Electrical Engineering (MS)

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (EE MS)
Unit: Speed School of Engineering (GS)
Department/Program Webpage

Program Information

General Information

The MS degree program is intended for persons having an accredited baccalaureate degree in Electrical Engineering, but is available to those with other backgrounds. Applicants with other backgrounds should plan on taking some undergraduate background coursework. Students interested in the MS degree program should consult the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The University of Louisville is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award master's degrees.

Academic Performance

The J.B. Speed School of Engineering has established the following performance policies:

1. The minimum grade point average requirement for good standing and satisfaction of degree requirements is 3.00 for all academic work completed while in graduate studies.
2. Any student who does not satisfy the published performance criteria shall be placed in probationary status. Please review the Academic Standing Section within this catalog in regard to Academic Probation.
3. Students receiving graduate assistantships (teaching, research or service) shall be provided adequate training and shall be required to understand and adhere to University policies related to these areas. The performance of teaching, research and service duties by such students shall be periodically evaluated. Students with teaching assistantships shall be evaluated annually.
4. Students who fail to meet performance goals or who do not meet other requirements as outlined in the admission letter, program requirements or the university catalog may be subject to academic dismissal from their programs.

All graduate students are expected to make steady and satisfactory progress toward the completion of degrees. Students who are not enrolled for a period of more than 12 months will be considered to have withdrawn from the program. Students who seek to return after such a period of time must contact the graduate program director.

Degree Requirements

The following degree requirements are mandatory of all Master of Science candidates:

1. The program of study must be completed with a 3.00 GPA or better for all graduate courses used to satisfy degree requirements. Additionally, the program of study must be completed with a 3.00 GPA or better for all academic work attempted in graduate studies.
2. Masters students must take at least 24 credit hours of coursework at the University of Louisville to satisfy the residency requirement for the master's degree. A maximum of six (6) credit hours of graduate credit may be transferred from accredited institutions.
3. Students following the Thesis Option must follow the Guidelines for the Preparation of a Thesis or Dissertation [pdf]
4. Student has six years after their admission to the MS program to complete their degree.

The requirements for the Master of Science degree are discussed in more detail in the Degree Requirements section of this catalog.

Admission Standards

The admission standards for the master of science program in electrical engineering are as follows:

1. All admission applications for the program shall include:
   • A completed application for the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies,
   • An application fee,
   • Results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE),
   • At least two letters of recommendation, and
   • Official transcript(s) for all previous post-secondary coursework.  All transcripts not in English must be certified as authentic and translated verbatim into English.
2. The minimum requirement for admission is the baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution.
3. The successful applicant will typically have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 or above (on a 4.00 scale).
4. The successful applicant will typically have a GRE combined Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning score of 295 or above.
5. Admission in good standing shall be made only if all admission credentials have been received, evaluated and approved and all academic requirements met including a demonstration of adequate background in a foundational subject material.
   
   A student may be admitted provisionally if academic requirements are met but application materials are incomplete (usually missing letters of recommendation or official transcripts and/or official score reports). Students have one semester to furnish any credentials missing at the time of admission and may not enroll for a second consecutive term in provisional status.
6. Any conditional acceptance shall be made on an individual basis and shall require a statement of the rationale for the exception, plans for monitoring progress and performance and stated success criteria. Such justification must be provided in writing and must be accepted by the program chair and the Speed school associate dean for academic affairs.
7. International students whose primary language is not English must show English language proficiency by either TOEFL/IELTS score or demonstration of a degree award from an acceptable English language institution.  The successful applicant will typically have a total TOEFL score of 80 or higher or overall IELTS score of 6.5 or higher.

Program Requirements

Remedial work may be specified for those applicants who, in the opinion of the faculty, do not have a sufficient background.
The minimum curricular requirements for the master's program are:

The master of science degree must be completed with a 3.00 GPA or better for all graduate courses used to satisfy degree requirements and all academic work attempted in graduate studies.​​