Graduate Student Handbook

A degree plan consists of:

• Degree program (e.g., Master of Science in Electrical Engineering)
• A list of courses to be taken to fulfill the degree requirements.
• A list of faculty who will form the supervisory committee.

Degree plan submission deadlines (excluding summers):

• All degree plans and petitions are submitted via DPSS (Document Processing Submission System) on the GPS website.
• MS thesis AND non-thesis students must file a degree plan at the beginning of their second semester, typically within the first 6 weeks of the second semester. Regular reminders about the specific deadline will be sent out from the Graduate Office.
• 64-hour Ph.D. students must file a degree plan within one year from the date they started the program or one semester after passing the Ph.D. qualifier. Those with a previous degree outside of Electrical or Computer Engineering and 96-hour Ph.D.s must file a degree plan two years from the date they started the program or one semester after passing the PHD qualifier.
• Students who have not filed a degree plan by the deadlines indicated above will be blocked from registering for future semesters.
• The block will not be removed until the degree plan has been submitted.

Degree plan approval:

• Must be approved by all committee members, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Graduate and Professional School (GPS).
• Course changes can be made to the degree plan by submitting a long-form petition, which must be approved by all committee members.
• Changes of committee members, also made by submitting a long-form petition, must be approved by all members of the committee (first by outgoing, then by incoming).
• Changes in major, department, or degree are made by submitting an MDD petition.

Other degree plan and course information:

• There is no limit to ECEN 689 courses that can be added to the degree plan for MS or Ph.D. students.
• Courses cannot be “converted” into other courses (ECEN 685 or 681 cannot be “converted” into ECEN 691 credit).
• **MS students cannot add more than 2 credits over the requirement on their degree plan. For example, MS thesis and non-thesis students must have 30 credits, but cannot add more than 32 to the degree plan. Ph.D. students, however, should list exact credit totals: 64-hour PHDs should list 64 credits and 96-hour Ph.D.s should list 96 credits. Consult the Graduate Office if you have questions.
• Students are responsible for checking GPS deadlines each semester.

1. Total number of hours (64 or 96)

• For students who already hold a Master’s Degree, 64 total hours are required.
• For “direct PhD” students, 96 hours are required.

2. A minimum of 18 (or 42) classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, 685, and 691).

• 18 hours required for students with a previous Master’s degree and 42 hours for direct PHD students.
• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL)
• Courses on the degree plan must be approved by the research advisor.

3. A maximum of (6) transfer hours allowed from another institution.

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at TAMU, the student should consult the Graduate Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcripts, and TAMU ECEN course equivalents to the ECE Graduate Advising Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

4. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours)

• Only 400-level courses can be included on your degree plan.

5. No more than 3 credit hours of Internship (684) are allowed.

• Ph.D. students cannot take 684 after the dissertation defense.
• If you are considering going on an internship (684), please consult your research advisor before making plans.

6. Three (3) hours of Seminar (ECEN or CSCE 681) are required.

7. No more than 2 credit hours of Directed Studies (685) are allowed.

• Students working on a research project should enroll in Research (691) hours.

8. All Ph.D. students are required to pass the Departmental Qualifying Examination.

• All incoming PHD students (64 and 96 hours) are required to take the exam within one year of starting the program.
  • There are two types of Qualifying Exams available. The research advisor will select which track the student takes. Students without a research advisor default to Track 1.
  • Track 1: Written exam consisting of questions from undergraduate courses. This exam is administered in January and June of each year. More details on Track 1 are provided later in the handbook.
  • Track 2: Written and oral exam in which the separately formed committee provides a student with research articles to analyze then give a presentation. More details on Track 2 are provided later in the handbook.
• Students entering the program with a previous degree outside of Electrical or Computer Engineering are allowed, with written approval from their advisor, an extra year and will be required to take the exam by the end of the second year.
• Those students who fail the examination are given a second opportunity to retake the exam, which must be taken at the next opportunity in which the exam is offered.
• Those who fail the examination twice will be removed from the PHD program.
• Degree Plans are to be filed within one semester after passing the Qualifier for both 64 and 96-hour Ph.D. students.

9. All Ph.D. students with a degree plan on file are required to submit an Annual Ph.D. Review.

• The Graduate Office will provide this document to the student and his/her research advisor at the beginning of each spring semester.
• Ph.D. students are responsible for meeting with their research advisor to discuss progress.
• After the student and research advisor sign the review document, the student should submit it to the Graduate Office by the specified deadline, which is typically early May. Failure to submit the document on time will result in a registration hold on the student’s account.
• The research advisor rates the student’s progress as O (Outstanding), S (Satisfactory), and U (Unsatisfactory).
• The first time a U is issued:
  • The student will receive a probation letter from the Graduate Office.
  • The student writes a statement explaining the U and details plans for the next year.
  • The advisor writes a statement explaining the U and details plans for the next year.
  • These items are then automatically brought before the GSQ committee for review.
• The second time a U is issued:
  • The GSQ committee will meet to decide on a remedy.
  • Possible remedies include dismissal, suggestion to change advisors, etc.

10. All Ph.D. students are required to pass a Preliminary Examination.

• 64-hour Ph.D. students are required to schedule their prelim exam by the end of their 4th semester (excluding summers) and 6th semester for those with a previous degree outside of Electrical or Computer Engineering, and 96-hour Ph.D.’s.
• Students who have not scheduled their prelim by the appointed time will be blocked from further registration until they do so.
• You must initiate the Prelim Checklist and Report, and Proposal Approval Form via ARCS. The link can be found on the GPS website. Initiate these items at least 2 business days before your prelim.
• Notify the Graduate Office of your prelim date/time/details at least 1 month in advance.
• Students who fail the prelim exam will have one opportunity to retake the exam within 6 months of the original exam date.
• Please see the TEAMS page for details, specifically the “Prelim Steps - ARCS” document.

11. Final Defense of the dissertation is required for all Ph.D. students.

• The date and location of the final defense must be provided to the Graduate Office at least 1 month in advance.
• You must initiate the Request and Announcement of Final Exam via ARCS at least 1 month in advance. The link can be found on the GPS website.
• The dissertation draft must be emailed to committee members at least two weeks before the defense.
• The Dissertation Approval Form and Copyright Form must be initiated via ARCS as well. Please see the GPS website for deadlines. Please see the TEAMS page for details, specifically the “PhD Defense Steps - ARCS” document.

12. Composition of supervisory committee – at least 4 members total.

• At least two members from within the Computer Engineering Group from ECEN.
• At least one member is not in the CE Group but in the ECEN Department.
• At least one member from outside the ECEN Department.
• Note: Committee Chair (or a Co-Chair) must be Computer Engineering Group Faculty.

13. Requirements for the on-campus and distance education degree programs are the same.

• However, on-campus degree programs cannot have more than 50% distance education courses in the degree plan. Students are responsible for understanding this policy and submitting degree plans accordingly. International students have additional restrictions on distance education courses, in which case they should consult ISSS at the start of their program.

14. Additional Course Requirements

• STAT 651 and STAT 652 (statistics courses) are for non-science majors and are not allowed. Traditionally, no courses will be admitted from Engineering Technology because of the non-calculus-based curriculum and non-approved graduate program.
• Credit for CSCE 614 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 651 unless approved by your advisor.
• Credit for CSCE 619 and CSCE 612 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 602. Please check with your advisor.
• No credit will be given for CSCE 601 & 602.
• No credit will be given for the following foundation courses: ECEN 214, ECEN 248, ECEN 314, ECEN 325, ECEN 350, and CSCE 221.

