Program Information and Concentrations
A total of 36 graduate credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree must be completed to earn the master of science degree in electrical engineering. The M.S. in electrical engineering is structured in two options: electrical engineering and computer engineering. Candidates must complete the specific requirements for the option selected. Students may be required to take additional courses if, in the adviser's opinion, their background is not appropriate for the curriculum or option selected.
Option I: Electrical Engineering
This option is designed for students who wish to focus on communication systems, control systems, digital signal processing, digital image processing, or optical sensors. In addition to the four required courses, eight electives are chosen in consultation with the student's advisor or program coordinator.
Required Courses
The required courses stress understanding of the mathematics and modeling techniques of electrical engineering systems. A student must take the following courses to complete the graduate course requirement:
One mathematics course approved by the program coordinator
M 611 Matrix Theory and Its Applications is strongly recommended
Students may not take M 610 or M 616 for credit in this degree option
Plus the following:
EE 603 Discrete and Continuous Systems I
EE 634 Digital Signal-I
EE 650 Random Signal Analysis
EE 690 Research Project
or Thesis EE 697 and EE 698
In addition to the required courses, students must select an area of concentration and complete at least 4 courses in that concentration.
Communications/DSP Concentration:
EE 645 Introduction to Communication Systems
EE 646 Digital Communication
EE 649 Wireless Communications
EE 648 Microwave Engineering
EE 680 Fiber Optic Communications
EE 635 DSP II
EE 653/CS 665 Digital Image Processing
Control System Concentration:
EE 604 Discrete & Continuous Systems II
EE 605 Computer Controlled Systems
EE 606 Robot Control
EE 607 Adaptive Control
EE 685 Optimization of Engineering Systems
Students take the remaining graduate coursework outside the concentration area to broaden their knowledge. The additional electives must be selected from the following list.
Elective Courses
CS 642 Computer Networks and Data
Communication
CS 623 Rapid Software Development/VB.NET
CS 645 Network Administration
EE 605 Computer Control Systems
EE 606 Robot Control
EE 607 Adaptive Control
EE 620 Fuzzy Logic and Control
EE 634/635 Digital Signal Processing I/II
EE 637 Power Systems Engineering
EE 639 Electric Power Distribution
EE 640 Power Electronics
EE 640L Power Electronics Laboratory
EE 641 Electric Drives
EE 641L Electric Drives Laboratory
EE 645 Introduction to Communication Systems
EE 646 Digital Communications
EE 652 Design of Digital Filters
EE 658 Embedded Applications
EE 670 Selected Topics
EE 680 Fiber Optic Communications
EE 685 Optimization of Engineering Systems
EE 695 Independent Study
EE 697/698/699 Thesis I, II, and III
M 611 Matrix Theory and Its Applications
With the approval of the program coordinator or the academic advisor, two of the elective courses may be taken in other disciplines of mathematics, engineering, physics, or computer science. Other E.E. courses may be taken as elective courses with the approval of the program coordinator or academic adviser.
Option II: Computer Engineering
This option is designed for those who wish to obtain advanced knowledge in the applications of electrical engineering principles to the design of computer-based systems. Working electrical engineers find an increasing amount of their professional activity devoted to projects related to computer engineering. Nearly all systems and instruments now contain embedded computers with their own operating systems and software. In many cases these systems are written and maintained by electrical engineers. This option seeks to help engineers by offering more graduate work in the computer engineering area under the M.S.E.E. degree program.
Required Courses
Required courses may be replaced by other courses if a student can demonstrate equivalent knowledge of the subject.
CS 620 Data Structures
CS 644 Operating Systems
EE 610 Networking
EE 656 Hardware Description Language
EE 657 VLSI Design
EE 658 Embedded Applications
EE 682 Computer Architecture
EE 690 Research Project or
Thesis EE 697 and EE 698
Students who elect to write a thesis will register for EE 697 and 698 Thesis I and II in lieu of EE 690 and one of the elective courses in the program.
Elective Courses
Four electives from ECECS Department
Total credits: 36
Elective courses must be approved by the program coordinator or the academic advisor. Elective courses may be taken from other departments with the approval of the M.S.E.E. coordinator or the academic adviser.
CS 610 or any other introductory course in C programming cannot be used as an elective. Students with deficiency in this area must take CS 610 in addition to the regular course work for the computer engineering option in the M.S.E.E. program.
Elective Courses
CS 640B Parallel Computer Architecture
CS 650 Computer Graphics
CS 642 Computer Networks and Data Communication
CS 623 Rapid Software Development/VB.NET
CS 645 Network Administration
EE 603 Discrete and Continuous Systems I
EE 604 Discrete and Continuous Systems II
EE 605 Computer Controlled Systems
EE 606 Robot Control
EE 607 Adaptive Control
EE 620 Fuzzy Logic and Control
EE 634/635 Digital Signal Processing I/II
EE 637 Power Systems Engineering
EE 639 Electric Power Distribution
EE 640 Power Electronics
EE 640L Power Electronics Laboratory
EE 641 Electric Drives
EE 641L Electric Drives Laboratory
EE 645 Introduction to Communication Systems
EE 646 Digital Communications
EE 650 Random Signal Analysis
EE 652 Design of Digital Filters
EE 670 Selected Topics
EE 680 Fiber Optic Communications
EE 685 Optimization of Engineering Systems
EE 695 Independent Study
M 611 Matrix Theory and Its Applications
With the approval of the program coordinator or academic advisor, two of the elective courses may be taken in other disciplines of mathematics, engineering, physics, or computer science. Other E.E. courses may be taken as elective courses with the approval of the program coordinator or academic advisor.
Research Project/Thesis Requirement
Students may elect to undertake a thesis for partial fulfillment (six or nine credits) of the requirements for the degree, provided that they have at least a 3.2 QPR or a strong endorsement from their adviser. The thesis must be a well-written document on an original topic of research or development in electrical and computer engineering. It must show the ability to organize material in a clear and original manner and to present well-reasoned conclusions. The student must write a master's thesis and successfully defend it at a final oral presentation. Thesis preparation and submission must comply with graduate school policy on theses as well as with specific department requirements. Detailed information concerning these requirements is available from the department office.
Students who do not elect to undertake thesis work must complete a research project (EE 690). A written final report and an oral presentation are required. The oral presentation is intended to verify that the research represents the student's own contribution to knowledge and to test the student's understanding of research. One copy of the final draft must be submitted to the graduate coordinator.
