School of Engineering—Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Contact Information
- Department Chair: Patrick Loughlin
- Main Office: 348 Benedum Hall
- 412-624-8000
- Fax: 412-624-8003
- E-mail: loughlin@engr.pitt.edu
- www.engr.pitt.edu/electrical/index.html
Additional information concerning the department’s graduate program may be obtained from Sandy Weisberg, Graduate Program Administrator, 348 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; 412-624-8001; fax: 412-624-8003; e-mail: eedept@ee.pitt.edu.
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers a program
of graduate study and research for master’s and doctoral degree
students whose career choice is oriented toward
basic or applied research in industry, government,
or academic institutions. Degrees awarded are
the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering,
the Master of Science in Computer Engineering,
the Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering,
and the Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Engineering.
The MS and PhD in Computer Engineering are
jointly offered with the Department of Computer
Science. Joint programs are also offered with A&S (mathematics)
and the Katz Graduate School of Business (MBA).
Course work and faculty/student research in
the graduate electrical engineering program
are concentrated in the following six areas:
- Biomedical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Control
Electronics
Image Processing/Computer Vision
Signal Processing/Communications
Applicants for admission must submit transcripts of all college-level work, two letters of recommendation, and scores on the verbal, quantitative, and writing assessment-analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination. International applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit the TOEFL administered by the Educational Testing Service with a minimum score of 550 (paper-based test)/213 (computer-based test). For awards consideration, applications must be completed by February 1.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers graduate students support in a variety of ways. Many full-time students are supported by graduate research assistantships or teaching assistantships. There are also several fellowships available for highly qualified graduate students.
This is a program in which a student earns a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and a Master of Science degree in mathematics at the same time. Details are available from the graduate program coordinator of electrical engineering.
Graduate Regulations
In addition to the general regulations of the School of Engineering, the electrical and computer engineering department has the following requirements for its degrees.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science degree has both research and professional tracks. The research track provides the student the opportunity to work on a thesis (applied or basic in nature) under the close supervision of a faculty advisor. The minimum requirements for the research track are 24 credits of graduate course work and preparation and defense of a thesis on a topic in the student's primary area of interest. For the professional option, the minimum requirement is 30 credits of graduate course work.
Course selection for either the research or the professional tracks is developed by the student in consultation with the student's advisor and following guidelines set by the department. The course plan may include courses in and outside of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. A list of courses is available to MS students and can be found on the graduate Web site.
In addition to the graduate electrical engineering courses shown in the next section, MS students may take at most two of the following electrical engineering senior electives (the content of the 2000-level courses can be found in the undergraduate curriculum section under the corresponding 1000-level number):
- EE 2160 Embedded Computer System Design
-
- EE 2192 Introduction to VLSI Design
- EE 2232 Introduction to Lasers and Optical Electronics
- EE 2236 Electronic Design with Integrated Circuits
- EE 2238 Digital Electronics
- EE 2580 Biomedical Applications of Signal Processing
-
- EE 2769 Power Systems Analysis 1
Doctor of Philosophy
A student showing unusual proficiency in graduate course work and independent research will be recommended for doctoral study. The objective of the PhD program in electrical engineering is to attain a high degree of competence in one major field, as well as some understanding of a minor or cognate field. A minimum of 72 credits beyond the BS degree is required, including 18 credits of dissertation work. In addition to the general regulations, the department has specific requirements as described below:
PhD Preliminary Evaluation
This is an oral and written presentation on a subject mutually agreed upon by the student and the advisor in the field of the student's interest. The examination is to demonstrate the student's initiative and ability to do independent work.
Program Conference
During the first term of registration in the PhD program, the student must meet with a faculty committee and present a tentative program of study for its approval. The committee consists of the student's faculty advisor, who chairs the committee, and two other faculty members from the department.
PhD Comprehensive Examination
The purpose of this examination is to determine the student's competence in his or her major field of study and in a minor or cognate field. It consists of a six-hour written examination on four courses and is administered on the first Friday in October (fall term) and on the first Friday in February (spring term).
PhD Proposal Examination
In this examination, the student presents and defends a proposal for dissertation work to a doctoral committee consisting of at least five members, four of whom must be graduate faculty, with one from outside the electrical engineering department.
PhD Final Oral Examination
In this examination administered by the doctoral committee, the student defends the validity of the dissertation and the contributions that are made in the work. Results from the dissertation must be submitted to a refereed journal for publication.
Master of Science in Computer Engineering
It is not the intention that students will be admitted to the program as terminal MS students. Instead, this degree is designed as a "milepost" in the program of study for a student pursuing a PhD.
This degree requires at least 30 credits, and includes eight courses or project courses, and 6 thesis credits. These fall into the following categories:
Four core courses required (12 credits minimum)—Each student must complete at least one course chosen from each of the following three areas, and one additional course from any one of these areas.
Computer Architecture
CS/EE 2410 Computer Architecture
EE 2162 Computer Architecture
Software Systems
CS/EE 2210 Compiler Design
CS/EE 2510 Computer Operating Systems
CS/EE 2310 Software Engineering
Hardware Systems
EE 2160 Embedded Systems
EE 2192 Introduction to VLSI Design
EE 2120 Hardware Design Methodologies
Four courses (12 credits minimum) must be chosen from the list of CoE graduate courses, or from pre-approved CS or EE courses. One of these four courses may also be a research project course (2998).
Master's Thesis (6 credits): Each student must write and defend a master's thesis. The thesis should be an in-depth investigation of a research topic in computer engineering.
Doctor of Philosophy
The PhD degree in computer engineering requires at least 72 credits.
These credits must include the following categories:
Four core courses required (12 credits minimum). Each student must complete at least one course chosen from each of the following three areas, and one additional course from any one of these areas.
Computer Architecture
CS/EE 2410 Computer Architecture
EE 2162 Computer Architecture
Software Systems
CS/EE 2210 Compiler Design
CS/EE 2510 Computer Operating Systems
CS/EE 2310 Software Engineering
EE/EE 2186 Software Engineering
Hardware Systems
EE 2160 Embedded Systems
EE 2192 Introduction to VLSI Design
EE 2120 Hardware Design Methodologies
Nine courses (27 credits minimum) must be chosen from the list of CoE graduate courses, or from pre-approved CS or EE courses not cross-listed as CoE courses.
- Seven courses (21 credits minimum) are elective and may be CS, EE, or CoE courses, courses from other disciplines, or research project courses (2998).
- The specific program of study should be approved in advance by the Student's Research Committee (described below).
- Dissertation (12–18 credits)
Examinations: Each student must pass the following examinations:
- Preliminary Examination: This is an oral examination conducted by the Student's Research Committee. The Master of Science Thesis Oral Examination will satisfy the Preliminary Examination requirements.
- Comprehensive Examination: On completion of the core course work, each student must pass a written examination covering the three core areas listed above. A student will not be allowed more than two attempts at each exam.
- Dissertation Proposal: Students must present their plan for dissertation research to be approved by the Student's Research Committee. This is after the student has completed all other PhD requirements.
- Dissertation Defense: Student must orally defend their dissertation research to be approved by the Student's Research Committee.
Composition and Role of the Student's Research Committee
The Student's Research Committee will consist of a primary advisor and at least three graduate faculty members from the Computer Engineering Graduate Faculty. One additional graduate faculty member from outside of the CS and ECE areas will also serve on the committee.
The Student's Research Committee has two responsibilities: the approval of the program of study and the oversight of the dissertation research.
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