1. Total Number of Hours (30).

2. A minimum of 27 classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, and 685).

• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL).
• A minimum of 24 classroom hours from the Departments of CSCE and ECEN.
• At least 13 of these 24 hours must be in ECEN. At least 6 courses from the CEEN MS student course list.

3. Transfer hours allowed from another institution (maximum of 6 hours).

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at TAMU, the student should consult the Graduate Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcripts, and TAMU ECEN course equivalents to the ECEN Graduate Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

4. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours).

• Only 400-level undergraduate courses can be included in the degree plan.
• Courses must be from the College of Engineering and/or College of Arts & Sciences as specified in point number 2 above.

6. Seminar (681), Internship (684), Directed Studies (685) no more than (3) hours allowed (combined).

7. Research (691) hours are not allowed on an MS non-thesis degree plan.

8. ** A Final Project Report is required to be submitted to the Graduate Office.

• A graded project from any ECEN and CSCE graduate course can be used to fulfill this requirement. The project requires a grade, the professor’s signature, and a completed cover page. It must be submitted in the graduating semester; see the TEAMS page for submission deadlines and other requirements.
  
  

9. Composition of supervisory committee:

• The graduate coordinator will be the chair of all MS non-thesis committees. No other committee members are needed.

10. Requirements for the on-campus and distance education degree programs are the same.

• However, on-campus degree programs cannot have more than 50% distance education courses in the degree plan. Students are responsible for understanding this policy and submitting degree plans accordingly. International students have additional restrictions on distance education courses, in which case they should consult ISSS at the start of their program.

Additional course requirements: 

• STAT 651 and STAT 652 (statistics courses) are for non-science majors and are not allowed. Traditionally, no courses will be admitted from Engineering Technology because of the non-calculus-based curriculum and non-approved graduate program.
• Credit for CSCE 614 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 651 unless approved by your advisor.
• Credit for CSCE 619 and CSCE 612 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 602. Please check with your advisor.
• No credit will be given for CSCE 601 & 602.
• No credit will be given for the following foundation courses: ECEN 214, ECEN 248, ECEN 314, ECEN 325, ECEN 350, and CSCE 221.

*Effective for Fall 2025 admits.

1. Total number of hours (30).

2. A minimum of 18 classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, 685, & 691).

• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL).
• Courses on the degree plan must be approved by the Research Advisor.

3. A minimum of 6 credits of research (ECEN 691) must be included on the degree plan. A maximum of 9 research credits can be included.

• Note: If the co-chair is outside of ECEN, research credits must be split 50/50 between the chair and the co-chair.

4. Transfer hours allowed from another institution (maximum of 6 hours).

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at TAMU, the student should consult the Graduate Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcripts, and TAMU ECEN course equivalents to the ECEN Graduate Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

5. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours).

• Only 400-level undergraduate courses can be included on the degree plan.
• Courses must be from the College of Engineering and/or College of Arts & Sciences as specified in point number 2 above.

6. Seminar, Directed Studies, and Research (681, 685, & 691).

• 1 hour of seminar (ECEN or CSCE 681) is required.
• No more than 3 hours (in combination) of ECEN 681, 684, and 685.
  • If you are considering going on an internship (684), please consult your research advisor before making plans.

7. Final defense of thesis is required for all MS students.

• A thesis proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee and submitted to the Graduate Office via ARCS at least 1 month before the defense. The link can be found on the GPS website.
• The Request and Announcement of Final Exam must be scheduled through the Graduate Office via ARCS at least 1 month in advance.
• The thesis draft must be emailed to committee members at least two weeks before the defense.
• Please see the TEAMS page for details, specifically the “MS Defense Steps” Document.

8. Composition of supervisory committee – at least 3 members total.

• At least two members within the Computer Engineering Group from ECEN.
• At least one member from outside ECEN.
• Note: Committee Chair (or a Co-Chair) must be a Computer Engineering Group Faculty.

9. Requirements for the on-campus and distance education degree programs are the same.

• However, on-campus degree programs cannot have more than 50% distance education courses in the degree plan. Students are responsible for understanding this policy and submitting degree plans accordingly. International students have additional restrictions on distance education courses, in which case they should consult ISSS at the start of their program.

10. Additional course requirements:

• STAT 651 and STAT 652 (statistics courses) are for non-science majors and are not allowed. Traditionally, no courses will be admitted from Engineering Technology because of the non-calculus-based curriculum and non-approved graduate program.
• Credit for CSCE 614 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 651 unless approved by your advisor.
• Credit for CSCE 619 and CSCE 612 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 602. Please check with your advisor.
• No credit will be given for CSCE 601 & 602.
• No credit will be given for the following foundation courses: ECEN 214, ECEN 248, ECEN 314, ECEN 325, ECEN 350, and CSCE 221.

1. Total Number of Hours (64 or 96).

• For students who already hold a master’s degree, 64 total hours are required.
• For “direct Ph.D.” students, 96 hours are required.

2. A minimum of 18 (or 42) classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, 685, and 691).

• 18 hours are required for students with a previous Master’s degree, and 42 hours for direct Ph.D. students.
• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL)
• At least 9 (or 24) classroom hours must be ECEN courses.

3. A maximum of (6-8) transfer hours allowed from another institution.

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at Texas A&M, the student should consult the Graduate Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcripts, and TAMU ECEN course equivalents to the ECEN Graduate Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

4. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours).

• Only 400-level undergraduate courses can be included in the degree plan.

5. No more than 3 credit hours of Internship (684) are allowed.

• Ph.D. students cannot take 684 after the dissertation defense.
• If you are considering going on an internship (684), please consult your research advisor before making plans.

6. No more than 2 credit hours of Directed Studies (685) are allowed.

• Students working on a research project should enroll in Research (691) hours. 

7. All Ph.D. students are required to pass the Departmental Qualifying Examination.

• All incoming Ph.D. students (64 and 96 hours) are required to take the exam within one year of starting the program.
  • There are two types of Qualifying Exams available. The research advisor will select which track the student takes. Students without a research advisor default to Track 1.
  • Track 1: Written exam consisting of questions from undergraduate courses. This exam is administered in January and June of each year. More details on Track 1 are provided later in the handbook.
  • Track 2: Written and oral exam in which the separately formed committee provides a student with research articles to analyze then give a presentation. More details on Track 2 are provided later in the handbook.
• Students entering the program with a previous degree outside of Electrical or Computer Engineering are allowed, with written approval from their advisor, an extra year, and will be required to take the exam by the end of the second year.
• Those students who fail the examination are given a second opportunity to retake the exam, which must be taken at the next opportunity in which the exam is offered.
• Those who fail the examination twice will be removed from the Ph.D. program.
• Degree Plans are to be filed within one semester after passing the Qualifier for both 64 and 96-hour Ph.D. students.

8. All Ph.D. students with a degree plan on file are required to submit an Annual Ph.D. Review.

• The Graduate Office will provide this document to the student and his/her research advisor at the beginning of each spring semester.
• Ph.D. students are responsible for meeting with their research advisor to discuss progress.
• After the student and research advisor sign the review document, the student should submit it to the Graduate Office by the specified deadline, which is typically early May. Failure to submit the document on time will result in a registration hold on the student’s account.
• The research advisor rates the student’s progress as O (Outstanding), S (Satisfactory), and U (Unsatisfactory).
• The first time a U is issued:
  • The student will receive a probation letter from the Graduate Office.
  • The student writes a statement explaining the U and details plans for the next year.
  • The advisor writes a statement explaining the U and details plans for the next year.
  • These items are then automatically brought before the GSQ committee for review.
• The second time a U is issued:
  • The GSQ committee will meet to decide on a remedy.
  • Possible remedies include dismissal, suggestion to change advisors, etc. 

