Electrical And Computer Engineering M.S.
Master of Science (M.S.)
Thesis and coursework-only options are available in the ECE M.S. program. All ECE M.S. students are required to complete a Program Completion Form approved by their faculty advisers before completion of sixteen EE and ECE graduate credits. In addition to the university master’s degree requirements, an M.S. student must complete at least 45 graduate level credits. Coursework taken without adviser approval may not be accepted as part of the student’s program. Each student will be assigned an interim adviser at the time of admission.
Thesis option
Thesis M.S. students usually follow one of the graduate track study plans consisting of four core courses (16 credits), two depth and breadth courses (8 credits), 9 credits of thesis, and 12 elective credits. Elective credits may include additional EE and ECE graduate courses, ECE 501-509 credits, or, with adviser approval, graduate classes from another department. Only 3 credits of ECE 507 may be counted as elective credits. A student may substitute an appropriate alternative class or classes for core or depth classes in a track by obtaining written permission from his/her adviser before taking the class(es).
Students should choose a research topic and adviser for their thesis; information on research in the department can be found on the department’s web site. Thesis M.S. students must also develop, write, and give an oral defense of a thesis approved by the student’s thesis committee. The defense is public and its schedule must be posted in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at least two weeks in advance. Please contact the Graduate Coordinator to schedule the defense and announcement. See the department’s web site for additional information about thesis requirements and deadlines.
Coursework-only option
For the coursework-only M.S. option, students take courses following an adviser-approved track of graduate classes. Please see the pre-approved coursework-only tracks on the department’s web site. These tracks were designed by the faculty to give both depth and breadth of knowledge in the specified study area. It is also possible for students to develop a custom track with their faculty adviser and approval by the Graduate Program Director. The coursework-only option requires students to complete sixteen credits of EE and ECE graduate lecture classes that form a core specialization area, sixteen credits of EE and ECE graduate lecture classes that provide depth and breadth, four credits of elective EE and ECE graduate lecture classes, and nine credits of approved graduate electives.