MS in Electrical Engineering

Go further in your career with a master's in electrical engineering. Graduate with the knowledge, skills and personal network you'll need to succeed. 

Suggested Academic Requirements for Prospective Students

It is recommended that incoming students earn a baccalaureate degree in engineering or another STEM-related degree. In earning that degree, it is recommended that students take the following upper-level courses:

• Calculus Sequence and Differential Equations
• Probability and Statistics
• Engineering Mathematics
• Matrix Algebra
• Physics
• Introductory Computer Science
• Signals and Systems
• Circuits/ Electrical Networks

The following courses are also important in the curriculum but are emphasized to a different extent in each of the key areas within the program. Students lacking this content may find it helpful to add it after admission.

• Introduction to Electronic Circuits
• Introduction to Digital Logic and Computer Design
• Electromagnetics

Degree Requirements for Current Students

The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering is an academic master's degree designed mainly for both full-time and part-time students interested in proceeding to the departmental full-time doctoral program and/or an industrial career. Students pursuing the degree Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) must complete a minimum of 30 units of study consistent with the residency and other applicable requirements of Washington University and the McKelvey School of Engineering and subject to the following departmental requirements:

• A minimum of 15 of the total 30 units must be selected from the Degree Requirement list below for core electrical engineering subjects taught by the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering (ESE).
• A maximum of 6 credits may be transferred from another institution and applied toward the master's degree. Regardless of the subject or level, all transfer courses are treated as electives and do not count toward the core requirements for the degree.
• Regardless of subject or level, all transfer courses are treated as electives and do not count toward the core requirements for the degree.
• ESE 590 Electrical & Systems Engineering Graduate Seminar must be taken by full-time graduate students each semester. This course is taken with the unsatisfactory/satisfactory grade option.
• The remaining courses in the program, listed in the Degree Electives list below, may be selected from senior or graduate-level courses in ESE or elsewhere in the university.
  
  • Courses outside of ESE must be in technical subjects relevant to electrical engineering and require the department's approval.
  • Undergraduate Laboratory courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement.
• The degree program must be consistent with the residency and other applicable requirements of Washington University and the McKelvey School of Engineering.
• Students must obtain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 out of a possible 4.0 overall for courses applied toward the degree. Courses that apply toward the degree must be taken with the credit/letter grade option.

Either a thesis option or a course option may be selected. The special requirements for these options are as follows:

• Thesis Option: This option is intended for those pursuing full-time study and engaged in research projects. Candidates for this degree must complete a minimum of 24 units of course instruction and 6 units of thesis research (ESE 599); 3 of these units of thesis research may be applied toward the 15 core electrical engineering units required for the MSEE program. Any of these 6 units of thesis research may be applied as electives for the MSEE, MSSSM, and MSDAS programs. The student must write a master's thesis and defend it in an oral examination.
• Course Option: Under the course option, students may not take ESE 599 Master's Research. With faculty permission, they may take up to 3 units of graduate-level independent study.

Degree Requirements

All full-time graduate students are required to take ESE 590 Electrical & Systems Engineering Graduate Seminar each semester. This course is taken with an unsatisfactory/satisfactory grade option.

Refer to the University Bulletin for specific requirements.

Degree Electives

Any course numbered 401 or greater in the Engineering (with the prefix of BME, CSE, EECE, ESE, or MEMS), Physics or Mathematics department, excluding the exceptions listed below, are approved by the department as electives.

Students may take either ESE 417 or CSE 417T, but they may not use both as electives for the degree.

For students who have already taken ESE 318 & 319, ESE 501 may not be used as an elective for graduate credit.

Additionally, the following courses are NOT approved by the department as electives. Requests for an exception to this policy may be submitted to the graduate program coordinator with the approval of the student's academic advisor.