MS Degree

Thesis (Plan I) OR Comprehensive Exam (Plan II)

Students must select a plan of study

Thesis (Plan I)

Thesis

A master's thesis is patterned after a Ph.D. dissertation but on a scaled-down level of originality and length. A public seminar presentation is not required for thesis defense.

Examples of projects suitable for MS thesis:

• advanced design project, either analytical or experimental
• an experimental or theoretical contribution to a research problem currently investigated within the department
• critical evaluation of the state-of-the-art of a current research area, going beyond mere literature compilation
• critical theoretical analysis or a preliminary experimental study intended as a feasibility study or
  precursor laying the groundwork for more advanced PhD-level research

Thesis Advisor / Thesis Committee:

The thesis advisor supervises the thesis and the thesis committee approves it. The student selects a committee that consists of three ladder faculty of which two must be from the ECE Department and one of the committee members will serve as the thesis advisor (committee chair). At the department's discretion, a non-ladder faculty member may serve as a fourth committee member. The committee is then approved by the thesis advisor, departmental graduate advisor, and graduate dean.

The thesis is typed in draft form for the committee and after the committee's approval, it is written in the Graduate Division's required dissertation format.

Comprehensive Exam (Plan II)

Comprehensive Exam

The exam is administered by a committee of three ladder faculty members selected by the student called the Examination Committee for the Degree of Master of Science. The formation of the MS Comprehensive Exam Committee follows the same procedure as the formation of the MS Thesis Committee (see above).

The student must pass the exam before the end of the quarter in which they plan to officially graduate. If a student fails the comprehensive examination on the first try, the decision to allow a second try is at the discretion of the Examination Committee.

The different Program Areas (CE, CCSP, and EP) have slightly different formats for the exam.

MS Course Requirements

Each of the three program areas have specific course requirements for the MS degree. For detailed course listings refer to the year of entrance Graduate Student Survival Manual.

Communications, Control & Signal Processing (CCSP)

CCSP Requirements

Communications & Signal Processing

• ECE 235 is required for those doing the major in Communications or Signal Processing
• Plus four courses from the list of classes within each area
• If minoring in either area, must take three courses from the list of classes
• If minoring in an area outside of Communications and Signal Processing, only two courses are required for the minor

Controls*

• ECE 230A is required for those doing the major in Controls
• Plus three courses from the list of classes within the Controls area

Computer Engineering

CE Requirements

Computer Engineering

• Major must be taken in one of these three areas: Very Large Scale Integration and Computer Aided Design; Computer Networks and Distributed Systems; or Computer Architecture
• Four graduate (200) level courses in one of three major areas
• Two graduate (200) level courses in one of the remaining seven areas as minor, i.e. other than the chosen major area

Electronics & Photonics

E&P Requirements

Electronics & Photonics

• Graduate degree courses can be grouped into sequences such as Technology, Electromagnetics, Device Physics & Quantum Mechanics, Electronic Materials, Electronics, Optics & Optoelectronics
• Graduate students are encouraged to participate in directed research (ECE 596) projects
• Must take a minimum of six graduate courses in Electronics & Photonics (not including ECE 596)