Areas of Focus

The department offers five areas of focus for graduate study.  Course requirements and electives are listed below each area of focus.

Communications and Networks

Required courses:

  • ECE 6015 Stochastic Processes in Engineering
  • ECE 6035 Introduction to Computer Networks
  • ECE 6510 Communication Theory

At least two of the following:

  • ECE 6500 Information Theory
  • ECE 6505 Error Control Coding
  • ECE 6520 Mobile and Wireless Communication Systems
  • ECE 6525 Satellite Communication Systems
  • ECE 6530 Electronic Warfare
  • ECE 6550 Network Architectures and Protocols
  • ECE 6560 Network Performance Analysis
  • ECE 6565 Network Security
  • ECE 6570 Telecommunications Security Protocols
  • ECE 6575 Optical Communication Networks
  • ECE 6580 Wireless Networks
  • ECE 6715 Antennas
  • ECE 6720 Remote Sensing
  • ECE 6725 Electromagnetic Radiation and Scattering
  • ECE 6730 Waves in Random Media
  • ECE 6750 Modern Radar 
  • ECE 6760 Propagation Modeling in Wireless Communications

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option—15 credits in elective courses; thesis option—9 credits in elective courses. For either option, at least 3 credits must come from outside of the area of focus list.

Computer Architecture and High-Performance Computing

Required courses:

  • ECE 6005 Computer Architecture and Design

At least five of the following courses:

  • ECE 6105 Introduction to High-Performance Computing
  • ECE 6120 Advanced Microarchitectures
  • ECE 6125 Parallel Computer Architecture
  • ECE 6130 Big Data and Cloud Computing
  • ECE 6140 Embedded Systems
  • ECE 6150 Design of Interconnection Networks for Parallel Computer Architectures
  • ECE 6160 Secure Computer Architecture
  • ECE 8150 Advanced Topics in Computer Architecture

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option—12 credits in elective courses; thesis option—6 credits in elective courses. For either option, at least 3 credits must come from outside of the area of focus list.

Cyber-physical Security (Electrical Engineering)

Required courses:

  • ECE 6134 Cloud Computing and Security
  • ECE 6565 Network Security
  • ECE 6669 Smart Power Grids


At least four of the following:

  • ECE 6005 Computer Architecture and Design
  • ECE 6035 Introduction to Computer Networks
  • ECE 6070 Electrical Power Systems
  • ECE 6130 Big Data and Cloud Computing
  • ECE 6160 Secure Computing Systems
  • ECE 6570 Telecommunications Security Protocols
  • ECE 6666 Power System Transmission, Control, and Security
  • ECE 6691 Power Systems Reliability

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option – 9 credits in elective courses.
Thesis option – 3 credits in elective courses.
For either option, at least 3 credits must come from outside of the area of focus list.

Electric Power and Energy

Required course:

  • ECE 60700 Electrical Power Systems

At least two of the following:

  • ECE 6010 Linear Systems Theory
  • ECE 6020 Applied Electromagnetics
  • ECE 6025 Signals and Transforms in Engineering

At least three of the following:

  • ECE 6660 Electrical Power Generation
  • ECE 6610 Electrical Energy Conversion
  • ECE 6662 Power Electronics
  • ECE 6666 Power System Transmission, Control, and Security
  • ECE 6667 Nuclear Power Generation
  • ECE 6668 Power Distribution Grids
  • ECE 6669 Smart Power Grids
  • ECE 6670 Power System Protection
  • ECE 6690 Power Systems Economics
  • ECE 6691 Power Systems Reliability
  • ECE 6699 Energy and Sustainability

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research

Electives
Non-thesis option—12 credits in elective courses; thesis option—6 credits in elective courses. For either option, at least 3 credits must come from outside of the area of focus list.

Electronics, Photonics, and MEMS

Required course:

  • ECE 6030 Device Electronics

At least four of the following:

  • ECE 6020 Applied Electromagnetics
  • ECE 6210 Machine Intelligence
  • ECE 6213 Design of VLSI Circuits
  • ECE 6214 High-Level VLSI Design Methodology
  • ECE 6215 Introduction to MEMS
  • ECE 6216 RF/VLSI Circuit Design
  • ECE 6217 Neural Networks and Hardware Implementations
  • ECE 6218 Advanced Analog VLSI Circuit Design
  • ECE 6221 Introduction to Physical Electronics
  • ECE 6240 VLSI Design and Simulation
  • ECE 6245 Microfabrication and Nanofabrication Technology
  • ECE 6250 ASIC Design and Testing of VLSI Circuits
  • ECE 6255 Sensors, Networks, and Applications
  • ECE 6260 Introduction to Nanoelectronics
  • ECE 6710 Microwave Engineering
  • ECE 6745 Analysis on Nonlinear and Multivalued Devices
  • ECE 6761 Light and Information
  • ECE 6765 Photonics and Fiber Optics
  • ECE 6770 Applied Magnetism

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option—15 credits in elective courses; thesis option—9 credits in elective courses. For either option, at least 3 credits must come from outside of the area of focus list.

