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DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering

The Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering is designed to offer students the opportunity to prepare for leadership roles in careers with industry, government, or educational institutions. A thesis option is offered for students who want the opportunity to obtain some expertise in research. A nonthesis option is available for students who want a practical industrial applications-oriented degree.

Program Admission Requirements. In addition to the University-wide graduate admission requirements, admission decisions will be based on a combination of the following:

  • a satisfactory score, as specified by the Electrical Engineering Graduate Studies Committee, on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
  • a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an ABET-accredited institution of higher education or related field
  • a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours.

A student who does not qualify for unconditional admission may be admitted on a conditional basis as determined by the Electrical Engineering Graduate Studies Committee. Applicants with an electrical engineering background who wish to continue their education but do not intend to pursue the Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering are encouraged to seek admission as special graduate students.

Degree Requirements. The degree requirements for different options are as follows:

  1. The following five core courses form the basis for the program:

    EE 5123 Computer Architecture
    EE 5143 Linear Systems and Control
    EE 5153 Random Signals and Noise
    EE 5163 Digital Signal Processing
    EE 5183 Foundations of Communication Theory

  2. The requirements for each option, with minimum semester-credit-hour requirements and their distribution, are as follows:

    Thesis Option

    		Hours
    Core courses (any two) 9
    Additional graduate electrical engineering courses* 12
    Electives (may be courses from outside electrical engineering)* 6
    EE 6983 Master’s Thesis 6
       
    Minimum total semester credit hours required 30

     

    Nonthesis Option Hours

    Core courses (any three)

    		9
    Additional graduate electrical engineering courses* 15
    Electives (may be courses from outside electrical engineering)* 6
    EE 6963 Graduate Project 3
       
    Minimum total semester credit hours required 33
* Chosen with approval of the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Committee.

Degree plans must be consistent with the guidelines established by the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Committee. In addition to other University-wide requirements for the Master’s degree, candidates are required to pass a project and/or a thesis defense administered by the student’s advisory committee, chaired by a tenured or tenure-track graduate faculty member.

Master of Science Degree in Computer Engineering

The Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering is designed to offer students the opportunity to prepare for leadership roles in careers with industry, government, or educational institutions. Students enrolled in the M.S. degree program in Computer Engineering will have two different options to obtain their degree: (1) Thesis Option and (2) Nonthesis Option. A thesis option is offered for students who want the opportunity to obtain expertise in research and who may be interested in pursuing the doctoral degree in computer engineering or electrical engineering. A nonthesis option is offered for students who want a practical industrial applications-oriented degree.

Program Admission Requirements. In addition to the University-wide graduate admission requirements, admission decisions will be based on a combination of the following:

  • a satisfactory score, as specified by the Computer Engineering Graduate Studies Committee, on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
  • a bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering from an ABET-accredited institution of higher education or related field
  • a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate studies.

A student who does not qualify for unconditional admission may be admitted on a conditional basis as determined by the Computer Engineering Graduate Studies Committee. Applicants with an electrical or computer engineering background who wish to continue their education but do not intend to pursue the Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering are encouraged to seek admission as special graduate students.

Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree, excluding required coursework to remove admission deficiencies, is 30 for the thesis option and 33 for the nonthesis option.

  1. The courses are divided into three groups as follows:

    Group A. The following four core courses of this group form the basis for the program:

    EE 5103 Engineering Programming
    EE 5113 VLSI System Design
    EE 5123 Computer Architecture
    EE 5193 FPGA and HDL

    Group B. Additional computer engineering courses:

    CS 5103 Software Engineering
    EE 5223 Topics in Digital Design (may be repeated when topic varies)
    EE 5323 Topics in VLSI Design (may be repeated when topic varies)
    EE 5423 Topics in Computer Architecture (may be repeated when topic varies)
    EE 5453 Topics in Software Engineering (may be repeated when topic varies)

    Group C. Free elective courses:

