Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD)

PhD Degree

The PhD degree program is designed for individuals interested in fundamental research on novel aspects of electrical and computer engineering. The degree is intended for individuals planning to pursue academic research and/or industrial research and development careers. All students pursuing the PhD degree are initially entered in pre-candidacy. Formal entry into the PhD program, or candidacy, is granted following the successful completion of the PhD Qualifying Examination and approval of the student’s Research and Study Program.

The PhD is a research degree. Each PhD candidate must carry out a program of substantial original publishable research on a topic agreed upon by his/her committee and prepare a written dissertation. Candidates must also satisfy the following general requirements:

Candidates are required to complete one continuous academic year of full-time study as a residency requirement.
Candidates must complete the course requirements for the thesis master’s degree, or have been awarded a master’s degree in electrical or computer engineering or closely related field.
Candidates must take at least two foundation courses outside their area of concentration.
Candidates must take at least 9 credits of Doctoral Dissertation (ELEG 969 ).

A grade of B- or better is required for a course to count toward a degree requirement. A student who receives a grade less than B- must either take the course over to raise the grade, or take another course approved by his/her advisor to replace it in meeting the degree requirement.

Concentrations

Students in all Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate degree programs may elect to choose a concentration area of study. Concentrations are available in Computer Systems & Network Science, Signal Processing, Communications and Controls, Materials and Devices, Electromagnetics and Photonics, and Biomedical Engineering. Students selecting a concentration must meet the concentration requirements detailed below, in addition to meeting their general degree requirements. Concentrations are voluntary, and students selecting multidisciplinary or other specialized studies need not declare a concentration.

Concentration in Computer Systems

Students in the Computer Systems (CS) concentration focus on research and coursework in computer hardware, computer architecture, system software, high-performance computing, reliable computing, as well as emerging CS theories and applications.

Required Courses for Computer Systems:

A minimum of two courses from the following:

Concentration in Network Science

Students in the Network Science (NS) concentration focus on research and coursework in wired and mobile wireless networking, social networking, design and test of information management systems, data mining, as well as emerging NS theories and applications.

Required Courses for Network Science:

A minimum of two courses from the following:

Concentration in Signal Processing, Communications, and Controls

Students in the Signal Processing, Communications, and Controls (SPCC) concentration focus on research and coursework in multimedia signal processing, statistical and nonlinear signal processing, image processing, time-frequency analysis, wireless communications, information theory, coding, as well as emerging SPCC theories and applications. Students in the SPCC concentration must complete the following:

A minimum of two courses from the following:

Required courses:

ELEG 663 - Signal Processing & Communications Seminar (0cr.) (each semester)

Concentration in Materials and Devices

Students in the Materials and Devices (MD) concentration focus on research and coursework in solid-state physics, semiconductor growth, device fabrication, and electromagnetic measurement and characterization.

Required courses:

A minimum of two courses from the following:

Concentration in Electromagnetics and Photonics

Students in the Electromagnetics and Photonics (EP) concentration focus on research and coursework in optics and electromagnetics, optoelectronic, microwave, millimeter-wave and terahertz devices and systems, device fabrication, and electro-magnetic measurement and characterization.

Required courses:

A minimum of two courses from the following:

Concentration in Biomedical Engineering

Students in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) concentration focus on research and coursework on biomedical applications of signal and image processing, control systems, imaging systems and photonics. These include medical imaging, systems and computational biology, bioinformatics and remote and virtual surgery.