Course Requirements | Appointment of Supervisory Committee | Thesis Submission | Final Examination Procedure | Checklist
General Degree Requirements
For the Master’s degree, a minimum of 30 credit hours is required. Master’s students may transfer a maximum of 9 credits from an outside institution approved by UF. Doctoral students may transfer up to 30 credit hours from a Master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering taken at an outside institution approved by UF.
The Master of Science (M.S.) degree is awarded to students with an undergraduate degree in any appropriate area of science or engineering.
All work counted for a Master’s degree must be completed during the seven years immediately preceding the date on which the degree is to be awarded.
To graduate from any of the above‐mentioned degree programs, a 3.00 is required in the overall (UF) and ECE‐cumulative grade point averages.
An off‐campus student who is a candidate for an electrical and computer engineering degree must take at least half the coursework from full‐time University of Florida faculty members. Students can presently meet this requirement by attending lectures on the UF campus or using lectures distributed via distance learning.
No graduate credit is allowed for electrical and computer engineering courses below the 5000 level. Graduate students may take additional undergraduate courses, but credits earned in these courses are not counted toward the minimum degree requirements. A summary of the pertinent degree requirements is available in the Graduate Guidelines.
Course Requirements
For the thesis option of a Master’s degree, students must complete at least 30 credit hours, which include a maximum of six credit hours of EEL 6971 (Research for Master’s Thesis). Thesis students must be registered for three credit hours of thesis (EEL 6971) in the term of graduation (Fall and Spring, and two credits in summer). EEL 6065, EEL 6910, EEL 6933, and EEL 6940 cannot be used to fulfill any credit requirements for the Master’s degree. The course requirements include a minimum of 18 hours of Electrical and Computer Engineering courses, excluding EEL 5905, 6905, and EGN 5949. CDA 5636 (Embedded Systems) can be used toward this course requirement by exception. This course requirement can only be fulfilled by completing ECE coursework at the University of Florida.
Students are required to complete a 12 credit hour depth/breadth requirement in order to receive a Master’s degree in ECE. To complete this depth/breadth requirement, students must take at least 9 depth credits of ECE coursework from one of the five research divisions housed in the ECE department (i.e., Computer Engineering, Devices, Electromagnetics and Energy Systems, Electronics, Signals & Systems). At least three of these nine depth credits must be at the 6000 level. In addition, students must complete at least three breadth credits of coursework in the ECE department outside of their declared depth research division. Students can determine which ECE courses are housed in each research division by referring to the research division flow charts at the end of this manual. ECE courses used to complete this depth/breadth requirement will be counted toward the minimum 18 credits of ECE coursework required for the Master’s thesis degree.
Up to 18 hours of Special Topics (EEL 5934, 6935, and 7936) may be applied toward the degree. Up to six hours of unstructured credit hours total (EEL 5905, EEL 6905 or EGN 5949) may be applied toward the degree. Students can count a maximum of 3 credits of EGN 5949 toward their degree program.
Students must receive a final grade of “C” or better to receive degree credit for a letter graded course. A course with a final grade of “C” and above cannot be repeated for credit. If a student receives a grade less than a “C” for a course, s/he may retake the course and an average of both grades will be used when compiling GPA graduation requirements. Courses in which students receive a grade of “C‐“ or lower will not be used to fulfill credit requirements but will adversely affect a student’s GPA.
Appointment of Supervisory Committee
The supervisory committee is the group of faculty members that supervises and approves the student’s graduate program. The committee’s function is to guide the student through his/her thesis research and to administer the oral final examination. The supervisory committee should be selected as soon as possible but no later than the end of the second semester. After the committee has been determined, the student should obtain a Supervisory Committee Form from the ECE Student Services Office (230 Larsen) and have the professors sign the form indicating their willingness to serve on the committee. The Graduate School may deny degrees to any persons who have failed to comply with this regulation at the proper time.
The committee for the Master’s degree, thesis option, must consist of at least three graduate faculty members. The chairperson and at least one member must be a graduate faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. The chairperson is usually the student’s academic advisor and should advise the student in the selection of the other committee members.
Submission of Master’s Thesis
Students must submit their thesis electronically. Students should refer to the Graduate School Editorial Office for more information regarding their thesis submission.
Electronic submission requires a signed ETD Submission Approval Form (submitted directly by student). A physical copy of the Final Exam Form and signature page must be submitted to the Student Services Office, Larsen 230.
Final Examination Procedures
Up to six months prior to graduation, the supervisory committee will give the student an oral examination on the thesis, on major and minor subjects, and on matters pertaining to any specific field of study.
Each student is responsible for applying for his/her degree by the published deadlines for the semester of graduation. The degree application is available online via ONE UF. Students are also required to meet with the Graduate Advisor in the Student Services Office at the beginning of the semester that they intend to graduate to ensure that all degree requirements have been met. If a student fails to apply by the specified deadline, s/he will not receive the degree that semester.
It is imperative that copies of the student’s thesis be given to the supervisory committee at least two weeks in advance of the final examination. Graduation may be delayed for those who do not adhere to this rule. The Student Services Office should be informed of the examination one week prior to the thesis defense date in order to process the Final Exam Report form and send out notices. Students are also required to complete an Exit Survey during the semester they plan to graduate. Students can find more information about the Exit Survey in the Student Services Office.
Checklist
A complete checklist for students graduating with a Master’s Degree with Thesis Option is available as part of the Graduate Guidelines.