Master of Science (MS)

MS Degree Requirements

Credits 

Under the thesis option, candidates are required to complete 24 credits of coursework, maintaining a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Additionally, they must undertake 6 credits of research culminating in a master’s thesis.

For the non-thesis program, candidates need to complete 30 credits of coursework while achieving a minimum GPA of 3.0. They are also required to author a technical paper.

Course Requirements

The course requirements for MS students in the ECE program encompass a chosen specialization area, mandatory colloquium attendance, a structured selection of coursework including core and elective courses, and meeting the ECE residency requirements. 

Specialization Area: All MS students must declare their intent to specialize in one of the areas including: Communications, Signal and Information Processing, Machine Learning, Systems and Controls, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, and Electronic Devices, Circuits and Systems. 

Cross-cutting specializations are also highly encouraged; students with interests spanning multiple specialization areas should consult with their thesis advisor (if applicable) and the Graduate Director to create a coherent study plan. Formal approval from the Graduate Program Office is required before registering for the proposed cross-disciplinary specialization coursework. 

Colloquium: MS students must complete two (2) semesters of 16:332:699—Colloquium in Electrical and Computer Engineering. To secure credit for 16:332:699 (Colloquium in ECE), students must be formally enrolled and attend a minimum of eight seminars, deriving from both the ECE Colloquium and the ECE Guest Speaker Series.

Coursework: The coursework for the MS program in each specialization area has been divided into three categories: (1) core courses, (2) restricted elective courses, and (3) general elective courses. 

• Core Courses: Students are generally required to take at least 3 courses from the list of core courses for their chosen specialization.
• Restricted Elective Courses: A minimum of 3 courses from the list of restricted elective courses must be chosen for the respective specialization. 
• General Elective Courses: Students may choose general elective courses from any Rutgers graduate course, including those offered by other departments. 

ECE Residency Requirement: While the curriculum for Electrical and Computer Engineering allows for the inclusion of courses outside the department (such as mathematics), it also mandates that students must satisfy a “residency requirement” to obtain an ECE degree. This requirement ensures that students earn a specific number of credits from courses bearing ECE course numbers. 

• Thesis Option: Students must accumulate at least 15 residency credits. This can include ECE graduate courses listed in the core and elective courses for those focusing on one of the specialization areas, as well as relevant ECE graduate courses for those focusing on cross-disciplinary specializations. Please note that the 6 credits of thesis work from 16:332:701 and 16:332:702 do not count towards core or elective listings.
• Non-Thesis Option: A minimum of 21 residency credits is required, following the same guidelines as the thesis option. 

By adhering to these residency requirements, students can ensure that their coursework is grounded in the foundational areas of Electrical and Computer Engineering, even as they explore related disciplines.