University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Three letters of recommendation and any other evidence of background, knowledge, research, or work experience in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
  4. 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).
  5. 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.
  6. Applicants from countries where English is not the first language 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.

All courses listed in the degree plan require a grade of C or better for successful completion. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation. 

Degree Plan

Required Credits: 30-36

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 courses9
Thesis/Non-Thesis Option:
Select one of the options6-12
Other Electives:
Select three additional hours of graduate courses3
Total Hours30-36

Thesis Option

ECE 5398Thesis3
ECE 5399Thesis3

Non-Thesis Project Option

ECE 5396Graduate Projects3
Select six additional hours of graduate courses with at least three being Graduate ECE courses6

 Non-Thesis Course-Only Option

Twelve additional graduate credit hours of graduate courses in ECE12
 

Graduate ECE Courses

EE 5342Systems Engineering Mgmt3
EE 5343Requirements Engineering3
EE 5344Integratn, Verifictn, Validatn3
EE 5394Graduate Research3
ECE 5141Laboratory for ECE 53411
ECE 5191Individual Studies1
ECE 5300Probability & Random Processes3
ECE 5301Computational Methods for EE3
ECE 5310Power System Operations3
ECE 5311Smart Grid Fundamentals3
ECE 5312Energy Sustainability3
ECE 5313Advanced Trans Power Flow Cont3
ECE 5321Antenna Theory3
ECE 5322Adv Fiber Optic Communications3
ECE 5323Radar Signal Processing3
ECE 5330Digital Signal Processing3
ECE 5331Image Processing3
ECE 5332Biomed Signal & Image Process3
ECE 5335Adv Digital Communications3
ECE 5336Stat Infer for Signal Analysis3
ECE 5340Semiconductor Device Physics3
ECE 5341Electronic Material Processing3
ECE 5342Modern Semiconductor Devices3
ECE 5343Nanoelectronics3
ECE 5344Advanced Optoelectronic Device3
ECE 5350Operating Systems3
ECE 5352Computer Architecture I3
ECE 5355Advanced VLSI Design3
ECE 5361Fuzzy Logic & Engineering3
ECE 5362Computer Vision3
ECE 5371Data Communications3
ECE 5372Network Protocols3
ECE 5380Linear Systems Analysis3
ECE 5381Systems Engineering Fundamtls3
ECE 5390Special Topics Electrical Engr3
ECE 5391Individual Studies3
ECE 5392Research Methods3
ECE 5395Practicum in Elect & Comp Eng3
ECE 5396Graduate Projects3
ECE 5397Graduate Projects3