Electrical Engineering Department
Vincent Amuso, Department Head
(585) 475-7115, vjaeee@rit.edu
Focus areas
Within electrical engineering, a student can specialize in one of six areas for the MS degree: control systems, communications, digital systems, integrated electronics, signal and image processing, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The boundaries between some of the areas are not as sharp as they have been in the past. Students are urged to discuss the significance of their choices with graduate advisers in the department.
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Admission requirements
Admission into graduate studies leading to the MS degree in electrical engineering requires a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from an accredited program.
An applicant with a strong undergraduate record and a bachelor of science degree in another branch of engineering (mechanical, chemical, industrial, etc.) may be considered for admission. In this case, the student must complete a certain number of undergraduate courses in order to bridge over to electrical engineering. Additional information is available from the department.
Plan of study
At the beginning of the program, every matriculated student must prepare a plan of study in consultation with his or her adviser.
Policies
The following general rules apply:
- All students seeking the master of science in electrical engineering degree must satisfactorily complete the core course Matrix Methods in Electrical Engineering (0301-703). Students are expected to take the course immediately after entering the program, since it is a prerequisite for many of the other graduate courses.
- Those students who have selected focus areas in control systems, communications, or signal and image processing must also take Random Signals and Noise (0301-702).
- Each student must take at least four courses from the electrical engineering department in the chosen focus area.
- All course selections must be approved by one of the graduate advisers. All courses must be at 700-level or above with one exception: a student is allowed to take a maximum of two 600-level courses for full credit in the graduate program.
- All students must satisfy a research component through one
of the following activities:
- 1. Graduate thesis (9 credit hours)
The inclusion of a thesis (0301-890) as a formal part of the MS degree program in electrical engineering is optional but strongly encouraged. Thesis work is done under the supervision of a faculty adviser, and presented and defended before a thesis committee when complete. - 2. Graduate research paper (5 credit hours)
A student may choose to write a graduate paper in lieu of a thesis. The graduate paper is an extensive term paper on a topic of professional interest. The objective is to enable the student to undertake an independent and in-depth literature search and write a report summarizing the findings. A faculty member interested in the paper’s topic will serve as the student’s supervisor and direct the scope and depth of the paper, as well as the format of the final written version. The student must first consult a faculty member about a suitable topic for the paper and obtain consent. The course Graduate Paper (0301-800), is used to register for the paper. The student should plan to take at least 5 credit hours in 0301-800. The student choosing this option also is required to take a minimum of 10 courses for 40 credits.
- 1. Graduate thesis (9 credit hours)
- All graduate work must be completed within a seven-year period starting from the first course applied toward the MS degree. Also, a student who is pursuing thesis/project options may be required to register for continuation of thesis/project credits if he or she is not enrolled for any credits in a given quarter. For complete details, please consult the continuation of thesis/project/dissertation policies.
Transfer credits
A maximum of 8 quarter credit hours may be earned from courses available from other departments within RIT with the prior approval of the faculty/department adviser. Students may transfer a maximum of 8 quarter credit hours, or two classes, from another university. The total number of transfer credits from all sources outside the electrical engineering department cannot exceed 8 quarter credit hours. Under certain extraordinary circumstances, a resident full-time student may appeal to the electrical engineering department and the Graduate Council for additional transfer credits.
Graduate student advising
All new students will be assigned a graduate adviser. The student generates a plan of study in consultation with his or her faculty adviser. That faculty member will continue to be the student’s adviser until a research topic has been chosen. From that time, the thesis/paper adviser assumes the role of academic adviser as well.
Graduation requirements
The master of science degree in electrical engineering is awarded upon the successful completion of an approved graduate program consisting of a minimum of 45 quarter credit hours. Under certain circumstances, a student chooses or is required to complete more than the minimum number of credits.
