EE-PHD - Electrical Engineering

Admission Requirements

1. An M.S. degree in electrical engineering or in a closely related discipline from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association or completion of an international degree that is equivalent to a U.S. master’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing.

2. Excellent academic performance in all completed coursework, with a minimum GPA 3.000 on a 4.000 scale.

3. Submission of a complete application, including a statement of purpose, official transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate studies and payment of appropriate application fee.

4. Official GRE graduate school admission test quantitative score of 151 or greater (revised scale).

5. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the applicant’s potential success as a doctoral student.

6. Graduates from foreign countries are required to submit a notarized financial certification form. All international students whose native language is not English and who have not graduated from an American university must provide official proof of English proficiency before their applications may be considered for admission. Scores from TOEFL, IELTS and Duolingo will be accepted as long as they meet the minimum requirements specified by Lyle School of Engineering.

Direct Admission into the Ph.D. Program

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers direct admission to the Ph.D. program for highly qualified students having a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related degree. The combined minimum number of course and dissertation credits for the Ph.D. degree is 78 credits beyond the bachelor’s degree. A student admitted into this “fast-track” program must successfully complete a minimum of 36 credit hours of coursework and a minimum of 24 credit hours of dissertation with the total coursework and dissertation hours reaching a minimum of 78 credit hours. The expected program of study for most students in this track student would take 36 credits of course work plus 42 credits of dissertation.

Direct Admission Requirements

This direct admission to PhD program is open to exceptional students who, upon completion of their undergraduate degree, wish to pursue a Ph.D. degree in either Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering. To be considered for admission to this program, applicants must typically meet the following requirements:

1. An undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or related degree.
2. An undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher.
3. A GRE quantitative score of 85% or higher.
4. Strong letters of recommendation supporting the student’s direct admission to the Ph.D. program.
5. A statement from the applicant describing his/her motivation for pursuing the Ph.D. degree.

A direct admission student who earns a cumulative GPA of less than 3.5 or fails to pass the Research-based Qualifying Exam within the first year after admission will be suspended from the Ph.D. program and switched to the Master of Science program.