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Important Notice: This is a modified HTML version of the official guide. The guide can be viewed or downloaded in PDF format here.
Additional University Admission Requirements, required supporting materials and application procedure are indicated in the Application form.
The thesis option for the Master’s degree requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate work including 6 thesis credits identified as ELEE 7300 and ELEE 7301.
1) The Graduate Program Director will help the student prepare an initial plan of study to begin his/her first semester of work. This plan of study must be filed with the graduate school.
2) During the first semester, the student is urged to discuss potential research topics with several faculty members, in order to choose a topic that interests him/her and a major professor to act as his/her thesis advisor. When a thesis topic has been selected, a Graduate Committee composed of at least three graduate faculty members shall be formed in conjunction with the major professor and the Graduate Program Director. The committee should include at least two Electrical Engineering faculty members from UTPA and one faculty member from another department. All committee members must be on the graduate faculty. An approval of the student Graduate Committee by the University Graduate Office is required before the student begins the thesis work. A final plan of study must be prepared and approved by the major professor, the Department Chair, and the Dean no later than the second semester of work.
3) Each student should submit a proposal to the Graduate Committee which describes the thesis topic in sufficient detail. A copy of the proposal should also be submitted to the Department. The proposal should normally be submitted before the student signs up for his/her first thesis course. Students should bear in mind that a master’s thesis should be publishable in the technical literature and represent some meaningful extension of state of knowledge in the field.
4) Once a student registers for ELEE 7300, he or she must continue to register for ELEE 7301 each succeeding semester or summer session until the thesis is completed. Credit is counted only once and then only upon successful completion of the master’s program.
5) Each student is required to present a seminar on the thesis topic. Notice of the oral presentation of the Master’s thesis should be given at least one week in advance to all faculty and students in the Department. A draft copy of the Master’s Thesis should be available to all faculty members serving on the student’s Graduate Committee at least one week before the oral presentation. Students are expected to make changes to the final copy of their Master’s thesis based on feedback obtained from the oral presentation. Students should expect to be asked fundamental questions during the oral presentation. If the student fails the thesis defense, he/she may be allowed to take a second defense contingent upon the approval of the Graduate Committee, the Department Chair and the Dean. If approved, the timing and requirements of the second defense will be specified by the Graduate Committee, but in no case will the student be able to defend his/her thesis for the second time until at least one semester has passed. After two failures, no further thesis defense is allowed.
6) Students are responsible for preparing and copying the final thesis. One copy must be provided to the major professor, and one copy to the Department in addition to copies required by the Office of Graduate Programs and Research. Members of the student’s Graduate Committee may each require to be provided with a copy of the thesis. It is the responsibility of the student to adhere to the University requirements for the format and submission of a thesis.
7) All candidates for the Master of Science program must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout their program of study. Any student with clear admission whose GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on probation. To remain in the graduate program, the student must restore his/her GPA to 3.0 by the end of the following semester.
2.1.2 - COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Elective Courses must be graduate courses and must be selected with the approval of the student’s thesis advisor. No more than 3 hours of ELEE 6385 (independent study) may be counted toward the degree.
The non-thesis option for the Master’s degree requires a minimum of 36 hours of graduate work.
1) The Graduate Program Director will help the student prepare a plan of study during the first semester of course work. The plan of study will be filed with the graduate school.
2) In addition to course requirements, each student in the non-thesis option will be required to pass a comprehensive examination during or at the end of the student’s final semester of work. The examination will be administered by an Examining Committee of three faculty members with whom the student has taken one or more graduate courses. The faculty members must be on the graduate faculty. The Examining Committee will be appointed by the Graduate Program Director with approval of the Department Chair and will evaluate the student’s depth of knowledge in the field of study and his/her competence in presenting the technical material. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Graduate Program Director and the Examining Committee to inform them of the student’s intent to take the comprehensive examination at least four weeks before the examination date. The examination times will be posted by the Graduate Director. The examination will be taken on one day. If the student fails the comprehensive examination, the student may be allowed to take a second examination contingent upon the approval of the Examining Committee, the Department Chair and the Dean. If approved, the timing and requirements of the second attempt will be specified by the Examining Committee, but in no case will the second examination be given until at least one semester has passed. After two failures, no further examination is allowed.
3) All candidates for the Master of Science program must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout their program of study. Any student with clear admission whose GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on probation. To remain in the graduate program, the student must restore his/her GPA to 3.0 by the end of the following semester.
2.2.2 - COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Elective Courses must be graduate courses and must be selected with the approval of the Department Graduate Director. No more than three hours of ELEE 6385 (independent study) may be counted toward the degree.
1) The course is equivalent to a graduate level science/engineering course at UTPA or appropriate for elective credit (as in ELEE6399).
