Incoming Students | Electrical & Computer Engineering

Incoming Students | Electrical & Computer Engineering
Incoming Students
"Don't travel alone. Find a friend...Get involved in the application of engineering as soon as you can." Chengcheng Yao, PhD Alumni
Watch Chengcheng Yao's welcome video
Watch Chengcheng Yao's welcome video
"Even though it's a big school, at the graduate level... it feels small." Mary (Scherer) Berkley MS Alumni
Watch Mary Berkley's welcome video
Watch Mary Berkley's welcome video
Additional Information
Academic Calendar: Use Categories in left column for filtering
ECE Handbook
Forms including Plan of Study and more
Funding Your Education
Ohio State Email Support
Tuition and Fees-It is the same cost for 8 to 18 credits.
Payment Options
Student Health Insurance, Services, and Requirements
International student English assessment, waivers
International Student Check-In
Engineering Technology Support (ETS)-everything except email
Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA) English Requirements
Points of Pride
New Student Checklist
ECE Course Options
Course Registration
Help with a Successful Transition to ECE
IEEE-Graduate Student Body
Ohio Union Activities Board
Graduate
Student Organizations (for graduate students) and Leadership Opportunities
(student government)
(meals often included at campus events)
Off-Campus Housing and Commuter Student Services
Off-Campus
Temporary
Housing, Utility set up, etc.
Graduate Student & Non-Traditional Campus Housing
Veteran's and Family Housing
raduate Classroom Culture
International Friendships
(Trusted student org. if you need a ride from the airport)
“I hope you can use whatever time you have to learn as much as you can. Especially for out-of-state or international students, Columbus really has a very active community in business and technology development. So go out and explore.”
– MS Alumna, Jessie Zhao (click to watch a video)
Master Degree Information
Incoming Master of Science students, complete an ECE check-in appointment within the first semester of enrollment. At the check-in submit your advisor-approved
MS Plan of Study
. More about the plan will be explained at orientation.
Deadlines are based on the first letter of the last or family name:
A-H
: Due by the Fourth Friday
J-R
: Due by the Eighth Friday
S-Z
: Due by the Twelfth Friday See
Academic Calendar
To schedule your in-person ECE check-in with the MS Coordinator, you can either send an email to
Bucher.9@osu.edu
or send a calendar invite from Outlook.
Incoming PhD students do not need to check-in with ECE.
MS Plan of Study
- This form needs
advisor approval before submission
to Beth
Bucher.9@osu.edu
, MS Coordinator. It is due in the first semester of enrollment, based on the first letter of the last name/family name:
A-H
: Due by the Fourth Friday
J-R
: Due by the Eighth Friday
S-Z
: Due by the Twelfth Friday See
Academic Calendar
Master of Science (MS) Degree Requirements
The Master of Science (MS) degree is offered in Electrical and Computer Engineering with two options: research track (thesis) and project track (non-thesis
A minimum of 30 total graduate credit hours is required
to earn the degree. See below for specifics.
Submit an advisor-approved
MS Plan of Study
within the first semester
Send the completed approved plan to Beth
Bucher.9@osu.edu
, MS Coordinator.
Individual deadlines are based on the first letter of the last or family name A-H: Due by the Fourth Friday J-R: Due by the Eighth Friday S-Z: Due by the Twelfth Friday. See
Academic Calendar
Effective autumn 2024
MS students complete an ECE check-in
appointment with the MS Coordinator, recommended within the first six weeks of enrollment. See
Graduate Contacts
to schedule your ECE check-in with the MS Coordinator.
Six Advanced ECE Credits Required
: Advanced level is defined as ECE courses numbered at 6000 or higher taken at Ohio State. It excludes ECE 6070, Project Management, a non-technical course required to complete the non-thesis path.
Up to
six transfer credits
can be requested toward the MS degree. Refer to
Transfer of Graduate Credit
for specifics. Credit transfer is not automatic with admission.
Enrollment
in at least three graduate credit hours in the graduation semester is required.
MS Project Path (Non-Thesis): 30-credit min.
Letter-graded Graduate Courses =
5000+ graduate level
24- credit min.
ECE Graduate Courses: 15-credit min
which includes 3 credits of ECE 6070, and 6 credits of 6000-level or above
ECE 6070 (Project Management):
3 credits, mandatory within the first 2 semesters, and does not count as an advanced course
6000+ advanced level
Advanced-level courses: 6-credit min
Related Courses:
9-credit max (engineering, biological sciences, physics, math, chemistry, business, economics, ACCAD, and stats).