9. All Ph.D. students are required to pass a Preliminary Examination.

• 64-hour Ph.D. students are required to schedule their prelim exam by the end of their 4th semester (excluding summers) and 6th semester for those with a previous degree outside of Electrical or Computer Engineering, and 96-hour Ph.D.s.
• Students who have not scheduled their prelim by the appointed time will be blocked from further registration until they do so.
• You must initiate the Prelim Checklist and Report, and Proposal Approval Form via ARCS. The link can be found on the GPS website. Initiate these items at least 2 business days before your prelim.
• Notify the Graduate Office of your prelim date/time/details at least 1 month in advance.
• Students who fail the prelim exam will have one opportunity to retake the exam within 6 months of the original exam date.
• Please see the TEAMS page for details, specifically the “Prelim Steps - ARCS” document.

10. Final Defense of the dissertation is required for all Ph.D. students.

• The date and location of the final defense must be provided to the Graduate Office at least 1 month in advance.
• You must initiate the Request and Announcement of Final Exam via ARCS at least 1 month in advance. The link can be found on the GPS website.
• The dissertation draft must be emailed to committee members at least two weeks before the defense.
• Dissertation Approval Form and Copyright Form must be initiated via ARCS as well. Please see the GPS website for deadlines.
• Please see the TEAMS page for details, specifically the “PhD Defense Steps - ARCS” document.

11. Composition of supervisory committee:

• At least two members from within the ECEN Department and within the student’s focus area.
• At least one member from within the ECEN Department, but outside the student’s focus area.
• At least one member from outside the ECEN Department.
• Note: Committee Chair must be ECEN faculty. 

1. Total Number of Hours (30)

2. A minimum of 27 classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, and 685).

• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL)
• At least 18 classroom hours must be ECEN courses.

3. Transfer hours allowed from another institution (6)

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at TAMU, the student should consult the Graduate Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcripts, and TAMU ECEN course equivalents to the Graduate Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/GSC.

4. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours)

• Only 400 level undergraduate courses can be included on degree plan.
• Courses must be from the College of Engineering and/or College of Arts & Sciences as specified in point 2.

5. Seminar (681), Internship (684), Directed Studies (685) no more than (3) hours allowed (combined).

• Research (691) hours are not allowed on an MS non-thesis degree plan.

6. ** A Final Project Report is required to be submitted to the Graduate Office.

• A graded project from any ECEN and CSCE graduate course can be used to fulfill this requirement. The project requires a grade, the professor’s signature, and a completed cover page. It must be submitted in the graduating semester; see TEAMS page for submission deadlines and other requirements.

7. Composition of supervisory committee

• The Graduate Coordinator will be the chair of all MS non-thesis committees. No other committee members are needed.

8. Requirements for the on-campus and distance education degree programs are the same.

• However, on-campus degree programs cannot have more than 50% distance education courses on the degree plan. Students are responsible for understanding this policy and submitting degree plans accordingly. International students have additional restrictions on distance education courses, in which case they should consult ISSS at the start of their program.

*Effective for Fall 2025 admits.

1. Total Number of Hours (30) 

2. A minimum of 18 classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, 685, and 691). 

• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL) 
• At least 15 classroom hours must be ECEN courses. 

3. A minimum of 6 hours of research (ECEN 691) must be included on the degree plan.

• A maximum of 9 research hours can be included. All 691s must be ECEN.

4. Transfer hours allowed from another institution (maximum of 6 hours) 

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan. 
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while attending TAMU, they should consult the Graduate Office before doing so. 
• Students must send syllabi, transcripts, and TAMU ECEN course equivalents to the ECEN Graduate Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). 

5. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours) 

• Only 400-level undergraduate courses can be included in the degree plan. 
• Courses must be from the College of Engineering and/or College of Arts & Sciences as specified in point number 2 above. 

6. Seminar (681), Internship (684), Directed Studies (685): no more than (3) hours allowed (combined). 

• If you are considering going on an internship (684), please consult your research advisor before making plans. 

• A thesis proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee and submitted to the Graduate Office via ARCS at least 1 month before the defense. The link can be found on the GPS website. 
• The Request and Announcement of Final Exam must be scheduled through the Graduate Office via ARCS at least 1 month in advance. 
• The thesis draft must be emailed to committee members at least two weeks before the defense. 
• Please see the TEAMS page for details, specifically the “MS Defense Steps - ARCS” Document. Contact the Graduate Office if you have questions.

• At least two members from within the ECEN Department and within the student’s focus area.
• At least one member from within the ECEN Department, but outside the student’s focus area. 
• At least one member from outside the ECEN Department 
• Note: Committee Chair must be ECEN faculty. 

9. Requirements for the on-campus and distance education degree programs are the same.

• However, on-campus degree programs cannot have more than 50% distance education courses on the degree plan. Students are responsible for understanding this policy and submitting degree plans accordingly. International students have additional restrictions on distance education courses, in which case they should consult ISSS at the start of their program. 

This is a non-thesis degree offered ONLY in person.

Through study in the Master of Science in Microelectronics and Semiconductors program, students will learn knowledge on analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, digital integrated circuit design and verification, and semiconductor devices and manufacturing, and be prepared for careers in semiconductor design and manufacturing companies or related doctoral studies.

There are two types of Qualifying Exams offered, Track 1 and Track 2. The research advisor will select which track the student will take. Students without a research advisor will default to Track 1.

Track 1 (Written Exam):

The Track 1 Qualifying Exam is based on material covered in a set of ten fundamental undergraduate courses in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

• ECEN 214 – Electrical Circuit Theory
• ECEN 248 – Introduction to Digital Systems Design
• CSCE 221 – Data Structures and Algorithms
• ECEN 303 – Random Signals and Systems
• ECEN 314 – Signals and Systems
• ECEN 322 – Electric and Magnetic Fields 
• ECEN 325 – Electronics 
• ECEN 350 – Computer Architecture and Design
• ECEN 370 – Electronic Properties of Materials 
• ECEN 340 – Electronic Energy Conversion

Any student who has graduated from either of the undergraduate programs in our department should have taken at least 8 of these courses. Students who have degrees from peer programs should have taken courses similar to many of these.

For more detailed information about these courses, check out the Ph.D. Qualifying Exams page.

Exam Format:

The exam consists of two questions from each of the areas listed above. Each question is designed to be completed in 20-25 minutes. Each student is required to answer any 6 of the 20 questions on the exam. This ensures that each student has at least some proficiency outside of their main focus area, but does not require students to study extensively outside of their area of expertise. The exam is closed-book, in-class, and time-limited to 3 hours. Students may use department-issued calculators for the exam or personal calculators from a pre-approved list. Students can check out a departmental calculator 1 week before the exam to become accustomed to it if needed. If the student answers more than 6 questions, only the first 6 questions are graded.

Exam Location:

The exam is administered at the Texas A&M College Station and Qatar campuses. When you sign up for the test online, you will indicate your campus location.

Exam Syllabus:

Included at the end of this document is an exam syllabus explicitly outlining the material that might be tested for each of the courses listed above. Hence, the students will have an explicit list of topics to prepare for rather than a general “material from course xxx” type statement.

