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Summary of M.S. and M.S.E.C.E. Degree Requirements

Graduate students in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering may pursue either the undesignated master of science (M.S.) degree or the master of science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (M.S.E.C.E.) degree. The academic requirements for these degrees are the same and are summarized below. In order to receive the M.S.E.C.E. degree, a student must either (a) have an undergraduate degree from an ABET-accredited Electrical, Electronic(s), Computer or similarly-named engineering program, or its equivalent, or (b) complete additional coursework to satisfy the ABET General and Program Criteria for such a degree prior to receiving the M.S.E.C.E.

M.S./M.S.E.C.E. Non-Thesis option

Further requirements: At least 21 hours must be at 6000 level or above; no more than 6 hours may be Special Problems; the electives may include up to 3 ECE seminar hours.

M.S./M.S.E.C.E. Thesis option

Further requirements: At least 21 hours must be at the 6000 level or above, (including ECE 7000, M.S. Thesis Research hours). No hours may be Special Problems. M.S. thesis option students must present a "research review" to their advisor and reading committee members so that the "Request for Approval of the M.S. Thesis Topic" can be approved by the committee and submitted to the ECE Graduate Affairs Office for processing. There must be a *minimum* of 90 days between approval of the thesis topic form by the ECE Graduate Affairs Office and submission of the M.S. thesis to the reading committee for their approval. ECE does not require a defense of the M.S. thesis. However, the reading committee may require a defense. Details regarding the M.S. thesis option are available in PDF format.

Both MS Options: The Institute permits up to 3 hours to be pass/fail (P/F) and up to 6 hours of transfer credit to be used toward a master's degree. ECE specifies that the 3 P/F hours must be ECE seminars (8001, 8002, 8003, and 8010). ECE 8020 (Professional Communication Skills) is also offered on a pass/fail basis and can be used instead of the seminars listed.

Students are required to complete all degree requirements within 6 consecutive years and maintain a 2.7 GPA.

Minor field of study: Mathematics (4000 or 6000 level) courses are most frequently used by ECE students to fulfill the minor requirement of six hours. The following math courses are usually recommended for a master’s minor:

In addition, any math courses listed as acceptable for the Ph.D. minor may be used.

Graduate level courses from other science and engineering disciplines are considered for use toward the minor requirement. 6000 level minor courses are preferred, and 4000 level or a combination of 4000 and 6000 level courses will be considered for approval, provided the overall degree requirements are met. Some additional notes about minor fields of study are as follows:

• Management minors may be approved for use toward the M.S. degree. M.S. students planning to continue on for the Ph.D. degree should note that management classes are generally not approved for the Ph.D. minor.
• Minor courses must be in one discipline only.
• Minor courses must not be cross-listed with ECE.
• Computer science is another popular minor with ECE students. A list of computer science courses approved for use toward the minor requirement is available on the ECE web site.
• All minor course selections are approved as part of the coursework plan approval process.
• A grade point average of 2.70/4.00 is expected for the courses selected for use toward the minor requirement.

Important information for GT undergraduate students: Qualified ECE undergraduates (including those admitted to the B.S./M.S. program) may count up to 6 credit hours completed for the undergraduate program toward the M.S. degree. Classes used must meet the M.S. requirements above. Detailed information can be found in the GT General Catalog and the ECE Graduate Handbook.

To assist with planning when to take courses, visit the projected schedule of graduate classes page on the ECE web site and search for details about ECE classes on the ECE Course Information page; the special topics page provides a list of ECE courses by technical area classifications.

Last revised on July 17, 2007.