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Information for Prospective Students

Overview

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Mississippi State University offers graduate programs of study leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). The graduate degrees are offered by both on-campus study as well as distance education.

Admission Criteria

Complete admission criteria are detailed in the ECE Graduate Handbook. A brief overview of the criteria is as follows:

  • a GPA of 3.00/4.00 on a B.S. degree for admission to an M.S. degree
  • a GPA of 3.50/4.00 on a M.S. degree for admission to a Ph.D. degree
  • a TOEFL score of 79 or a IELTS score of 6.5 for the student whose native language is not English unless he or she has earned a degree from a U.S. institution
  • satisfactory performance on the GRE for students with an undergraduate degree from a program that is not EAC/ABET accredited

Application Process

Students apply for admission to graduate study at Mississippi State University online at the Office of the Graduate School. Since the Office of the Graduate School handles all application materials, send all materials to the Office of the Graduate School; do not send any materials directly to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering or to the Bagley College of Engineering. Contact the Office of the Graduate School for questions regarding the application for admission process or what materials are required to be submitted with an admission application.

Direct-Admit from an Undergraduate Degree

Highly qualified undergraduate students may be admitted directly to the doctoral program from the B.S. degree. A GPA of 3.50 is required. See the ECE Graduate Handbook for more details.

Accelerated Program (B.S./M.S. Combined Degree)

Highly qualified undergraduates in already enrolled in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering may apply for the Accelerated Program (B.S./M.S. combined degree). This program permits students to earn up to 9 hours of graduate-level coursework during their final year of undergraduate studies. Students in the Accelerated Program take graduate-level courses and earn both undergraduate credit and graduate credit simultaneously.

Admission into the Accelerated Program requires at least junior standing (60 or more completed undergraduate semester hours) as well as a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 for all undergraduate work. To apply for admission in the Accelerated Program, complete the Application for Admission to the ECE Accelerated Program form and return to the graduate program director. See the ECE Graduate Handbook for more details on policies and procedures for the Accelerated Program.

Graduate Assistantships

See Financial Support.

Special Note

Effective with the Fall 2012 semester, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering no longer offers separate Electrical Engineering (EE) or Computer Engineering (CPE) degrees at the graduate level. Starting Fall 2012, these degrees are combined as Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).