Timing:

The exam is offered twice a year, once in mid-January shortly before the start of the spring semester, and once in mid-June. In both cases, the exam date is about one month after the end of finals. This encourages students not to spend more than one month preparing for the exam. Incoming Ph.D. students (64 and 96 hours) are required to take the exam within one year of starting the program. If a student is on an internship when the exam is administered, they are required to make arrangements in advance with their employer to return to campus to take the exam. Students entering the program with a previous degree outside of Electrical or Computer Engineering will be allowed, with written approval from their advisor, an extra year, and will be required to take the exam by the end of the second year. Those students who fail the examination will be given a second opportunity to retake the exam, which must be taken at the next opportunity in which the exam is offered. Those who fail the examination twice will be removed from the Ph.D. program. Current MS students are not allowed to take the qualifying exam. 

Grading:

The faculty who composed each problem will grade their perspective problems in the written exams. Once grading is complete, the GSC will meet to determine passing thresholds for the examination. The GSC may elect to normalize grades from each problem in order to maintain fairness across the various problems. Results of the exam will be available within six weeks of the date of the exam. Appeals regarding the results of the exam by either students or faculty must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Office and will be handled by the GSC.

Note:

Ph.D. students who pass the Qualifier (either Track 1 or 2) are required to submit degree plans within 1 semester after passing the exam. Failure to submit the degree plan within this time frame will result in a registration hold.

Track 2 (Written and Oral Exam):

Purpose:

The purpose of this exam format is to assess the students’ critical thinking ability to solve research problems and their ability to make a concise presentation of their conclusions.

Timing of the exam:

The student must take the exam within two semesters of beginning their graduate studies in ECEN.

Committee:

A three-person committee will be formed, consisting of two faculty members from the department and the advisor. The chair of the committee will be a faculty member who is not the student’s advisor. The group leader will select the two other members of the committee.

Format:

There will be two exam components: a written component and an oral exam component following a short presentation by the student.

• Three research papers that are interlinked around a particular research area will be selected by the committee. These papers should not be directly linked to the research project the student is conducting. It is assumed that the student will read additional reference papers to properly understand these papers.
• Written component: The written paper should address, for example (but not limited to), the following sets of questions:
  • What challenges is the research described in the papers trying to overcome?
  • What is the contribution of the paper to the field? How do you know this is a significant contribution to the field?
  • Is the conclusion drawn by the authors supported by the data they provided?
  • Did the authors provide sufficient information for other researchers in the field to verify their work?
  • What challenges in the field have the papers still not addressed, which require further research?
• Oral component: The committee will question the student for up to 1 hour to assess their critical thinking and communication skills in solving and presenting research problems. The committee must base its questions on the papers, fundamental references covered in the papers, and fundamental background information

Timing:

Students should have 6 weeks of preparation time after being given the research papers, and the committee members should have one week to evaluate the written component. Thus, the student will first schedule the oral exam time, and the student should be given the research paper assignment 7 weeks before the oral exam time, with the written part of the exam due one week before the oral exam date. Track 2 should be taken within a two-month period, twice a year: June and July OR January and February. The exam should be administered and results reported to the Graduate Office within either of these two-month time frames. The deadline for the research advisor to notify the Graduate Office of a decision for the student to take Track 2 is one month prior to these dates – so the months of May and December. 

Grading:

A simple pass/fail vote by the members, with the majority vote deciding the outcome.

Number of times the exam can be taken:

The student has two opportunities, with a chance for their Ph.D. advisor to appeal for a third exam with approval by the Graduate Studies Committee, as in Track 1.

Note:

Ph.D. students who pass the Qualifier (either Track 1 or 2) are required to submit degree plans within 1 semester after passing the exam. Failure to submit the degree plan within this time frame will result in a registration hold.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. Prelim Examination

Before scheduling your prelim, you must update your degree plan to remove courses you haven’t taken. You can file a petition through DPSS to do this. Students must be registered for at least 1 credit hour in the semester in which they take the prelim.

Scheduling the Exam:

Unlike the qualifying exam, the PHD prelim exam must be scheduled individually by each student through the Graduate Office. After consulting with your committee, email the Graduate Advisor the date/time of your prelim at least 1 month in advance. **Please see TEAMS for specific directions on scheduling your prelim.**

What to submit:

You will initiate the Prelim Checklist and Report via ARCS, found on your HOWDY portal. website. Please see the “Prelim Steps - ARCS” document on TEAMS for details.

Exam Format:

The prelim exam has two parts. During the oral part of the prelim exam, the student is expected to make an oral presentation on the thesis topic to the student’s thesis committee. For students who have passed the Qualifying Exam, the written portion of the prelim can be waived, subject to the approval of the student’s supervisory committee. Each student is expected to submit a written research proposal to the thesis committee before the prelim exam.

Exam Syllabus:

There is no set syllabus for the Ph.D. prelim exam.

Timing:

Ph.D. (64-hour) students who already have a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering should take the exam within 2 years of beginning their graduate program. Ph.D. (96-hour) students who only hold a Bachelor’s degree or no degree in Electrical Engineering when they start their Ph.D. program should take the exam within 3 years of beginning their graduate program. If a student started in a Master’s program and then converted to the Ph.D. program, the student should take the prelim exam within 2 years after switching to the Ph.D. program. Students can have up to 6 credits of coursework remaining to schedule their prelim.

Grading:

Each member of the thesis committee will provide a PASS/FAIL vote. The student is deemed to pass or fail the exam depending on whether the majority of the votes are passes or fails, respectively.

When to File the Proposal: The proposal must be filed within 5 business days after the prelim; this is departmental policy. You will submit your Proposal Approval Form via ARCS. The link can be found on your HOWDY portal. **Please see TEAMS “Prelim Steps - ARCS” document for detailed directions. **

• A Grade Point Ratio (GPR) equal to or better than 3.0 is required to maintain good academic standing. For purposes of probationary action, GPR is measured in two different ways:

• Cumulative GPR
• Degree Plan GPR

• A student will be placed on probation and blocked from pre-registration if either of the two indicated GPRs falls below 3.0. The student will be required to sign an acknowledgement letter stating that they understand the terms of the probation.

• One semester is allowed to correct the GPR deficiency and return it back up to 3.0 or better. If the GPR is corrected once official grades are posted in HOWDY, the student should email the Graduate Programs office to request that the hold be removed.

• If a student’s GPR deficiency is not corrected after one semester, the student will receive notification of dismissal from the ECEN Graduate Program.

• The Graduate Program will only consider official GPR as posted in HOWDY (not Canvas, not unofficial records, not emails from faculty, etc.) The registration hold will not be removed from a student’s account until the official GPR is 3.0 or higher, as reflected in HOWDY.

• A student being removed from the graduate program will be notified by the Graduate Office of such action. They will have 14 calendar days from the date of notification to file an appeal to the Graduate Studies Quality Committee (GSQ). If the student does not appeal the decision or the GSQ does not uphold the appeal, the GSQ will then request the final removal of the student from the program.

• A student who is on probation will not be allowed to hold a department TA position.

