Electrical Engineering, M.S.E.

Learning Outcomes

The M.S.E. degree program in electrical engineering prepares students to:

• Demonstrate knowledge required to mathematically analyze, to evaluate and to design systems with complex interaction between variables as well as electromagnetic field impacts on computers and electrical circuits. 

• Demonstrate skills needed for studying an open ended problem and be able to manage projects in the field of Electrical Engineering. 

• Acquire and demonstrate technical and communication skills needed for conducting and disseminating independent research in the field of Electrical Engineering.

Program Goals

The graduate program in electrical engineering aims to address the urgent need of industry for individuals that are proficient in transforming electrical engineering concepts and principles into innovative solutions to modern problems in energy/power, communications, robotics, and autonomous systems. The goal is to prepare the student for professional work in electrical engineering at an level more advanced than the bachelor’s degree or for further study leading to the Ph.D. degree.

Admission

Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree in engineering or applied sciences with exemplary grades, a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0, and a satisfactory score on the GRE General Tests. Applicants must satisfy the general admission requirements  of the Graduate School, including language proficiency, and receive the approval of the program advisor and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Students who do not satisfy these requirements but have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in electrical engineering courses in their last two years of study may be considered for probationary admission. A student with degree in a field other than electrical engineering may be required to take deficiency courses.

Curriculum Requirements

The Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) program in electrical engineering requires completion of 30 credit hours. No more than 40 percent of the total credit hours may come from 6000 level courses.

Acceptance in the M.S.E. option requires the approval of the departmental graduate faculty and will be decided on the basis of individual merit after receipt of a formal written request from the student. Upon completion of nine hours of 7000-level coursework within the master’s program, the student interested in the M.S.E. option must select an area of research and a faculty advisor within the ECE department. In addition, the student must file an application with the department’s graduate advisor for admission to the M.S.E. program. The faculty thesis advisor approves the remainder of the student’s study program and supervises the thesis. The thesis advisor, after consulting with the student, recommends at least two other graduate faculty members (to serve as committee members) to the Dean of the Graduate School. At least one member of this committee must be from outside the department and may be recommended as a qualified expert from outside the University community.

A 3.0 overall grade point average is the minimum acceptable performance level for the program and must be maintained for all courses applied toward the degree. Students receiving three C grades in 9 hours of course work during their graduate studies may be dismissed. Grades for the thesis hours are recorded as Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) and are not computed in the grade point average, although a grade of S is required.

Grades for the thesis hours are recorded on a pass-fail basis and are not computed into the grade point average, although a passing grade is required.

Core Areas (9 Hours)

Students must take at least 1 (one) 7000-level course from at least 3 different core areas to fulfill core course requirements.  Alternative courses not listed here may be approved to fulfill core area requirements with the permission of the graduate program advisor.

• Computer

• ECE 6163 Computer Hardware Techniques
• ECE 6443 VLSI Design
• ECE 6563 Microprocessors in Digital Design
• ECE 7063 Computer Engineering
• ECE 7263 Advanced Hardware Architecture
• ECE 7363 Computer Architecture

•  

  Electromagnetics

• ECE 7023 Electromagnetic Theory

•  

  Power

• ECE 6433 Power Systems Analysis
• ECE 7133 Power System Reliability
• ECE 7243 Power Electronics

•  

  Systems

• ECE 6173 Computer Networks
• ECE 6243 Applied Electronics
• ECE 6273 Optical Networking
• ECE 6403 Information/Communication Systems
• ECE 6423 Radio Frequency Engineering
• ECE 6453 Modern Control Systems
• ECE 6623 Electro-optics
• ECE 6723 Robotics
• ECE 7073 Fundamentals of Engineering and Management
• ECE 7353 Aircraft Systems, Simulation, and Control

•  

  Theory

• ECE 6473 Introduction to Neural Networks
• ECE 6513 Digital Signal Processing
• ECE 7013 Random Processes in Engineering
• ECE 7413 Neural Networks

Elective Courses (12 hours)

Elective courses must be approved by the graduate advisor and/or the department chair. No more than 9 hours of electives may be taken outside the department.

Thesis (6 hours)

A formal defense of the master’s thesis is required. Upon completion of the thesis, the M.S.E. candidate must pass a comprehensive examination. The examination can be written, oral, or both at the discretion of the committee members. The comprehensive examination will cover the student’s entire graduate program with emphasis on the thesis. Oral examinations must be scheduled at least two weeks prior to their occurrence, and all the graduate faculty of the college are invited to attend.

Graduation Grade Requirements

No more than three hours of coursework with a grade of “C” can be applied toward a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering.