M.S. in Electrical Engineering
Admission Requirements
General requirements for admission are described in the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Specific admission requirements for the Master’s Program in Electrical Engineering are described below.
- Undergraduate or graduate degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering or a related field from an ABET-accredited institution in the United States, or proof of equivalent education from an international institution.
- Demonstration of academic achievement and potential as indicated by the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and upper-level undergraduate and graduate coursework. The GRE requirement is waived for students from UTEP.
- Three letters of recommendation and any other evidence of background, knowledge, research, or work experience in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
- A written statement of intent, describing applicant's career goals and vision of the path to those goals (including a summary of previous preparation and of expectations from the graduate program).
- Submission of a CV/resume summarizing, professional and academic experience and any other evidence of background, knowledge, research, or work experience in Electrical or Computer Engineering.
- Applicants whose degrees are from non-English speaking institutions are required to demonstrate English proficiency. Please consult the Graduate School website for required scores.
Depending upon selected areas of concentration and academic background, students may need to complete leveling undergraduate course work. Conditional admission may be offered to students who do not meet all of the specific criteria for admission but who show promise of success in graduate studies.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will recommend to the Graduate School acceptance, conditional acceptance, or rejection of the application after all required documents have been received and reviewed by the Graduate School.
General Degree Requirements
Two options are available for students: Thesis and Non-Thesis (Project or Course Only). Master of Science students are normally admitted into the Non-Thesis Option, but can transfer to the Thesis Option if approved by the student's Thesis Advisor and Graduate Advisor. All students must take at least 21 hours in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering courses of which twelve credit hours must be in a concentration area. In addition, the degree plan can include at most, six (6) credit hours of approved senior-level undergraduate coursework, six (6) credit hours of approved coursework in areas outside the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and at most, three (3) credit hours of Individual Studies. Credits in graduate research cannot be used to satisfy course requirements for the Master degree.
Specific Requirements for Thesis Students
Students in the Thesis Option must take 30 credit hours, that include ECE 5398 Thesis and ECE 5399 Thesis. ECE 5399 Thesismust be repeated until the thesis is defended and submitted to the Graduate School for approval. Thesis courses cannot be counted toward requirements in the Non Thesis Option.
Specific Requirements for Non-Thesis Students
Students in the Non-Thesis Project Option must take a 33 credit hours approved by the Graduate Advisor, which include ECE 5396 Graduate Projects and, if approved by the project instructor, ECE 5397 Graduate Projects. A written report must be submitted to the supervising project instructor. Project courses cannot be counted toward requirements in the Thesis Option.
Specific Requirements for Non-Thesis Course-Only Option
Students in the Non-Thesis Course-Only Option must take 36 credit hours of course work approved by the Graduate Advisor.
Degree Requirements Summary
Credit Hours per Option Thesis Option Non-Thesis Option Project Non-Thesis Option Course Only
Core 12 12 12
Graduate ECE Electives* 9 12 18
Thesis 6 0 0
Project 0 3 0
Graduate Electives** 3 6 6
*At most, six (6) credit hours of approved senior-level undergraduate coursework, and, at most, three (3) credit hours of individual Studies can be included in the degree plan.
**At most six (6) hours of approved coursework in areas outside the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, depending on the option, can be included in the degree plan. ECE Department courses can be used to satisfy the Graduate Electives requirement.
Degree Plan
Required Credits: 30-36
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MS in Electrical Engineering | ||
| All courses listed within this degree area require a grade of C or better for successful completion. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation. | ||
| Area of Concentration: | ||
| Select twelve credit hours of graduate ECE courses in a concentration area. The list of concentrations and associated courses in available from the Graduate Advisor. | 12 | |
| Major Electives: | ||
| Select nine hours of Graduate ECE courses | 9 | |
| Thesis/Non-Thesis Option: | ||
| Select one of the options | 6-12 | |
| Other Electives: | ||
| Select three additional hours of graduate courses | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 30-36 | |
Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 5398 | Thesis | 3 |
| ECE 5399 | Thesis | 3 |
Non-Thesis Project Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 5396 | Graduate Projects | 3 |
| Select six additional hours of graduate courses with at least three being Graduate ECE courses | 6 | |
Non-Thesis Course-Only Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Twelve additional graduate credit hours of graduate courses in ECE | 12 | |
Graduate ECE Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EE 5342 | Systems Engineering Mgmt | 3 |
| EE 5343 | Requirements Engineering | 3 |
| EE 5344 | Integratn, Verifictn, Validatn | 3 |
| EE 5394 | Graduate Research | 3 |
| ECE 5141 | Laboratory for ECE 5341 | 1 |
| ECE 5191 | Individual Studies | 1 |
| ECE 5300 | Probability & Random Processes | 3 |
| ECE 5301 | Computational Methods for EE | 3 |
| ECE 5310 | Power System Operations | 3 |
| ECE 5311 | Smart Grid Fundamentals | 3 |
| ECE 5312 | Energy Sustainability | 3 |
| ECE 5313 | Advanced Trans Power Flow Cont | 3 |
| ECE 5321 | Antenna Theory | 3 |
| ECE 5322 | Adv Fiber Optic Communications | 3 |
| ECE 5323 | Radar Signal Processing | 3 |
| ECE 5330 | Digital Signal Processing | 3 |
| ECE 5331 | Image Processing | 3 |
| ECE 5332 | Biomed Signal & Image Process | 3 |
| ECE 5335 | Adv Digital Communications | 3 |
| ECE 5336 | Stat Infer for Signal Analysis | 3 |
| ECE 5340 | Semiconductor Device Physics | 3 |
| ECE 5341 | Electronic Material Processing | 3 |
| ECE 5342 | Modern Semiconductor Devices | 3 |
| ECE 5343 | Nanoelectronics | 3 |
| ECE 5344 | Advanced Optoelectronic Device | 3 |
| ECE 5350 | Operating Systems | 3 |
| ECE 5352 | Computer Architecture I | 3 |
| ECE 5355 | Advanced VLSI Design | 3 |
| ECE 5361 | Fuzzy Logic & Engineering | 3 |
| ECE 5362 | Computer Vision | 3 |
| ECE 5371 | Data Communications | 3 |
| ECE 5372 | Network Protocols | 3 |
| ECE 5380 | Linear Systems Analysis | 3 |
| ECE 5381 | Systems Engineering Fundamtls | 3 |
| ECE 5390 | Special Topics Electrical Engr | 3 |
| ECE 5391 | Individual Studies | 3 |
| ECE 5392 | Research Methods | 3 |
| ECE 5395 | Practicum in Elect & Comp Eng | 3 |
| ECE 5396 | Graduate Projects | 3 |
| ECE 5397 | Graduate Projects | 3 |