Research in the ECE Department

Graduate Program - The Degree of Electrical Engineer Program


ECE Departmental Policies and Procedures for Graduate Study

CONTENTS

Basic Requirements for the E.E. Degree

This schedule summarizes the requirements and due dates for the E.E. degree. Students who have not completed requirements or submitted required forms to the Graduate Secretary by the due dates will be deregistered from their courses for that semester. All students who are on visas must be registered for at least nine credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer), including their final semester, unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

 
Requirement
Process
Due Date
Supervisory Committee

3 members

The chair of the committee must be a regular ECE faculty member

 Submit a “Request for Supervisory Committee” form to the ECE Office
 Full time: drop deadline of second semester of study

Part time*: drop deadline of third semester of study
Candidacy (Program of Study)

58 semester hours of coursework beyond B.S. degree + 4 hours of graduate seminar

Up to 10 hours of coursework may be replaced with a “Special Project” or 6 hours of coursework for a previously completed M.S. thesis, but not both

 Submit a form “Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Degree of Electrical Engineer” to the ECE Office.
Full time: drop deadline of second semester of study

Part time*: drop deadline of third semester of study
Amendment to Program of Study   Submit an “Amendment to Planned Program of Study” form to the ECE Office for approval prior to registering for added courses
 Changes must be made before an added class is taken; classes cannot be dropped after they have been completed
SPEAK Test Yes Contact Testing Center to make arangements; requires a request form from Graduate Secretary Drop deadliine of second semester of study
Proficiency Requirement

Yes
Must satisfy the ECE proficiency requirement

 Submit a form “Fulfillment of Proficiency Requirements” to the ECE Office Full time: drop deadline of third semester of study

Part time*: drop deadline of fourth semester of study
Residency Requirement At least one year (two consecutive semesters) of full-time academic work; a full load is 9 credit hours
    
Special Project Final Exam Yes, if applicable Notify the Graduate Secretary in the ECE Office at least one week prior to the date of the exam Upon completion of project
Report of Completion Yes "Report of Completion" form will be prepared by the Graduate Secretary when all grades have been posted Upon completion of coursework
Research Comprehensive Exam No    
Dissertation No    
Dissertation Final Exam No    

*Please note that international students must be full-time students.

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Supervisory Committee

The E.E. supervisory committee consists of three faculty members. At least two of the three members must be regular ECE faculty. Each student forms a supervisory committee whose members guide the student’s graduate program. Students must form this committee by the beginning of the second semester of study.

Any regular Electrical & Computer Engineering faculty member may serve as a supervisory committee chair. After the faculty members have agreed to serve on a supervisory committee, the student should file a completed “Request for Supervisory Committee” form with the Graduate Secretary in the ECE Office. A committee may be revised, if necessary, by submitting a “Request to Change Supervisory Committee” form. The Graduate Committee approves all supervisory committee forms; final approval is granted by the Dean of the College of Engineering.

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Application for Admission to Candidacy (Program of Study)

After consulting with the approved supervisory committee chair, the student must plan a program of study and complete and submit the “Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Degree of Electrical Engineer” form.

Approval signatures of the supervisory committee members are to be obtained by the student. Completed and signed forms must be submitted to the Graduate Secretary in the ECE Office by the drop deadline of the second semester of study. After approval of the Department Graduate Committee, the program of study is submitted to the College of Engineering for their approval.

E.E. Program Requirements (Professional Degree)

  1. All coursework is to be completed within five consecutive calendar years.
  2. Coursework listed on the program of study must consist of at least 62 hours of graduate courses (5000 level or above) beyond the B.S. degree, in engineering and allied fields.
  3. The 62 required hours must include the following:
    a. A minimum of 58 semester hours of graduate courses at 5000 level or above. Students with an M.S. degree may count up to 28 hours toward this coursework.
    b. 4 semesters of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900, 6910, 7900, and 7910) or 2 semesters of Graduate Seminar (ECE 7900, 7910) for students with a prior M.S. degree.
    c. Up to 10 hours of coursework may be replaced with a “Special Project” or 6 hours of coursework for a previously completed M.S. thesis, but not both. Registration for the special project must be in ECE 7950, Special Studies. This project must be completed under the direction of the chair of the supervisory committee. The faculty member that supervises the Special Studies course must be a regular or adjunct member of the ECE Department.
  4. Required coursework hours may not include special studies (unless it is the Special Project), faculty consultation, or thesis research.
  5. The qualifying exam is not required for this degree.

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Amendment to Planned Program of Study

Modifications to the Program of Study may be made by filing an “Amendment to Planned Program of Study” form with the supervisory committee and obtaining required approval before enrollment in any added courses. Completed courses cannot be deleted from the program of study. Credit towards obtaining a degree will not be granted for classes taken prior to approval of the form, unless the student is changing degree status.

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Coursework Guideline Criteria

  1. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on coursework listed on the program of study with no grade lower than C- is required for graduation. A student who receives a grade lower than C- in a course listed on the program of study must repeat that same course and receive a higher grade. Courses cannot be deleted from the program of study after they are taken.
  2. The 58+4 credit hours of required coursework are not to include special studies (ECE 6950/7950) unless it is the Special Project.
  3. Coursework cannot be used for more than one degree on the same level.
  4. A course taken for 5000-level credit cannot be taken again for 6000-level credit.
  5. Cross-listed courses must be registered through the ECE course numbers.
  6. Where a course has both a 5000- and 6000-level number, the 5000-level version is intended for undergraduates and the 6000-level version for honors and graduate students. The two versions of the class will meet together, but extra work will be expected of honors and graduate students.
  7. No Graduate Seminar course (ECE 6900, 6910, 7900, 7910) may be taken more than once to satisfy the requirement. Each seminar has different requirements and may not be substituted for each other.
  8. Students who receive an “Incomplete” grade in a class must complete the class by the following semester, even if the semester is the summer semester.

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Special Project Final Examination

If an E.E. candidate elects to do a special project, they must take a Special Project Final Examination upon completion of the project to be administered by their supervisory committee. The format of the examination is also determined by the supervisory committee, but ordinarily will include the defense of a written special project report.

Students must notify the ECE Graduate Secretary at least one week before they are going to take the Special Project Final Examination.

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Report of Completion

The “Report of Completion” will be prepared by the Graduate Secretary when all grades for classes listed on the program of study have been posted.

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E.E. Forms

• Request for Supervisory Committee
• Request to Change Supervisory Committee
• Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Degree of Electrical Engineer (Program of Study)
• Amendment to Planned Program of Study
• Fulfillment of Proficiency Requirement
• Request for Leave of Absence

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