Thesis Track
Each student is required to take 45 credits, which must consist of:
- At least 15 credits from one of the four core areas defined above.
- At least 20 credits of the total 45 credits must be satisfied through ECE graduate courses.*
- At most 25 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than ECE. The student must obtain the graduate director’s authorization to take a course from outside of Baskin Engineering. Approved core area courses do not require prior authorization.
- At most 10 credits of independent study (ECE 297, ECE 299) are counted toward the ECE course requirements.
- At most 5 credits of ECE 290 and ECE 291 can be counted toward the ECE course requirements. A combined total of 5 credits from ECE 290 and/or ECE 291 are mandatory.
- Undergraduate courses do not count toward the 45-credit requirement.
Total credits required for the M.S. degree is 45.
*The 20 credits of ECE graduate courses can include courses from the core areas only if they are ECE graduate courses. Graduate courses offered by other departments and approved for the core areas are not counted as ECE graduate courses.
Note that each graduate course satisfying the above requirements typically covers 5 credits. Courses in the ECE 280 series do not count toward the 45-credit requirement.
Comprehensive Examination Track
Each student is required to take 45 credits, which must consist of:
- At least 15 credits from one of the four core areas defined above.
- At least 25 credits of the total 45 credits must be satisfied through ECE graduate courses.*
- At most 20 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than ECE. The student must obtain the graduate director’s authorization to take a course from outside of Baskin Engineering. Approved core area courses do not require prior authorization.
- At most 5 credits of ECE 290 and ECE 291 can be counted toward the ECE course requirements. A combined total of 5 credits from ECE 290 and/or ECE 291 are mandatory.
- Undergraduate courses do not count toward the 45-credit requirement.
Total credits required for the M.S. degree is 45.
*The 25 credits of ECE graduate courses can include courses from the core areas only if they are ECE graduate courses. Graduate courses offered by other departments and approved for the core areas are not counted as ECE graduate courses.
Note that each graduate course satisfying the above requirements typically covers 5 credits. Independent study credits do not count toward the degree requirements for students in the comprehensive examination track. Courses in the ECE 280 series do not count toward the 45-credit requirement.
Each student in the comprehensive examination track must pass three comprehensive exam subjects from ECE courses in their chosen core area. Students may not take the comprehensive exam in the same subject more than twice, and may attempt a maximum of six subjects.
Project Track
Each student is required to take 45 credits, which must consist of:
- At least 15 credits must be satisfied with courses from one of the four core areas defined above.
- At least 25 credits of the total 45 credits must be satisfied through ECE graduate courses.*
- At most 5 credits of independent study (ECE 297, ECE 299) are counted toward the ECE course requirements.
- At most 20 credits can be from courses taught by departments other than ECE. The student must obtain the graduate director’s authorization to take a course from outside of Baskin Engineering. Approved core area courses do not require prior authorization.
- At most 5 credits of ECE 290 and ECE 291 can be counted toward the ECE course requirements. A combined total of 5 credits from ECE 290 and/or ECE 291 are mandatory.
- Undergraduate courses do not count toward the 45-credit requirement.
Total credits required for the M.S. degree is 45.
*The 25 credits of ECE graduate courses can include courses from the core areas only if they are ECE graduate courses. Graduate courses offered by other departments and approved for the core areas are not counted as ECE graduate courses.
Note that each graduate course satisfying the above requirements typically covers 5 credits. Courses in the ECE 280 series do not count toward the 45-credit requirement.
Thesis Track
A master's research thesis, viewed as acceptable by a thesis committee approved by the Graduate Division, is required of each student in this track. To fulfill this requirement, the student submits a written proposal to a faculty member, usually by the third academic quarter. By accepting the proposal, the faculty member becomes the thesis advisor. In consultation with the advisor, the student forms a Master's Thesis Reading Committee with at least two additional faculty members, each of whom is provided a copy of the proposal. Exceptions to the committee structure may be granted by the graduate program director and/or by the graduate dean. Changes in the membership of the committee, once appointed, may only be made with the approval of the graduate dean. The majority of the membership of a thesis reading committee shall be members of the Santa Cruz Division of the Academic Senate. Members of a Master's Thesis Reading Committee must meet the following criteria:
- The first member will serve as the committee chair and must be a ladder rank ECE faculty member.
- The second member must be a ladder rank Baskin Engineering (BE) faculty (may be ECE as well).
- The third member must be a UC Santa Cruz Baskin Engineering faculty member or a recognized expert in the student's research area, as judged by the graduate program director and the Graduate Division dean. In the event that the outside member is not from UCSC, the outside member's CV must be submitted along with the thesis committee nomination form.
One additional member may be added to the committee. Students should consult their advisors about the membership of their committee.
By the end of the second week of the quarter in which a student plans to graduate, the student must submit a formal nomination of their Master’s Thesis Reading Committee to the ECE Department for approval. The required form for nominating a Master's Thesis Reading Committee is located on the Graduate Division's website. A final draft of the thesis must be provided to the members of the Master's Thesis Reading Committee for review at least 30 days before the last day of the quarter in which the student plans to graduate. Upon completion of the thesis work, the student presents an expository talk on the thesis research, and the final thesis must be accepted by the Master’s Thesis Reading Committee before the award of the master of science degree. Once the final thesis has been approved, the student must submit a PDF copy of the signed title page and a PDF copy of the thesis to their graduate advisor by the deadline listed in the Academic Calendar. The student must also submit the original signed title page of the thesis to the Graduate Division by the deadline indicated in the Academic Calendar. Finally, an approved PDF copy of the thesis should be submitted through the ProQuest dissertation site. Formatting guidelines for the master’s thesis can be found on the Graduate Division’s website.
