
	Description

	Degrees Offered

	Admission

	Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

		Communications Track

		Controls and Robotics Track

		Digital Signal Processing Track

		Electro-Optics Track

		Electromagnetics Track

		Photonics Track

		Power Electronics and Electronics Track

		Solid State and Microelectronics Track

		VLSI Design Track

	Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering

	Contact Info

Description

The EE program in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Electrical Engineering. Students in the Electrical Engineering program receive a broad background in areas such as communications, controls/robotics, digital signal processing, electromagnetics, power electronics and electronics, electro-optics/photonics, solid state and microelectronics, and very large-scale integration (VLSI) while specializing in a research area of their interest.

Research interests of the Electrical Engineering faculty include antennas, microwave and millimeter circuits and devices, communication systems, digital signal/image processing, power electronics, electronic circuits, IFF devices, electromagnetic theory, radar and microwave remote sensing, speech processing, VLSI design, spread spectrum systems, SAW and ACT devices, spectral estimation, solid state device modeling and computer-aided design (CAD) techniques, communication networks, integrated services digital networks, neural networks, systems and controls, robotics, robust control, computer control, microelectronics, semiconductors, thin films, power system stability, bipolar device modeling, solid state lasers, optical propagation, fiber optics, optical signal processing, laser-induced damage, optical testing, diffractive optics, phase conjunction, infrared detectors, fourier optics, lens design, and nonlinear optics.

Degrees Offered

Communications Track
Controls and Robotics Track
Digital Signal Processing Track
Electro-Optics Track
Electromagnetics Track
Photonics Track
Power Electronics and Electronics Track
Solid State and Microelectronics Track
VLSI Design Track

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that you fill out a pre-application form (www.graduate.cecs.ucf.edu) before you complete the application for graduate admission. The deadlines for the pre-application form can be found on the Prospective Student Page on the College of Engineering and Computer Science website.

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants must provide the following application materials.

MS Master of Science EE Program

The Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (M.S.E.E.) is intended for students with a baccalaureate degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field from a regionally accredited institution. In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants must provide:

Minimum GPA of 3.0 on the last 60 attempted credit hours of the bachelor’s degree
Competitive score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Resume
Goals statement
Two letters of recommendation

Students with a grade point average of less than 3.0 may be admitted on a provisional basis in some circumstances. Additional courses may also be required to correct any course deficiencies. Students should contact the graduate program director for further information.

Accelerated BS to MS Track in Electrical Engineering

The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program in Electrical Engineering allows highly qualified UCF undergraduate majors in Electrical Engineering to begin taking graduate-level courses that will count toward their master’s degree while completing their baccalaureate program. In addition to the general admission requirements the applicants must meet the following criteria:

Students must have completed their sophomore year (a minimum of 64 credit hours)
A grade point average of 3.25
A competitive score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) by the end of the first semester of their senior year
A resume
A written statement describing student’s personal goals and objectives in seeking a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering
Two letters of recommendation

Students can apply for the accelerated undergraduate and graduate program any time after the completion of 64 credit hours (or the end of their sophomore year) and before completion of 96 credit hours (end of their junior year).

Doctor of Philosophy Program

For the Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering (Ph.D.) program, students must satisfy university requirements and:

Have completed either a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline with a minimum GPA of 3.5 and a competitive score on the GRE, or
Have a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline with a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the last 60 attempted credit hours of the bachelor’s degree, and a competitive score on the GRE
Submit a resume, goal statement, and three letters of recommendation

Students with a grade point average of less than 3.5 may be admitted on a provisional basis in some circumstances. Additional courses may also be required to correct any course deficiencies. Students should contact the graduate program director for further information.

Additional Notes on Admissions

In the M.S. and Ph.D. programs, for applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s) Fall Priority Fall Spring Summer

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Communications Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Controls and Robotics Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Digital Signal Processing Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Electro-Optics Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Electromagnetics Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Photonics Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Power Electronics and Electronics Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

Solid State and Microelectronics Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

VLSI Design Track Jan 15 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

International Applicants

Program(s) Fall Priority Fall Spring Summer

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Communications Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Controls and Robotics Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Digital Signal Processing Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Electro-Optics Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Electromagnetics Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Photonics Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Power Electronics and Electronics Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

Solid State and Microelectronics Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

VLSI Design Track Jan 15 Jan 15 Jul 1 Nov 1

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s) Fall Priority Fall Spring Summer

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Communications Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Controls and Robotics Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Digital Signal Processing Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Electro-Optics Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Electromagnetics Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Photonics Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Power Electronics and Electronics Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Solid State and Microelectronics Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

VLSI Design Track Jan 15 Mar 1 Sep 1 Dec 15

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree offers tracks in Communications, Controls and Robotics, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Electro-optics, Power Electronics and Electronics, Photonics, Solid State and Microelectronics and VLSI Design. The program is intended for students with a baccalaureate degree in electrical engineering or a related field. Detailed information on the tracks and research activities is available in the department or on the school website.

