Graduate Study in Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science offers two graduate degree programs in Electrical Engineering: the Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering.

Degree Requirements

All graduate students must take the following courses or their equivalent: EECE 501, EECE 502, EECE 503, EECE 604 and EECE 541.

See Graduate Handbook for more information.

A detailed description of the graduate degree programs follows.

Master of Engineering

The Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering involves (i) 24 credit hours of study and 6 credit hours for the thesis option or (ii) 33 credit hours of study and comprehensive examinations in at least two graduate courses taken in the student's area of concentration for the non-thesis option. On the master's level, major areas of study and research are solid-state electronics, control engineering, power systems, antennas, microwaves and communications, and signal processing. These credit hours must include the courses listed below or their equivalent.

• EECE 501 - 2 Graduate Seminar courses (0 credit)
• EECE 502 Engineering Analysis A (3 credits)
• EECE 503 Engineering Analysis B (3 credits)
• EECE 604 Optimization Theory (3 credits)
• EECE 541 Probability and Random Variables (3 credits)

The remaining courses must be selected from the elective options of the various areas of specialization.

Students choosing to write a thesis must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, of which 24 credit hours must be in graduate or approved undergraduate courses in electrical and computer engineering or related fields and 6 credit hours in thesis research.

For the non-thesis option, students must complete a minimum of 33 credit hours of course work and comprehensive examinations in at least two graduate courses taken in the student's area of concentration for the non-thesis option. These students must pass a comprehensive examination after successfully completing 24 credit hours of course work with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Doctor of Philosophy

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree must complete a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate, of which a minimum of 60 credit hours must be spent in course work and 12 credit hours in dissertation work. The 60 credit hours must include the following courses or their equivalent:

• EECE501 - 2 Graduate Seminar courses (0 credit)
• EECE502 Engineering Analysis A (3 credits)
• EECE503 Engineering Analysis B (3 credits)
• EECE604 Optimization Theory (3 credits)
• EECE541 Probability and Random Variables (3 credits)

The remaining credit hours are to be selected from the elective options for the various areas of specialization, in consultation with the student’s advisor and in accordance with individual needs and interests.

Candidates must receive a passing grade on a comprehensive examination and also demonstrate communication skills in English via Expository Writing.

Students with no previous graduate work experience may be required to complete the academic requirements for the master’s program during the first 30 semester hours in the doctoral program.

Qualifying Examination

Each doctoral candidate must pass a written and oral qualifying or comprehensive examination, administered and supervised by the department. This examination must be taken at any time during the student’s first 48 semester hours of relevant course work beyond the bachelor’s degree credited towards the Ph.D. with the permission of the Graduate Program Committee. This examination is given only once each semester.

The Graduate Committee may pass one of the following resolutions regarding the student’s performance on the qualifying exam:

Pass: The student may proceed to complete the other requirement for the Ph.D.

Pass with Stipulations: The student has passed a majority of the areas covered in the examination but in lieu of reexamination in certain area(s), the student will be required to complete additional specified course(s) (at the earliest opportunity) with a required minimum grade.

Reexamination: The student must take a reexamination to be given the following semester. The Committee may request the student to strengthen their knowledge in a specific area and then

take a reexamination in that area, or the student may be asked to take the entire examination again. Any student who fails the qualifying examination twice will be automatically dropped from the Ph.D. program.

Termination: The student is not eligible to work towards the Ph.D. but may complete work for a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. If the candidate already holds a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, it will be recommended that the student terminate graduate studies in the department.

Elective Options

For specialization in electrical engineering in different areas, elective options include the following courses, upon approval of one’s advisor:

• EECE 505 Power Systems and Control
• EECE 506 Advanced Power System Analysis
• EECE 507 Computer-Aided Power Systems Control
• EECE 508 Intelligent Systems and Engineering Application
• EECE 509 Liner Digital Control I
• EECE 510 Linear Digital Control II
• EECE 520 Electromagnetic Theory
• EECE 525 Microwave Transmission and Radiation
• EECE 526 Antenna Theory
• EECE 531 Solid State Physics I
• EECE 532 Solid State Physics II
• EECE 533 Microelectronics
• EECE 534 Electro-Optics
• EECE 535 Solid State Devices I
• EECE 536 Solid State Devices II
• EECE 542 Communication Theory
• EECE 544 Introduction to Coding Theory
• EECE 545 Introduction to Detection and Estimation Theory
• EECE 547 Telecommunication I
• EECE 548 Telecommunication II
• EECE 551 Network Theory I
• EECE 552 Network Theory II
• EECE 555 Digital Control
• EECE 561 Signal Processing I
• EECE 562 Signal Processing II
• EECE 564 Communication and Signal Processing Lab
• EECE 567 Communication and Signal Processing Seminar
• EECE 591 Engineering Project (*Only for Non-Thesis Option Master student)
• EECE 599 Thesis
• EECE 603 Control Theory
• EECE 611 Detection Theory
• EECE 612 Estimation and Filtering
• EECE 613 Information and Coding Theory
• EECE 629 Numerical Techniques for Electromagnetics
• EECE 635 Quantum Electronics
• EECE 637 Superconductivity and Superconducting Devices
• EECE 676: Cybersecurity for Networked CPS/IoT
• EECE 680 Reading and Research I
• EECE 681 Reading and Research II (for Ph. D. students only)
• EECE 689 Sp. Topic – Stochastic Differential Equations
• EECE 691 Sp. Topic - Embedded Computing
• EECE 693 Sp. Topic - Computers and Safety Critical Systems
• EECE 696 Sp. Topic - Smart Grid
• EECE 697 Sp. Topic (Semiconductor A) – Nanotech
• EECE 698 Sp. Topic - Micro E-/Mech
• EECE 699 Ph.D. Dissertation
• EECE 702 Sp. Topic - Quantum Materials