Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering Degree Requirements

The Master of Science (MS) in Electrical and Computer Engineering can prepare you for a successful career in academia or industry. 

The department offers two traditional MS degree plans. Both require a total of 30 credit hours.

• Plan I consists of 24-26 credit hours of coursework, plus four to six hours of master's thesis credit.
• Plan II does not include a thesis, and is coursework only. 

A thesis is optional for students in this program; all students are admitted on the non-thesis, coursework-only track; the declaration of a thesis comes after the first year in the program.

There are no subplans to the traditional MS degree. Our traditional MS degree includes six focus areas which students can specify an interest in in their application, but, if admitted, students are able to take classes among all these areas (subject to enrollment restrictions/priorities) to best learn the varied knowledge they want for their future career path. 

Our program has courses that are held in-person during normal business hours. This may make it difficult to complete as an on-campus program for applicants who wish to work full-time or remotely while completing their degree.

Table of Contents

Plan I Degree Requirements

Coursework Requirements

A minimum of 30-credit hours are required.

• 18 credit hours of ECEN 5000-level or above courses are required, including 4-6 credit hours of Master’s Thesis.
  • The total number of combined hours of independent study and thesis research shall not exceed 9 hours.
  • 3 credits total of ECEN 5930, Professional Internship Course, can be used toward the 30-credit hour requirement.
• The remaining 12 credit hours can be ECEN courses or technical courses in science, mathematics, or engineering. Generally these should be at the 5000-level or above.
  • A maximum of 6 of these credit hours may be at the 4000-level unless the course is ECEN, a nontechnical course, or a course cross-listed with an ECEN course.
  • Additionally, these 12 credits can include:
    • A single non-technical course such as EMEN or CYBR (check with your advisor to verify a course is non-technical).
    • A maximum of two technical CYBR courses are permitted.
    • You must petition your academic advisor if you wish to take any courses from departments outside of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
  • If you are unsure if your course meets technical requirements, contact your advisor. Generally, a ‘technical’ courses is one with technical undergraduate or graduate pre-reqs, and is not policy focused, but is math/ engineering problem-solving focused.

Thesis

A thesis is required in this plan. Students are responsible for identifying a faculty member they would like to complete a thesis with and either receiving approval to being on a project or proposing their own project with that faculty member. Not all faculty are able to accommodate thesis students and the decision is left to their discretion. 

Please Note: The thesis generally does not begin until the 3rd semester/second year of the program. If you are interested in a thesis, we recommend beginning to search for a faculty member and project midway through your second semester, and to begin thesis work at the start of your second year.

The master's thesis will be written under the supervision of a graduate faculty advisor in the department, and must conform to the format specifications as set forth by the Graduate School. 

Thesis Defense

The final examination for a student enrolled under Plan I is the defense of the student's thesis before their self-selected Final Examination Committee. 

The student should work with their faculty research advisor, graduate program advisor and follow all Graduate School deadlines to select their committee, meet all deadlines and schedule their defense, as well as complete their approved and signed Candidacy Application .

Students must be registered as full-time student status during the semester of the final examination.

Plan II Degree Requirements

A minimum of 30-credit hours are required.

Course Requirements

• 18 credit hours of ECEN 5000-level or above courses are required.
  • The total number of combined hours of independent study shall not exceed 6 hours.
  • 3 credits total of ECEN 5930, Professional Internship Course, can be used toward the 30-credit hour requirement.
• The remaining 12 credit hours can be ECEN courses or technical courses in science, mathematics, or engineering. Generally these should be at the 5000-level or above.
  • A maximum of 6 of these credit hours may be at the 4000-level unless the course is ECEN, a nontechnical course, or a course cross-listed with an ECEN course.
  • Additionally, these 12 credits can include:
    • A single non-technical course such as EMEN or CYBR (check with your advisor to verify a course is non-technical).
    • A maximum of two technical CYBR courses are permitted.
    • You must petition your academic advisor if you wish to take any courses from departments outside of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
  • If you are unsure if your course meets technical requirements, contact your advisor. Generally, a ‘technical’ courses is one with technical undergraduate or graduate pre-reqs, and is not policy focused, but is math/ engineering problem-solving focused.

Validated Completion of Required Coursework

In the final semester of the program, students in Plan II must submit their approved and signed Candidacy Application by the Graduate School's deadline. 

Common Requirements and Policies

The following requirements and policies apply to all graduate students in the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering.

Academic Advisor

Students are supported by a Graduate Program Advisor (staff member) and assigned a faculty advisor to help guide them through their degree. 

Quality of Work

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on all coursework. A student cannot be admitted to candidacy or graduate with a cumulative GPA below 3.0.

All grades are required to be a "C" or higher in order to count toward the degree. Grades below a "C" do not count toward the degree but do count toward a student's GPA.

Course Offerings

Visit classes.colorado.edu to view courses by current semester. Graduate-level coursework is numbered 5000 and above; the four-letter designator "ECEN" preceeds all our department courses.

The department also maintains a course offering plan to indicate when courses are generally offered. Traditional MS students are not limited to the focus area selected while applying, and are able to take any variety of ECEN courses to fulfill their degree requirements as listed above. 

Transfer Credit

A maximum of nine semester hours of acceptable, non-degreed coursework with a grade of “B” or higher may be transferred from another accredited institution. Non-degreed means that the coursework cannot have previously counted toward a previous Bachelor’s degree or completed Master’s degree. Work completed at CU as a special student or at another CU campus falls under the nine-hour rule.

• Only the credit hours will transfer—the course grade will not count toward your GPA.
• Quarter system credits will transfer as .67 credit hours per 1 quarter credit hour. The Registrar will NOT round up.

More information on the process is available here. 

Time Limit

All work must be completed within four years.

Switching to Traditional MS or PMP

You may apply to switch your master's level degree program (traditional MS to PMP or vice versa) a maximum of one-time during your tenure as a student. To apply, you must complete at least one semester in your program of entry with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and have permission from your current advisor and the advisor of the program you wish to switch into.

We will accept applications to switch degree programs after final grades are posted each semester, and until one week before the next semester starts.

We will not accept applications when a fall or spring semester is in session.

You may not switch during the term you plan to graduate. Your last term officially begins after the census date of the prior term.

If you are interested in moving to the ESE program, you are expected to meet minimum requirements, which are outlined on the ESE home page. Please note that if you are admitted to the ESE program, your first semester may still not include priority registration until the second and subsequent semesters within the program.

If you move to a PMP program, you will be ineligible for TA/RA/GPTI positions in any department; you will still be still eligible for hourly positions and fellowships.

To switch, current students must access the form on the ECEE Graduate Student Info Canvas resource page. 

In-State Residency

Residency rules for in-state tuition can be found at the Tuition Classification Office. 

The state of Colorado does allow U.S. Citizens/permanent residents to obtain in-state tuition after one-year of residency. International students are not eligible for in-state residency. 

Student Handbook

For all policies, see our student handbook, available on the ECEE Graduate Student page.