2) The grade for the course is “B” of higher.
3) The course was not earned by correspondence.
4) No more than seven years have passed between the date the course was completed and the planned graduation date of the student from UTPA.
Students who wish to transfer graduate credits must submit a request letter to the Director of Graduate Program with supporting materials (such as course descriptions, samples of work, proof of completion of the course, etc.) no later than four weeks before the filing date of the official degree plan of the student with the University Office of Graduate School.
Students who plan on taking one or more graduate courses at other institutions while enrolled in the Electrical Engineering Master’s program at UTPA are encouraged to contact the Director of Graduate Program to discuss the possibility of transferring the course credit upon completion to UTPA.
Notes: Leveling courses cannot be used to satisfy graduate course requirements. If an assigned leveling course requires pre-requisite courses, they must be completed first. The Graduate Program Director will develop a list of leveling courses for each student based on his/her background.
Revision 10/25/2005
Important Notice: This is a modified HTML version of the official guide. The guide can be viewed or downloaded in PDF format here.
Graduate Program Director Dr. Junfei Li Engineering Building Room 3.274 Phone: (956) 316-7148 Fax (956) 381-3527 E-Mail: fei@panam.edu Department Chair Dr. Heinrich Foltz Engineering Building Room 3.214 Phone: (956) 381-2609 Fax (956) 381-3527 E-Mail: hfoltz@panam.edu
1 - GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
1.1 - Program Overview
The Department of Electrical Engineering offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Science in Engineering degree. The program has a thesis option and a non-thesis option. Coursework is offered in areas including computer engineering, systems and controls, communications, digital systems, and electronics. Research opportunities are offered in computer architecture and performance evaluation, multimedia processors. VLSI design and implementation, microwave and antenna engineering, control systems and robotics, networks, and signal and image processing.1.2 - Admission Requirements
The minimum requirements for unconditional admission to the electrical engineering graduate program are: 1) A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an accredited program. 2) A grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester hours attempted. Applicants who do not satisfy the specific program admission requirements may be considered for conditional admission. Prospective graduate students whose bachelor’s degree is in a field other than electrical engineering are required to take leveling courses, prescribed by the Graduate Program Director, before they can be considered for admission to the electrical engineering graduate program.1.3 - International Students
3) Test of English as Foreign language (TOEFL) - A minimum score of 500 (173 for computer based test) is required for all international students from countries whose native language is not English. Test scores must be sent directly to the University of Texas-Pan American from the Testing Agency. Copies of TOEFL scores sent by the applicant are not acceptable.Additional University Admission Requirements, required supporting materials and application procedure are indicated in the Application form.
2 - MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
2.1 - THESIS OPTION - DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
2.1.1 - GENERAL REQUIRMENTSThe thesis option for the Master’s degree requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate work including 6 thesis credits identified as ELEE 7300 and ELEE 7301.
1) The Graduate Program Director will help the student prepare an initial plan of study to begin his/her first semester of work. This plan of study must be filed with the graduate school.
2) During the first semester, the student is urged to discuss potential research topics with several faculty members, in order to choose a topic that interests him/her and a major professor to act as his/her thesis advisor. When a thesis topic has been selected, a Graduate Committee composed of at least three graduate faculty members shall be formed in conjunction with the major professor and the Graduate Program Director. The committee should include at least two Electrical Engineering faculty members from UTPA and one faculty member from another department. All committee members must be on the graduate faculty. An approval of the student Graduate Committee by the University Graduate Office is required before the student begins the thesis work. A final plan of study must be prepared and approved by the major professor, the Department Chair, and the Dean no later than the second semester of work.
3) Each student should submit a proposal to the Graduate Committee which describes the thesis topic in sufficient detail. A copy of the proposal should also be submitted to the Department. The proposal should normally be submitted before the student signs up for his/her first thesis course. Students should bear in mind that a master’s thesis should be publishable in the technical literature and represent some meaningful extension of state of knowledge in the field.
4) Once a student registers for ELEE 7300, he or she must continue to register for ELEE 7301 each succeeding semester or summer session until the thesis is completed. Credit is counted only once and then only upon successful completion of the master’s program.
5) Each student is required to present a seminar on the thesis topic. Notice of the oral presentation of the Master’s thesis should be given at least one week in advance to all faculty and students in the Department. A draft copy of the Master’s Thesis should be available to all faculty members serving on the student’s Graduate Committee at least one week before the oral presentation. Students are expected to make changes to the final copy of their Master’s thesis based on feedback obtained from the oral presentation. Students should expect to be asked fundamental questions during the oral presentation. If the student fails the thesis defense, he/she may be allowed to take a second defense contingent upon the approval of the Graduate Committee, the Department Chair and the Dean. If approved, the timing and requirements of the second defense will be specified by the Graduate Committee, but in no case will the student be able to defend his/her thesis for the second time until at least one semester has passed. After two failures, no further thesis defense is allowed.
