply | ||
At most 6 credit hours below the 700 level | ||
At least 6 credit hours must be at the 800 level or higher 1 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- 1
At least 9 credit hours of 800 or higher level courses must be taken, 3 of which comes from the applied learning component.
Applied Learning
Students in the MS in electrical and computer engineering program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from the program. The requirement can be met for the thesis and project options by completing the thesis or project. For the coursework option, applied learning is satisfied by one of the applied learning courses as identified among the requirements in the table ( ECE 875, ECE 826, ECE 893 or ECE 897).