Research studies are required in one or more courses. The research study and report will focus on reviewing and analyzing contemporary research in a student’s particular specialization within the profession in order to help students acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to research-based best practices in that specialization area. In addition, students may engage in directed independent studies, directed research or a research report during their studies.

Articulation

Undergraduate articulation courses may be required for students with BS and/or MS degrees in fields other than Electrical Engineering. The articulation courses will be determined by the graduate program director in consultation with student’s research adviser on a case-by-case basis. In general, students with a non-Electrical Engineering degree must have had the equivalent course work or satisfy the following articulation program:

Mathematics through Differential Equations (MAP 2302 or equivalent)
Physics with Calculus (PHY 2048, PHY 2049 or equivalent)
Electronics I (EEL 3307C or equivalent)
Electromagnetic Fields (EEL 3470 or equivalent)
Signal Analysis and Communications (EEL 3552C or equivalent)
Semiconductor Devices I (EEL 3306 or equivalent)

Additional courses may also be required to correct any undergraduate course deficiencies. Courses taken to correct deficiencies cannot be used to satisfy minimum degree requirements.

Transfer Credits

Graduate students (subject to approval from an adviser) with a bachelor’s degree from Electrical Engineering at UCF may transfer up to 9 credit hours of 5000-level work toward an M.S. nonthesis option and up to 3 credit hours of 5000-level work toward an M.S. thesis option. Up to 9 credit hours may be transferred from graduate work conducted elsewhere or in non-degree status from a regionally accredited institution.

Thesis or Nonthesis Option

The master’s program offers a thesis option (30 credit hours, including 6 credit hours of thesis) and a nonthesis option (36 credit hours) for all tracks. Students must have an adviser appointed and an official program of study submitted before completing 9 credit hours of course work.

Thesis Option

This option requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of approved course work, of which 6 are thesis work. The course requirements are as follows:

Required courses from one of the following tracks: Communications, Controls and Robotics, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Power Electronics and Electronics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Solid State and Microelectronics, or VLSI Design
One course from any other two areas listed above (6 credit hours total)
No more than 6 credits of thesis will count toward the degree requirement
The remainder of the program courses is chosen in conjunction with an adviser in an approved program of study
At least 15 credit hours must be from 6000-level courses
Continuous enrollment in one hour of thesis is required once six hours of thesis credits have been completed and all course work has been satisfied, until the final thesis has been received by the Division of Graduate Studies

Nonthesis Option

This option requires a minimum of 36 credit hours of course work and is intended primarily for part-time students. Program requirements are the same as the thesis option except that the thesis requirement is replaced by 12 credit hours of course work. Students are required to pass a final comprehensive examination or another appropriate culminating experience. Please see the graduate program director for details.

Communications Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—12 Credit Hours

EEL 5542 Random Processes I (3 credit hours)
EEL 6530 Communication Theory (3 credit hours)
One course from two of the following tracks: Controls and Robotics, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Power Electronics and Electronics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Solid State and Microelectronics, or VLSI Design (6 credit hours)

Thesis Option—18 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (12 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—24 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (24 credit hours)

Elective Courses

EEL 6504 Communications Systems Design (3 credit hours)
EEL 6543 Random Processes II (3 credit hours)
EEL 6537 Detection and Estimation (3 credit hours)
EEL 5555C RF and Microwave Communications (3 credit hours)
EEL 5762 Performance Analysis of Computer and Communication Systems (3 credit hours)
EEL 5547 Introduction to Radar Systems (3 credit hours)
EEL 6785 Computer Network Design (3 credit hours)
EEL 6590 Advanced Topics in Communications (3 credit hours)

Controls and Robotics Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—12 Credit Hours

EEL 5630 Digital Control Systems (3 credit hours)
EEL 5173 Linear Systems Theory (3 credit hours)
One course from two of the following tracks: Communications, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Power Electronics and Electronics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Solid State and Microelectronics, or VLSI Design (6 credit hours)

Thesis Option—18 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (12 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—24 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (24 credit hours)

