Master in Electrical Engineering Requirements

The Plan-A degree is based on coursework and research and requires a formal thesis. It is designed to prepare graduates for entering a PhD program or performing research in industry or government labs. It consists of at least 24 credit hours of coursework (5000-, 6000, and 7000-level) in Electrical Engineering, technical electives and a research project. Among the courses taken:

1. At least three credits of Electrical or Computer Engineering coursework must be completed at the 7000-level.
2. At least 12 credits (excluding Thesis Research – ECE 6970) of Electrical or Computer Engineering courses must be completed at or above the 6000-level.
3. No more than 15 credits of ECE 5000-level or non-ECE (5000- to 7000-level) may be applied toward the MS in Electrical Engineering degree.
4. In addition, at least six credit of Thesis Research (ECE 6970) are required.
5. Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training taken first semester – send certificate to Tricia.

The Plan-B degree is based on coursework and engineering design and requires a formal design project report. It is designed to prepare graduates for employment requiring advanced design in industry. It consists of at least 24 credit hours of coursework (5000-, 6000, and 7000-level) in Electrical Engineering, technical electives and a research project. Among the courses taken:

1. At least three credits of Electrical or Computer Engineering coursework must be completed at the 7000-level.
2. At least 12 credits (excluding Design Project - ECE 6950 and Thesis Research - ECE 6970) of Electrical and Computer Engineering courses must be completed at or above the 6000-level.
3. No more than 15 credits of ECE 5000-level or non-ECE (5000- to 7000-level) may be applied toward the MS in Electrical Engineering degree.
4. In addition, at least three credits of Design Project (ECE 6950) and three credits of Thesis Research (ECE 6970) are required.
5. Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training taken first semester – send certificate to Tricia.

1. If a student (funded or not) chooses an MS degree, changing to the ME degree is only possible with approval of the Major Professor, the ECE Graduate Committee, and the Department Head.
2. No more than three credits of ECE 5930/6930/7930 – Independent Study may be counted toward the MS degree. Registration for ECE 5930/6930/7930 – Independent Study requires prior approval (by the responsible instructor, the student’s committee, and the Department Head) of the intended course work, deliverables, and credits.
3. No more than two ECE 5930/6930/7930 – Special Topics courses are allowed unless otherwise approved by the student’s committee.
4. No more than one credit of ECE 6250 – Internship may be counted toward the MS degree. Registration for ECE 6250 – Internship requires prior approval (by the student’s committee and the Department Head) of a description of your project with defined deliverables, signed by your Company Intern Supervisor, ECE Internship Coordinator, and Student. The Internship project must be directly related to your research as outlined by the Program of Study.
5. The student’s Program of Study and any subsequent deviations must be approved by the student’s committee.
6. MS Plan-A and Plan-B students will need to submit a written proposal. It must have a signed title page (by the student’s committee) and include a list of literary references. No formal proposal defense will be held. STUDENTS CANNOT DEFEND THE SAME SEMESTER THAT THE PROPOSAL IS SUBMITTED.