Submit an
advisor-approved
MS Plan of Study within the first semester.
Deadlines are based on the first letter of the last or family name:
A-H
: Due by the Second Friday
J-R
: Due by the Fourth Friday
S-Z
: Due by the Sixth Friday See
Academic Calendar
PHILOS 7080: Engineering Ethics
(Waived for OSU undergrads who passed ECE 3080 or PHILOS 1332)
1 credit
(Waived for those who passed ECE 3080 or PHILOS 1332)
Individual Studies: ECE 6193
5-credit max. optional
The Individual Studies max increases by 1 credit when PHILOS 7080 is waived for a total of 6 credits max.
MS Non-Thesis Exam or Project Report: consult faculty advisor for format (verbal, written, etc.)
Project Requirements
Before starting, your advisor may want a 1-page project proposal submitted for approval
Enrollment in at least 3 graduate credits in the graduation semester is required. Two faculty, a faculty advisor, and one other faculty member evaluate the non-thesis or project results
The Non-Thesis Project Path requires at least 30 graduate credits with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and a satisfactory evaluation by a faculty committee of a non-thesis project submitted in the semester of graduation.
Requirements include at least 30 graduate credits and non-thesis project submission:
At least 24 credits must be letter-graded (graded A-D), of which
At least 15 credits must be ECE courses one of which is ECE 6070 (Project Management) 3 credits, plus at least 6 credits of ECE 6000 level or above, completed at OSU. ECE 6070 (Project Management) does not count as an advanced requirement
A maximum of 9 credits are allowed in a related field such as engineering, biological sciences, physics, math, chemistry, business, economics, ACCAD and statistics with
advisor approval
ECE 6070 is mandatory
within the first two semesters
of beginning the graduate program
One (1) credit of  PHILOS 7080, Engineering Ethics which is S/U or non-letter graded
A maximum of five (5) credits of Individual Studies credit (ECE 6193) is permitted S/U or non-letter graded. OSU BS grads that have passed ECE 3080 or PHILOS 1332 are automatically exempt and the individual study maximum increases by one (1) credit
Satisfactory performance of a non-thesis project submitted in the semester of graduation
*ENGR 5901 and 5902 will count toward ECE 6193 individual studies only
The non-thesis project evaluation is conducted by the student’s M.S. committee, consisting of the faculty advisor and at least one other faculty member. Consult your faculty advisor regarding the submission format.
Important: Note that before starting the non-thesis project, check with the faculty advisor to clarify expectations. In addition, some students may be required to submit a one-page project proposal to their advisor for approval. Consult with your faculty advisor regarding the format of project results (written report, etc.).
Submit the MS Graduation Checkout form in the final semester.
MS Thesis Path: 30-credit min.
Letter-graded
Graduate Courses
5000+ graduate level
6000+ advanced level
18- credit min.
ECE Graduate Courses:
9-credit min.
Adv. ECE Grad Courses:
6-credit min
Related Courses:
9-credit max (engineering, biological sciences, physics, math, chemistry, business, economics, ACCAD, and stats)
Submit an
advisor-approved
MS Plan of Study within the first semester.
Deadlines are based on the first letter of the last or family name:
A-H
: Due by the Second Friday
J-R
: Due by the Fourth Friday
S-Z
: Due by the Sixth Friday See
Academic Calendar
PHILOS 7080: Engineering Ethics
(Waived for OSU UG alumni who passed ECE 3080 or PHILOS 1332)
1 credit
The Individual Studies max increases by 1 credit. Submit the MS Graduation Checkout Form during the final semester
ECE 6999: Thesis Research
10 credits minimum
ECE 6193: Individual Studies
1 credit max.-optional
MS Thesis Exam and Final Document
Thesis Requirements
Two faculty evaluate the defense of the thesis (oral exam) and final document
Enrollment in at least 3 graduate credits in the graduation semester is required
The Thesis Path requires at least 30 graduate credits with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher and a satisfactory evaluation by a faculty committee of a thesis oral defense and thesis document submitted in the semester of graduation.
Requirements include at least 30 graduate credits, thesis oral defense and thesis document submission:
A satisfactory thesis represented by at least 10 credits of ECE 6999: Thesis Research
At least 18 credits must be letter-graded (graded A-D), of which
At least 9 credits must be ECE courses including at least 6 credits of ECE 6000, or above, advanced-level classes, completed at Ohio State
A maximum of 9 credits are allowed in a related field such as engineering, biological sciences, physics, math, chemistry, business, economics, ACCAD, and statistics with
advisor approval
One (1) credit of  PHILOS 7080, Engineering Ethics which is S/U or non-letter graded. This is waived for OSU undergrads who passed ECE 3080 or PHILOS 1332
Maximum of one (1) credit of non-letter graded (S/U) graduate credits of ECE 6193: Individual Studies which is optional.
