The Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering offers a graduate program leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering. The diversity of course offerings and research interests within the department and interactions with the medical and dental schools at UMB, the mathematics and physics departments at UMBC and the electrical engineering department at University of Maryland, College Park, encompass a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary or strictly electrical engineering instruction and research topics.

Students pursuing a Master’s of Science (M.S.) in Electrical 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 the Graduate Seminar, 4 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 the Graduate Seminar, 4 core courses and 3 credits of ENEE 698. Both options must be completed within 5 years and students must maintain a 3.0 G.P.A.

Tracks/Concentrations: 

Communications and Signal Processing
Micro-Electronics
Photonics
Systems Engineering

Program Admission Requirements

When seeking admission to the graduate program in Electrical Engineering, applicants must satisfy all entrance requirements of the Graduate School at UMBC. These include the submission of official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, Graduate Record Examination (GRE General Test) scores and, for international students, scores for the TOEFL. All original application materials must be sent directly to the Graduate School, not the graduate program. Application deadlines for international and domestic students are January 1/June 1 for the fall semester, and June 1/November 1 for the spring semester. The application review process will begin by January 1 for admission in the fall semester, and by October 1 for admission in the following spring semester. Early application is recommended.

In addition to the requirements of the graduate school, minimum requirements for admission to the graduate program in Electrical Engineering are a B.S. degree from an ABET-accredited undergraduate program in Electrical Engineering with a GPA equivalent to 'B+' or higher. Individuals whose records indicate strong potential for successful pursuit of the master's or doctoral degree objectives and who have similar undergraduate preparation with strong academic records in computer science, mathematics, physics or other areas of engineering or science are encouraged to apply (B.S. degrees in engineering technology are not considered equivalent to the B.S. degree in engineering or the B.A. degree in the sciences). Students whose degrees are not in electrical engineering generally will be required to take courses to make up deficiencies in their backgrounds. Students who plan to pursue the Ph.D. degree but who do not already have an M.S. degree are advised to apply for admission to the M.S. program. Applicants are judged competitively by the program's admissions committee, and those who appear suitably qualified to complete the requirements of the intended degree program successfully are selected for admission, subject to available resources. Applications are not processed until all documents and fees are received.

The Application Process

Apply online through UMBC’s Graduate School Website. Applicants must also submit:

• An Official Transcript
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Statement of purpose (See Preparation Guidelines)
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores or GRE Waiver Form
• TOEFL scores (International students only)

Application Deadlines

International Students

• Fall: January 1st
• Spring: June 1st

Domestic Students

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

Financial Assistance:

Financial aid is available on a competitive basis to a limited number of qualified graduate students in the form of graduate teaching assistantships (TAs), graduate research assistantships (RAs), work-study positions, and hourly employment as graders. Graduate RAs are often available to students actively engaged in a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation research, and are awarded and renewed subject to availability of funds and satisfactory research progress. Students are encouraged to apply directly to nationally awarded fellowship programs.

Tuition fee-2 years$50,000

Total fee-2 years$80,000