Area Leader: Dr. Jose Silva-Martinez

Recommended courses (thesis and non-thesis)

Graduate courses:

• ECEN 704 VLSI Circuit Design
• ECEN 620 Network Theory
• ECEN 665 Integrated CMOS RF Circuits and Systems
• ECEN 607 Advanced Analog Circuit Design Techniques
• ECEN 610 Mixed-Signal Interfaces
• ECEN 720 High Speed Links Circuits and Systems

Other graduate courses that may be taken:

• ECEN 625 Millimeter-Wave Integrated Circuits
• ECEN 650 High Frequency GaAs/SiGe Analog IC Design
• ECEN 651 Microprogrammed Control of Digital Systems
• ECEN 654 Very Large-Scale Integrated Systems Design
• ECEN 671 Solid State Devices
• ECEN 609 Adaptive Control
• ECEN 606 Nonlinear Control Systems
• ECEN 639 Microwave Circuits
• ECEN 644 Discrete-Time Systems
• ECEN 680 Testing and Diagnosis of Digital Systems

Undergraduate courses:

• ECEN 457 Operational Amplifiers
• ECEN 471 Power Management
• ECEN 454 Digital Integrated Circuit Design
• ECEN 489 SPTP Vehicular Electronics
• ECEN 489 SPTP RF Circuits for Wireless Communications
• ECEN 489 SPTP Data Conversion Systems and Circuits
• ECEN 489 SPTP Audio Engineering

Area Leader: Dr. Rafaella Righetti

1. Recommended courses for Master of Science (thesis)

Undergraduate:

• ECEN 410 Introduction to Medical Imaging
• ECEN 411 Introduction to Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
• ECEN 412 Ultrasound Imaging
• ECEN 414 Biosensors (Staked with 761)
• ECEN 419 Genomic Signal Processing
• ECEN 444 Digital Signal Processing
• ECEN 447 Digital Image Processing
• ECEN 451 Antenna Engineering
• ECEN 452 Ultra High Frequency Techniques
• ECEN 463 Magnetic Resonance Engineering (Stacked with 763)
• ECEN 489 Neuro-Electronic System (Stacked with 689)

Graduate:

• ECEN 601 Linear Network Analysis (Mathematical Methods in Signal Processing)
• ECEN 617 Advanced Signal Processing for Medical Imaging
• ECEN 635 Electromagnetic Theory
• ECEN 636 Phased Arrays
• ECEN 637 Numerical Methods in Electromagnetics
• ECEN 642 Digital Image Processing
• ECEN 644 Discrete-Time Systems
• ECEN 645 Pattern Recognition by Neural Networks
• ECEN 648 Principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• ECEN 649 Pattern Recognition
• ECEN 660 BioMems & Lab-on-a-Chip
• ECEN 661 Modulation Theory (Advanced Digital Communications)
• ECEN 662 Estimation and Detection Theory
• ECEN 663 Data Compression with Applications to Speech and Video
• ECEN 669 Engineering Applications in Genomics
• ECEN 678 Statistical Optics
• ECEN 760 Introduction to Probabilistic Graphical Models
• ECEN 761 Biosensors Lab (Stacked with 414)
• ECEN 762 Advanced Ultrasound Imaging Techniques
• ECEN 763 Magnetic Resonance Engineering (Stacked with 463)
• ECEN 765 Machine Learning with Networks
• ECEN 766 Algorithms in Structural Informatics
• ECEN 769 Material Informatics
• ECEN 689 Neuro-Electronic System (Stacked with 489) 

2. Master of Science (non-thesis): 

• It is recommended that you choose at least five ECEN courses from the list above or from the 689 courses in the biomedical imaging area. It is recommended that two of these five be chosen from the following courses

Undergraduate/Graduate:

• ECEN 410/764 Medical Imaging
• ECEN 411 Intro. MRI and MRS
• ECEN 412 Ultrasound Imaging
• ECEN 444 Digital Signal Processing
• ECEN 447 Digital Image Processing
• ECEN 642 Digital Image Processing
• ECEN 646 Statistical Communication Theory (Probability and Random Processes for Information Science)
• ECEN 649 Pattern Recognition

Area Leader: Dr. Kevin Nowka

Recommended first-level graduate courses

• ECEN (undergraduate courses):

  • 468

• CSCE (undergraduate courses):

  • 410

• ECEN (graduate courses):

  • 602, 621, 651, 653, 654, 687, 714, 754, 749

• CSCE (graduate courses):

  • 614, 629, 662

• Foundation Courses (no graduate credit)

  • ECEN 214 Electrical Circuit Theory
  • ECEN 248 Introduction to Digital Systems Design
  • ECEN 314 Signals and Systems
  • ECEN 325 Electronics
  • ECEN 350 Computer Architecture and Design
  • CSCE 221 Data Structures and Algorithms

Tentative List of Courses for Graduate CEEN MS (thesis) and Ph.D. Students

• Computer Architecture:

  • CSCE 605 Compiler Design
  • ECEN 651 Microprogrammed Control of Digital Systems (not CSCE 614)
  • ECEN 653 Computer Arithmetic Unit Design
  • ECEN 659 Parallel/Distributed Numerical Algorithms and Applications
  • ECEN 676 Advanced Computer Architecture
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Computer Architecture
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Computer Architecture

• Data Science:

  • CSCE 633 Machine Learning
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Data Science
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Data Science
  • ECEN 740 Machine Learning Engineering
  • ECEN 732 Online Decision Making and Learning
  • ECEN 743 Reinforcement Learning
  • ECEN 748 Data Stream Algorithms and Applications
  • ECEN 758/ CSCE 676/ STAT 639 Data Mining and Analysis 

• Hardware/VLSI:

  • CSCE 616 Introduction to Hardware Design Verification
  • ECEN 654 VLSI Systems Design
  • CSCE 661 Integrated Systems Design Automation
  • ECEN 680 Test and Diagnosis of Digital Systems
  • ECEN 687 Introduction to VLSI Physical Design Automation
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Hardware/VLSI
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Hardware/VLSI
  • ECEN 699 Advances in VLSI Logic Synthesis
  • ECEN 714/454 Digital Integrated Circuit Design
  • CSCE 714 Advanced Hardware Design Functional Verification
  • ECEN 719/468 Advanced Digital Systems Design
  • ECEN 749/449 Microprocessor Systems Design
  • ECEN 751 Advanced Computational Methods for Integrated System Design
  • ECEN 752 Advances in VLSI Circuit Design
  • ECEN 759 Hardware Security

• Math / Statistics:

  • MATH 401 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
  • MATH 415 Modern Algebra I
  • MATH 416 Modern Algebra II
  • MATH 442 Mathematical Modeling
  • MATH 446 Principles of Analysis I
  • MATH 447 Topics in Analysis II
  • STAT 601 Statistical Analysis
  • MATH 606 Theory of Probability I
  • MATH 607 Real Variables I
  • MATH 608 Real Variables II
  • MATH 652 Optimization II

• Networks:

  • ECEN 602 Computer Communication and Networking
  • ECEN 619 Internet Protocols and Modeling
  • ECEN 621 Mobile Wireless Networks
  • CSCE 663 Real-time Systems
  • CSCE 664 Wireless and Mobile Systems
  • CSCE 665 Advanced Networking and Security
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Networks
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Networks 

• Network and Systems Theory:

  • ECEN 663 Data Compression with Applications to Speech and Video
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Networking and Systems Theory
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Networking and Systems Theory
  • ECEN 750 Design and Analysis of Communication Networks
  • ECEN 753 Theory and Applications of Network Coding
  • ECEN 754/434 Optimization for Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECEN 755 Stochastic Systems
  • ECEN 756 Game Theory
  • ECEN 757 Distributed Systems and Cloud Computing

• Seminar:

  • ECEN 681 Computer Engineering Seminar (with advisor’s approval)

• Systems and Software:

