Proficiency Requirements for Graduate Students
Before an Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate degree is awarded, a student must demonstrate that they meet the program’s proficiency requirements. This is done either by holding a prior Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from an accredited institution, or if a student has an allied STEM degree they can be admitted to the graduate program and demonstrate proficiency through Options 1 and / or 2.
Option 1: Complete a proficiency course from the list below with a B grade or higher
– Courses taken at another university may be considered, students must submit a transcript and a course syllabus (unless listed on the Utah Universities Course Comparison list) to the Graduate Student Coordinator
– Students choosing to take graduate level proficiency courses may be granted access to the prerequisite undergraduate level Canvas course pages and materials to aid them in their preparation. Please make arrangements through the Graduate Student Coordinator; do not contact faculty.
– Graduate tuition reimbursement does not cover undergraduate courses. See option 2.
Option 2: Pass all of the exams in an undergraduate (*) proficiency course listed below with a B grade or higher
– Students who wish to meet the proficiency requirement through undergraduate courses are encouraged to schedule a time to take the necessary quizzes, midterms or finals of the undergraduate course.
– Students will not need to officially register/enroll in the class and may be granted access to the Canvas course page to study and prepare for the exams.
– Please make arrangements through the Graduate Student Coordinator; do not contact faculty.
Proficiency Areas and Courses
Area 1: Circuits – Electronics – Semi-Conductors
Complete 1 of the following options
ECE 2280* – Circuits and Systems: Active
ECE 3200* – Introduction to Semiconductor Device Physics
ECE 5201 – Physics of Nano-Electronics and Related Devices
ECE 5780 or ECE 6780 – Embedded System Design
CS/ECE 6810 – Computer Architecture – for CE track only
Area 2: Electromagnetic Fields – Systems – Power
Complete 1 of the following options
ECE 3300* – Fundamentals of Electromagnetics
ECE 3500* – Fundamentals of Signals and Systems
ECE 3600* – Introduction to Electric Power Engineering
ECE 3610* – Fundamentals of Robotics and Cyberphysical Systems
ECE 5320 or ECE 6322 – Microwave Engineering I
ECE 5321 or ECE 6323 – Microwave Engineering II
ECE 5324 – Antenna Theory and Design
ECE 5410 – Optics I
ECE 5412 – Optics II
ECE 5510 – Random Processes
ECE 5520 – Digital Communication Systems
ECE 5530 or ECE 6530 – Digital Signal Processing
ECE 5615 or 6615 – Classical Control Systems – Starting Spring 2025
ECE 5620 – Power Systems Analysis
ECE 5652 or ECE 6652 – Linear Systems and State-Space Control
ECE 6310 – Advanced Electromagnetic Fields