Electives in Controls

EEL 6621 Nonlinear Control Systems (3 credit hours)
EEL 6671 Modern and Optimal Control Systems (3 credit hours)
EEL 6674 Optimal Estimation for Control (3 credit hours)
EEL 6617 Fundamentals of Modern Multivariable Control (3 credit hours)
EEL 6616 Adaptive Control (3 credit hours)
EEL 6680 Advanced Topics in Modern Control Systems (3 credit hours)

Digital Signal Processing Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—9 Credit Hours

EEL 5513 Digital Signal Processing Applications (3 credit hours)
One course from two of the following tracks: Communications, Controls/Power, Electromagnetics, Power Electronics and Electronics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Solid State and Microelectronics (6 credit hours)

Thesis Option—21 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (15 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—27 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (27 credit hours)

Elective Courses

EEL 6502 Adaptive Digital Signal Processing (3 credit hours)
EEL 6505 Multidimensional Digital Processing (3 credit hours)
EEL 6558 Advanced Topics in Digital Signal Processing (3 credit hours)
EEL 5820 Image Processing (3 credit hours)
EEL 6823 Image Processing II (3 credit hours)
EEL 5825 Pattern Recognition (3 credit hours)
EEL 6812 Introduction to Neural Networks (3 credit hours)

Electromagnetics Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—12 Credit Hours

EEL 6488 Electromagnetic Fields (3 credit hours)
One course from two of the following tracks: Communications, Controls/Power, Digital Signal Processing, Electronics, Electro-optics, Photnics, Solid State and Microelectronics, or VLSI Design (6 credit hours)

One of the following courses is required:

EEL 5462C Antenna Analysis and Design (3 credit hours)
EEL 5434 Microwave Circuits and Devices (3 credit hours)

Thesis Option—18 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (12 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—24 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (24 credit hours)

Elective Courses

EEL 5432 Satellite Remote Sensing (3 credit hours)
EEL 5555C RF and Microwave Communications (3 credit hours)
EEL 6463 Antenna Analysis and Design II (3 credit hours)
EEL 6492 Advanced Topics in Electromagnetics and Microwaves (3 credit hours)

Power Electronics and Electronics Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—12 Credit Hours

EEL 6371 Advanced Electronics I (3 credit hours)
One course from two of the following tracks: Communications, Controls/Power, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Solid State and Microelectronics, or VLSI Design (6 credit hours)

One of the following courses is required:

EEL 5245C Power Electronics (3 credit hours)
EEL 5378 CMOS Analog and Digital Circuit Design (3 credit hours)

Thesis Option—18 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (12 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—24 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (24 credit hours)

Elective Courses

EEL 5353 Semiconductor Device Modeling and Simulation (3 credit hours)
EEL 5370 Operational Amplifiers (3 credit hours)
EEL 6354 Advanced Semiconductor Device I (3 credit hours)
EEL 6372 Advanced Topics in Electronics (3 credit hours)
EEL 6246 Power Electronics II (3 credit hours)

Electro-optics Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—15 Credit Hours

OSE 5041 Introduction to Wave Optics (3 credit hours)
OSE 6525 Laser Engineering (3 credit hours)
OSE 6211 Fourier Optics (3 credit hours)
One course from two of the following tracks: Communications, Controls/Power, Digital Signal processing, Electronics, Solid State and Microelectronics, or VLSI Design (6 credit hours)

Thesis Option—15 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (9 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—21 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (21 credit hours)

Elective Courses

Courses from the following tracks can serve as electives: Communications, Controls and Robotics, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Electronics, Solid State and Microelectronics, or VLSI Design. The elective courses depend on the sub-option chosen in the Electro-optics track. The sub-options are: Photonics, Optical Communications, Electro-optics Systems, Imaging Systems, Remote Sensing, and Laser Engineering. More details of these sub-options can be obtained from the graduate office in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Photonics Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 hours

Required Courses—12 Credit Hours

The required courses in this proposed Photonics track are three of the following four courses:

OSE 5143 Fiber Optics Communication (3 credit hours)
OSE 5414 Fundamentals of Optoelectronic Devices (3 credit hours)
OSE 6432 Fundamentals of Photonics (3 credit hours)
OSE 6525 Laser Engineering (content will be modified) (3 credit hours)

And one of the following two courses:

EEL 6488 Electromagnetic Fields (3 credit hours)
OSE 5111 Optical Wave Propagation (3 credit hours)

Thesis Option—18 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
12 hours of electives

Nonthesis Option—24 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (24 credit hours)

