MS in Electrical Engineering
Degree Requirements
To fulfill the requirements for the MS degree, the following course requirements are required:
- A candidate must complete 30 hours, including at least 12 hours of 8000-level graded course work (exclusive of ECE 8990 or ECE 8085 or ECE 8010 hours).
- At least six of these graded 8000 level course hours need to come from ECE.
- At least 15 hours of graded course work (total combination of 7000 and 8000 level courses, exclusive of ECE 8990, ECE 8085, or ECE 8010 hours) must be taken from the ECE course offerings.
- A maximum of six hours of graduate credit may be transferred from another campus in the University of Missouri System or other university, while a maximum of eight hours of graduate credit may be used from a previous MU master’s degree.
- At most, three hours of course work in supervised study (ECE 8010) may be taken during the MS program and they will be graded on an S/U basis.
- A minimum of 3 hours to a maximum of 6 hours of research (ECE 8990) or problems (ECE 8085) are required, based on whether the student writes a master’s thesis or a master’s Report.
- The student’s cumulative GPA must be at least 3.0 to graduate.
- The student must attend at least 10 seminars given by the EECS department during the course of study.
The requirements for the MS degree must be met within an eight year period. Each candidate must pass a final oral examination to demonstrate mastery of the work included in the thesis or in a substantial independent project.
Accelerated BSEE in Electrical Engineering to MS in Electrical Engineering
An accelerated option is available for the BSEE in Electrical Engineering to MS in Electrical Engineering. Refer to the Graduate School’s webpage on Accelerated Programs for more information. For general information on how accelerated options work at MU, and for guidance on participation, refer to Accelerated Options in the catalog.
Academic Probation
A student whose GPA drops below 3.0 is automatically placed on academic probation. In such a case, the student has one semester to raise his or her cumulative GPA to 3.0. Failure to do so will result in expulsion from the program. Additionally, a student who receives the grade of “C” in 9 hours of coursework will be expelled. As with acceptance, students here also have a right to the same formal appeal process described above.
Selection of an Advisor
Students must choose an academic advisor who will then provide guidance for the selection of coursework, and in the choice and execution of a research question. The student’s academic advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies must approve all coursework used to satisfy the credit hour requirements for this degree. After performing satisfactorily for a minimum of one semester, the student, with the advisor’s assistance, completes the Program of Study form that outlines the plan of study for the student’s graduate program. M1 - Program of Study form
The form is forwarded through the DGS to the Graduate School for approval. In the event that an advisor retires or leaves MU, he/she may continue to serve as the student’s main advisor unless there is written academic program policy prohibiting such an arrangement. If an advisor is unable or unwilling to continue to serve, the academic program, with the leadership of the DGS, will assist the student to ensure that a replacement is found.
The Program of Study form must be filed with the Graduate School by the end of the student’s second semester of enrollment. Upon approval of the program by the Graduate School, the student is a candidate for the degree. If changes must be made on a student’s Program of Study form, a Program of Study Substitution form is used.
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Thesis/Non-Thesis Requirements
Thesis Option
For students under the thesis option of the MS degree, i.e., students enrolling for ECE 8990, an M-2 Request for Thesis Committee form is required to be submitted for approval by the department DGS and the Graduate School by the end of the student’s second semester.
A thesis committee is composed of three members of the MU faculty: a major advisor from the academic program, a second reader from the academic program, and an outside reader who is a member of the graduate faculty from a different MU graduate program. Upon approval of the department DGS, the student may petition the Graduate School to allow a person who is not a member of the MU graduate faculty to serve as the third reader. The petition should include a written justification for such a request and a copy of the person’s curriculum vitae. The Graduate School maintains copies of curriculum vitae previously received and approved, and if such a request is anticipated, the student should contact the Graduate School to see if the curriculum vita of a particular person is already on file. Students need to supply committee members with copies for review/evaluation and an iThenticate report at least one week prior to the defense date.
Information about submitting the thesis can be found in the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines.
Non-Thesis Option
For students who enroll in ECE 8085 (Problems), a problem report rather than a thesis is required. The student is not required to submit the M-2 form (request for a thesis committee). Instead, the student must have the report approved by his or her advisor and two other members of the graduate faculty, forming the student’s Problem Committee. It is not required that a member outside of EECS be included, although it is permissible for such a member of the MU graduate faculty to be appointed. At least one of the three members must have a primary academic appointment in EECS. Students need to supply committee members with copies for review/evaluation, along with an iThenticate report at least one week prior to the M-3 due date. The student must review the evaluation from the faculty committee, and make any needed adjustments in format and corrections/clarifications based on input from the committee prior to submission of the M-3 form
Report of the Master’s Examining Committee
The purpose of the M-3 Report of the Master’s Examining Committee Form is to have an official record of the final examining process, whether it is a thesis defense or evaluation of a report. The student’s committee will indicate on this form if the student has passed the final exam. This form must be submitted to the Graduate School by a deadline for the semester in which the students plan to graduate. The form is due in the Graduate School two weeks prior to graduation.