The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Utah

Graduate Program - The MS Coursework Option

ECE Departmental Policies and Procedures for Graduate Study

Basic Requirements for the MS Coursework Option

Coursework Guideline Criteria

Supervisory Committee

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

Report of Final Examination

MS Coursework Option Forms

Basic Requirements for the MS Coursework Option

This schedule summarizes the requirements and due dates for the MS Degree - Coursework Option. 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 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), 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 The chair is chosen by the student; the two remaining members are assigned by the department	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)	30 semester hours of coursework beyond B.S. degree in ECE + 2 hours of graduate seminar At least 18 hours of ECE coursework must be at the 6000- or 7000-level classes	Submit a form Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree to the ECE Office along with a statement defending the proposed program	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	No
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 24 hours must be in resident study
Research Comprehensive Exam	No
Final Exam	Yes	Submit the Course Designation for Final Exam form to the ECE Office
Thesis	No

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

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Master of Science Coursework Option Requirements

All coursework is to be completed within four consecutive calendar years.
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.

The 32 required hours must include the following:
1. A minimum of 18 hours of ECE courses;
2. 2 hours of Graduate Seminar (ECE 6900 and 6910).
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.
Thesis (ECE 6970) and Independent/Special Studies (ECE 6950) are not permitted. Students wishing to take ECE 6950 should pursue the Project option. At least one course must satisfy the Final Exam requirements described below.
The department has an approved list of 6000-7000 level courses that incorporate either an oral presentation or a written report as a required component of the class. Students will need to take at one course from this list and designate it as fulfilling the final exam component of the M.S. Coursework option on their program of study. Either the course instructor or a designated department representative must sign the Course Designation for Final Exam form to signify that the student has passed the final exam.

Master of Science 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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Coursework Guideline Criteria

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.
ECE required courses are not to include special studies (ECE 6950), thesis hours (ECE 6970/7970), or faculty consultation (ECE 6980).
Coursework cannot be used for more than one degree on the same level.
A course taken for 5000-level credit cannot be taken again for 6000-level credit.
Cross-listed courses must be registered through the ECE course numbers.
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.
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) have been met, with written approval of the supervisory committee.
Courses from other departments may not be substituted for the required ECE 6000-level courses (18 credit hours).
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.
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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Supervisory Committee

The MS Coursework option 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 Graduate School.

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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 Master’s Degree form. The program of study must be accompanied by a statement defending and outlining the student’s goals.

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 Graduate School for their approval.

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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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Report of Final Examination

The Report of Final Examination will be prepared by the Graduate Secretary when all grades for classes listed on the program of study have been posted and the Course Designation for Final Examination form has been completed.

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