Electrical Engineering, MS

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers course work and thesis supervision leading to the degree Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE).

Courses at the graduate level are ordinarily taught at 8:00 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. to enable students from local industry to continue their studies.

Learning Outcomes

Be able to read, interpret, and critically assess literature in specialized fields of electrical engineering and to evaluate its impact on current issues on engineering and society.
Be able to write acceptable technical reports and other documentation.
Be able to give acceptable oral presentations of a technical nature.
Be able to apply basic and advanced knowledge in science, mathematics, and engineering disciplines to perform analysis and synthesis of engineering problems.

Admission Requirements

Guaranteed Early Admission

A student who is in his or her final semester studying toward either a BSEE or BSCpE at UCCS is guaranteed admission to the MSEE program if he or she satisfies the following criteria:

The student must have completed a maximum of 45 semester hours at UCCS at the time of graduation with the BS degree.
The student must be registered in his or her final undergraduate semester (in either the BSEE or BSCpE programs) at the time of application to the MSEE program.
The student must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.25.
The student must submit a letter of recommendation from the current department chairperson.

Early admission is not available to students who are not residents of the United States of America.

Fast-track Admission

The fast-track admission process is designed to offer a more efficient admission process to former undergraduate students who have graduated from UCCS no more than four years prior to the time of application to a graduate program. A student applying under the fast-track admission rules must submit the following to the Department:

The Fast-Track Admission application form, accurately and completely filled out
A completed residency form(back of application form), if the student claims in-state-tuition eligibility
A check or money order (for the appropriate amount) nonrefundable application fee
Official transcripts for any university level studies attempted after graduation from UCCS
A statement giving permission to the ECE graduate program office to obtain an internal transcript from SIS for the applicant. These forms are available from the ECE office, and must be signed by the student
A letter of recommendation (which may consist of a signed letter from the chairperson of the student’s former undergraduate department). Any student with a record that will only allow provisional admission must provide a minimum of two letters of recommendation, using the forms available from the ECE office.

Fast-track admission is only available to graduates of the College of EAS.

Regular Admission

Regular admission to the MSEE program requires the following:

A 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (GPA)
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) may be required of any student whose GPA falls below this average or is not a graduate of an ABET accredited undergraduate program in electrical engineering. The verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning portions of the GRE are required of all foreign applicants.

Graduates of foreign universities are required to take the TOEFL exam: A score of 550-600 on the paper-based exam or, 79 or 80 on the Internet-based exam is required.

Note that units completed before admission may not all be transferable into a graduate degree program.

Provisional Admission

Students not admitted on a regular basis may be admitted on a provisional basis depending on their overall application file, including GPA, GRE, letters of recommendation, etc. Students admitted on a provisional basis are often required to take remedial courses (these are specified in the letter of acceptance). Registration for such remedial courses must commence with the first semester of a student’s program with at least three credits completed per semester until all remedial requirements are satisfied.

Application Deadlines

Applications are reviewed on a continual basis, but need to be received by April 1 (fall admission) or October 1 (spring admission) for students who are applying for assistantships. It is recommended that international students apply at least three months prior to the start of the semester to allow time to request a visa.

For more information about these programs, contact the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Graduate Program, Engineering Bldg. Room 299, or call (719) 255-3548. Send e-mail to ecedept@eas.uccs.edu or see our Web page at eas.uccs.edu/ECE.

Duration of Program

The completion of the MSEE degree is normally accomplished in one to three years, and should be accomplished in six years, commencing with the beginning of course work. A student who is not continuously enrolled (missing three consecutive semesters) becomes inactive and is subject to them rules governing Readmission of Former Students outlined in the Graduate School procedures.

Course Requirements

Thesis Option

30 semester hours total; 24 semester hours of course work; 6 hours of thesis credit.
At least 18 semester hours must be ECE courses. The remaining 6 semester hours may be replaced by allied department courses (e.g., computer science, mathematics, physics, mechanical and aerospace engineering, etc.).
At most 6 semester hours may be independent study courses.

Non-Thesis Option

30 semester hours total; all 30 semester hours are course work.
At least 24 semester hours must be ECE courses.
The remaining 6 semester hours may be replaced by allied department courses (e.g., computer science, mathematics, physics, mechanical and aerospace engineering, etc.).
At most 6 semester hours may be independent study courses.
The student must choose an Advisory Committee with the same composition as a Thesis Committee; choose a subject for his/her Master’s Report that must be approved by his/her academic advisor; and make an oral presentation and submit a written report to the advisory committee. Both must be approved by the committee.

In Either Case:

Cross-listed courses which are offerecd at the 4000/5000 levels must be taken at the 5000 level. All course work must be numbered 5000 and above if ECE, or 4000 and above if non-ECE. Up to 9 semester hours of accepted course work may be transerred from another university (including other universities of the CU system) or from course work taken as an unclassified student.

Grades

The student must have an overall graduate GPA of 3.0 in order to graduate. The student must have a grade of C or better in all courses applied toward the MSEE degree.

Defined Master’s Option

The defined MSEE provides options leading toward a MSEE in two years by taking two courses per semester. This program has been designed for graduate students who work full-time. Most courses listed in the defined master’s are offered in the evening and will generally be scheduled after 4:30 p.m. See our Web page at http://eas.uccs.edu/ECE for current program options.