Master of Engineering Handbook

Also see Graduate Study Information

              Course Descriptions

CONTENTS

• Basic Requirements for the M.E. Degree

• Supervisory Committee

• Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree (Program of Study)

  • M.E. Program Requirements (Professional Degree)

• Amendment to Planned Program of Study

• Coursework Guideline Criteria

• Report of Completion

• M.E. Forms

Basic Requirements for the M.E. Degree

This schedule summarizes the requirements and due dates for the M.E. degree. Students who have not completed requirements or submitted required forms to the Graduate Secretary by the due dates may be dropped from the program. Master of Engineering students will be graduated in the semester in which 30 hours of coursework are completed. 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.

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

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Supervisory Committee

The M.E. supervisory committee consists of three faculty members. The chair of the committee is chosen by the student, and the two remaining members are assigned by the Graduate Committee. Typically the other members include one member from the Graduate Committee and the Department Associate Chair.

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 member has agreed to chair 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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M.E. Requirements (Professional Degree)

1. All coursework is to be completed within four consecutive calendar years.
2. Coursework listed on the program of study must total a minimum of 32 hours of graduate coursework at the 5000 level or above, in engineering and allied fields.
3. The 32 required hours must include the following:
   1. A minimum of 18 hours of ECE courses;
   2. At least 15 hours of the required 18 ECE hours must be at the 6000 or 7000 level;
   3. 2 hours of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900 and 6910).
4. Required coursework hours may not include faculty consultation or thesis research.
5. M.E. students may take no more than three semester hours of ECE 6950 (Special Studies). These hours will not count toward the ECE required hours but can be included in the total required hours. Students cannot register for Special Studies without prior permission from the Graduate Committee.  Permission is obtained by completing and filing the Special Studies Request form with the Graduate Secretary. The general guidelines state that for every hour of credit, a course generally requires two hours of study per week outside of class. Therefore, it will be understood that for every credit hour of Special Studies, the student will be expected to spend three hours per week on the activity. Special studies courses from other departments cannot be used for the program of study. Special Studies may not include the material of any class taught by the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department.
6. A statement defending the program of study and outlining the student’s goals must be provided at the time the program of study is submitted.

Master of Engineering students will be graduated in the semester in which 32 hours of coursework are completed. All students who are on visas must be registered for at least nine credit hours of coursework in every semester (excluding summer) unless they receive permission from the Department Graduate Committee prior to the beginning of the semester.

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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. ECE required courses are not to include special studies (ECE 6950), thesis hours (ECE 6970/7970), or faculty consultation (ECE 6980).
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. Upper-division courses (5000 level or above) in other departments may be taken as long as the ECE degree course requirements (minimum of 18 credit hours with 15 hours of these at 6000 or 7000 level) have been met, with written approval of the supervisory committee.
8. Courses from other departments may not be substituted for the required ECE 6000-level courses (15 credit hours).
9. No Graduate Seminar course (ECE 6900, 6910) may be taken twice to satisfy the requirement. Each seminar course has different requirements and may not be substituted for each other.
10. 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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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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M.E. Forms

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