The program provides advanced instruction and research opportunities in a broad range of computer engineering areas and is focused on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the state of the art in computer engineering.Students pursuing a Master’s of Science (M.S.) in Computer Engineering can choose from a thesis and nonthesis option. The thesis option requires the completion of a thesis that must be defended with an oral examination and approved by the student’s master’s thesis committee. In addition, thesis M.S. students must complete 30 credit hours, including 3 core courses and 6 credit hours of research. The non-thesis option requires the completion of a scholarly paper. In addition, non-thesis M.S. students must complete 33 credit hours including 3 core courses and 3 credits of ENEE 698. Both options must be completed within 5 years and students must maintain a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0.

Research Areas:

1.VLSI design and test: defect-based testing,
mixed signal design and test, test structure design for process variations, TRUST for ICs. 

2.VLSI arithmetic algorithms and security: security
at all levels, data, networks, architecture

3.Mixed-signal VLSI: mixed-signal VLSI design, intelligent sensor interfacing, imaging systems,
sensor networks. 

4.Distributed real-time, and embedded systems:
distributed real-time, fault tolerant, wireless, and
embedded systems. 

5.Energy efficient and high performance systems:
architecture, application and chip design for
many core systems , ultra low power DSP for
biomedical apps, efficient hardware for communications and DSP. 

6.Bioelectronics: novel energy conversion systems
using bioelectronics design and theory, optimization methods for physical circuit design, lowvoltage and biologically inspired computing, sensor-processor integration, and wireless networking and communications. 

Pre-requisites for Admission

An applicant to a graduate program in Computer Engineering is expected to have a strong back­ground in computer engineering and mathematics courses. This includes Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations and Probability & Statistics in Mathematics. Applicants are expected to have taken the equivalent of the following UMBC courses:

CMPE 212: Principles of Digital Design
CMPE 306: Basic Circuit Theory
CMPE 310: Systems Design and Programming
CMPE 314: Electronic Circuits
CMPE 315: Principles of VLSI Design
CMSC 341: Data Structures
CMSC 411: Computer Architecture

Admissions Requirements:

GRE General Test required (waiver option available)
Written Statement of Purpose: review criteria and guidelines on the department website.
Ph.D. applicants strongly encouraged to already have an M.S. degree in computer science; strong background in computer engineering, computer science, and mathematics courses.

Term of Admission: Fall and Spring

Application Deadlines

International Students: January 7th, September 1st

Domestic Students:
Fall: January 1st (for financial consideration), June 1
Spring: June 1st (for financial consideration), November 1st

Tuition fee-2 years$50,000

Total fee-2 years$80,000