    CS 5113 Computer Graphics
    CS 5233 Artificial Intelligence
    CS 5253 Expert Systems
    CS 5363 Programming Languages and Compilers
    CS 5523 Operating Systems
    CS 6103 Distributed Software Development
    EE 5163 Digital Signal Processing
    EE 5353 Topics in Multimedia Signal Processing: Computer Vision and Application
    EE 5353 Topics in Multimedia Signal Processing: Digital Image Processing
    EE 5463 Artificial Neural Networks
    EE 5583 Topics in Digital Communication: Digital Information Theory
    EE 5583 Topics in Digital Communication: Computer Communication Networks
    EE 6951-3 Independent Study
    EE 6971-3 Special Problems

  2. The requirements for each option, with minimum semester-credit-hour requirements and their distribution, are as follows:

    Thesis Option

    		Hours
    Core courses (any two from Group A) 6
    Additional computer engineering engineering courses from Group A or B* 12
    Electives courses from Group A or B or C* 6
    EE 6983 Master’s Thesis 6
       
    Minimum total semester credit hours required 30

     

    Nonthesis Option Hours

    Core courses (any two courses from Group A)

    		6
    Additional computer engineering courses from Group A or B* 18
    Electives courses from Group A or B or C* 9
       
    Minimum total semester credit hours required 33

    *Chosen with approval of the Computer Engineering Graduate Program Committee.

Degree plans must be consistent with the guidelines established by the Computer Engineering Graduate Program Committee.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers advanced coursework integrated with research leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Electrical Engineering. The program has emphases in Signals and Systems (communications, signal processing, digital systems, and control). The Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering will be awarded to candidates who have displayed an in-depth understanding of the subject matter and demonstrated the ability to make an original contribution to knowledge in their field of specialty.

The regulations for this degree comply with the general University regulations (refer to Chapter 3, General Academic Regulations, and Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations).

Admission Requirements. The minimum requirements for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering degree program are as follows:

  • Normally, a student must hold a master’s degree before being granted admission to the program. Some exceptionally talented students may enter the Doctor of Philosophy program directly upon receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, with the special approval of the Electrical Engineering Doctoral Studies Committee.
  • Applicants without a master’s degree program must have a grade point average of 3.3 or better in the last 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate coursework in electrical engineering.
  • Applicants with a master’s degree must have a grade point average of 3.3 or better in their master’s degree program. Applicants with a master’s degree in electrical engineering or in a related field may apply a maximum of 30 semester credit hours of previously earned graduate credit toward their doctoral degree. Each student’s transcript will be evaluated by the Doctoral Studies Committee and credit will be designated on a course-by-course basis to satisfy the formal coursework requirements of the degree. A maximum of 6 semester credit hours credit may be awarded for a master’s thesis.
  • A satisfactory score, as evaluated by the Doctoral Studies Committee for Electrical Engineering, is required on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). If an applicant’s performance on the GRE is used for that purpose, it will be considered with other criteria when making an admissions or competitive scholarship decision and will not be used as the sole criterion for consideration of the applicant or as the primary criterion to end consideration of the applicant. Students whose native language is not English must achieve a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL; paper version).
  • Letters of recommendation, preferably three, attesting to the applicant’s readiness for doctoral study.

A complete application includes the application form, official transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, a résumé, a statement of research experience, interests and goals, and the TOEFL score for those applicants whose native language is not English. Admission is competitive. Satisfying these requirements does not guarantee admission.

Degree Requirements and Program of Study. Typical doctoral studies will consist of 90 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree or 60 hours beyond the master’s degree. Undergraduate courses, general education courses, and prerequisites for graduate courses cannot be counted toward this total. The hours are divided as follows:

  1. 9 semester credit hours of Required Courses selected from the following:

    EE 5123 Computer Architecture
    EE 5143 Linear Systems and Control
    EE 5153 Random Signals and Noise
    EE 5163 Digital Signal Processing
    EE 5183 Foundations of Communication Theory

  2. 24 semester credit hours of Prescribed Elective Courses selected from the following:

