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.
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
