Santa Clara University

Department of Electrical Engineering

The master’s degree will be granted to degree candidates who complete a program of studies approved by a faculty advisor. The degree does not require a thesis, but students may include a thesis in their program and receive up to 9 units for their thesis work. The program must include no less than 45 units. In addition, a 3.0 GPA (B average) must be earned in all coursework taken at Santa Clara. Residence requirements of the University are met by completing 36 units of the graduate program at Santa Clara. A maximum of 9 quarter units (6 semester units) may be transferred from other accredited institutions at the discretion of the student’s advisor. All units applied toward the degree, including those transferred from other institutions, must be earned within a six-year period.

Students must develop a program of studies with an academic advisor and file the program during their first term of enrollment at Santa Clara. The program of studies must contain a minimum of 25 electrical engineering units and a minimum total of 45 units of graduate-level engineering courses. The number of engineering management courses accepted is restricted to 6 units. The program must include the following:

1. One graduate course in electromagnetic fields (ELEN 201 or 202)
2. One graduate course in modern networks (ELEN 211 or 219)
3. One graduate course in control systems (ELEN 232, 236, or 333)
4. One graduate course in electronics (ELEN 252, 261, or 264)
5. One graduate course in digital systems (ELEN 500 or 603)
6. Four applied mathematics courses
7. Graduate core requirements (minimum 6 units): details may be found in Chapter 3
8. Additional graduate courses in the student’s emphasis area and in other areas recommended and approved by the graduate program advisor. Up to 15 units of electives may be selected from the following upper-division undergraduate courses: 112, 116, 117, 118, 127, 130, 133, 141, 143, 144, 145, 152, 153, 156 and 160. Programs for several emphasis areas and the associated advisors are available from the department and its website

These M.S. degree requirements may be adjusted by the advisor based on the student’s previous graduate work. Alterations in the approved program, not relating to the above departmental requirements, may be requested at any time by a petition initiated by the student and approved by the advisor. The program may include up to 6 engineering management units, with the advisor’s approval.

Students with relevant technical backgrounds may be admitted to the MSEE program without a BSEE from an accredited program. In order to guarantee prerequisites for graduate courses, those students must take sufficient additional courses beyond the 45-unit minimum to ensure coverage of all areas of the undergraduate EE core requirements. A student who has earned a Fundamental Certificate will have satisfied these background requirements.

The nine undergraduate core courses are:

1. ELEN 21 Introduction to Logic Design
2. ELEN 33 Introduction to Digital Systems Architectures
3. ELEN 50 Electric Circuits I
4. ELEN 100 Electric Circuits II
5. ELEN 104 Electromagnetics I
6. ELEN 110 Linear Systems
7. ELEN 115 Electronic Circuits I
8. ELEN 151 Semiconductor Devices I

The advisor will determine which courses must be taken to meet these requirements.

Undergraduate core courses will not be included in the 45 units required for the MSEE.

Note: In general, no credit will be allowed for courses that duplicate prior coursework, including courses listed above as degree requirements. (However, a graduate-level treatment of a topic is more advanced than an undergraduate course with a similar title.) Students should discuss any adjustments of these requirements with their academic advisor before they file their program of studies. In all cases, prerequisite requirements should be interpreted to mean the course specified or an equivalent course taken elsewhere.

ENGINEER’S DEGREE PROGRAM AND REQUIREMENTS

The program leading to the engineer’s degree is particularly designed for the education of the practicing engineer. The degree is granted on completion of an approved academic program and a record of acceptable technical achievement in the candidate’s field of engineering. The academic program consists of a minimum of 45 quarter units beyond the master’s degree. Courses are selected to advance competence in specific areas relating to the engineering professional’s work. Evidence of technical achievement must include a paper principally written by the candidate and accepted for publication by a recognized engineering journal prior to the granting of the degree. A letter from the journal accepting the paper must be submitted to the Office of the Dean, School of Engineering. In certain cases, the department may accept publication in the peer-reviewed proceedings of an appropriate national or international conference.

Electrical engineering courses at the introductory master of science level (e.g., ELEN 210, 211, 212, 230, 231, 236, 241, 250, 261; and AMTH 210, 211, 220, 221, 230, 231, 235, 236, 240, 245, 246) are not generally acceptable in an engineer’s degree program of studies. However, with the approval of the advisor, the student may include up to three of these courses in the engineer’s degree program. The department also requires that at least 15 units of the program of studies be in topics other than the student’s major field of concentration. Candidates admitted to the Electrical Engineering Program who have M.S. degrees in fields other than electrical engineering must include in their graduate programs (M.S. and engineer’s degree combined) a total of at least 45 units of graduate-level electrical engineering coursework.

PH.D. PROGRAM AND REQUIREMENTS

The doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is conferred by the School of Engineering primarily in recognition of competence in the subject field and the ability to investigate engineering problems independently, resulting in a new contribution to knowledge in the field. The work for the degree consists of engineering research, the preparation of a thesis based on that research, and a program of advanced studies in engineering, mathematics, and related physical sciences.