Hardware and Systems Security (Computer Engineering)

Required course:

  • ECE 6005 Computer Architecture and Design
  • ECE 6045 Operating System Engineering
  • ECE 6125 Parallel Computer Architecture
  • ECE 6150 Design of Interconnection Networks for Parallel Computer Architectures
  • ECE 6160. Secure Computing Systems
     

At least four of the following:
 

  • ECE 6105 Introduction to High-Performance Computing
  • ECE 6120 Advanced Microarchitecture
  • ECE 6130 Big Data and Cloud Computing
  • ECE 6134 Cloud Computing and Security
  • ECE 6565 Network Security
  • ECE 6570 Telecommunications Security Protocols
  • ECE 8150 Advanced Topics in Computer Architecture

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option – 6 credits in elective courses; at least 3 credits must come from outside of
the area of focus list.

High-Performance Data Analytics (Computer Engineering)

Required course:

  • ECE 6005 Computer Architecture and Design
  • ECE 6105 Introduction to High-Performance Computing
  • ECE 6120 Advanced Microarchitecture
  • ECE 6125 Parallel Computer Architecture
  • ECE 6130 Big Data and Cloud Computing
  • ECE 6150 Design of Interconnection Networks for Parallel Computer Architectures
     

At least four of the following:
 

  • ECE 6045 Operating System Engineering
  • ECE 6160 Secure Computing Systems
  • ECE 6210 Machine Intelligence
  • ECE 8150 Advanced Topics in Computer Architecture

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option – 6 credits in elective courses. At least 3 credits must come from outside of
the area of focus list.

Machine Learning and Intelligent Systems (Computer Engineering)

Required courses:

  • ECE 6005 Computer Architecture and Design
  • ECE 6105 Introduction to High-Performance Computing
  • ECE 6130 Big Data and Cloud Computing
  • ECE 6160 Secure Computer Architecture
  • ECE 6210 Machine Intelligence
  • ECE 6882 Reinforcement Learning

At least two of the following:

  • ECE 6015 Stochastic Processes in Engineering**
  • ECE 6120 Advanced Microarchitecture
  • ECE 6125 Parallel Computer Architecture
  • ECE 6150 Design of Interconnection Networks for Parallel Computer Architectures

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option—6 credits in elective courses, 3 of which must come from outside of the area of focus list; thesis option-0 credits in elective courses.

**Required for students who have not taken a course in probability and random processes at the undergraduate level or above

Machine Learning and Intelligent Systems (Electrical Engineering)

Required courses:

  • ECE 6210 Machine Intelligence
  • ECE 6217 Neural Networks and Hardware Implementations
  • ECE 6850 Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning
  • ECE 6882 Reinforcement Learning

At least three of the following:

  • ECE 6010 Linear Systems Theory
  • ECE 6015 Stochastic Processes in Engineering
  • ECE 6035 Introduction to Computer Networks
  • ECE 6255 Sensors, Networks, and Applications
  • ECE 6510 Communication Theory
  • ECE 6580 Wireless Networks
  • ECE 6761 Light and Information
  • ECE 6800 Computational Techniques in Electrical Engineering
  • ECE 6845 Image Synthesis
  • ECE 6880 Adaptive Signal Processing
  • ECE 6885 Computer Vision

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option—9 credits in elective courses; thesis option-3 credits in elective courses. For either option, at least 3 credits must come from outside of the area of focus list.

Signal and Image Processing, Systems and Controls

Required course:

  • ECE 6015 Stochastic Processes in Engineering

At least four of the following:

  • ECE 6005 Computer Architecture and Design
  • ECE 6010 Linear Systems Theory
  • ECE 6025 Signals and Transforms in Engineering
  • ECE 6666 Power System Transmission, Control, and Security
  • ECE 6800 Computational Techniques in Electrical Engineering
  • ECE 6810 Speech and Audio Processing by Computer
  • ECE 6815 Multimedia Processing
  • ECE 6820 Real-Time Digital Signal Processing
  • ECE 6825 Computer Control Systems
  • ECE 6830 System Optimization
  • ECE 6835 Nonlinear Systems
  • ECE 6840 Digital Image Processing
  • ECE 6842 Image Engineering
  • ECE 6845 Image Synthesis
  • ECE 6850 Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning
  • ECE 6855 Computer Vision
  • ECE 6860 Compression Techniques for Data, Speech, and Video
  • ECE 6865 Statistical Signal Estimation
  • ECE 6875 Wavelets and Their Applications
  • ECE 6880 Adaptive Signal Processing
  • ECE 6885 Computer Vision

For thesis option

  • ECE 6998 Thesis Research I
  • ECE 6999 Thesis Research II

Electives
Non-thesis option—15 credits in elective courses; thesis option—9 credits in elective courses. For either option, at least 3 credits must come from outside of the area of focus list.