For the M.S. degree, a minimum total of 45 quarter credit hours is required: 30 credit hours of graduate course work and 15 credits for thesis research 20-ECES-889. Thesis/Dissertation Research must be performed under the supervision of a full-time faculty member of the ECE Department.

In order to be awarded the degree of Master of Science, the student must have at least a B average (GPA of 3. 0) for all graduate credits. In addition, at least 2/3 of the graduate credits of the above required course work necessary for the degree must be at a level of B or higher (B- counts as below B).

Program of Study and Courses

Table in appendix-1 of the graduate handbook summarizes the course requirements for each degree program offered by the department. Each student is admitted into a degree program and must satisfy the requirements of his/her degree program in order to graduate. Some rules that apply to programs of study for all degrees offered by the department are as follows:

Time Limit

Full-time and part-time students must complete all requirements for the M.S. degree no later than seven years from the date of first registration.

Formation of Thesis Committee

After a student has chosen his/her permanent research advisor as discussed under Section 5.2 of the graduate handbook, a thesis committee is appointed by the Graduate Program Director, in consultation with the permanent research advisor and the student. The M.S. Thesis committee is composed of a minimum of three full-time faculty members with professorial rank. The permanent research advisor will be the chairperson of the committee. At least two members of the M.S. thesis committee must be tenure track, full-time, teaching faculty members of the ECE Department with professorial rank. These two members of the committee cannot be adjunct, research, instructor, or joint appointment faculty with a major appointment in a Department other than ECE.

The major responsibility of the thesis committee is to evaluate the M.S. thesis written by the student and to approve or disapprove the final defense of the M.S. thesis. Other responsibilities include assisting the student in developing the student's program of study and assisting in the advising of thesis work, if requested by the thesis advisor and the student.

Thesis Submission, Defense and Acceptance

When the research is essentially completed to the satisfaction of the permanent research advisor, the student will prepare a final draft of the thesis. The student should give the advisor sufficient time to review the final draft of the thesis before scheduling the final defense of the thesis. After the advisor has reviewed the thesis, recommended changes have been made, and the advisor has approved the final text and form of the document, the student should prepare the thesis in the final form and submit thesis copies to his/her thesis committee for evaluation. Students are to obtain from the Division of Graduate Studies Office directions regarding thesis preparation before writing their thesis. A copy of the thesis should be in the hands of each member of the thesis committee at least one week before the final defense so that the committee members have ample time for a careful review before the defense. All the members of the thesis committee should be present at the final defense.

A final defense of the thesis is required of every student after he/she has fulfilled all other requirements of the M.S. program. The student, in consultation with his/her advisor, will schedule the thesis defense. The thesis advisor will instruct the student regarding specific materials, which must be presented at the defense. The defense is presented in an open and announced meeting presided over by the thesis advisor. It is publicized on a standard form obtained from the Graduate Program Coordinator and posted at least one week before the defense date. The student is allowed approximately 30 minutes for the oral presentation. The thesis presentation is important and should be well prepared. Visual aids are recommended for the presentation. Following the oral presentation, the thesis committee, other faculty, students, and any others are allowed to ask questions. After the question and discussion period is concluded, all those present other than the faculty members constituting the committee will be excused.

The student's M.S. thesis committee will make a decision forthwith by vote whether the student's defense has been successful at this time. A majority of the committee must concur in the final decision. If the student does not pass the thesis defense, then the thesis committee in consultation with the Graduate Program Director will decide upon a future course of action.

There may be changes and additions or deletions required in the thesis as a result of the defense. These must be made by the student and approved by the advisor. The final corrected version must be submitted in electronic form by the date theses are due. Two copies of the thesis must be bound permanently. For details see chapter 12 of the graduate handbook.

Master of Science GE-ACE Program

In concert with the General Electric (GE) Corporation the Department has established a special M.S. program entitled the Advanced Course in Engineering (GE-ACE) Program. This program awards advanced standing to GE employees admitted to this program who have successfully completed well defined, in-house programs of study at GE whose content has been approved by the Department's faculty. The student is awarded advanced standing with the number of credits as defined below. The student completes the remainder of his/her program of study for the M.S. degree by taking graduate courses from the ECE Department and other University Departments. Students who are subsequently dropped from this program after completing the in-house (GE) courses may no longer receive advanced standing credit in the Department for these GE in-house courses, but may remain enrolled in the M.S. degree program provided they maintain an adequate grade point average and make adequate progress towards the degree.

Admission of a student by General Electric to this program does not imply admission to this Department. Each student must apply individually and directly to the CS Department, following normal application procedures. Admission is considered on a case by case basis; the Department retains the right to refuse admission to any student whom it considers unacceptable, even though the student may have successfully passed the in-house GE courses and be in good standing with GE in the ACE program. Students will be informed in writing of their admission to the Department or rejection.

At the outset of his/her program of course work each student must submit and file a Program of Study approved both by GE and the Graduate Program Director. No specific courses are required, but the student's program of study must contain a concentration of at least 18 credits of course work in one of the Research Areas.

Subsequent changes in selected courses must be approved in advance by both parties (GE and CS; unapproved substitutions will result in unapproved courses not being applied towards the degree requirements. At the outset of his/her program of study, the student must specify in writing his/her selection of the thesis or project option. Where the project option is selected, the specific project to be undertaken must be agreed to in writing by the student, GE and the faculty member serving as the project advisor. It is the student's responsibility to secure these approvals.

The program requirements for the ACE program are specified below:

Part-time M.S. Program with Work-Related Project Option

The Department's faculty has approved a program of study for the Master of Science degree that allows the student to pursue the degree on a part-time basis. Since the Department offers only a limited number of graduate courses in the evening, prior to admission, the student must make arrangements with his/her employer to permit enrollment in Department courses scheduled during the day in order to pursue his/her program of study. To document the company's support, a letter of approval from the student's supervisor is required.

Admission to the program is open to qualified individuals with a B.S. degree in electrical or computer engineering or computer science. Applicants with a B.S. degree in a closely allied area may pursue graduate study after some additional preparation. Remedial course work to be taken is decided by the Graduate Program Director, in consultation with the Department Graduate Council. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average or 3.0 or the equivalent. The application process is identical to that for admission to the regular, full-time program except that the requirement for the GRE exam is waived.

The requirements for the M. S. degree are the same as those described previously with only a few exceptions. In lieu of the thesis, the student may elect a program of study with a larger course work requirement (45 credits) and satisfy the final experience requirement with a project related to the student's current employment responsibilities and for which the student enrolls in 20-CS-888, M.S. Project, and receives 6 credits. The total credit requirement for this option is 51 credits (45 credits course work plus 6 credits for project). At the conclusion of the project, a final report of thesis form and quality must be prepared and defended in an open, public defense before the student's thesis committee and approved by them. As in the thesis option no more than 12 credits outside the Department are allowed and no credits of 20-CS-880, Doctoral Dissertation Research, or 20-CS-889 Thesis/Dissertation Research are permitted.