Policies for M.Eng. Degree
Sections
Introduction
Degree Requirements: Project Option
Degree Requirements: Non-Project Option
Applied Math Courses
Engineering Management / Business Courses
Advisory Committee
Draft Plan of Study
Plan of Study
Project Presentation
Checklist for Satisfactory Academic Progress
Introduction
For the working professional, the department offers the Tri-University Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree. This degree is offered as a collaboration of Arizona's three state universities: the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University. The graduate degree program is designed to meet the educational needs of practicing engineers by offering practice-oriented courses via distance delivery (e.g., web-based and video-campus courses).Students may take courses offered by any of the three partner universities (if pre-approved by the UA ECE Graduate Studies Committee), thereby taking advantage of the breadth of expertise available across the three campuses. Qualified students interested in later continuing to the Ph.D. program are urged to consider the M.S. instead of the M.Eng. program.
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. In particular, please note that the Graduate College requires that students registered in a program of study must enroll continuously until the completion of the degree. Students who do not register for one or more semesters will have to reapply for admission into the program and may be subject to new admission requirements.
Degree Requirements: Project Option
At least 15 units (including the project if enrolled in the Project Option) must be taken at the UA. Here, "ECE coursework" is interpreted as "EEE coursework" at Arizona State University and "EE coursework" at Northern Arizona University.
Major Coursework |
21 units of coursework* subject to the following limitations:
|
Applied Math |
3 units of approved graduate coursework in applied math. |
Engineering Management/ Business |
3 units of approved graduate coursework in engineering management/business. |
Practice-Oriented Project |
3 units at the UA for a practice-oriented project (ECE 909). |
Final Presentation |
A satisfactory, oral presentation of the project. A written report may be required at the discretion of the Faculty Advisor. |
* A cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher must be maintained on all coursework taken for graduate credit. A grade of C or higher is required for a course to be used to satisfy the degree requirements. The Grade Replacement Option (GRO) cannot be used for ECE graduate courses.
Degree Requirements: Non-Project Option
Major Coursework |
24 units of coursework* subject to the following limitations:
|
Applied Math |
3 units of approved graduate coursework in applied math. |
Engineering Management/ Business |
3 units of approved graduate coursework in engineering management/business. |
Practice-Oriented Project |
3 units at the UA for a practice-oriented project (ECE 909). |
Final Exam |
Must achieve a grade of B or better on the final exam of either a 6xx ECE course, or a 5xx ECE course having a prerequisite course at the 5xx level. |
* A cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher must be maintained on all coursework taken for graduate credit. A grade of C or higher is required for a course to be used to satisfy the degree requirements. The Grade Replacement Option (GRO) cannot be used for ECE graduate courses.
Applied Math Courses
The following UA courses are recommended. Students may take other courses if recommended by the student's Advisory Committee and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.
| ECE 501 | Linear Systems Theory |
| ECE 503 | Random Processes for Engineering Applications |
Engineering Management / Business Courses
The study plan must include coursework in engineering management / business. Not all courses in engineering management or business are allowed. Therefore, all coursework in the study plan must be pre-approved by the ECE Graduate Studies Committee and the M.Eng. Director for the College of Engineering.
Advisory Committee
The student's Faculty Advisor will chair the Advisory Committee.
Draft Plan of Study
All students must consult with their Advisory Committee and submit a Draft Plan of Study during the first semester of study. After being completed by the student, and recommended by the Faculty Advisor, the Draft Plan of Study must be submitted to the ECE Graduate Studies Office for approval by the Graduate Studies Committee. The form is included in the Master's Forms appendix. The Draft Plan of Study is an ECE form, which is used to facilitate an initial selection of courses by the student and Faculty Advisor. By seeking prior approval of the study plan, they will know whether the Dept. of ECE will allow the proposed courses to be counted toward the degree requirements. The student may submit a revised Draft Plan of Study for approval at any time. The study plan must also be approved by the Graduate College; this is the role of a subsequent form, the Plan of Study.
