Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electrical Engineering offers opportunities for study beyond the bachelor’s degree in several areas, including control systems, electromagnetics, antennas, and microwave circuits, electronic and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, power engineering, signal processing and communications systems, solid-state electronics, and arts, media, and engineering. Students may pursue degrees of Master of Science (MS), Master of Science in Engineering (MSE), Master of Engineering (MEng), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Opportunities at the master’s or doctoral level are offered to students whose goals are research, development, design, manufacturing, systems, engineering management, teaching, or other professional activities in electrical engineering or related disciplines.

Research participation in the Department of Electrical Engineering is available in a broad spectrum of subjects encompassing traditional as well as new specialities. Significant research activity exists in control systems, electromagnetics, antennas, and microwave circuits, electronic and mixed-signal circuit design, power engineering, signal processing and communication, solid-state electronics, and arts, media, and engineering. Engineering education, low-power electronics, power systems, solid-state electronics, and telecommunications have been selected for support as part of a program establishing excellence centers at ASU.

For a current list of the subjects available for research in the department, access the department’s Web site at fulton.asu.edu/~eee.

The faculty also participate in offering the interdisciplinary program leading to the PhD degree in the Science and Engineering of Materials; see Science and Engineering of Materials. The faculty also participate in the Master of Engineering program; see Engineering.

Admission.. See Admission to the Division of Graduate Studies. A student whose undergraduate degree is not based on an ABET-accredited program must submit scores on the Graduate Record Exam and must have earned the equivalent of a 3.50 GPA in the final two years of study.

For all graduate programs in electrical engineering, the deadline for spring admission is August 31, and the deadline for fall admission is January 31. For more information on programs, faculty, financial aid, and for admission forms, access the department’s Web site at fulton.asu.edu/~eee.

The PhD degree in Electrical Engineering is awarded based upon evidence of excellence in research leading to a scholarly dissertation that is a contribution to knowledge.

See Doctor of Philosophy, for general requirements.

Program of Study.. The official program of study must be filed no later than the semester before all degree requirements are met.

Foreign Language Requirements.. None.

Qualifying Examination. Every student must pass a qualifying examination consisting of a short research paper and an oral presentation of the research. The examination must take place before the end of the second semester in attendance at ASU.

Comprehensive Examinations.. Written and oral comprehensive examinations are required before the student is admitted to candidacy. The examinations are administered by the supervisory committee.

Dissertation Requirements.. A dissertation based on original work demonstrating creativity in research and scholarly proficiency in the subject area is required.

Final Examination. A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.

See Master’s Degrees, for general information.

See Master of Science in Engineering, for information on the MSE degree.

A final written comprehensive exam is required for option two in this program. Most master’s degree students are admitted to the MSE program, option two. Those who are offered financial support or who are outstanding students showing research potential are admitted to the MS program. A tentative program of study must be filed during the first semester enrolled for classes.

The Electrical Engineering faculty offer the MS and PhD degrees with a concentration in arts, media, and engineering in collaboration with the Departments of Computer Science and Engineering, Dance, and Theatre and the Schools of Art and Music. For more information, see Arts, Media, and Engineering.

A wide selection of graduate-level electrical engineering courses are offered online. By taking classes over the Internet, students can complete all requirements for an MSE degree from off campus. Students in the MS and PhD programs can also utilize the online classes in their programs of study. The Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering Center for Professional Development provides support for the online classes. For more information about these programs, see Center for Professional Development, pages 169 and 193.