Tailored for working professionals.

At the University of Colorado Boulder, our Professional Master’s Program in Electrical Engineering will help you gain highly employable skills based on the latest industry needs. 

This professional master’s degree is usually a terminal degree, with the goal of preparing you to be highly competitive in the engineering job market for fields in sustainability, aerospace, power electronics, digital technologies, among others. You’ll gain cutting-edge knowledge; foster your communication, collaboration, presentation, organizational and networking skills; and apply what you learn to advance your career. 

There are several focus areas (sub-plans) available. You may earn either a Professional Master of Science (MSEE) or Master of Engineering (ME) degree. The professional master’s degree admission process evaluates applicants primarily on their potential to complete a challenging degree, and not on their potential to do research or complete a PhD. There is no thesis option for the professional master’s degree. 

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Curriculum & Requirements

A minimum of 30 semester hours of academic work acceptable to the studen’'s advisory committee and within the rules established by the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Graduate School will be required for the ME degree. MSEE sub-plans may have specific course and prerequisite requirements.

All of ECEE’s degrees are technical degrees, thus all courses taken towards the degree (with some exceptions) must be technical in nature. For questions, please reach out to us via email. 

MS Degree Requirements  ME Degree Requirements  Admission Requirements

Sub Plans 

A Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or in another engineering or hard science field is required. Students with a non-EE undergraduate degree can also take undergraduate courses — that do not count toward the degree — at CU Boulder to address any missing prerequisites. 

No. The GRE is optional. 

For graduate students, refer to Graduate Costs for Engineering from the Bursar’s Office for in-state, out-of-state/international students. 

No. Graduate students may be enrolled in only one sub-plan for the Professional Master’s Program at a time. 

Complete details on the application process (admission requirements, deadlines and instructions for both international and domestic students) can be found on our Graduate Program page. 

The Professional Master of Science degree (MSEE) is geared toward professionals looking to work in industry after graduation. Courses are mainly taught by instructors with decades of industry experience. MSEE students do not complete a thesis.

The Master of Engineering (ME) permits students to take more courses considered less technically challenging. A sufficiently technical course has technical prerequisites with engineering, math and science problem-solving as its primary content. A less technical course is instead often policy- or business-focused at the 5000-level. 

The traditional master’s (MS) degree plan is geared toward students interested in pursuing a PhD and courses are taught by tenure-track faculty members. An optional thesis is possible. 

A minimum of 30 semester hours of academic work acceptable to the student's advisory committee and within the rules established by the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Graduate School will be required for the ME degree. MSEE sub-plans may have specific course and prerequisite requirements. All of ECEE’s degrees are technical degrees. All courses taken toward the degree (with some exceptions) must be technical in nature. For questions, reach out to us via email. 

Yes. Faculty from that particular area will review and evaluate your application.

Yes. However, for the power electronics and embedded systems sub-plans, some courses are best started in the fall. 

Mostly. All but one or two courses in each of the Power Electronics, Embedded Systems Engineering and Next Generation Power & Energy Engineering sub-plans can be taken online.  

In contrast, High-Speed Digital Engineering only offers a few online courses, and many must be taken in-person, on campus. 

Students enrolled in professional master’s programs are eligible for an hourly paid appointment (see current pay scale for a Student Assistant IV) or for a program-administered fellowship, but are not eligible for TA, RA, GA, or GPTI roles that include tuition waivers. Instead, Professional Master’s Program tuition rates are lower than those for other MS, ME and PhD degrees for out-of-state students and international students. 

This program offers great flexibility. All students have four years to complete the degree requirements. 

No research or thesis components are required. The program offers a curriculum directed toward up-to-date theory and skills required for engineers practicing in high-tech fields. Participants who desire a research-driven experience may enroll in independent study. 

No. This program concentrates on preparing students for an industry career. However, enrolled students may apply for admission to the PhD program if they choose. 

Yes. Since the Department offers the professional master’s program under the MS degree, the CIP code is 14.0101 with a CIP description of general engineering. This CIP code is listed on ICE website as a STEM-designated degree program. 

Yes. You may apply to switch your master’s degree program (traditional MS to PMP or vice-versa) once during your time as a student. This means you must complete one semester in your program of entry with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and have permission from your advisor and the advisor of the program you wish to switch into (faculty advisors are assigned only two or three weeks prior to semester start). You may not switch during the term in which you plan to graduate. 

Email us at ecegrad@colorado.edu!