  • CSCE 410 Operating Systems (OR CSCE 611 Operating Systems and Applications)
  • CSCE 606 Software Engineering
  • CSCE 629 Analysis of Algorithms
  • CSCE 662 Distributed Processing Systems
  • CSCE 670 Information Retrieval and Storage
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Systems and Software
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Systems and Software
  • CSCE 735 Parallel Computing

Tentative List of Courses for CEEN MS (non-thesis) Students

(Must take at least 6 courses out of the list below) 8/8/25

• Computer Architecture:

  • CSCE 605 Compiler Design
  • CSCE 614 Computer Architecture
  • ECEN 651 Microprogrammed Control of Digital Systems (not CSCE 614)
  • ECEN 653 Computer Arithmetic Unit Design
  • ECEN 659 Parallel/Distributed Numerical Algorithms and Applications
  • ECEN 676 Advanced Computer Architecture
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Computer Architecture
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Computer Architecture 

• Data Science:

  • CSCE 633 Machine Learning
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Data Science
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Data Science
  • ECEN 740 Machine Learning Engineering
  • ECEN 732 Online Decision Making and Learning
  • ECEN 743 Reinforcement Learning
  • ECEN 748 Data Stream Algorithms and Applications
  • ECEN 758/ CSCE 676/ STAT 639 Data Mining and Analysis 47

• Hardware/VLSI:

  • CSCE 616 Introduction to Hardware Design Verification
  • ECEN 654 VLSI Systems Design
  • CSCE 661 Integrated Systems Design Automation
  • ECEN 680 Test and Diagnosis of Digital Systems
  • ECEN 687 Introduction to VLSI Physical Design Automation
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Hardware/VLSI
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Hardware/VLSI
  • ECEN 699 Advances in VLSI Logic Synthesis
  • CSCE 714 Advanced Hardware Design Functional Verification
  • ECEN 714/454 Digital Integrated Circuit Design
  • ECEN 719/468 Advanced Digital Systems Design
  • ECEN 749/449 Microprocessor System Design
  • ECEN 751 Advanced Computational Methods for Integrated System Design
  • ECEN 752 Advances in VLSI Circuit Design
  • ECEN 759 Hardware Security 

• Math / Statistics:

  • MATH 401 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
  • MATH 415 Modern Algebra I
  • MATH 416 Modern Algebra II
  • MATH 442 Mathematical Modeling
  • MATH 446 Principles of Analysis I 
  • MATH 447 Topics in Analysis II
  • STAT 601 Statistical Analysis
  • MATH 606 Theory of Probability I
  • MATH 607 Real Variables I
  • MATH 608 Real Variables II
  • MATH 652 Optimization II

• Networks:

  • ECEN 602 Computer Comm. and Networking
  • ECEN 619 Internet Protocols and Modeling
  • ECEN 621 Mobile Wireless Networks
  • CSCE 663 Real-time Systems
  • CSCE 664 Wireless and Mobile Systems
  • CSCE 665 Advanced Networking and Security
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Networks
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Networks

• Networking & Systems Theory:

  • ECEN 663 Data Compression with Applications to Speech and Video
  • ECEN 689 Special Topics Courses in Networking and Systems Theory
  • CSCE 689 Special Topics Courses in Networking and Systems Theory
  • ECEN 750 Design and Analysis of Communication Networks
  • ECEN 753 Theory and Applications of Network Coding
  • ECEN 754/434 Optimization for Electrical & Computer Engineering Applications
  • ECEN 755 Stochastic Systems
  • ECEN 756 Game Theory
  • ECEN 757 Distributed Systems and Cloud Computing

• Systems and Software:

  • CSCE 606 Software Engineering
  • CSCE 611/410 Operating Systems
  • CSCE 629 Analysis of Algorithms
  • CSCE 662 Distributed Processing Systems
  • CSCE 670 Information Retrieval and Storage
  • CSCE 735 Parallel Computing

*Notes:

• Non-Thesis students must take at least 6 courses from their list above.
• Non-Thesis students may only take ECEN 681 “Computer Engineering Seminar”; Other 681 Seminars will not count toward their degree.
• The Seminar requirement for PhD and MS Thesis students is satisfied by either ECEN 681 or CSCE 681 (or another 681 seminar with advisor's approval).
• ECEN 691 “Research” is only offered for MS Thesis and PhD in CEEN. 
• Course descriptions are found in the ECEN catalog.

Area Leader: Dr. Steve Wright Recommended

Recommended courses for Master of Science (thesis and non-thesis)

Undergraduate:

• ECEN 351 Applied Electromagnetic Theory
• ECEN 451 Antenna Engineering
• ECEN 452 Ultra High Frequency Techniques
• ECEN 453 Microwave Solid-State Circuits and Systems
• ECEN 480 RF and Microwave Wireless Systems (Graduate courses)
• ECEN 626 Antenna Theory and Technique
• ECEN 635 Electromagnetic Theory
• ECEN 636 Phased Arrays
• ECEN 637 Numerical Methods in Electromagnetics
• ECEN 638 Antennas and Propagation
• ECEN 639 Microwave Circuits
• ECEN 641 Microwave Solid State Integrated Circuits
• ECEN 730 CMOS RFIC Engineering
• ECEN 735 Electromagnetic Field Theory

Area Leader: Dr. Tom Overbye

1. Recommended courses for Master of Science (thesis)

Undergraduate:

• ECEN 415 Physical and Economical Operations of Sustainable Energy Systems
• ECEN 459 Power System Fault Analysis and Protection
• ECEN 460 Power System Operation and Control
• ECEN 438/738 Power Electronics
• ECEN 441/741 Electronic Motor Drives
• ECEN 442/742 DSP Based Electromechanical Motion Control

Graduate:

• ECEN 611 General Theory of Electromechanical Motion Devices
• ECEN 612 Computer Aided Design of Electromechanical Motion Devices
• ECEN 613 Rectifier and Inverter Circuits
• ECEN 614 Power Systems State Estimation
• ECEN 615 Methods of Electric Power Systems Analysis
• ECEN 616 Power System Electromagnetic Transients
• ECEN 630 Analysis of Power Electronics Systems
• ECEN 632 Motor Drive Dynamics
• ECEN 643 Electric Power System Reliability
• ECEN 666 Power System Faults and Protective Relaying
• ECEN 667 Power System Stability
• ECEN 668 High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Transmission
• ECEN 677 Control of Electric Power Systems
• ECEN 679 Computer Relays for Electric Power Systems
• ECEN 686 Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
• ECEN 689 Special Topics
• ECEN 710 Switching Power Supplies
• ECEN 711 Sustainable Energy and Vehicle Engineering
• ECEN 712 Power Electronics for Photovoltaic Energy Systems
• ECEN 715 Physical and Economical Operations of Sustainable Energy Systems
• ECEN 738/438 Power Electronics
• ECEN 741/441 Electronic Motor Drives
• ECEN 742/442 DSP Based Electromechanical Motion Control

2. Master of Science (non-thesis):

• 15 credit hours recommended from the Energy and Power courses that are listed above.