Schedule of all electrical engineering graduate courses, 700- and 800-level courses
Fall Quarter
0301-702 Random Signals and Noise
0301-703 Matrix Methods in Electrical Engineering
0301-711 Advanced Carrier Injector Transistors
0301-729 Antenna Theory and Design
0301-769 Fuzzy Logic and Applications
0301-789 Fundamentals of MEMS
0301-799 Nano and Microengineering
0301-821 High-Performance Semiconductor Devices
0301-887 Digital Signal Processing
Winter Quarter
0301-702 Random Signals and Noise
0301-703 Matrix Methods in Electrical Engineering
0301-712 Advanced Field Effect Devices
0301-717 Microwave Circuit Design
0301-726 Mixed Signal IC Design
0301-732 Advanced Topics in Digital Systems Design
0301-742 Advanced Topics in Embedded Systems SW Design
0301-761 Modern Control Theory
0301-768 Adaptive Signal Processing
0301-779 Digital Image Processing
0301-794 Information Theory
0301-815 Multivariable Modeling
Spring Quarter
0301-713 Solid State Physics
0301-730 Advanced Analog IC Design
0301-733 Robust Control
0301-741 Design for Testability
0301-749 Speech and Image Compression
0301-765 Optimal Control
0301-768 Adaptive Signal Processing
0301-770 Pattern Recognition
0301-772 Wireless Communication
0301-798 Microfluidic MEMS
0301-803 Digital Video Processing
0301-804 MEMS Evaluation
0301-810 Advanced Computer Architecture
0301-816 Design and Characteristics of Microsystems
Summer Quarter
A select number of 600- and 700-level courses will be available during the summer quarter. Consult the department for details.
600-level courses
These courses are senior-level undergraduate professional electives. A maximum of two courses from the following list may be taken by a graduate student and counted toward the MS degree.
0301-601 Modern Optics for Engineers
0301-610 Analog Electronic Design
0301-612 Semiconductor Devices III
0301-615 State Space Control
0301-621 Microwave Engineering
0301-630 Biomedical Instrumentation
0301-631 Biomedical Sensors and Transducers I
0301-632 Fundamentals of Electrophysiology
0301-633 Biomedical Signal Processing
0301-636 Biorobotics/Cybernetics
0301-646 Power Electronics
0301-647 Artificial Intelligence Systems
0301-650 Design of Digital Systems
0301-651 Physical Implementation
0301-655 Microcomputer Software I
0301-662 Neural Networks
0301-664 Embedded Microcontroller Systems
0301-677 Digital Filters and Signal Processing
0301-679 Analog Filter Design
0301-685 Principle of Robotics
0301-686 Microelectromechanical Devices
0301-688 MEMS System Evaluation
0301-692 Communication Networks
0301-693 Digital Data Communications
Courses other than those listed in this bulletin are developed and offered periodically by the department of electrical engineering. Information will be available from the department office the month before the beginning of each academic quarter. Course offerings are subject to minimum enrollment requirements.
SCHEDULED COURSE OFFERINGS 2008-09
| Focus Area | Fall 2008-1 | Winter 2008-2 | Spring 2008-3 |
| Core Courses | 0301-702 Random Signals and
Noise
0301-703 Matrix Methods in Electrical Engineering |
0301-702 Random Signals and
Noise
0301-703 Matrix Methods in Electrical Engineering |
|
| Communication | 0301-693 Digital Date
Communication
0301-729 Antenna Theory and Design Theory |
0301-717 Microwave Circuit
Design
0301-794 Information Theory |
0301-710 Advanced
Electromagnetic Theory
0301-772 Wireless Communication 0301-816 Design and Characterization of Microsystems |
| Control Systems | 0301-769 Fuzzy Logic and Applications | 0301-761 Modern Control
Theory
0301-815 Multivariable Modeling and Control |
0301-733 Robust Control
0301-764 Digital Control Systems 0301-765 Optimal Control |
| Signal and Image Processing | 0301-887 Digital Signal Processing | 0301-768 Adaptive Signal
Processing
0301-779 Digital Image Processing |
0301-749 Speech and Image
Compression
0301-770 Pattern Recognition 0301-803 Digital Video Processing |
| Integrated Electronics | 0301-711 Advanced Carrier
Injector Transistors
0301-821 High-Performance Semiconductor Devices |
0301-712 Advanced Field
Effect Devices
0301-726 Mixed Signal IC Design |
0301-713 Solid State
Physics
0301-730 Advanced Analog IC Design 0301-820 Modeling and Simulation of Semiconductor Devices |
| Digital Systems | 0301-650 Design of Digital
Systems
0301-651 Physical Implementation |
0301-732 Advanced Topics in
Digital System
Design 0301-742 Advanced Topics in Embedded System Software Design |
0301 -741 Design for
Testability
0301-810 Advanced Computer Architecture |
| MEMS | 0301-789 Fundamentals of
MEMS
0301-799 Nano and Microengineering |
0301-798 Microfluidic MEMS
0301-804 MEMS Evaluation |