Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The PhD is a research-intensive degree that prepares a student for a research/development career in industry or academia. Given the research focus, the candidate must have a deep affinity for the research topic being studied, and should carefully select a dissertation advisor. There are two Paths to the PhD Degree:

1. direct from BS to PhD, bypassing the MS degree, or
2. obtain a MS degree first at UH (or elsewhere).

The first option is available to clearly motivated, top-performing candidates. If the student has not a clear vision of his/her future career objectives, (s)he may elect to obtain a MS degree first.

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)

The Master of Science (MSEE) degree is a research-oriented degree and requires the completion of a thesis.

To receive the degree of Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, the student is required to complete (on a part-time or full-time basis), with a grade point average of at least 3.0, a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of graduate studies, to include at least 21 hours of coursework, and 9 hours of thesis and research.

Master of Electrical Engineering (MEE)

The Master of Electrical Engineering (MEE) program is a non-thesis master's program, which provides advanced level instruction emphasizing engineering practice. The MEE program offers an opportunity for the practicing electrical engineer to obtain a graduate level degree having a focus on engineering design, systems operation, manufacturing, and management. The opportunity exists in the MEE program for specialization in one of four areas of strength in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. These areas are: Control and Power Systems, Electromagnetics and Microelectronics, Electronics and Computers, and Signals and Communications. In addition, the student can select from non-electrical engineering courses, including courses in the Cullen College of Engineering, the College of Business Administration, and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. In this way, engineering disciplines as well as areas such as Management, Mathematics, and Computer Science, are included in the program. The option exists for the completion of a project on a practical engineering problem under the supervision and guidance of a faculty member.

Although the MSEE and MEE programs are open to both part-time and full-time students, the MEE program may be more appealing to part-time students than the MSEE program.

*****IMPORTANT NOTE: Students in the MEE program may not receive any form of Financial Assistance from the department at any time during the course of their studies. (The only support allowed for MEE students are special MEE scholarships.) In addition, students in the MSEE program who have received financial aid from the department are not allowed to change to the MEE programs without prior written consent of advisor.

• Industrial Power System (IPS)

  The Industrial Power Systems is a graduate level program, providing advanced and specialized training of industrial power systems engineers, who are typically working in an environment that recently experienced the need for a tremendous increase in breadth and depth of knowledge.

  The program was developed at the industry request, and with a significant participation of prominent electrical industry representatives from the Houston area. The program covers the most needed topics for industry, and also takes the advantage of Houston's recognized international leadership in industrial power systems design. The specific courses in this program are offered as evening classes, and are taught by instructors with significant industrial experience.

  It is also noted that the MEE program can be counted as one year's experience towards registration as a Professional Engineer. Also, for those who do not wish to pursue the MEE degree, the classes can be taken as a Post Baccalaureate (PB) student. Note that the present and the future industry need for the power systems specialization is extremely high.

• Telecommunication

  UH's telecommunications program was developed in conjunction with Houston companies having a strong interest in telecommunications. The goal of the program is to prepare its graduates for professional careers in this exciting and exponentially growing field. It was developed through consultation with a 30-member industrial advisory board, and continues to benefit from the encouragement, financial support and other assistance from that group. (advisory board)

  Telecommunications is one of the hot areas for job opportunities today. The rate of expansion of the telecommunications industry is variously estimated as in the range of 15 to 30 percent annually. Employers are actively seeking engineers with training or experience in this field. Cullen College of Engineering is educating engineers for leadership in telecommunications engineering and management careers.

Master of Computer and Systems Engineering (MSCSE)

The Computer and Systems Engineering (CSE) degree offered by the University of Houston (UH) is a graduate level interdisciplinary program administered by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). It offers two options: The Computer Engineering Option, whose director is Dr. Pauline Markenscoff, and the Computer Controlled Systems Option, whose director is Dr. Leang-San Shieh providing the opportunity to specialize either in Computer Engineering or in Computer Controlled Systems. The two options have the same regulations and admission standards but they have some differences in the required courses as well as in the suggested elective courses. A student can complete the degree either on a full or part time basis and with the option of doing a thesis or not.

Applicants can have a BS in any one of the following fields: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or a degree in any Engineering field or Quantitative Science. Depending on previous background, a set of prerequisites might have to be satisfied before the student starts the graduate program in CSE.

Prospective students can get academic advising from Dr. Markenscoff (Markenscoff [at] uh [dot] edu) for the Computer Engineering Option or from Dr. Shieh (Lshieh [at] uh [dot] edu) for the Computer Controlled Systems Option by making an appointment.