Area Leader: Dr. Jun Zou

1. Recommended courses for Master of Science (thesis)

Undergraduate courses in Solid State:

• ECEN 370 Electronic Properties of Materials
• ECEN 472 Microelectronic Circuit Fabrication
• ECEN 473 Microelectronic Device Design

Graduate courses in Solid State:

• ECEN 656 Physical Electronics
• ECEN 658 Low Noise Electronic Design
• ECEN 671 Solid State Devices
• ECEN 673 Fundamentals of Microelectronics
• ECEN 770 Organic Semiconductor
• ECEN 771 Fluctuations & Noise Electronics
• ECEN 772 Introduction to Microelectromechanical Devices and Systems

Undergraduate courses in Electro-optics:

• ECEN 462 Optical Communication Systems
• ECEN 464 Optical Engineering

Graduate courses in Electro-optics:

• ECEN 631 Fiber-Optic Devices
• ECEN 657 Quantum Electronics
• ECEN 670 Fiber-Optic Networks
• ECEN 672 Semiconductor Lasers and Photodetectors
• ECEN 675 Integrated Optoelectronics
• ECEN 678 Statistical Optics

Non-ECEN:

• PHYS 408 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
• PHYS 412 Quantum Mechanics I
• PHYS 606 Quantum Mechanics
• PHYS 617 Physics of Solid State
• STAT 601 Statistical Analysis
• MATH 601 Methods of Applied Mathematics I
• MATH 602 Methods and Applications of Partial Differential Equations 

2. Recommended courses for Master of Science (non-thesis) - Solid State

Undergraduate courses in Solid State:

• ECEN 472 Microelectronic Circuit Fabrication
• ECEN 473 Microelectronic Device Design 32

Graduate courses in Solid State:

• ECEN 656 Physical Electronics
• ECEN 658 Low Noise Electronic Design
• ECEN 671 Solid State Devices
• ECEN 673 Fundamentals of Microelectronics
• ECEN 770 Organic Semiconductor
• ECEN 772 Introduction to Microelectromechanical Devices and Systems

Non-ECEN:

• MATH 601 Methods of Applied Mathematics I
• MATH 602 Methods and Applications of Partial Differential Equations

3. Recommended courses for Master of Science (non-thesis)–Electro-optics

Undergraduate courses in Electro-optics:

• ECEN 462 Optical Communication Systems
• ECEN 464 Optical Engineering (Graduate courses in Electro-optics)
• ECEN 601 Linear Network Analysis (Mathematical Methods in Signal Processing)
• ECEN 602 Computer Communication and Networking
• ECEN 631 Fiber-Optic Devices
• ECEN 657 Quantum Electronics
• ECEN 670 Fiber-Optic Networks
• ECEN 672 Semiconductor Lasers and Photodetectors
• ECEN 675 Integrated Optoelectronics
• ECEN 678 Statistical Optics 

Non-ECEN:

• HYS 412 Quantum Mechanics I
• PHYS 606 Quantum Mechanics
• STAT 601 Statistical Analysis
• MATH 417 Numerical Analysis I
• MATH 601 Methods of Applied Mathematics I
• MATH 602 Methods and Applications of Partial Differential Equations
• MATH 610 Numerical Methods in partial Differential Equations

Alternatives:

• ECEN 639 Microwave Circuits
• ECEN 689 Special Topics

Area Leader: Dr. Chao Tian

Recommended first-level graduate courses:

• ECEN (undergraduate courses)
  • 410, 412, 419, 420, 421, 444, 447, 448, 455, 478
• ECEN (graduate courses)
  • 601, 604, 605, 629, 642, 644, 646, 647, 649, 655, 661, 662, 663, 683

Foundation Courses (no graduate credit):

• ECEN 214 Electrical Circuit Theory
• ECEN 248 Introduction to Digital Systems Design
• ECEN 303 Random Signals and Systems
• ECEN 314 Signals and Systems
• ECEN 325 Electronics
• ENGL 301 Technical Writing

Tentative List of Courses for Graduate ISLS Students

Communications/Information Theory:

• ECEN 601 Linear Network Analysis (Mathematical Methods in Signal Processing)
• ECEN 604 Channel Coding for Communications Systems
• ECEN 646 Statistical Communication Theory (Probability and Random Processes for Information Science)
• ECEN 629 Convex Optimization for Electrical Engineering (Applied Convex Optimization)
• ECEN 647 Information Theory
• ECEN 655 Advanced Topics in Channel Coding
• ECEN 661 Modulation Theory (Advanced Digital Communications)
• ECEN 663 Data Compression with Applications to Speech & Video
• ECEN 683 Wireless Communications Systems
• ECEN 689 Special Topics
• ECEN 760 Introduction to Probabilistic Graphical Models

Signal and Image Processing:

• ECEN 601 Linear Network Analysis (Mathematical Methods in Signal Processing)
• ECEN 629 Convex Optimization for Electrical Engineering (Applied Convex Optimization)
• ECEN 642 Digital Image Processing
• ECEN 644 Discrete-Time Systems
• ECEN 646 Statistical Communication Theory (Probability and Random Processes for Information Science)
• ECEN 649 Pattern Recognition
• ECEN 662 Estimation and Detection Theory
• ECEN 663 Data Compression with Applications to Speech & Video
• ECEN 760 Introduction to Probabilistic Graphical Models 

Controls:

• ECEN 601 Linear Network Analysis (Mathematical Methods in Signal Processing)
• ECEN 605 Linear Multivariable Systems
• ECEN 606 Nonlinear Control Systems
• ECEN 608 Modern Control
• ECEN 609 Adaptive Control
• ECEN 628 Robust and Optimal Control
• ECEN 633 Optimum Control Systems

Genomics:

• ECEN 669 Engineering Applications in Genomics

Networks:

• ECEN 423 Computer and Wireless Communication Network
• ECEN 602 Computer Communication and Networking
• ECEN 619 Internet Protocols and Modeling
• ECEN 621 Mobile Wireless Networks
• ECEN 689 Special Topics

MATH / STAT / MEEN / NUEN:

• MATH 415 Modern Algebra I
• MATH 416 Modern Algebra II
• MATH 446 Principles of Analysis
• MATH 447 Principles of Analysis II
• STAT 601 Statistical Analysis
• MATH 606 Theory of Probability I
• MATH 607 Real Variables I
• MATH 608 Real Variables II
• MATH 619 Applied Probability
• MATH 651 Optimization I
• MATH 652 Optimization II
• MATH 653 Algebra I
• MATH 654 Algebra II
• MEEN 641 Quantitative Feedback Theory
• MEEN 651 Control System Design
• MEEN 652 Multivariable Control System Design
• MEEN 674 Modern Control
• MATH 601 Methods of Applied Mathematics I
• NUEN 689 Special Topics 

Hardware/VLSI:

• ECEN 449 Microprocessor System Design
• ECEN 454 Digital Integrated Circuit Design
• ECEN 468 Advanced Logic Design

An international graduate student whose native language is not English must fulfill an English proficiency requirement through either English Proficiency Verification or English Language Certification. This proficiency requirement must be met early in a student’s program and completed before scheduling either the final examination for the master’s degree or the preliminary examination for the doctoral degree.

Two levels of English Proficiency Status for a graduate student include: English Proficiency Verified and English Proficiency Certified. The State of Texas requires English Proficiency Certification before a graduate student is eligible to serve as a Graduate Assistant-Teaching, or any other position considered to be a teaching position (e.g., instructor, lecturer, etc.). All other students must be either English Proficiency Verified or English Proficiency Certified.

English Proficiency Verification can be achieved by presenting:

• a TOEFL score of at least 80 on TOEFL iBT (550 paper-based), or
• an IELTS score of at least 6.0, or
• a GRE Verbal Reasoning score of at least 146 (400 on the old scale), or 
• GMAT Verbal score of at least 22, or
• a PTE Academic score of at least 53, or
• acquiring alternative verification from the Graduate and Professional School via a departmental request. An international graduate student holding a master’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution qualifies for alternative verification.

