Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Demonstrate a thorough degree of knowledge in the discipline
- Demonstrate an ability to use proper investigation techniques for the discipline
- Use oral and written forms of communication to convey their ideas
Program Structure
Total Credits Required for Graduation: 42
Residence requirements: Ph.D. students must satisfy the doctoral residency requirement by satisfactory completion of at least 18 credits in no more than 24 consecutive months. When satisfying the residency requirement, all Ph.D. students are subject to the following restrictions:
- The doctoral residency requirement must be satisfied no later than the end of the semester in which the student completes his or her comprehensive examinations.
- Students must achieve a cumulative graduate grade-point average of at least 3.0 in all courses counted toward satisfying the residency requirement.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Topics:
- Computer Engineering, VLSI, and Embedded Systems Design
- Hardware Security, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Engineering
- Materials, Devices, and Sensors at the Nanoscale
- Electromagnetics, Radio Frequency (RF) circuits, Microwave, Terahertz (THz) Science and Engineering
- Communication and Signal Processing
- Computer Vision, Multimedia, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Power Systems and Renewable Engineering
- Robotics and Control
- Electric Vehicles (EV) and Batteries
Admission Requirements
A student who meets the minimum discipline requirements stated below will be considered for regular admission to the Ph.D. program. A student who does not meet some of the requirements but shows high potential for advanced-level work, may be considered for provisional admission. Admission also depends on factors such as number of seats available, resources available in the area of student's interest, the quality of previous work, etc. A student who does not qualifying for admission to the Ph.D. program, may be considered for admission to the M.S. in Electrical Engineering program.
Minimum Recommended Ph.D. Admission Requirements:
- GPA (Bachelor or equivalent Degree): 3.5 in the scale of 4 (or equivalent)
- GPA (MS or equivalent Degree if any): 3.5 in the scale of 4 (or equivalent)
- GRE (Quantitative) minimum score = 85%
- TOEFL iBTS minimum Score = 89 or IELTS minimum score = 6.5
- Prior Projects or Publications (Preferred)*
- Internationally Acceptable Accreditation of the Prior Degree Awarding Institutes
*Prior research project and/or publication record is not required for admission into ECE Ph.D. program. However, doctoral faculty members give very high value to the students with such backgrounds.
Direct or Expedited Ph.D. Program
It is not required to have an MS or equivalent degree to apply to ECE Ph.D. program. We accept well-qualified and motivated students with a Bachelor's degree directly into our Ph.D. program. We actively encourage students in the Direct Ph.D. Program to try to complete the doctoral study within 4 or 5 years after the Bachelor degree. To complete the Ph.D. degree in an 19 expedited timeline, first, the student has to be dedicated and well qualified. Second, the student must make a comprehensive plan at the beginning of the doctoral study to complete all the relevant steps within a strict timeline, which is challenging but not impossible.
Clarification of Minimum Requirements and Decision Process
Academic Preparation
The applicant must have a bachelor and/or a master’s degree in electrical and/or computer engineering, electronics, communications engineering or any other field requiring substantial training in at least one of the above fields and in mathematics with a GPA of 3.5 or better, cumulative as well as in the major field; and a GPA of 3.5 or better in all post-baccalaureate or post-master's degree work.
Aptitude for Advanced Work
The student must demonstrate an aptitude for advanced-level work through national/international standardized examinations such as the GRE. The expected performance level is the 85th percentile in the quantitative portion of the GRE examination.
- In rare occasion, ECE Ph.D. Discipline Coordinator exempts GRE requirement for students with outstanding publication or scholarly records in internationally renowned journals, conferences or similar forums.
Proficiency in English
The student must demonstrate his or her proficiency in oral and written communication in English through national/international standardized English examinations such as TOEFL, verbal portion of the GRE, etc. Because of this test, the student may be required to improve his or her oral and written communication in English before enrollment in the courses of the chosen disciplines.
- For students with a North American (USA and Canada) B.S. or M.S. degree the English Proficiency requirement is exempt.
Recommendation Letters
The student must provide at least three recommendation letters from professors from his or her previous institution(s). If the applicant has been out of school for several years, recommendation letters from his or her supervisors (technical) will be acceptable. However, even in this situation, a recommendation letter from his or her last academic institution is highly recommended. A recommendation from a faculty member in the Computer Science Electrical Engineering (CSEE)
Department at UMKC must be provided if the student has taken courses from or worked with the
CSEE faculty.
Statement of Goals and Objectives
The applicant must provide a 250 to 500 words essay on his/her goals and objectives of pursuing the Ph.D. in the chosen fields.
