M.S. Electrical Engineering

Degree Prep

View the M.S. Electrical Engineering prerequisites, deadlines and contact information on the U of I Admissions website.

• Most applicants hold a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or closely related field from an accredited institution and demonstrate proficiency in chemistry, physics and mathematics.
• If your undergraduate degree is not in Electrical Engineering, you may be required to complete background courses to remove deficiencies before beginning the graduate program.

Degree Roadmap

• A thesis is required for the M.S. Electrical Engineering degree. A non-thesis M.Engr. in Electrical Engineering is available on the Moscow campus.
• This program may also be completed part-time or online through Engineering Outreach.
• Depending on your interests, your faculty adviser will help you develop a focused plan of study.
• Areas of emphasis include: Very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits, supercomputing, microwaves, communication systems, integrated circuit design, electromagnetics, control systems, signal analysis, network synthesis, digital systems design, and electric power systems.
• Graduates demonstrate:
  • An in-depth knowledge of the degree subject matter, integrating and building upon the foundation provided by a relevant undergraduate degree;
  • The ability to use the results of applied research and other existing information to necessary to either carry an engineering project from the conceptual through the design and production phases or perform advanced laboratory or computer simulation studies and appropriately and accurately analyze and interpret results;
  • The ability to communicate professional work in an appropriate format; and
  • An understanding of their responsibility to enhance the quality of life of the global community through the practice of engineering in accordance with the IEEE Code of Ethics.

View Graduate Student Handbook (PDF)

View current Electrical & Computer Engineering courses
Catalogs are released each year with up-to-date course listings. Students reference the catalog released during their first year of enrollment. For catalog related questions, email registrar@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-6731.

View Future Course Plan (PDF)
This course plan lists the graduate courses and technical electives we intend to teach. It is subject to change without notice.

Degree Requirements

Programs must satisfy both the university requirements governing the degree and the following departmental requirements:

• Electrical & Computer Engineering graduate requirements
• College of Graduate Studies requirement
• At least 18 credits in electrical & computer engineering courses numbered 500 or above.
• Two or more electrical & computer engineering courses numbered above 500 in a given area for depth.
• At least one course in each of two areas (outside the areas selected under item 2) to provide breadth.
• Enrollment in ECE 591, Electrical Engineering Research Colloquium, during each semester of on-campus enrollment.
• Students are required to write a thesis and give a final thesis defense at the end of their degree program.

Professional Licensing

Completion of the program will count towards eligibility for the Professional Engineer's License (PE) to practice Engineering, which requires a four-year degree from an ABET-accredited school, four years of experience under a PE, and passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Principles of Practice in Engineering (PE) Exams.

Questions?

For questions relating to Electrical and Computer Engineering degrees, please email ece-info@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-6554.

Funding Opportunities

The University of Idaho is awarded more than $100 million in annual grants, contracts and research appropriations.

• Idaho National Laboratory Graduate Fellowship Program – Recipients of this competitive fellowship receive full tuition and fees by U of I during their first three years of graduate school. INL covers tuition, fees, and a $60,000 annual salary during the final two years of their doctoral research, to be conducted at INL.
• National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program – These year-long salaried assignments offer hands-on experience in nuclear security and nonproliferation. Administered by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and open to all engineering disciplines.
• NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) – $25,000 fellowship programs that contribute to NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery. Open to full-time graduate and doctoral students.
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP ) – For outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees.
• National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship – Three-year fellowship with full coverage of tuition and all mandatory fees, including a monthly stipend and up to $1,000 a year in medical insurance.
• DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE Professional) Programs – RISE Professional offers summer research internships in Germany to Master’s and Ph.D. students at companies and non-university research institutions with strong relations to industry.
• Faculty provide funding through a variety of external agencies and industry partners. Contact our faculty to learn more about these funding opportunities.

For more funding options, visit the College of Graduate Studies’ funding website .

Clubs & Organizations

Our college offers 20+ clubs and organizations tied to international and national engineering organizations, including national competition teams.

Learn about clubs related to your major:

• Association for Computer Machinery (ACM)
• Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA)
• Humanitarian Engineering Corps (HEC)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• International Microelectronics And Packaging Society (IMAPS)
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• Power and Energy Society (PES)
• Robotics Club
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
• Vandal Atmospheric Science Team (VAST)