Electrical and Computer Engineering

Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate programs outlined in this catalog. In addition, applicants are expected to have (1) majored in an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)-accredited electrical engineering program and (2) compiled an average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or above for all courses in mathematics, engineering, and the physical sciences. Applicants who majored in a related science or engineering field may also be accepted as candidates, provided their background is judged by the admissions committee to be equivalent to that stated above.

Telecommunications Option

Electrical and computer engineering students who select the telecommunications option must complete the standard program requirements with the following additional requirements. Of the minimum of seven electrical and computer engineering courses at least five must be telecommunications courses. Of the maximum of three electives, at least two must be from the computer science networking option courses. See the Telecommunications and Networking Option page  for a complete description of the telecommunications and networking option and the courses that apply.

Photonics Option

The M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering degree may be attained with a special option in photonics. This option will be noted on the student’s transcript. The photonics option comprises a required core of four optics courses (525.413, 525.425, and 525.491 plus one required course from the Applied Physics photonics list), combined with three additional optics courses selected from the list below (“Photonics”). The three courses needed to complete the degree may be any courses approved by the adviser, selected so as to fulfill the general requirements for the M.S. described below. Applicants for the M.S. who desire to participate in the photonics option should so note on their application form.

Advanced Certificate for Post-Master's Study

This certificate is awarded to students who complete six graduate-level courses beyond the master’s degree in an electrical and computer engineering discipline. The program is intended to add depth and/or breadth in the discipline of the student’s master’s degree, or a closely related one. All grades for the six courses must be A or B.

After the review of student’s academic credentials by the admission committee and admittance to the Advanced Certificate for Post-Master’s Study program, each student is assigned an adviser with whom he or she jointly designs a program tailored to individual educational goal.

Students must complete the Advanced Certificate for Post-Master’s Study within three years of the first enrollment in the program.

Course Requirements

Each degree candidate for the M.S. is assigned an adviser. Attainment of the degree requires completion of 10 one-term courses, specifically approved by the adviser, at least seven of which must be in electrical and computer engineering. All courses must be numbered at or above the 400-level. At least four of the 10 required courses must be at the 700- level or above. At most, one course with a grade of C may be used and no course with a grade lower than C. The electrical and computer engineering courses may be selected from among those offered through the M.S. degree program, distinguished by the course prefix 525. and listed below, or from among courses offered in the M.S.E. program of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. These latter are distinguished by the prefix 520. and are listed in the Arts and Sciences/Engineering Undergraduate and Graduate Programs Catalog. Limited opportunity is available for replacement of course work by appropriate project work (see the courses 525.801 and 525.802 below).

At most, three of the 10 courses required for the M.S. degree may be selected with adviser approval from outside electrical and computer engineering. Students in the telecommuni- cations and networking option must select at least two from the computer science networking electives. Although most students who desire an elective course select from among the offerings of the applied mathematics, applied physics, and computer science sections of this catalog, advisers have broad flexibility to approve other suitable courses in science or engineering. (Note that the courses 615.441 Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering, 615.442 Electromagnetics, 615.780 Optical Detectors and Applications, and 625.743 Stochastic Optimization and Control are treated as electrical and computer engineering courses rather than as electives).

For convenient reference, the course offerings of the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering program are listed below in technology groupings. Although most students choose from within one or two groupings, no particular restrictions apply.

Course Descriptions

Please refer to the Course Schedule published each semester for exact dates, times, locations, fees, and instructors.