Comprehensive Examination Track
The comprehensive exams are only available for ECE graduate courses approved in the four core areas. Graduate courses approved in the four core areas outside ECE (such as AM or CSE) are not available for the comprehensive exams.
At the end of each quarter students will have the opportunity to take the section of the comprehensive examination relevant to the courses offered that quarter that are approved for the core areas as outlined above. The comprehensive examination will focus on fundamental material related to the subject matter of the course The results of these examination sections, when integrated, will comprehensively test the student’s mastery of the curriculum. In order to pass the overall comprehensive examination, a student is required to pass at least three sections of the comprehensive examination in the proposed core area of study. Students may attempt more than one section per quarter.
Master’s students must take the corresponding course in order to take the comprehensive exam in a given subject. A maximum of six exams may be attempted, and a student must pass a minimum of three subjects within their core area in order to fulfill the comprehensive exam capstone requirement.
Eligibility for the comprehensive exam is not contingent upon a student's performance in the associated course. All ECE M.S. students enrolled in an ECE core area course are eligible to complete the comprehensive exam in that subject provided they meet the registration deadline for the relevant quarter.
Students must register for the exam subjects they wish to take each quarter when the call for exam registrations is sent. Students who do not register may not be permitted to take the exam.
Students are notified of their exam results (pass/fail) by email prior to the start of the following quarter, and the results are also recorded in the student’s file by the graduate advisor. If students have questions about the exam or how it was graded, they should contact the instructor who wrote the exam to request a meeting to go over the exam. Once a student has passed three exam subjects within their core area, they have fulfilled the comprehensive examination requirement and are eligible for graduation as soon as they have completed all of the other requirements for the degree.
Students in the M.S. comprehensive examination track are not eligible for Filing Fee status.
Note that Plan II A: Comprehensive Examination, is the default option for all M.S. students. Students can select Plan I: Thesis, or Plan II B: Project, only if they can find a faculty sponsor to supervise the thesis or project. If a student does not plan to follow Plan II A: Comprehensive Exam, they must notify the graduate advisor no later than the end of their first year (third quarter) in the program. Students will not be permitted to change degree plan tracks after the completion of their first year.
Project Track
Completion of a project report is required for the master’s degree in this track. To fulfill this requirement, the student submits a written proposal to a faculty member, usually by the third academic quarter. By accepting the proposal, the faculty member becomes the project advisor. In consultation with the advisor, the student forms a project reading committee with at least one additional faculty member, each of whom is provided a copy of the proposal.
Members of a Master's Project Reading Committee must meet the following criteria:
- The first member must be a ladder rank ECE faculty member.
- The second member must be a ladder rank Baskin Engineering (BE) faculty member (may be ECE as well).
The Master’s Project Reading Committee is subject to the approval of the graduate director. Students must submit the names of the proposed members to the ECE Department no later than the second week of the quarter in which they intend to graduate.
Upon completion of the project, the student submits the report to the project reading committee, and the final project must be accepted by the reading committee before the award of the master of science degree. The student must also submit a PDF copy of the signed title page and a PDF copy of the approved project to their graduate advisor by the deadline listed in the Academic Calendar.
Each year, the faculty reviews the progress of every student. Students not making adequate progress toward completion of degree requirements may be recommended for academic notice. Students who violate the terms of their academic notice are subject to dismissal from the program. Students without adequate academic preparation may be required to take additional courses. Full-time students are normally expected to complete the degree course requirements at the rate of at least two 5-credit graduate-level courses each quarter. Full-time students are expected to complete all course requirements within two years for the M.S.
Students receiving two or more grades of U (unsatisfactory) or below B- in Baskin Engineering courses are not making adequate progress and will be placed on academic notice for the following three quarters of registered enrollment. Withdrawing or taking a leave of absence does not count as enrollment. Part-time enrollment is counted as a half-quarter of enrollment.
If an electrical and computer engineering graduate student fails a Baskin Engineering course while on probation, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department may request the graduate dean to dismiss that student from the graduate program. If after being removed from probation, the student again fails a Baskin Engineering course, they will return immediately to academic notice.
Graduate students experiencing circumstances or difficulties that impact their academic performance should contact their advisor and the graduate director immediately. Students may appeal their dismissal to the graduate committee.
All candidates for a degree must submit an Application for the Master's Degree to the Graduate Advising Office by the date stated in the Academic and Administrative Calendar for the quarter you wish to receive the degree. Failure to declare candidacy by the deadline means that you cannot be considered a candidate until the next term.
A student is required to be registered or on Filing Fee Status, whichever is applicable, during the quarter in which the degree is conferred. Students should consult the graduate program advisor to determine which option fits their situation. For more information about applying for graduation, visit the Baskin Engineering Graduate Studies website.