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2011–2013 Graduate Catalog

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. The program has emphases in five concentrations: Computer Engineering, Systems and Control, Digital Signal Processing, Communications, and Electronic Materials and Micro Devices. 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 evaluated 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 concentration core courses form the basis for the program:
   
   EE  5123   Computer Architecture (Computer Engineering)
   EE  5143   Linear Systems and Control (Systems and Control)
   EE  5163   Digital Signal Processing (Digital Signal Processing)
   EE  5183   Foundations of Communication Theory (Communications)
   EE  5693   Dielectric and Optoelectronic Devices (Electronic Materials and Micro Devices)
   
   
2. The requirements for each option, with minimum semester-credit-hour requirements and their distribution, are as follows:
   
   1. Thesis Option:

      The degree requires 30 semester credit hours including 24 technical course credits and 6 thesis credits identified as EE 6983 (Master’s Thesis). At least 6 credits, including 3 credits of a core course, must be taken from courses in the student’s concentration area. At least 3 credits of core courses must be taken outside the concentration area to satisfy the breadth requirement. No more than 4 credits of independent study should be included. Two (2) credit hours of EE 6991 (Research Seminar) are required. Up to 6 credits may be taken from other graduate courses including courses from outside electrical engineering with approval of the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Committee. A current list of ECE Graduate Courses by Area is available in the department office. The distribution of required courses is given below.

      
      

      Thesis Option	Hours
      At least two courses from student’s selected concentration	6
      At least one core course from outside the concentration	3
      Additional graduate electrical engineering courses (must include 2 credit hours of EE 6991 Research Seminar)	9
      Other Electives (may be courses from outside electrical engineering)*	6
      EE 6983 Master’s Thesis	6
      Minimum total semester credit hours required	30
      *Chosen with approval of the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Committee.

      
      
   2. Nonthesis Option:

      The degree requires 33 semester credit hours of technical course credits. At least 9 credits, including 3 credits of a core course, must be taken from one area to establish the student’s concentration. At least 6 credits of core courses must be taken outside the concentration area to satisfy the breadth requirement. No more than 2 credits of independent study should be included. One (1) credit hour of EE 6991 (Research Seminar) is required. Up to 6 credits may be taken from other graduate courses including courses from outside electrical engineering with approval of the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Committee. A current list of ECE Graduate Courses by Area is available in the department office. The distribution of required courses is given below.

      
      

      Nonthesis Option	Hours
      At least three courses from student’s selected concentration	9
      At least two core courses from outside the concentration	6
      Additional graduate electrical engineering courses (must include 1 credit hour of EE 6991 Research Seminar)	9
      Other electives (may be courses from outside electrical engineering)*	6
      EE 6943 Graduate Project	3
      Minimum total semester credit hours required	33
      *Chosen with approval of the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Committee.

The Electrical Engineering (EE) courses are divided into five concentrations as follows:

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.

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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 a 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 evaluated 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. Two (2) semester credit hours of EE 6991 (Research Seminar) are required for the thesis option. One (1) semester credit hour of EE 6991 (Research Seminar) is required 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  5163   Digital Signal Processing
   EE  5223   Topics in Digital Design (may be repeated when topic varies)
   EE  5293   Topics in Microelectronics (may be repeated when topic varies)
   EE  5323   Topics in VLSI Design (may be repeated when topic varies)
   EE  5353   Topics in Multimedia Signal Processing (only Topic 1 and Topic 2)
   EE  5423   Topics in Computer Architecture (may be repeated when topic varies)
   EE  5453   Topics in Software Engineering (may be repeated when topic varies)
   EE  6952   Independent Study (Topic must be computer engineering related. Needs approval from Computer Engineering Graduate Program Committee to be counted in Group B.)
   EE  6991   Research Seminar
   
   Group C. Free elective courses:
   
   Any graduate-level electrical engineering course
   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
   
   
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 courses from Group A or B* (must include 2 credit hours of EE 6991 Research Seminar)	12
   Elective 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* (must include 1 credit hour of EE 6991 Research Seminar)	15
   Elective courses from Group A or B or C*	9
   EE 6943 Graduate Project	3
   Minimum total semester credit hours required	33
   *Chosen with approval of the Computer Engineering Graduate Program Committee.

   
   

   Two (2) credit hours of EE 6991 (Research Seminar) are required for the thesis option. One (1) credit hour of EE 6991 (Research Seminar) is required for the nonthesis option.

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

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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 five concentrations: Computer Engineering, Systems and Control, Digital Signal Processing, Communications, and Electronic Materials and Micro Devices. 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 2, General Academic Regulations, and Chapter 5, 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 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. The degree requires 90 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree or 60 semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree, passing of qualifying written and oral examinations, passing of a final oral examination, and acceptance of the Ph.D. dissertation. A two-semester residency research period is required. The course requirements include 54 technical course credits, 18 research credits identified as EE 7951-3 (Doctoral Research) and 18 dissertation credits identified as EE 7991-6 (Doctoral Dissertation). At least two courses must be taken from courses in two of the five concentration areas outside of the student’s concentration, to complete the breadth requirement. No more than 6 credits of independent study should be included. One credit hour of EE 6971 (Special Problems) is required and up to three credit hours of EE 6971 or EE 6991 (Research Seminar)  can be included. Up to 21 credits may be taken from other graduate courses including at least two courses from outside electrical engineering with approval of the Electrical Engineering Graduate Program Committee. A current list of ECE Graduate Courses by Area is available in the department office.

In general, undergraduate courses, general education courses, and prerequisites for graduate courses cannot be counted toward the total semester credit hours.

The entire program of study must be approved by the student’s dissertation advisor, Dissertation Committee, and Graduate Program Committee prior to taking the Doctoral Qualifying Examination, 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 5 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 (listed below) in the graduate program. One of the three examinations must be from the area of specialization declared on the student’s Program of Study.

EE  5123   Computer Architecture (Computer Engineering)
EE  5143   Linear Systems and Control (Systems and Control)
EE  5163   Digital Signal Processing (Digital Signal Processing)
EE  5183   Foundations of Communication Theory (Communications)
EE  5693   Dielectric and Optoelectronic Devices (Electronic Materials and Micro Devices)

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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