Program Requirements
The PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering offers a rigorous curriculum designed to provide students with advanced knowledge and skills in a wide range of ECE topics. Students must complete 30 credits of coursework plus 12 dissertation research credits. Students can select their 30 credits of coursework from ECE topics. Non-ECE courses can also be selected after discussion and approval by the student’s Primary Adviser.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Computer Engineering Coursework: | 30 | |
| Computer Engineering, VLSI, and Embedded Systems Design Coursework: | ||
| Advanced Embedded Systems | ||
| Hdl-Based Digital Systems Design | ||
| Introduction to VLSI Design | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Advanced Computer Architecture) | ||
| Advanced Analog Integrated Circuit Design | ||
| Computer Arithmetic | ||
| Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuit Design | ||
| Advanced VLSI Design | ||
| Hardware Security, Cyber-Physical Systems and Engineering Coursework: | ||
| Advanced Embedded Systems | ||
| Hdl-Based Digital Systems Design | ||
| Introduction to VLSI Design | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Advanced Computer Architecture) | ||
| Computer Arithmetic | ||
| Advanced VLSI Design | ||
| Network Architecture I | ||
| Wireless Communications | ||
| Digital Signal Processing | ||
| Principles of Digital Communication Systems | ||
| Network Architecture II | ||
| Network Routing | ||
| Materials, Devices, and Sensors at the Nanoscale Coursework: | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Nanoscale Devices & Circuits) | ||
| Hdl-Based Digital Systems Design | ||
| Emerging Interdisciplinary Research in Nanotechnology | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Nanoelectromagnetics and Plasmonics) | ||
| Quantum Mechanics I | ||
| Quantum Mechanics II | ||
| Optical Properties Of Matter | ||
| Electromagnetics, Radio Frequency (RF) circuits, Microwave, Terahertz (THz) Science and Engineering Coursework: | ||
| Principles of Antenna Engineering | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Terahertz in 6G and beyond: from imaging to communications) | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Nanoelectromagnetics and Plasmonics) | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Numerical Methods in EM) | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Introduction to Microwave Engineering) | ||
| Advanced Radar Systems & Techniques | ||
| Microwave Remote Sensing | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (RF Experimental Design) | ||
| Optical Properties Of Matter | ||
| Electromagnetic Theory And Applications I | ||
| Electromagnetic Theory And Applications II | ||
| Communication and Signal Processing Coursework: | ||
| Network Architecture I | ||
| Wireless Communications | ||
| Digital Signal Processing | ||
| Principles of Digital Communication Systems | ||
| Network Architecture II | ||
| Network Routing | ||
| Optical Fiber Communications | ||
| Information Security and Assurance | ||
| Computer Vision, Multimedia and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Coursework: | ||
| Multimedia Communication | ||
| Computer Vision | ||
| Deep Learning (Please confirm course title - submitted in proposal as Neural & Adaptive Systems) | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Supervised Learning and Feature Extraction) | ||
| Pattern Recognition | ||
| Advanced Digital Image Processing | ||
| Principles of Data Science | ||
| Principles of Big Data Management | ||
| Big Data Analytics and Applications | ||
| Advanced Artificial Intelligence | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Learning | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Learning (Please confirm course title - submitted in proposal as Deep Learning????) | ||
| Power Systems and Renewable Engineering Coursework: | ||
| Power Electronics II | ||
| Power Systems II | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Introduction to Smart Grid) | ||
| Electric Power Distribution Systems | ||
| Fundamentals of Solar Photovoltaic Cells | ||
| Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Wind Energy) | ||
| Sustainable Energy System Engineering | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Introduction to Power System Protection) | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Power Quality) | ||
| Auxiliary Electric System Design | ||
| Lightning and Switching Surges in Power Systems | ||
| Power Systems Relaying | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Transmission System Planning) | ||
| Robotics and Control Coursework: | ||
| Automatic Control System Design | ||
| Advanced Instrumentation and Control (IN PROCESS OF BEING DEACTIVATED) | ||
| Computer Vision | ||
| Deep Learning (Please confirm course title - submitted in proposal as Neural and Adaptive System ) | ||
| Special Topics In Electrical And Computer Engineering (Supervised Learning and Feature Extraction) | ||
| Advanced Digital Image Processing | ||
| Robotics and Unmanned Systems | ||
| Mechatronics System Design | ||
| Electric Vehicles and Batteries | ||
| Power Electronics II | ||
| Robotics and Unmanned Systems | ||
| Mechatronics System Design | ||
MEC-ENGR 460 | (Electromechanical Conversion - Must be reactivated) | |
| E&C-ENGR 5699 | Dissertation Research | 12 |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Total Credit Hours: 42