ELEG:MS - Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

See the list of concentration areas to choose from for selection of the courses in the Program Requirements section above for the MS Degree in Electrical Engineering.

Admission Requirements for the Master of Science (MS) in Electrical Engineering

The following are in addition to the University’s graduate admission requirements:

(1) A student seeking admission into the program must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, physical sciences, computer science or mathematics from an accredited institution, or, in the case of foreign students, from an institution comparable or equivalent to US degree for further study at the graduate-level, or, a bachelor’s degree in a related and a minimum of one year of work experience in the broad areas of electrical engineering and/or technology.

(2) An applicant must have a GPA score of at least 3.0/4.0 in either the overall undergraduate degree or the last 60 credit hours.

(3) Applicants who have not satisfied the above score may be evaluated for conditional admission.

(4) International applicants whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate English language proficiency through one of the following:

(a) 80 on the iBT TOEFL (equivalent to 550 on the paper-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language);

(b) 6.5 overall on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS);

(c) 53 Pearson Test of English - Academic;

(d) Cambridge English – Advanced;

(e) An undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English.

In lieu of the above requirement a student may opt for (a) or (b) below along with an additional method of direct assessment of English language acquisition of an interview or proctored video-taped session.

--Successful completion of University level English courses from an accredited institution (e.g. ENC 1101, ENC 1102 or other equivalent courses with a letter grade of “B” or higher) that prepare applicants to be proficient in English.

OR

--English Language Institute Level Six: successful completion with passing grades for all content areas;

Plus, one of the following additional methods of assessment:

--Interview (in person when possible or via videoconference) with admissions committee.

--Proctored video-taped responses to questions from the admissions committee.

(5) Applicants from science areas other than electrical or computer engineering will be expected to complete sufficient background material at the undergraduate level prior to unconditional acceptance into the graduate program.

Thesis Option

A student must complete 24 semester credit hours of technical course work plus 6 semester credit hours of course. The candidate’s Thesis committee shall approve an appropriate thesis topic.

The course requirements include a minimum of 12 hours of 6000 level course credit and a minimum of 9 hours at the 5000-6000 level in Electrical Engineering.

Upon the successful completion of all course work, including thesis work, and after the determination by the student’s thesis advisor that he or she has completed the objectives of the thesis research, the student must pass a final oral examination which is primarily a defense of the thesis research.

The courses are chosen by mutual agreement between the student and the thesis advisor.

Admissions Requirements for the Combined Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electrical Engineering to MS in Electrical Engineering Accelerated Degree Pathway

To be considered for admission to the combined bachelor's/master's degree pathway, students must have completed at least 75 credits required for the bachelor's degree program at FIU, have earned at least a 3.2 GPA on both overall and upper-division courses, and meet the admissions criteria for the graduate degree program to which they are applying. Students need only apply once to the combined degree pathway; the application is submitted to Graduate Admissions typically before the student starts the last 30 credits of the bachelor's degree program.

Non-Thesis Option

 Students may choose the non-thesis option for their master’s degree. The degree requirements differ from the thesis option in one aspect. The student must either:

(1) Complete 27 credits of coursework approved by the student’s advisor and successfully finish course with at least a ‘B’.

OR

(2) Complete 30 credits of coursework approved by the Graduate Program Director.

Students choosing the non-thesis option must take:

(1) Six semester credit hours at the 5000+ level in mathematics. The list of approved choices is below.

(2) Twelve semester credit hours in graduate-level Electrical Engineering approved courses from at least two areas of interest, at least six credit hours from each of these two areas of interest.

(3) The remaining electives can be chosen from 5000+ level graduate courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines based upon student’s approved plan of study determined by the student and their academic advisor based on student’s career objectives.

Additional Program Information

Any course taken without the proper prerequisites and corequisites will be dropped automatically before the end of the term, resulting in a grade of “DR” or “DF”.

Students may select elective courses from other Departments in College of Engineering and Computing (up to 9 credit hours) with the approval of the Graduate Program Director or the thesis advisor. No more than six (6) credit hours of Special Topics can count toward degree requirement.

Students, who are dismissed from the University due to low grades, may appeal to the Dean for reinstatement. A second dismissal results in no possibility of reinstatement. Any exception to the program requires the department’s approval.

Graduation Requirements

The degree will be conferred when the following conditions have been met:

(1) Recommendation of the advisor and faculty of the Department.

(2) Certification by the Dean of the College that all requirements of the degree being sought have been completed including a minimum of 30 credits.

(3) A GPA of at least 3.0 has been earned for non-elective courses required by the program.

(4) Met the undergraduate deficiencies, if any existed in the student’s graduate program, as additional courses toward the degree.

(5) Completed the required semester hours of graduate- level credit (not more than 6 graduate semester hours with a grade of “B” or higher can be transferred from other accredited institutions).

(6) Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0. No grade below “C” will be accepted in a graduate program. In the event that a student is placed on probationary status, the student must obtain a directed program from their advisor and approved by the Dean prior to continuing further course work toward the degree. The student must satisfy the directed course of action within the prescribed time limit; otherwise the student will be academically dismissed.

(7) Complied with all University policies and regulations.

Other Curricular Offering: Combined BS in Electrical Engineering to MS in Electrical Engineering Accelerated Degree Pathway

This five-year pathway seamlessly combines a baccalaureate degree in Electrical Engineering with the Master's in Electrical Engineering. A student admitted to the combined degree pathway will be considered to have undergraduate status until the student applies for graduation from their bachelor's degree program. Upon conferral of the bachelor's degree, the student will be granted graduate status and be eligible for graduate assistantships. Students enrolled in the pathway may count up to 9 hours of graduate-level courses (i.e., 5000 level or higher) as credits for both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. For each of the courses counted as credits for both BS and MS degree, a minimum grade of 'B' is required. Students enrolled in the pathway are encouraged to seek employment with a department faculty member to work as a student assistant on a sponsored research project.

There are no majors associated with this program.