    EE 5103 Engineering Programming
    EE 5113 VLSI System Design
    EE 5193 FPGA and HDL
    EE 5223 Topics in Digital Design
    EE 5243 Topics in Systems and Control
    EE 5263 Topics in Digital Signal Processing and Digital Filtering
    EE 5283 Topics in Communication Systems
    EE 5293 Topics in Microelectronics
    EE 5323 Topics in VLSI Design
    EE 5343 Intelligent Control and Robotics
    EE 5353 Topics in Multimedia Signal Processing
    EE 5373 Wireless Communication
    EE 5393 Solid State Microfabrication Technology
    EE 5423 Topics in Computer Architecture
    EE 5443 Discrete-Time Control Theory and Design
    EE 5453 Topics in Software Engineering
    EE 5463 Artificial Neural Networks
    EE 5473 Fiber Optic Communication
    EE 5493 Topics in MEMS
    EE 5583 Topics in Digital Communication
    EE 6323 Advanced Topics in Computers
    EE 6343 Advanced Topics in Systems and Control
    EE 6363 Advanced Topics in Signal Processing
    EE 6383 Advanced Topics in Communications
    EE 6951-3 Independent Study
    EE 6971-3 Special Problems
    EE 7423 VLSI for Signal Processing
    EE 7443 Nonlinear Control Systems
    EE 7463 Pattern Analysis and Machine Vision
    EE 7483 Communication Networks

  3. 21 semester credit hours of Free Electives:

    Students may select free electives from the courses listed above, and from approved graduate courses in mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, and other engineering disciplines. At least two courses must be from outside of Electrical Engineering. Sample courses in related fields are listed below:

    CS 6513 Advanced Architecture
    CS 6643 Parallel Processing
    EGR 5093 Special Topics in Engineering Analysis
    MAT 5293 Numerical Linear Algebra
    MAT 5313 Algebra II
    MAT 5403 Functional Analysis I
    ME 5143 Advanced Dynamics
    STA 5103 Applied Statistics
    STA 5253 Applied Time Series Analysis
    STA 5513 Mathematical Statistics II

  4. Electrical Engineering Research (18 hours):

    EE 6983 Master’s Thesis
    EE 6991 Research Seminar
    EE 7953 Doctoral Research

    Doctoral Dissertation (18 hours):

    EE 7993-6 Doctoral Dissertation

The entire program of study must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor, dissertation committee, and doctoral studies committee and must be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School for final approval. The courses are intended to focus and support the individual’s mastery of his or her particular area of expertise.

Advancement to Candidacy. All students seeking a doctoral degree at UTSA must be admitted to candidacy. One of the requirements for admission to candidacy is passing a doctoral qualifying examination. Students should consult the University’s Doctoral Degree Regulations (Chapter 6 in this catalog) for other requirements.

Qualifying Examination. The qualifying examination is divided into written and oral portions.

Written Portion of the Qualifying Examination. Prior to taking the written examination, the student must have a Program of Study on file. The written portion of the Doctoral Qualifying Examination is scheduled near the end of the Fall and Spring Semesters. Students wishing to take the examination must submit their request in writing to the Doctoral Advisor of Record by the fourth week of the semester during which they intend to take the examination. Normally, the written examination is taken in the Fall Semester of the student’s second year. Students who fail their first attempt at the written examination are allowed to make a second attempt on the next written examination. No more than two attempts to pass the written examination are permitted.

Students must select and pass three examinations from the five areas corresponding to the five core courses in the graduate program. One of the three examinations must be from the area of specialization declared on the student’s Program of Study.

Oral Portion of the Qualifying Examination. The oral examination must be taken within one year after passing the written portion of the qualifying examination. No more than two attempts to pass the oral examination are permitted.

A four-member Oral Examination Committee, chaired by the student’s Supervising Professor, conducts the oral examination. A written dissertation proposal should be submitted to the student’s Oral Examination Committee at least two weeks before the oral presentation. The format of the oral examination consists of a public presentation of the student’s dissertation proposal, followed by a period of questioning by the Committee based on the proposal and on relevant background from the student’s Program of Study. Unanimous approval of the Oral Examination Committee is required to pass the oral examination. After the student passes both the written and oral portions of the Doctoral Qualifying Examination, he or she is admitted to candidacy. Admission into the Doctoral program does not guarantee advancement to candidacy.

Final Oral Dissertation Defense. After admission to candidacy, the next steps are writing the dissertation and passing the final oral defense. The final oral defense is administered and evaluated by the student’s Dissertation Committee and covers the dissertation and the general field of the dissertation. The final oral defense consists of a public presentation of the dissertation, followed by a closed oral defense. The Dissertation Committee must unanimously approve the dissertation.

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