G-ECE-MS - Electrical and Computer Engineering - Master's
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The MS degree program includes thesis, project, or coursework options.
A minimum of 30 units of earned graduate credit beyond the Bachelor’s degree is required for the MS degree. The distribution of these 30 units depends upon whether a student chooses the courses-only, project, or thesis option.
Coursework Requirements
Courses-only option
12 units of graduate-level* ECE courses (ECE 899 courses may not be used as part of this requirement)
6 units of approved graduate-level technical electives (ECE 899 courses may not be used as part of this requirement)
from Engineering (including ECE), Math, Statistics, Computer Science, or Natural Science (i.e., Chemistry, Physics, Biology), or other courses approved by the faculty
12 units approved graduate-level electives**
Completion of ECE 701 (ECE Master's Success Seminar, 0 credits)
Project option
12 units of graduate-level ECE courses (ECE 899 courses may not be used as part of this requirement)
15 units approved graduate-level electives**
3 units of ungraded research
Completion of ECE 701 (ECE Master's Success Seminar, 0 credits)
Thesis option
12 units of graduate-level ECE courses (excluding ECE 899)
12 units of approved graduate-level electives**
6 units of ungraded research
Completion of ECE 701 (ECE Master's Success Seminar, 0 credits)
*Graduate-level courses are numbered 500 and above.
**No more than two ECE 899 Independent Study courses may be used to satisfy degree requirements.
Selection of all courses, particularly in the student's major area, is tailored to the student's background via consultation with their assigned advisor. Electives are subject to final approval by the Director of Graduate Studies and should be chosen to provide a coherent program of study.
Final Exam Requirements
Courses-only option
The Graduate School requires a final exam approved by a committee made up of three Graduate Faculty members, one of whom must be from a department other than ECE or outside the student’s main curricular area. The committee must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School at least one month prior to the examination date. The student is not required to generate a written document for the ECE department, and the format of the exam is determined by the department.
Project option
For the project option, a written research report and oral presentation are required to be presented to a committee made up of the student's advisor and two other members of the graduate faculty, one of whom must be from a department other than ECE or outside the student’s main curricular area. The committee must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School at least one month prior to the examination date. The format of the written and oral project reports are determined by the student’s advisor. The project report is not submitted to the Graduate School; however, a final copy must be submitted to the ECE Department.
Thesis option
A written thesis must be uploaded by the guidelines presented in the Graduate School’s Guide for the Electronic Submission of Thesis and Dissertation, and the thesis must be defended orally before a committee composed of the faculty member under whose direction the work was done and at least two other members of the graduate faculty, one of whom must be from a department other than ECE or outside the student’s main curricular area. The committee must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School at least one month prior to the examination date.
Details concerning committee approvals, filing of intention to graduate, and various important deadlines may be found in the Director of Graduate Studies Assistant's (DGSA) office, or at gradschool.duke.edu/academics.