Satisfactory performance of a non-thesis project submitted in the semester of graduation
*ENGR 5901 and 5902 will count toward ECE 6193 individual studies only
The thesis exam and document evaluation are conducted by the student’s M.S. committee, consisting of the faculty advisor and at least one other faculty member.
Submit the MS Graduation Checkout form in the final semester.
Time Limit:
Both the thesis and non-thesis M.S. programs have a six (6) year time limit for completion. A petition can be submitted if an extension is needed.
Satisfactory Performance
: Graduate students are required to maintain good standing which means a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and completing courses toward the degree.
Transfer Credit
: Not more than six graduate semester credits may be transferred from another institution.
PhD Degree Information
Qualifying Exam Schedule
Both MS to PhD and BS to PhD students are required to schedule the ECE Qualifying Exam in the 1st semester of their 2nd year in the PhD program.
Students who begin the PhD program in autumn semester are required to schedule the Qualifying Exam during the following autumn semester.
Students who begin the PhD program in spring semester schedule the exam during the following spring semester.
Students who begin the PhD program in summer term schedule the Qualifying Exam during the autumn semester of the following year.
The Qualifying Exam must be scheduled during a one month window in autumn and spring semesters. The autumn semester scheduling month is October and the spring semester scheduling month is March. The March time frame is extended to April 15 due to spring break.
Failure to do will be considered a failed attempt.
Qualifying Exam Guidelines - Exams Scheduled Autumn 2022 & Spring 2023 Only
These guidelines are in effect for students whose 1st term in the ECE PhD program was summer 2021, autumn 2021 or spring 2022.
Students scheduling the ECE PhD Qualifying Exam in autumn 2022 or spring 2023 must complete three graduate letter-graded ECE courses by the scheduled exam term, including during the semester when the Qualifying Exam is administered. At least two of the three courses must be in the student's primary research area. ECE 5000-level courses will meet the ECE Qualifying Exam course requirement.
Qualifying Exam Committee
The Qualifying Exam committee consists of three P-status ECE faculty. One member is the faculty advisor. An additional member is selected by the student and the advisor. The 3rd member will be assigned by the ECE Graduate Studies committee and will be outside the student's primary research area. To allow sufficient time for the Graduate studies committee to add the 3rd member, the
ECE Request for Approval of PhD Qualifying Examination Committee form
must be submitted to the ECE graduate program coordinator at least one month prior to the anticipated Qualifying Exam date.
Qualifying Exam Policies and Procedures
The purpose of the Qualifying Exam is to test the fundamental knowledge acquired by the student over prior coursework and assess the ability to apply this fundamental knowledge to approach research questions/problems.
Two Qualifying Exam attempts are allowed. Two Qualifying Exam attempts are allowed. Qualifying exams can be scheduled in autumn and spring semesters only. The 2nd attempt must be scheduled during the scheduling window in the semester following the semester of the failed attempt. The Qualifying Exam committee remains the same for the second attempt. If the advisor changes between the first and second attempts, the two other committee members remain the same. If a student fails after two attempts, the student is no longer in the PhD program and can earn a master's degree after completing master's requirements. If a student does not take the Qualifying Exam during the semester the student is required to schedule the exam, this will be considered a failed attempt.
Format:
The exam will be 90 minutes long. The student will be asked to give a short presentation (10 minutes) on a research problem chosen by the advisor and the student. The presentation will be "uninterrupted" to assess its clarity, coherence and depth without external input. The presentation will be followed by 20 minutes of questioning by each member, followed by a second round of final questions. These questions will be on fundamentals testing the student's ability to integrate the material learned in the courses they took and the ability to apply their knowledge to solve research problems. These questions may not be associated with the presentation.
Each Qualifying Exam committee member will submit a grade of 0 (fail), 1 (marginal) or 2 (pass) to the Graduate Studies committee. A score of 4/6 is required to pass. When all results have been submitted, the Graduate Studies committee notifies the student and the Qualifying Exam committee about the outcome of the exam.
Revised Qualifying Exam Guidelines for Exams Scheduled Autumn 2023 and After
Revised Qualifying Exam guidelines are in effect for students whose 1st term in the ECE PhD program is summer 2022 and after.