Electives Courses

OSE 5115 Interference and Diffraction (3 credit hours)
OSE 5421 Integrated Optics (3 credit hours)
OSE 6445 High Speed Photonics (3 credit hours)
OSE 6455L Photonics Laboratory (3 credit hours)
OSE 6615L Optoelectronic Device Fabrication Laboratory (3 credit hours)
EEL 5462C Antenna Analysis and Design (3 credit hours)
EEL 5434 Microwave Circuits and Devices (3 credit hours)
EEL 5432 Satellite Remote Sensing (3 credit hours)
EEL 5555C RF and Microwave Communications (3 credit hours)
EEL 6463 Antenna Analysis and Design II (3 credit hours)
EEL 6492 Advanced Topics in Electromagnetics and Microwaves (3 credit hours)

Notes:

The Photonics track follows all the guidelines of the other EE master’s tracks (i.e., all the required courses in the track are included, two courses (one from two other tracks) are included, 6 thesis hours are included, and other related electives are included.
If independent study courses are taken, they will be of the EEL designation.
In a typical Photonics track program of study at least 50 percent of the hours should be of the EEL designation.

Solid State and Microelectronics Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—12 Credit Hours

EEL 5355C Fabrication of Solid-State Devices (4 credit hours)
EEL 6354 Advanced Semiconductor Device I (3 credit hours)
One course from two of the following tracks: Communications, Controls and Robotics, Digital Signal Processing, Electromagnetics, Power Electronics and Electronics, Electro-optics, Photonics, or VLSI Design (6 credit hours)

Thesis Option—18 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (12 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—24 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (24 credit hours)

Elective Courses

EEL 5332C Thin Film Technology (3 credit hours)
EEL 5353 Semiconductor Device Modeling and Simulation (3 credit hours)
EEL 5378 CMOS Analog and Digital Circuit Design (3 credit hours)
EEL 5517 Surface Acoustic Wave Devices and Systems (3 credit hours)
EEL 5352 Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization (3 credit hours)
EEL 6354 Advanced Semiconductor Device I (3 credit hours)
EEL 6338 Advanced Topics in Microelectronics (3 credit hours)

VLSI Design Track

Total Hours Required for M.S.E.E.—30 or 36 Credit Hours

Required Courses—6 Credit Hours

EEL 5390 Full-Custom VLSI Design (3 credit hours)
EEL 5378 CMOS Analog and Digital Circuit Design (3 credit hours)

Thesis Option—24 Additional Credit Hours

EEL 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)
Electives (18 credit hours)

Nonthesis Option—30 Additional Credit Hours

Electives (30 credit hours)

Elective Courses

EEL 5353 Device Modeling and Simulation (3 credit hours)
EEL 5370 Operational Amplifiers (3 credit hours)
EEL 5434 Microwave Circuits and Devices (3 credit hours)
EEL 5708 High-Performance Computer Architecture (3 credit hours)
EEL 5722C Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Design (3 credit hours)
Additional electives selected in consultation with adviser

Accelerated BSEE to MSEE Program

The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program offers the opportunity for UCF undergraduates to finish both the B.S. and M.S. degrees five years after they have entered UCF as freshmen. Students must meet the following requirements in order to graduate with both B.S. and M.S. degrees:

Must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 for all course work taken as a junior, senior or graduate student during their five-year accelerated undergraduate and graduate program
Transfer to graduate status after 128-credit hours are completed. At this time the bachelor’s degree will be awarded
Follow the guidelines of the M.S. degree with nonthesis option, once they attain a graduate status (30 credit hours beyond the B.S. with 6 hours of thesis), or
Follow the guidelines of the M.S. degree with nonthesis option once they attain a graduate status (36 credit hours beyond the B.S.)
Students must have an adviser appointed and an official program of study submitted before completing 9 credit hours of graduate course work
Up to 12 credit hours of graduate course work with grades "B-" or better may be counted toward the bachelor’s and master’s degrees (double counting of 12 credit hours).

Notes:

A student pursuing an accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree must maintain a cumulative 3.25 grade point average by the end of every semester of their junior, senior, or graduate studies years. If their grade point average drops below the 3.25 grade point average, they will automatically be dropped from the accelerated undergraduate/graduate program and their status will be reverted to an undergraduate student status.
At any point in time after their admission into the accelerated undergraduate/graduate program the student has the option to abandon the pursuit of a five-year accelerated undergraduate/graduate program. In order to do so the student needs to e-mail the corresponding program director with their intention. The graduate director will then initiate steps to revert the student status from the accelerated undergraduate/graduate status to an undergraduate status.
The intended duration of this program is five years. If for any approved reason the student delays the completion of the necessary credit hours, the duration of this program will be extended beyond five years.

Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering

Total Hours Required for Ph.D.—Minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree; minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the master’s degree

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is primarily intended for students with a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline who wish to pursue a career in research or academia. Specializations include Communications, Digital Signal Processing/Image Processing, Controls and Robotics, Electromagnetics, Electro-Optics, Photonics, Power Electronics and Electronics, Solid-State/Microelectronics, and VLSI Design.

Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Of these 72 hours, a minimum of 36 credit hours should be regular course work and a minimum of 15 credit hours should be dissertation hours. No more than 12 credit hours of Independent Study and or Doctoral Research hours are allowed.

The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 36 credit hours beyond the masters degree (depending on the number of transfer credits from the masters degree). Of the 72 hours required for the Ph.D., a minimum of 36 hours need to be regular course work and a minimum of 15 credit hours should be dissertation hours. No more than 12 credit hours of Independent Study and or Doctoral Research hours are allowed.

At least 6 credit hours must be taken outside the student’s program while at UCF. There is a residency requirement of two contiguous semesters in full-time graduate student status (minimum of 9 credit hours) after acceptance to the graduate program at UCF. The program of study must be developed in consultation with an adviser within the first 9 credit hours of course work and must meet with departmental approval, at which time transfer credit will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis.

Transfer Credits

Up to 6 credit hours of 4000-level course work are acceptable if transferred from a master’s degree program. A limited number of up to 36 credit hours may be transferred from a master’s degree toward these requirements.

Qualifying Examination

Students are required to pass a qualifying examination, after which the student must form a dissertation committee. The degree must be completed within seven years of the entry date to the doctoral program. The prospective doctoral student must take a written qualifying exam before being admitted to full doctoral student status. This exam covers relevant material typically learned at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and serves to verify the student’s capability and readiness for the Ph.D. program.

The exam consists of a written four-hour test, given on the first Friday of April and first Friday of November of each year. Open books are allowed, but no notes are allowed during the Qualifying examination. It is the policy of the Electrical Engineering Program that any calculator used during the exam may not be used to store user-defined programs.

Exam Format

The student declares a major area prior to taking the exam by notifying the Electrical Engineering Graduate Secretary, or during the exam time. During the exam the student has to solve three problems in the declared major area and six other problems that can be selected from at least two and at most four other chosen areas. The areas from which the student can select problems from are the following:

Circuits
Communications
Digital Signal Processing
Controls and Robotics
Digital Systems and Computer Architecture
Electro-optics/Photonics
Electromagnetics
Physical Electronics
Power Electronics/Electronics

Candidacy Examination

The Candidacy Examination evaluates the student’s preparation to undertake research in his/her dissertation topic area. A student may sit for the Candidacy Examination upon: (1) Passing the Qualifying Examination; (2) Completing all conditions placed as a result thereof; and (3) Completing all but six credits or less of the courses prescribed in the plan of study. The Candidacy Examination consists of the following:

A Candidacy Proposal developed by the student to identify the chosen area of research.
An oral presentation of the Candidacy Proposal by the student to the dissertation committee.
A written Candidacy Examination based on the student’s chosen area of research may be required by the major professor. The format is determined by the major professor in consultation with the dissertation committee.

Upon successful completion of the Candidacy Examination, the student can be accepted into Candidacy status, allowing him/her to enroll for dissertation credit hours. The final step in the process is the Dissertation Defense Examination, which is an oral examination taken in defense of the written dissertation before the dissertation committee.

Dissertation Committee

Doctoral students must have a Dissertation Advisory Committee prior to the Candidacy Examination. The Committee will consist of a minimum of four members. At least three members must be qualified regular faculty members from the students department (or college, if a college-wide program) at UCF, one of whom must serve as the chair of the committee. One member must be from either outside the School of EECS or outside the university.

The committee chair must be a member of the department graduate faculty approved to direct dissertations. Joint faculty members serve as department-faculty committee members. Adjunct faculty and off-campus experts may serve as the outside-the-college person in the committee. Program areas may further specify additional committee membership. Graduate Studies reserves the right to review appointments to advisory committees, place a representative on any advisory committee, or appoint a co-adviser.

In unusual cases, with approval from the program director, two professors may chair the committee jointly. Joint faculty members may serve as committee chairs, but off-campus experts and adjunct faculty may not serve as committee chairs. Particular programs may have more stringent requirements. All members vote on acceptance or rejection of the dissertation proposal and the final dissertation. The dissertation proposal and final dissertation must be approved by a majority of the advisory committee.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

If you are interested in financial assistance, you are strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are awarded based on academic merit and therefore are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.