I. Requirements for the Research Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering
I.A. Course-work RequirementThe M.S. program requires a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of credit, of which a minimum of eighteen (18) hours are course credits, and a minimum of six (6) hours are awarded for research towards an M.S. thesis. All courses may be in Electrical Engineering; but up to nine (9) semester hours of course credit may be taken from other departments. The course work should be designed to prepare the student adequately for work in the major area of specialization. Advanced undergraduate courses, numbered 400 to 497, may be taken for up to six (6) credit hours.
Transfer Credits
The department may accept course work completed at another accredited university toward meeting its degree requirements. A student may transfer credits earned at another accredited university only if:
1) the student is in degree status at Notre Dame;
2) the courses taken are graduate courses appropriate to the Notre Dame graduate program and the student had graduate student status when he or she took these courses;
3) the courses were completed within a five-year period prior to admission to a graduate degree program at Notre Dame or while enrolled in a graduate degree program at Notre Dame;
4) grades of "B" (3.0 on 4.0 scale) or better were achieved; and
5) the transfer is recommended by the Director of Graduate Studies and approved by the Graduate School.These five requirements also apply to the transfer of credits earned in another program at Notre Dame.
The student must petition the Graduate Committee for transfer of credits. The University considers a request for credit transfer only after a student has completed one semester in a Notre Dame graduate degree program and before the semester in which the graduate degree is conferred. The university of origin must submit two transcripts directly to the Notre Dame Graduate School. Credits not earned on the semester system, such as trimester and quarter-hour credits, will be transferred on a pro- rata basis.
A student transferring from an unfinished master's program may not transfer more than six (6) semester course credit hours into either a Notre Dame master's or Ph.D. program.
If the student has completed a master's, he or she may transfer up to nine (9) semester credit hours to a Notre Dame master's program.
No grades of transferred courses are included in the student's G.P.A.
I.B. Foreign Language Requirement
The Electrical Engineering Department has no foreign language requirement.
I.C. Residency
The minimum residency requirement for the master's degree is registration in full-time status for one semester during the academic year or for one summer session.
I.D. Degree Eligibility
Failure to complete all requirements for the master's degree within five years results in forfeiture of degree eligibility. A master's program that is pursued during the summer and the academic year must also be completed within five years. A student attending Summer Session only must complete all requirements within seven years.
I.E. Advisors and Thesis Directors
Every graduate student will be assigned a faculty advisor by the Department Chairman. The advisor will assist the student in choosing courses and in choosing a thesis or dissertation topic. If the student's research interests differ from those of the advisor, the student may request a change in advisor from the Department Chairman. Changing advisors more than once is discouraged.
Any student who is working on a Masters Thesis for a degree in the Electrical Engineering Department must have either a Thesis Advisor or a Thesis Co-Advisor who is a regular teaching-and-research faculty member in the department. If two or more people share the responsibility of Thesis Advisor, they shall each be known as Thesis Co-advisors and each shall sign the final thesis document. Thus, if a thesis involves work outside the department, it must be directed, at least in part, by a faculty member from the department.
I.F. Admission to Candidacy
To qualify for admission to candidacy, a student must be in a master's degree program. He or she must have been enrolled in the program without interruption and maintained a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 in approved course work. A student who seeks admission to candidacy in a research master's program must also demonstrate research capability and receive departmental approval of his or her thesis proposal.
Admission to candidacy is a prerequisite to receiving any graduate degree. It is the student's responsibility to apply for admission by submitting the appropriate form to the Graduate School office through the department chair. The applicable deadline is published in the Graduate School Calendar.
I.G. Master's Examination
The Qualifying Examination given to all graduate students at the end of their first year of studies functions as the Master's Examination for student's in the M.S. program. A student must demonstrate M.S. capability on the Qualifying Examination to obtain the Master's Degree. One retake of the exam is possible if approved by the department.
I.H. Thesis Requirement
To receive a research M.S.E.E., students must write a thesis under the guidance of a faculty advisor, and register for a total of six (6) credit hours of thesis research. In addition, no later than one semester before he/she expects to graduate, the student must submit a Thesis Advisor Certification to the Graduate Committee. The Thesis Advisor and the student are then responsible for choosing an Oral Thesis Defense examining board, which is comprised of the Thesis Advisor plus two readers.
Readers are appointed from among the regular teaching and research faculty of the student's department. The appointment of a reader from outside the student's department must have the Graduate School's prior approval. The thesis director may not be one of the official readers.
The thesis should follow the guidelines in the Graduate School's Guide for Formatting and Submitting Dissertations and Theses, available at the Graduate School office. The thesis director indicates final approval of the thesis and its readiness for the readers by signing the thesis.
The candidate then delivers signed copies of the completed thesis to the two official readers appointed by the department. Each reader must unconditionally approve the thesis and the department should promptly report the results to the Graduate School.
Upon acceptance of the thesis by the Oral Thesis Defense examining board, the student must successfully pass the Oral Thesis Defense. This examination is conducted as a thesis defense and may include general questions on the candidate's major area.
After successfully passing the Oral Thesis Defense, the candidate should deliver two clean copies signed by the thesis director to the Graduate School office on or before the date specified in the Graduate School Calendar. There it will be verified for compliance with the style manual. The candidate then should deliver the verified copies and the Graduate School approval form to the Hesburgh Library, where he or she pays the binding costs.
Students should be cognizant of deadlines for graduation established by the Graduate School and the department.
Should a student and advisor decide to microfilm a thesis, information concerning the University Microfilms International Master's Publishing Program may be obtained from the Graduate School office
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