Students will submit the ECE
PhD Plan of Study
by the end of their first semester in the PhD program and indicate their primary and secondary research areas from the 6 ECE research areas:
Electromagnetics
Circuits
Computer, Networks and Communication
Control, Signal Processing and Computer Vision
Power and Energy
Solid State Electronics and Photonics
Students will be tested mainly from their primary research area material. Students should contact their primary research area chair for additional information on the exam guidelines for their research area. Students will not be required to take course(s) from the secondary area for the Qualifying Exam.
Students must complete three ECE letter-graded graduate courses in their primary research area by the semester the Qualifying Exam is scheduled. One of the three required courses may be taken during the semester when the Qualifying Exam is administered.
Committee Formation
The Qualifying Exam committee will consist of 3 ECE faculty members, 2 members are selected by the student.
The committee can include the student’s advisor, but can also exclude the advisor. If the student has more than one advisor, at most one of the advisors can be included, i.e., at least one of the two members selected by the student must be a non-advisor.
At least one of the two faculty members selected by the student must be from the primary research area and should be designated the chair of the committee.
The 3rd Qualifying Exam committee member is assigned by the Graduate Studies Committee. The 3rd member is preferably selected from the student's primary research area but may be a secondary area faculty member based on availability.
To allow sufficient time for the Graduate studies committee to add the 3rd member, the
ECE Request for Approval of Qualifying Exam Committee
must be submitted to the ECE graduate program coordinator at least one month prior to the anticipated Qualifying Exam date.
If the PhD Plan of Study was not submitted in the first semester of enrollment, it needs approved prior to approving the QE committee.
Exam Format
The Qualifying Exam will be 90 minutes long.
10 minutes: Student presentation including student's academic background, coursework, and a technical topic of interest within the allowed time.
80 minutes: Questions/answers from the committee.
Ratings
Exam Grading
The student has difficulty recalling the basic concepts/results on the main topics.
The student is aware of the basic concepts of the area topics, and can fully solve basic-level questions on these topics. However, the student has difficulty fully solving more advanced questions (e.g. questions posed in exams of the associated courses).
The student can solve more advanced questions fully. In addition, the student can satisfactorily approach open-ended and research-oriented questions.
Specific requirements may differ by research area.
Ratings
Exam Decision - based on the sum of the 3 ratings:
0 - 3
Student fails
4 - 6
Student passes
The Candidacy Examination is intended to establish the student’s preparation and readiness for independent doctoral level research by assessing the following:
Intellectual independence of the candidate.
Familiarity of the candidate with the literature relevant to her/his research area(s).
The ability to formulate a meaningful research problem and a corresponding research plan.
The Candidacy Examination is comprised of a
research proposal, a written exam and an oral exam.
Candidacy Examination Committee
The first step in the process leading to the student's candidacy exam is the formation of the candidacy examination committee.
This committee consists of
at least four faculty members
: the student’s advisor (who must have graduate faculty P-status in ECE)
and
at least three other faculty members chosen by the student and advisor together, subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies committee.
One of the members of the exam committee must be an ECE faculty member from the student’s secondary research area.
There must be at least three faculty members (including the advisor) with graduate faculty P-status in ECE. The fourth member can have graduate faculty P-status or M-status.
To add external members without graduate faculty P-status in addition to the four regular members described above, requires permission from the Graduate Studies Chair.
Exam Schedule and Timeline
The candidacy exam is usually taken in the third year in the PhD program after all coursework is completed. The timeline of the exam is as follows:
After the candidacy examination committee has been formed, the student submits the ECE form,
Request for Approval of Candidacy Examination Committee
, to the ECE graduate program office for Graduate Studies Chair approval.
The student works with her/his advisor and the members of the exam committee to set a date for the oral portion of the exam that is agreeable to all parties.
The student must be given at least 3 weeks to complete the
written portion
of the candidacy exam.
The
oral portion
of the candidacy examination must be completed within
one month
of the written portion.
At least two weeks
prior to the scheduled date for the oral exam, the student submits the
Application for Candidacy
online at gradforms.osu.edu. The Application for Candidacy must be approved online by the faculty advisor and the ECE graduate program.
This deadline is strict.
Committee Petition
submitted through gradforms.osu.edu is required to add non-faculty external members to a graduate exam committee.
The research proposal and the written exam must be submitted to the members of the exam committee at least
one week
before the scheduled date for the oral exam.
This deadline is strict.
