BS/MS in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering

This fast-track program enables outstanding BS degree students in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering to complete both the BS and the MS degrees with nine fewer total credits. This is accomplished by students taking their two ELE or CPE technical electives at the ECE 500 level and using either ECE 471 (ELE) or ECE 457 (CPE) towards both the BS and MS degrees.

Admission Requirements

Outstanding undergraduate scholars - typically those that have a cumulative GPA of 3.200 or above - will be identified at the conclusion of the fall semester of their junior year. The graduate committee will select nominees at the beginning of the spring semester.

Application Process

Students invited to participate in the program need to file a graduate school application online, but does not need to submit GRE or TOEFL scores or recommendation letters, by the end of the academic year; and they will be accepted into the five-year program as of the fall of their senior year. Presently, application fees are waived if students meet eligibility requirements.

Degree Requirements

Because of the nature of the fast paced BS/MS Program, students must meet with faculty early in their senior year to find someone willing to supervise the MS thesis or project and define a clear graduate program of study reviewed and approved by the student’s graduate advisor. The students should work with their undergraduate advisor to select the technical elective(s) that will count towards the BS and MS degrees. The students must be formally accepted into the BS/MS program before certification for the BS degree; otherwise the graduate courses taken in the senior year will not be double counted.

Students may take three graduate courses as their CPE or ELE BS-degree technical electives. A maximum of nine credits taken to satisfy the MS degree requirements can be counted towards the BS degree as technical electives. The 400-level courses offered jointly at the 500-level must be taken at the 500-level in order to be double-counted. For BS degree students in Computer Engineering, ECE 457 can count as an undergraduate technical elective. For BS degree students in Electrical Engineering, ECE 471 can count as an undergraduate technical elective. A grade of B or better is required for the 400-level courses to be counted towards the MS degree.

The BS degree is conferred when all undergraduate requirements have been successfully completed. BS/MS students must then complete the MS degree requirements under one of the existing tracks. While it is expected for BS/MS students to pursue their graduate degree full-time, it is not required.