Electrical & Computer Engineering Graduate Program

MSEE students can choose one of three tracks: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Systems Engineering. Within each track, three study options are available: Thesis, Project, or Course. The Thesis option requires writing a medium-length technical report counting as 6 credit hours. This thesis is generally a contribution to original engineering research on a topic of great relevance to the current state-of-art in Electrical or Computer Engineering. The Project option requires writing a shorter technical project report counting as 3 credit hours, usually heavily oriented toward Electrical or Computer Engineering applications. Finally, the Course option includes no project work. All options require a total of 30 credit hours. More information is available here.

• Regular Admission
  1. A B.S. degree in electrical or computer engineering or closely related field is required.
  2. A grade-point average of 3.0 or greater (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work is required. This can be relaxed depending on the academic background and experience of the applicant.
  3. A minimum score of 151 in the quantitative section and a minimum score of 141 in the verbal section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. These requirements may be relaxed slightly depending upon special individual circumstances evaluated holistically. GRE scores are not required for ECE students who have graduated from the University of South Alabama.
  4. For International students whose native language is not English, a minimum score of 550 on the written Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or a minimum score of 79 on the Internet-based TOEFL exam, or a minimum score of Band 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, is required (or other English language test results may be considered).
• Provisional Admission
  1. A B.S. degree in electrical or computer engineering, or in a field acceptable to the departmental Graduate Admissions Committee, is required. Depending on the student's background, additional undergraduate preparatory courses may be required. These courses will not count toward the MS degree.
  2. A minimum grade-point average of 2.5 (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work, including a minimum grade-point average of 2.5 over the last 64 course hours of undergraduate work is required. Alternatively, a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 over the last 64 course hours of undergraduate work is required.
  3. A minimum GRE combined score greater than or equal to 283 (Verbal + Quantitative) is required. GRE scores are not required for ECE students who have graduated from the University of South Alabama.
  4. For International students whose native language is not English, a minimum score of 525 on the written Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or a minimum score of 71 on the Internet-based TOEFL exam, or a minimum score of Band 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, is required (or other English language test results may be considered).

Admission may be granted in special cases where a holistic evaluation of the applicant’s credentials is appropriate.

The requirements of each of the study options are as follows:

• Thesis Option (30 credit hours)
  
  • 9 credit hours selected from core courses of chosen track
  • 15 credit hours selected from other EE Graduate-level courses;¹ up to 6 credit hours of these may optionally be substituted by Other Discipline courses
  • Responsible Conduct of Research training from CITI Program
  • 6 credit hours Thesis EE 599 & EE 599
  • Successful oral defense of Thesis

   

• Project Option (30 credit hours)
  
  • 9 credit hours selected from core courses of chosen track
  • 18 credit hours selected from other EE Graduate-level courses;¹ up to 6 credit hours of these may optionally be substituted by Other Discipline courses
  • Responsible Conduct of Research training from CITI Program
  • 3 credit hours Project EE 594
  • Successful oral defense of Project Report

   

• Course Option (30 credit hours)
  
  • 9 credit hours selected from core courses of chosen track
  • 21 credit hours selected from other EE Graduate-level courses;¹ up to 6 credit hours of these may optionally be substituted by Other Discipline courses
  • Responsible Conduct of Research training from CITI Program (required by all MSEE students)

¹ Excluding courses selected from chosen track core.

Core courses for each track:

Electrical Engineering track core courses:
EE 526 – Introduction to Robotics
EE 530 – Nanotechnology
EE 534 – VLSI Design Systems
EE 566 – Digital Image Processing
EE 568 – Pattern Recognition
EE 575 – Stochastic Processes

Computer Engineering track core courses:
EE 526 – Introduction to Robotics
EE 534 – VLSI Design Systems
EE 546 – Neural Networks
EE 548 – Computer and Network Security
EE 560 – Advanced Computer Architecture
EE 568 – Pattern Recognition

Systems Engineering track core courses:
EE 526 – Introduction to Robotics
EE 530 – Nanotechnology
EE 575 – Stochastic Processes
SE 601 – Systems Engineering Fundamentals
SE 602 – Risk and Failure Analysis

Other Discipline courses:

BME 567 – Principles of Biomedical Eng
CIS 535 – Digital Forensic Analysis
CSC 513 – Computer Graphics
CSC 514 – Modeling and Simulation
CSC 516 – AI Theory and Programming
CSC 517 – Computer Game Development
CSC 522 – Performance Eval of Algorithms
CSC 526 – Data Mining
CSC 533 – Adv AI Theory and Programming
ME 538 – Finite Element Analysis
MA 537 – Complex Analysis
MA 565 – Numerical Analysis
MA 567 – Operations Research
MA 571 – Ordinary Diff Equations
MA 572 – Partial Differential Equations
MA 581 – Cryptography

Study for the PhD degree centers upon extended interdisciplinary research in engineering, requiring at least 67 credit hours after the Bachelor’s degree, including at least 19 credit hours of dissertation research over several years. A typical PhD dissertation might cover improving an engineering process, using systems engineering principles in a new engineering application, designing a new device, improving reliability, or other advanced topics at the cutting-edge of current engineering practice.

The Systems Engineering PhD (ECE Track) offers students a holistic approach to the design and understanding of complex electrical, electronic or computer systems. Graduates of this track can apply the fundamental principles of Systems Engineering complemented by advanced knowledge of Electrical and Computer Engineering to a variety of scientific areas, such as power, control, electronics, electromagnetics, image processing, computer networks and advanced computer architecture with an application focus. The main objectives of this PhD program are to 1) provide our graduates with the ability to approach electrical or computer engineering with the ability to understand the entire system lifecycle in a manner that meets the needs of industry, and 2) prepare our graduates for leadership positions requiring applied research, strong theoretical background and critical thinking.

This program is appropriate for students who want to pursue research-based careers in industry, government, or academia. The program requires a combination of systems and electrical/computer engineering coursework along with ECE research resulting in a publicly defended doctoral dissertation.

Prospective students are encouraged first to e-mail the Department’s Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Saeed Latif, at slatif@southalabama.edu or telephone (251) 460-6998.

More information about Systems Engineering

Admissions Requirements for the Systems Engineering PhD

Systems Engineering PhD program Curriculum

Students may pursue a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Basic Medical Sciences. This program is offered under a collaboration between faculty of the USA College of Engineering and faculty of the USA College of Medicine. The program combines an interdisciplinary core curriculum with advanced coursework and research in biomedical engineering. Students must meet requirements established for the Basic Medical Sciences graduate program in the College of Medicine.

Prospective students are encouraged first to contact Dr. Silas Leavesley (leavesley@southalabama.edu), Director, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, to discuss the program that best fits their intended career path.

PDF summarizing Biomedical Engineering track of PhD in Basic Medical Sciences

Overview of Biomedical Engineering track of PhD in Basic Medical Sciences

Details of Biomedical Engineering track of PhD in Basic Medical Sciences