Research Proposal
The research proposal forms a major part of the exam. The proposal must be a complete document with a thoughtful, in-depth treatment of the dissertation topic. It should be substantial enough to form the basis of a meaningful oral examination, establishing a worthy research problem and developing an effective research plan. It should only be written after the student has done enough work on the problem to speak meaningfully about it, including discussing her or his preliminary investigations. Above all, it should be a technically sound and scholarly document, not to exceed 15 pages (single spaced, one column, 11 point or larger font), excluding title page, abstract, table of contents, references cited and appendices.
The proposal should include:
A cover sheet including title, a one-page abstract and a table of contents.
A discussion of the problem and its significance.
A history of the problem and previous relevant research.
A summary of the student’s own preliminary work on the problem and results to date (details of the preliminary results can be placed in appendices).
A research plan leading from the current status toward a clearly defined goal or goals. Listing multiple methods of attacking the problem, or other options, by priority is strongly advised. The research plan should typically be about 5 of the 15 pages.
Anticipated results and expected contributions to the state-of-the-art in the relevant field of study.
A list of references compiled in
IEEE Transactions
format.
Written Exam
The written portion of the examination is formulated by the student's advisor with input from the entire Candidacy Examination Committee. The written part of the exam consists of:
At least one significant, open-ended problem (to assess intellectual independence).
A critique, simulation or analysis of one or two key papers written in the student’s area of study (to assess familiarity with the relevant literature).
Oral Exam
Attendance to the oral exam is limited to the student and members of the Candidacy Examination Committee. Except when video conferencing is involved, all members of the Candidacy Examination Committee must be present during the entire oral examination. The oral portion of the candidacy examination lasts approximately two hours. Questioning of the student should occupy the entire period of the examination. All committee members are expected to participate fully in the questioning during the course of the examination and in the discussion and decision on the result of the candidacy examination.
The vote must be unanimous in order for the student to pass the exam. Results of the candidacy exam are submitted by each committee member online at gradforms.osu.edu.
Outcome from the Candidacy Examination
For the direct BS to PhD program, three outcomes are possible:
The student passes and is awarded the MS degree.
The student fails; however, the student is awarded the MS degree.
The student fails and is not awarded the MS degree.
For the MS to PhD program, two outcomes are possible:
The student passes.
The student fails.
Please refer to the
Graduate School Handbook
for a complete list of rules and regulations.
Research conducted by students in the PhD program culminates in a dissertation that must be defended orally before the advisor and two other Dissertation Reading Committee members (“readers”). Unless there is a compelling reason (such as sabbatical, illness, etc.) the Dissertation Reading Committee will normally be drawn from the Candidacy Exam Committee. That is, two of the CE committee members in addition to the advisor will also be readers of the Dissertation.
When sufficient research has been completed, the student must submit a substantial paper based upon the dissertation to a refereed archival journal. The paper may be sole authored but will usually be coauthored with the advisor. The
Submission of Paper
form is then submitted to the ECE Graduate Program office. The intent of this requirement is to give the student experience in reporting on research at this level in a clear and concise form suitable for publication. It is also expected that the work is of a quality level and originality suitable for such publication. Typically, advisors require two or more journal submissions from their PhD students before approving the
Application to Graduate
All international students who are accepted into the university are required to take an English proficiency test. Questions about the
English language requirements
for The Ohio State University can be directed to the
Intercultural English Language Programs
office.
All International students who apply for a Graduate Teaching Associateship must first pass a test of spoken English administered by the
Spoken English Department
. These tests are scheduled each term. ECE does not pay for these tests. For more information, refer to
Testing for Graduate Teaching Associates.
PhD Plan of Study
- This form needs faculty approval and is due by the end of the first semester. Submit the approved form by email to Tim
Langreder.1@osu.edu
, PhD Coordinator who will obtain final approval from the Graduate Studies Committee.
PhD Recommendation Form
- Two of these forms accompany the internal ECE Application to Continue to PhD. These are submitted by ECE faculty directly to Tim
Langreder.1@sou.edu
, PhD Coordinator.
PhD Submission of Paper
- Submit this form to Tim
Langreder.1@sou.edu
, in the semester of graduation.
Request for Approval of Candidacy Examination Committee
- Submit this form to Tim
Langreder.1@osu.edu
, PhD Coordinator, who will obtain final approval from the Graduate Studies Committee.
Request for Approval of PhD Qualifying Examination Committee
Refer to the ECE Handbook here for more details
. Submit this form to Tim
Langreder.1@osu.edu
, PhD Coordinator, who will obtain final approval from the Graduate Studies Committee.
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