6) Students are responsible for preparing and copying the final thesis. One copy must be provided to the major professor, and one copy to the Department in addition to copies required by the Office of Graduate Programs and Research. Members of the student’s Graduate Committee may each require to be provided with a copy of the thesis. It is the responsibility of the student to adhere to the University requirements for the format and submission of a thesis.
7) All candidates for the Master of Science program must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout their program of study. Any student with clear admission whose GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on probation. To remain in the graduate program, the student must restore his/her GPA to 3.0 by the end of the following semester.
2.1.2 - COURSE REQUIREMENTS
- Elective Courses in Electrical Engineering - 18 hours
- Elective Courses in Science and Engineering - 6 hours
- Master's Thesis - 6 hours
- ELEE 7300
- ELEE 7301
Elective Courses must be graduate courses and must be selected with the approval of the student’s thesis advisor. No more than 3 hours of ELEE 6385 (independent study) may be counted toward the degree.
2.2 - NON-THESIS OPTION - DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
2.2.1 - GENERAL REQUIREMENTSThe non-thesis option for the Master’s degree requires a minimum of 36 hours of graduate work.
1) The Graduate Program Director will help the student prepare a plan of study during the first semester of course work. The plan of study will be filed with the graduate school.
2) In addition to course requirements, each student in the non-thesis option will be required to pass a comprehensive examination during or at the end of the student’s final semester of work. The examination will be administered by an Examining Committee of three faculty members with whom the student has taken one or more graduate courses. The faculty members must be on the graduate faculty. The Examining Committee will be appointed by the Graduate Program Director with approval of the Department Chair and will evaluate the student’s depth of knowledge in the field of study and his/her competence in presenting the technical material. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Graduate Program Director and the Examining Committee to inform them of the student’s intent to take the comprehensive examination at least four weeks before the examination date. The examination times will be posted by the Graduate Director. The examination will be taken on one day. If the student fails the comprehensive examination, the student may be allowed to take a second examination contingent upon the approval of the Examining Committee, the Department Chair and the Dean. If approved, the timing and requirements of the second attempt will be specified by the Examining Committee, but in no case will the second examination be given until at least one semester has passed. After two failures, no further examination is allowed.
3) All candidates for the Master of Science program must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout their program of study. Any student with clear admission whose GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on probation. To remain in the graduate program, the student must restore his/her GPA to 3.0 by the end of the following semester.
2.2.2 - COURSE REQUIREMENTS
- Elective Courses in Electrical Engineering - 30 hours
- Elective Courses in Science and Engineering - 6 hours
Elective Courses must be graduate courses and must be selected with the approval of the Department Graduate Director. No more than three hours of ELEE 6385 (independent study) may be counted toward the degree.
3 - TRANSFER OF GRADUATE CREDITS
A maximum of 9 semester hours of graduate work earned at other institutions may be transferred for degree credit, contingent upon review and approval by the Director of Graduate Program. General procedure and criteria for transferring graduate credits are as follows:1) The course is equivalent to a graduate level science/engineering course at UTPA or appropriate for elective credit (as in ELEE6399).
2) The grade for the course is “B” of higher.
3) The course was not earned by correspondence.
4) No more than seven years have passed between the date the course was completed and the planned graduation date of the student from UTPA.
Students who wish to transfer graduate credits must submit a request letter to the Director of Graduate Program with supporting materials (such as course descriptions, samples of work, proof of completion of the course, etc.) no later than four weeks before the filing date of the official degree plan of the student with the University Office of Graduate School.
Students who plan on taking one or more graduate courses at other institutions while enrolled in the Electrical Engineering Master’s program at UTPA are encouraged to contact the Director of Graduate Program to discuss the possibility of transferring the course credit upon completion to UTPA.
4 - Leveling Courses
Prospective graduate students who have bachelor’s degree in a field other than electrical engineering are required to take leveling courses before they can be considered for admission to the electrical engineering graduate program. The prospective student must demonstrate knowledge equivalent to ELEE 2420 Electrical Circuits, ELEE 2321 Electrical Circuits II, and ELEE 2330 Digital Systems Engineering. In addition, the student must take prerequisite courses for the graduate courses to be taken for the MS degree.Notes: Leveling courses cannot be used to satisfy graduate course requirements. If an assigned leveling course requires pre-requisite courses, they must be completed first. The Graduate Program Director will develop a list of leveling courses for each student based on his/her background.
Revision 10/25/2005
Spring 2010 Schedule Notices (Updated)