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Graduate Resources - General Information
The Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Arizona (UA) offers three graduate degrees in Electrical & Computer Engineering: Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). This handbook only includes the additional policies and procedures that apply specifically to the ECE graduate program. Therefore, students must also refer to the documentation provided by the UA Graduate College and by the Tri-University Master of Engineering program for the policies and procedures that apply to all graduate students. 1. ECE Graduate Studies OfficeGraduate Academic AdvisorThe Graduate Academic Advisor assists in all aspects of the admissions process as well as helping students with the academic procedures for obtaining a graduate degree in ECE. The advisor may be contacted in room ECE 242, e-mail GradAdvisor@ece.arizona.edu, or by postal mail to the following address:Graduate Studies Office Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering The University of Arizona P.O. Box 210104 Tucson, AZ 85721-0104 (For courier deliveries, the street address is 1230 E. Speedway Blvd.) Director of Graduate StudiesThe Director of Graduate Studies is appointed by the Dept. Head. The duties of the Director include the following:
ECE Graduate Studies CommitteeThe ECE Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) consists of the Director of Graduate Studies (who chairs the committee) appointed by the Dept. Head and a faculty member elected by each technical group. The Graduate Academic Advisor and an Associate Dept. Head serve as non-voting members of the committee. The primary function of the committee is to deal with recommendations from the technical groups, and with curriculum development and other matters concerning graduate studies that involve the entire department. Activities include, but are not limited to
2. Graduate CollegeThe UA Graduate College has a variety of campus-wide policies and procedures that apply to all students enrolled in the graduate program. The following online documentation is available from the Graduate College:
3. Code of Academic IntegrityIntegrity is expected of every student in all academic work. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student’s submitted work must be the student’s own. In particular, conduct prohibited by the UA Code of Academic Integrity consists of all forms of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to: cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism as set out and defined in the UA Student Code of Conduct; submitting an item of academic work that has previously been submitted without fair citation of the original work or authorization by the faculty member supervising the work; failure to observe rules of academic integrity established by a faculty member for a particular course; assisting another to violate this Code; and attempting to commit an act prohibited by this Code. Any attempt to commit an act prohibited by these rules shall be subject to sanctions to the same extent as completed acts.For additional requirements and further information, please refer to the complete text of the Code of Academic Integrity available from the Dean of Students office. 4. Faculty AdvisorNew students must obtain an initial Faculty Advisor prior to or at the beginning of the first semester of study. The initial Faculty Advisor will assist in selecting courses for the Draft Plan of Study. Students doing a thesis or dissertation must obtain a thesis/dissertation Faculty Advisor by the end of the second semester of study (likewise for the M.Eng. project). The thesis/dissertation Faculty Advisor provides guidance in the selection of a research topic and supervises the research project. The Faculty Advisor will serve as the student’s mentor, will assist the student in preparing the Plan of Study, and will help to ensure that the student is making satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree. The department realizes that it is sometimes in the best interest of the student to switch advisors. For example, a new student may have selected a Faculty Advisor, but later wants to accept an R.A. position from another faculty member. In such cases, ethical behavior requires that both the student and the new advisor consult with the first Faculty Advisor before making such a change. To change advisor or to change degree status, the student must obtain approval of the primary Faculty Advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies. The Graduate Studies Office will not proceed with the requested change without such approval. Students must notify the Graduate Studies Office when selecting or changing the thesis/dissertation Faculty Advisor.5. Petitions to the Graduate Studies CommitteeThis handbook includes the general policies and procedures for graduate degree programs in ECE. In rare cases, a student may have legitimate reasons for deviating from these general requirements. In such cases, the student may submit a petition to the ECE Graduate Studies Committee to request special consideration. The petition form is included in the General Forms appendix.6. Minimum Registration for Funded StudentsThe College of Engineering has the following policy:“All graduate students in the College of Engineering who are supported by or through the University are considered to be full-time students and are expected to enroll for some combination of coursework, research, or independent study that results in at least 12 units of credit each semester.” 7. English Proficiency for Teaching AssistantsThe duties of graduate teaching assistants in ECE often include direct instructional contact. Therefore, international students whose native language is not English must score at least 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE/SPEAK) in order to be eligible for a graduate teaching assistantship in ECE.8. Cross-Listed CoursesCross-listed courses are courses that are listed in the course catalogs of more than one department. The “home department” of a cross-listed course is the department by which the course is normally taught. A cross-listed course with an ECE home department is considered to be an ECE course, regardless of the section in which the student is enrolled.9. Grade Replacement OpportunityThe UA Graduate College allows a grade replacement opportunity (GRO) for graduate students, subject to the approval of the student’s home department (regardless of the department where the course is offered). However, the College of Engineering has recommended that departments routinely not approve such requests, as other mechanisms (incomplete grade, retroactive withdrawal, etc.) already exist for handling legitimate cases where a student is unable to adequately satisfy the requirements of a course. The Dept. of ECE agrees that this option is not needed and would lead to larger class sizes or the inability to accommodate all students wanting to register for particular classes, along with other potential adverse side effects. Thus, the Dept. of ECE policy is to not approve any GRO requests by graduate ECE students.10. Non-Majors with Ph.D. Minor in ECEPh.D. students from other departments who wish to minor in ECE must complete at least 12 units of ECE coursework, of which no more than 6 units may be 4xx-level or dual-numbered as 4xx/5xx. Independent-study courses are not normally allowed for satisfying this requirement. Split minors are allowed, provided that the student completes at least 6 units of ECE coursework, of which no more than 3 units may be 4xx-level or dual-numbered as 4xx/5xx. Depending on the student’s background, additional courses may be required to compensate for undergraduate deficiencies. Such deficiency courses must be taken for credit, but may not be included in the Plan of Study.Students must submit a Plan of Study by the end of the third semester of study and prior to scheduling the Comprehensive Exam. The minor Plan of Study must be approved by an ECE faculty member (the minor advisor) as well as by the ECE Graduate Studies Committee. Preferably, this should be done before enrolling in the minor courses, as these courses will not necessarily be approved after the fact.The form is included in the Doctoral Forms appendix. There is no minor Qualifying Exam in ECE. The minor advisor and one additional (if required by the minor department) ECE faculty member (selected by the major and minor advisors) will serve on the Comprehensive Exam committee. The minor faculty members will also serve on the final oral defense committee, but they may waive their representation at the defense. Contact the ECE Graduate Studies Office for further information. |
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