Plan of Study
All students must consult with their Advisory Committee and submit a Plan of Study by the end of the third semester of study. After being completed by the student, and recommended by the Faculty Advisor, the Plan of Study must be submitted to the ECE Graduate Studies Office for approval by the Graduate Studies Committee. The form is included in the Master's Forms appendix. Upon submittal by the student, this form is forwarded to the Graduate College for their approval. Revisions of the Plan of Study are possible, but discouraged.
Project Presentaion
For the M.Eng. Project Option, an oral presentation of the practice-oriented project is required. A written report may also be required at the discretion of the Faculty Advisor. The presentation will be evaluated by a committee of at least three members, recommended by the student's Faculty Advisor and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, including at least two tenure-track faculty members with regular or joint appointments in the ECE department, and optionally including one member from outside the department. The student's Faculty Advisor will chair the committee.
Upon approval by the Faculty Advisor, and at least three weeks prior to the presentation, the student must submit a project presentation announcement, including the composition of the committee and an abstract of the project, to the ECE Graduate Studies Office for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. The form is included in the Master's Forms appendix.
Each committee member shall indicate a pass or fail result. An abstention is counted as a negative vote, and two negative votes will result in failure of the project presentation. Students who fail the first attempt will normally be permitted a second attempt, unless a recommendation to the contrary is received from the exam committee. The committee members will normally be the same as for the first attempt, except that a non-voting observer, appointed by the Dept. Head, will also be present. Normally, a third attempt will not be allowed.
Checklist for Satisfactory Academic Progress
Warning: All graduate students pursuing a Master of Engineering degree in ECE at the UA must adhere to the following Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) guidelines. At the end of each semester, those students who have failed to comply with the SAP guidelines will receive a warning letter stating why they are in non-compliance. After receiving this warning letter, the student will have 30 days to submit in writing to the ECE Graduate Studies Office a plan for addressing their SAP non-compliance. Failure to submit an acceptable plan within the 30 day time limit will result in the issuance of a second SAP non-compliance warning letter to the student, with a copy of this letter also sent to their faculty advisor. If the student fails to fulfill the requirements for SAP within 30 days of receipt of the second non-compliance warning letter, then the non-compliant student will be reported to the Graduate College and may be switched to Provisional status or Non-Degree-Seeking (NDS) status. In order for an NDS student to be reinstated as a Master of Engineering student in ECE, that student will be required to reapply for admission and satisfy the admission requirements in effect at the time of reapplication. Bold text is used below to indicate information that must be submitted on time to the ECE Graduate Studies Office.
- Obtain an initial Faculty Advisor prior to or at the beginning of the first semester of study.
- During the first two weeks of the first semester of study, complete the ECE Graduate Student Entry Checklist, which is included in the General Forms appendix.
- Consult with the initial Faculty Advisor and submit a Draft Plan of Study to the ECE Graduate Studies Office during the first semester of study. The form is included in the Master's Forms appendix.
- For the project option, obtain a project Faculty Advisor by the end of the second semester of study and select a practice-oriented project.
- Consult with the Faculty Advisor and submit the Plan of Study to the ECE Graduate Studies Office by the end of the third semester of study. The form is included in the Master's Forms appendix.
- Complete all coursework.
- For the project option, complete the practice-oriented project.
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher must be maintained on all coursework taken for graduate credit. A grade of C or higher is required for a course to be used to satisfy the degree requirements. The Grade Replacement Option (GRO) cannot be used for ECE graduate courses.
- For the project option, select committee members for the oral presentation of the practice-oriented project.
- For the project option, do a satisfactory, oral presentation of the practice-oriented project.
- Submit the Master's/Specialist Completion of Degree Requirements form, which is included in the Master's Forms appendix.
- Submit the ECE Graduate Student Exit Checklist, which is included in the General Forms appendix.