Admission to a Master's Degree Program in ECE

The two Master's Degree options in ECE all require a minimum of 45 quarter credits:

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE (with Thesis)

• 24 quarter credits of approved ECE lecture graduate courses,
• 9-12 credits approved graduate level electives,
• 3 credits ECE graduate seminar or approved equivalent, and
• 6-9 credits thesis.

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE (with Final Comprehensive) - PENDING

• 32 quarter credits of approved ECE graduate lecture courses,
• 10 credits approved graduate level electives,
• 3 credits ECE graduate seminar or approved equivalent,
• Must pass comprehensive exam covering at least three distinct ECE topics identified within the ECE Technical Area List
• Note: this new option is awaiting final PSU Faculty Senate approval, scheduled for Fall 2008.

MASTER OF ENGINEERING

• 32 quarter credits of approved ECE graduate lecture courses,
• 12 credits approved graduate level electives,
• 1 credit ECE graduate seminar or approved equivalent

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B.S. IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING OR COMPUTER ENGINEERING

• An applicant with a Bachelor’s of Science (B.S.) in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering from an ABET accredited engineering program is not required to provide GRE examination scores.
• An applicant with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering from a non-ABET accredited engineering program is required to provide GRE examination scores for admission to the Master of Science (M.S.) program but not for the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program.
• An applicant with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher in all junior and senior level undergraduate technical courses is eligible for regular graduate admission consideration.
• An applicant with a B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering and a GPA below 3.00 but higher than 2.75 in upper division technical coursework is eligible for conditional graduate admission consideration. If admitted, then upon completion of three approved ECE graduate lecture courses, with grades of B or higher in each course, the student’s status will be converted from conditional to regular admission. Note: graduate classes completed during conditional admission count toward the degree requirements.
• A potential applicant with a B.S. in Electrical or Computer Engineering and a GPA less than 2.75 in upper-level undergraduate technical classes is advised to make an appointment with an ECE Advisor prior to formally applying for graduate admission. The purpose of the advising is to identify any deficiencies in undergraduate coursework and subsequently develop a plan to increase the likelihood of success in graduate classes and admission to the graduate program. Generally a specified group of PSU undergraduate ECE classes will be indentified. One may then demonstrate competency in the specified classes by either taking each class or by doing a “Credit-by Exam” for each class and getting a grade of B or better in each class. (Note: the mechanism for “Credit-by Exam” is described in the PSU Bulletin. Basically, a testing fee of approximately $10/credit hour is assessed and arrangements are made with the professor teaching the class). If successful in addressing deficiencies, then applicant may take graduate classes. Upon completion of three approved ECE graduate lecture courses, with grades of B or higher in each course, the student will be considered for regular graduate admission. Note: graduate classes completed before admission are counted toward degree requirements.

B.S. OR B.A. NOT IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING OR COMPUTER ENGINEERING

• A potential applicant with a B.S. or B.A. in fields such as Biology, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and others are advised to make an appointment with an ECE Advisor prior to formally applying for graduate admission. The purpose of the advising is to identify deficiencies in undergraduate coursework and subsequently provided a plan to increase the likelihood of admission to the graduate program. Generally a specified group of PSU undergraduate ECE classes will be indentified. One may then demonstrate competency in the specified classes by either taking each class or by doing a “Credit-by Exam” for each class and getting a grade of B or better in each class. (Note: the mechanism for “Credit-by Exam” is described in the PSU Bulletin. Basically, a testing fee of approximately $10/credit hour is assessed and arrangements are made with the professor teaching the class).  If successful in addressing deficiencies, then an applicant is eligible for conditional graduate admission consideration. If admitted, then upon completion of three approved ECE graduate lecture courses, with grades of B or higher in each course, the student’s status will be converted from conditional to regular admission. Note: graduate classes completed during conditional admission apply to the degree requirements.
• Note: GRE examination scores are required for admission to the Master of Science (M.S.) program but not for the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program.

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For additional information about the Master’s and Doctoral graduate programs in Electrical and Computer Engineering at PSU, please consult the Graduate Student Handbook at:

http://www.ece.pdx.edu/Graduate/ECE_Graduate_Handbook.pdf

To schedule an advising appointment to evaluate academic preparation, work credentials, and develop a personalized plan, then contact Doug Hall, Associate Professor in the ECE Department (dough@ece.pdx.edu).