Program Overview

Electrical and Computer Engineering, PhD

Overview

The PhD program in Electrical and Computer Engineering educates students to do original research on ECE topics and to become technical leaders in their fields. It has a strong and growing reputation, as graduates from the department have become professors at other universities and researchers in various industrial and government research centers. Students may choose a research emphasis in areas such as bioengineering, communications and networking, computer architecture and digital design, control and robotics, electronics, hardware security and cryptographic engineering, machine learning, mobile systems, space-based systems, and signal processing.

Admissions

All general Mason and specific College of Engineering and Computing admission requirements apply. Applicants must submit official transcripts, a resume, a goals statement, and three letters of recommendation. Official GRE General Test results are not required for admission but should be submitted by students who consider applying for certain research fellowships.

For internationally educated applicants, a satisfactory score on any of the English proficiency examinations accepted by Mason is required. Satisfactory scores are specific to the College of Engineering and Computing.

Policies

Transfer of Credit

Students must complete a minimum of 72 graduate credits. A maximum of 30 credits from a conferred master's degree may be applied to this program. Transfer of credit requires the approval of the program director or designee and the dean or designee of the school.

Program Requirements

The 72 hours of required doctoral-level credits typically consist of 48 credits of regular coursework and 24 credits of dissertation research. More than half of the 72 credits applied to the doctoral degree must be earned at Mason.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 72

Doctoral Coursework

Courses that constitute a student's plan of study will be chosen in consultation with the student's advisor and/or dissertation committee, to include:

• Select 18-30 credits
  • Students are strongly encouraged to take ECE 701 Research Experience in Electrical and Computer Engineering prior to or in the same semester as the Research Qualifying Examination.
  • A maximum of 21 credits of ECE 896 Directed Reading and Research.
  • A minimum of 15 credits of coursework other than the individualized section courses.

Qualifying Exams

The ECE PhD Qualifying Exam (QE) tests students’ knowledge of fundamental concepts and assesses their basic research skills. The exam consists of two parts: an in-class written technical qualifying exam (TQE) and a research qualifying exam (RQE).

Technical Qualifying Exam

The Technical Qualifying Exam (TQE) tests knowledge of fundamental concepts in a particular technical area. Students select one of eight areas for their TQE:

1. Computer Architecture and Digital Design
2. Control Theory
3. Electronics and Circuits
4. Hardware Security
5. Machine Learning in Computing
6. Machine Learning in Electrical Engineering
7. Signals and Systems
8. Power and Energy Systems

The TQE is offered once a year in January before the start of the Spring semester. Students are required to take the TQE the first time it is offered after they have entered the program.

Research Qualifying Exam

The purpose of the Research Qualifying Exam (RQE) is to assess whether students can define a research problem, critically review the literature related to the problem, apply appropriate research methods to study the problem, and interpret and communicate their results.

Dissertation Research

A maximum of 24 credits of ECE 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal and ECE 999 Doctoral Dissertation may be applied to the degree. Students who choose to take fewer than 24 credits of ECE 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal and ECE 999 Doctoral Dissertation may earn the remaining credits from approved coursework.

Advisor, Dissertation Director, and Dissertation Committee

Upon admission to the program, each student is assigned an ECE faculty member as an academic advisor. The role of an academic advisor is to advise the student on academic matters, primarily the plan of study.

Dissertation Proposal, Research Competency Exam, Advancement to Candidacy

The student prepares a written dissertation proposal outlining the proposed research and submits it to the dissertation committee for approval. After completing coursework requirements and preparing a proposal, the student takes a research competency exam to demonstrate their preparation for dissertation research.

Dissertation Research and Defense

Students conduct dissertation research under the guidance of their dissertation director, with regular consultation with other members of the dissertation committee. During this period, students must present their research results at least once in the form of a department seminar.

Seminar Requirement

The student must present at least one ECE departmental seminar on the topic of their dissertation research.

Teaching Requirement

To acquire teaching experience, each PhD student is required to participate in the department’s teaching activity. The requirement is typically satisfied by working as a recitation instructor for one semester, presenting several lectures within a course, or performing other teaching work approved by the department.