(MEE)
The Master’s program is open to qualified students holding BS degrees in electrical and/or computer engineering or in a related discipline. Both a thesis and a non-thesis option are available. Each candidate for a master’s degree is required to have good general knowledge in his/her field of specialization and for the thesis option, acquire a reasonable level of competence in research skills. In order to graduate, a student must meet the minimum requirements described below and achieve a 3.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) on a scale of 4.0 on all electrical engineering courses applicable towards his/her graduate degree. The MS student is required to have an examination committee that includes at least two graduate faculty members from the ECE department and have an approved Plan of Study by the end of the second semester or upon completion of 15 or more hours of credit. All course work must be approved by the major professor and the department’s Graduate Studies Committee. Up to nine hours of credit from a US institution may be applied towards a master’s degree program upon approval. Courses at the senior/graduate (4xxx) level, which are required in the Electrical and Computer Engineering BS programs at LSU are generally not acceptable for graduate credit. A complete and current set of requirements appears in the ECE Graduate Handbook that can be accessed at www.ece.lsu.edu/grad/Grad_Handbook.pdf.
Thesis Option
The MS degree with the thesis option requires a thesis and 30 hours of credit at the graduate level, including a maximum of six hours of credit for the thesis. The minimum curricular requirements include the following.
- Six hours of thesis credit (EE 8000 ).
- 12 hours of credit in the department’s graduate (EE 7xxx) level courses, excluding independent study courses.
- 2 hours of suitable electives at the senior/graduate (4xxx) and graduate (7xxx) levels.
These 30 hours of course work are subject to additional requirements including the following:
- At least 12 hours of credit must be from permitted 4xxx and 7xxx level courses that are not independent study, special topic or seminar courses.
- Independent study course(s) cannot exceed three credit hours.
- Students may take at most 12 hours of credit outside the department.
The student must pass a final exam consisting of a thesis defense.
Information Technology (IT) Concentration MS Thesis
- 15 of the 30 hours of required credit should come from the IT Concentration approved course list using at least three of the course groupings listed at: www.ece.lsu.edu/grad/IT_area.html
- Thesis topic must be related to information technology.
Non-Thesis Option
The MS degree with the non-thesis option requires 36 hours of credit at the senior/graduate (4xxx) and graduate (7xxx) levels. The minimum curricular requirements include the following:
- 15 hours of credit in the department’s graduate (EE 7xxx) courses, excluding independent study courses.
- 21 credit hours of suitable electives at the senior/graduate (4xxx) and graduate (7xxx) levels.
These 36 hours of course work are subject to additional requirements including the following:
- The number of credits at the senior/graduate (4xxx) level must not exceed 12.
- At least 18 hours of credit must be from permitted 4xxx or 7xxx level courses that are not independent study, special topic or seminar courses.
- Independent study course(s) cannot exceed six credit hours.
- Students may take at most 15 hours of credit outside the department.
The student must pass a final exam consisting of a comprehensive written exam and an oral exam.
Information Technology (IT) Concentration MS Non-Thesis
- 21 of the 36 credit hours required should come from the IT Concentration approved course list using at least three of the course groupings listed at: www.ece.lsu.edu/grad/IT_area.html
- At least six credit hours are required from each of the selected course groupings.
- At most three credit hours of independent study may be included, provided the topic is related to information technology.