Individual colleges may choose to establish minimum TOEFL standards that exceed the University minimum for English Proficiency Verification. Scores from TOEFL examinations administered more than two years before submission of the application for admission shall not be eligible for English Proficiency Verification.

English Proficiency Certification can be achieved by:

• scoring an 80 or higher on the oral skills section of the English Language Proficiency Examination (ELPE) OR scoring a 26 or higher on the TOEFL speaking section.
• acquiring alternative certification from the Graduate and Professional School via a departmental request

A student who has received a baccalaureate degree following four years of study at an accredited U.S. institution or institutions qualifies for alternative certification. All other requests for alternative certification require strong department justification and review in compliance with Graduate and Professional School policies and guidelines.

An international student who has completed an equivalent English training program at an institution other than Texas A&M may request English Proficiency Verification or Certification.

Verification or Certification is requested through the Departmental Graduate Advisor. The student should provide the Departmental Graduate Advisor with documentation to support Verification or Certification. If the department concurs with the request, the Departmental Graduate Advisor will submit a letter recommending and requesting Verification or Certification (with documentation attached) to the Graduate and Professional School. The Graduate and Professional School will determine on a case-by-case basis whether Verification or Certification is granted.

Many forms of financial aid are available to graduate students in the ECE department:

• Research Assistantship (RA):

  • Offered by individual faculty members.
  • Pay rate varies from $1,350-$2,000 per month for MS and PHD students (for 20 hours per week).
  • Usually pays tuition.

• Teaching Assistantship (TA):

  • Offered through the department, course instructors can make recommendations.
  • International students must pass ELPE to be eligible.
  • Pays $2,250 per month for MS and Ph.D. students (for 20 hours per week).
  • Tuition and fees are paid for both MS and Ph.D. students.
  • Apply through the ECE website or TEAMS page.

• Fellowships:

  • Offered through GPS, the College of Engineering, the department, and individual faculty

• One-Time Scholarships:

  • $1,000 - offered on a competitive basis through the department.
  • Qualifies the student to pay the in-state tuition rate.
    • Awarded at the beginning of the fall semester to incoming students.
    • Apply through the ECE website.

• Assistantships (RA, TA, GANT) require up to 20 hours per week of service.

• Those receiving financial aid will be required to maintain full-time status:

  • 9 semester hours during Fall/Spring
  • 6 hours during 10 10-week summer sessions
  • 3 hours during each 5-week summer session (Cannot combine coursework from the 10-week and 5-week summer sessions)

• TAs should make requests for continued funding by submitting the online application each semester.

• RAs should check with the funding source on the number of hours to register for.

• Students in non-degree status or probationary status are NOT eligible for financial aid.

• CERT-AMS: Analog and Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuit Design –Certificate
• CERT-DICD: Digital Integrated Circuit Design – Certificate (face-to-face for Electrical Engineering majors)
• CERT-SCMF: Semiconductor Manufacturing – Certificate (face-to-face for EE majors)
• CERT-EFMC: Electromagnetic Fields and Microwave Circuit Design – Certificate (face-to-face, online)

Leveling Courses

• Information about leveling courses can be found here.  

Preregistration:

• All students currently enrolled MUST pre-register for future semesters during the pre-registration periods (in order to ensure sufficient enrollment).
• Preregistration dates can be found here.

Restricted Courses:

• STAT 651, STAT 652, and STAT 685 are for non-science majors and are not allowed on ELEN or CEEN degree plans.
• Business courses will not be allowed on ELEN or CEEN degree plans (exception: MS non-thesis students in CEEN can include one course from the ISYS department).
• Traditionally, no courses from Engineering Technology (ESET) will be allowed because of the non-calculus-based curriculum.
• Additional restrictions that apply to CEEN majors:
  • CSCE 601 and 602 may not be taken for credit.
  • Credit for both CSCE 614 and ECEN 651 is not allowed. CSCE 614 is only allowed in special circumstances with the research advisor’s approval.
  • Credit for CSCE 619 and CSCE 612 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 602. Please check with your advisor.
  • No credit will be given for the following foundation courses: ECEN 214, 17 ECEN 248, ECEN 314, ECEN 325, ECEN 350, CSCE 321, CSCE 211, and CSCE 311.
• For “stacked courses” where there is a graduate version and an undergraduate version of the same course, graduate students should register for the graduate section. 

Internships – ECEN 684:

• For international students: If you take an internship, you will receive graduate credit for 684 (1 credit hour per semester of internship). ECEN 684 must be on your degree plan and approved by your advisor before starting the internship. You are eligible to go on an internship after completing two semesters in the program.
• For domestic students: If you take an internship, it is your choice if you want to receive graduate credit for 684 (1 credit hour per semester of internship). If you do want credit for the internship, ECEN 684 must be approved by your advisor before starting the internship.
• Students may take ECEN distance learning courses while on an internship. 
• If you are considering going on an internship, please consult your research advisor before making plans. This applies to MS thesis and PhD students.
• An Internship Report and an evaluation by your supervisor must be submitted to the Grad Office before a course grade is given. 
• International students must submit CPT (Curricular Practical Training) paperwork to the Graduate Office in advance. CPT forms can be found here.
• Please see the TEAMS page for additional details and FAQs on CPT processing. Students must fill out the Department Form according to the TEAMS example prior to submitting CPT paperwork to the Graduate Office.
• Department contact for CPT: Colby Seay colby.seay@tamu.edu 

Directed Studies – ECEN 685:

• Enrollment in directed studies (ECEN 685) requires approval of the instructor in whose section you are enrolling. The instructor must be ECEN faculty or joint faculty.
• The 685 request form is available on the ECEN TEAMS site. An electronic copy with signatures of both the instructor and student must be submitted to the Graduate Office prior to enrollment. This form will describe the scope of the project and will indicate the basis on which a letter grade will be assigned.
• Department contact for ECEN 685: Katie Bryan katie@tamu.edu

Change of Degree Programs:

• If you are in the MS non-thesis program, you may switch to the MS thesis or Ph.D. program with the approval of a supervising professor.
• Master's students who want to switch to the Ph.D. program have two options:
  • 1) Change during the MS program: Identify a Ph.D. advisor and submit an MDD petition via DPSS. The Graduate Office must have email confirmation from the Ph.D. advisor before approving the MDD petition.
  • 2) Change after MS program: Submit a Letter of Intent (found on the GPS website) to the Graduate Office after defending. The Graduate Office must have email confirmation from the Ph.D. advisor.
• Ph.D. and MS (thesis) students switching to MS (non-thesis):
  • 1) If you have a degree plan on file, submit an MDD petition via DPSS. After the MDD petition is approved by GPS, submit an MS (non-thesis) degree plan.
  • 2) If you do not have a degree plan on file, simply submit the MS (non-thesis) degree plan directly.

Change of Focus Area & Major:

• You may not change your focus area during your first semester.
• After your first semester, you may change focus areas with the approval of the group leader representing the group you wish to join. Approval via email from the group leader to the Grad Office is sufficient.
• ELEN students who want to change to CEEN may apply by following the directions posted on TEAMS. See directions in the “ECEN Forms” folder. 
• Students interested in changing departments should contact the advising office of the new department for requirements.

Class Schedule Changes:

• Students may not request course changes after the 12th class day of a new semester without providing the following to the Grad Office: a statement explaining why the course change is being requested, an email from the student’s advisor approving the schedule change, email from the instructor approving the student to be added to the course.
• Late Fee Waivers will not be provided unless under extenuating circumstances.