Preliminary Examination

The preliminary examination shall be written and shall include subject matter deemed by the major department to represent sufficient preparation in depth and breadth for advanced study in the major. Only those who pass the written examination may take the oral.

Students currently studying at Santa Clara University for a master’s degree who are accepted for the Ph.D. program and who are at an advanced stage of the M.S. program may, with the approval of their academic advisor, take the preliminary examination before completing the M.S. degree requirements. Students who have completed the M.S. degree requirements and have been accepted for the Ph.D. program should take the preliminary examination as soon as possible but not more than two years after beginning the program.

Only those students who pass the preliminary examination shall be allowed to continue in the doctoral program. The preliminary examination may be repeated only once, and then only at the discretion of the thesis advisor.

General Requirements

Thesis Advisor

It is the student’s responsibility to obtain consent from a full-time faculty member in the student’s major department to serve as his/her prospective thesis advisor.

It is strongly recommended that Ph.D. students find a thesis advisor before taking the preliminary examination. After passing the preliminary examination, Ph.D. students should have a thesis advisor before the beginning of the next quarter following the preliminary examination. Students currently pursuing a master’s degree at the time of their preliminary examination should have a thesis advisor as soon as possible after being accepted as a Ph.D. Student.

The student and the thesis advisor jointly develop a complete program of studies for research in a particular area. The complete program of studies (and any subsequent changes) must be filed with the Graduate Services Office and approved by the student’s Doctoral Committee. Until this approval is obtained, there is no guarantee that courses taken will be acceptable toward the Ph.D. course requirements.

Doctoral Committee

On the student’s request, the thesis advisor will form a Doctoral Committee. The committee will consist of at least five members, including the thesis advisor and at least two members from the electrical engineering department. The committee must also include at least one member from outside the department, preferably from outside the School of Engineering. The Doctoral Committee will review the student’s proposed program of studies and determine any further changes that may be required prior to approving the program.

Residence

The doctoral degree is granted on the basis of achievement, rather than on the accumulation of units of credit. However, the candidate is expected to complete a minimum of 72 quarter units of graduate credit beyond the master’s degree. Of these, 36 quarter units may be earned through coursework and independent study, and 36 through the thesis. All Ph.D. thesis units are graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. A maximum of 18 quarter units (12 semester units) may be transferred from other accredited institutions at the discretion of the student’s advisor.

Ph.D. students must undertake a minimum of four consecutive quarters of full-time study at the University; spring and fall quarters are considered consecutive. The residency time shall normally be any period between passing the preliminary examination and completion of the thesis. For this requirement, full-time study is interpreted as a minimum registration of 8 units per quarter during the academic year and 4 units during summer session. Any variation from this requirement must be approved by the Doctoral Committee.

Comprehensive Examinations and Admission to Candidacy

After completion of the formal coursework approved by the Doctoral Committee, the student shall present his/her research proposal for comprehensive oral examinations on the coursework and the subject of his/her research work. The student should make arrangements for the comprehensive examinations through the Doctoral Committee. A student who passes the comprehensive examinations is considered a degree candidate. The comprehensive examinations normally must be completed within four years from the time the student is admitted to the doctoral program. Comprehensive examinations may be repeated once, in whole or in part, at the discretion of the Doctoral Committee.

Thesis Research and Defense

The period following the comprehensive examinations is devoted to research for the thesis, although such research may begin before the examinations are complete. After successfully completing the comprehensive examinations, the student must pass an oral examination on his/her research and thesis, conducted by the Doctoral Committee and whomever they appoint as examiners. The thesis must be made available to all examiners one month prior to the examination. The oral examination shall consist of a presentation of the results of the thesis and the defense. This examination is open to all faculty members of Santa Clara University, but only members of the Doctoral Committee have a vote.

Thesis and Publication

At least one month before the degree is to be conferred, the candidate must submit to the Office of the Dean of Engineering two copies of the final version of the thesis describing the research in its entirety. The thesis will not be considered as accepted until approved by the Doctoral Committee and one or more refereed articles based on it are accepted for publication in a professional or scientific journal approved by the Doctoral Committee. All doctoral theses must also be reproduced on microfilm by University Microfilms International, which keeps on deposit the master microfilm copy and responds to requests for copies by individuals and libraries.

Time Limit for Completing Degree

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within eight years following acceptance into the Ph.D. program. Extensions will be allowed only in unusual circumstances and must be approved in writing by the Committee on Graduate Programs and the dean of the School of Engineering.

Additional Graduation Requirements

The requirements for the doctoral degree in the School of Engineering have been made to establish the structure in which the degree may be earned. Upon written approval of the provost, the dean of the School of Engineering, the Doctoral Committee, and the chair of the major department, other degree requirements may be established. The University reserves the right to evaluate the undertakings and the accomplishments of the degree candidate in total, and award or withhold the degree as a result of its deliberations.