Graduate Programs

The faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering strives to continuously improve the graduate program in electrical engineering. The educational objectives reflect the needs of, and have been reviewed by, among others, the Advisory Board and faculty. Several years after graduation it is expected that our graduates will be:

• technology leaders who fearlessly discover, apply and teach new knowledge and engineering practices;
• entrepreneurially minded innovators driving positive economic and social impact in their communities and the nation;
• adaptive learners who continue to grow educationally and professionally through advancing their education.

To achieve the general goals of the Department of Electrical Engineering, student outcomes reflect the needs of, and have been reviewed by, among others, the Advisory Board and faculty. Upon graduation with the degree of Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, students will have obtained:

• an ability to apply methods of advanced analysis appropriate for professionals to use when solving problems;
• an ability to apply an in‐depth knowledge in a particular field of study that supports the use of innovative techniques to solve problems;
• an ability to demonstrate skills pertinent to the research process, including the ability to formulate problems, synthesize and integrate information, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and publish results (MS thesis students).

The student’s course of study must be approved by the student’s advisory committee, must fulfill the general requirements for the master’s degree, and must include any two of the following courses:

EE 521, Measurement and Instrumentation

EE 531, Advanced Digital Design

EE 544, Modern Control Systems

EE 554, Embedded Control Systems

EE 570, Advanced Topics in Electrical Engineering

At least 12 semester hours must be approved Electrical Engineering courses. No more than six (6) semester hours of advanced undergraduate course work may be used to satisfy the degree requirements.

Students are required to take at least six (6) credit hours from outside the Electrical Engineering department. Students may choose between an MS with thesis (24 credit hours of courses plus six (6) thesis hours) or an MS with independent study (27 credit hours of courses plus three (3) independent study hours). Students may be required to take an appropriate software course if they don’t have an appropriate programming background.

Cyber elecronic systems provide reliable position, navigation and timing information to distributed, tightly-integrated, smart infrastructure supporting its operation, protection defense and flexibility.

The primary purpose of this program is to prepare students with necessary education to advance the state-of-the-art in cyber electronic systems which is the building block of many of our critical infrastructure.

This is accomplished by rigorous Ph.D. level education in this unique and highly needed area of cyber electronic systems.

Upon completion of the PhD program, students shall exhibit:

a) an ability to apply methods of advanced analysis appropriate for professionals to use when solving problems;

b) an ability to apply in‐depth knowledge in the area of cyber electronic systems that supports the use of innovative techniques to solve problems;

c) an ability to demonstrate skills pertinent to the research process, including the ability to formulate problems, synthesize and integrate information, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and publish results.

The program requirements include the following:

The PhD Candidate will select a graduate committee that shall consist of a minimum of four members:

(a) an academic advisor from the Electrical Engineering department, and

(b) at least three other members, one of which must be from outside the department assigned or approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The research advisor may be the academic advisor or another member of the committee.

Students with only a Bachelor of Science degree in related area must complete a minimum of 72 credit hours:

• a minimum of 24 credit hours of electrical engineering courses 500‐level or above including required core courses (8 credits)
• EE 560, Electronic Warfare
• EE 565, Position, Navigation and Timing
• a minimum of 6 credit hours outside electrical engineering;
• 24 credit hours of dissertation; and
• no more than 6 credit hours of 300‐ or 400‐ level courses.

Students with a Master of Science degree in related area must complete a minimum of 48 credit hours:

• a minimum of 12 credit hours of electrical engineering courses of 500‐level or above including required core courses (8 credits)
• EE 560, Electronic Warfare
• EE 565, Position, Navigation and Timing
• a minimum of 6 credit hours outside of the Electrical Engineering department unless satisfied by the Master of Science degree;
• 24 credit hours of dissertation; and
• no more than 3 credit hours of 300‐ or 400‐ level courses

All course work must be approved by the student’s graduate committee, the Electrical Engineering Department Chair, and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The graduate committee, in consultation with the student, will select a technical paper. The student must perform and in‐depth study of the paper through analysis and modeling, and/or simulation. The student will present the analysis and critique of the paper in a written report and an oral presentation. The written report and the oral presentation constitute the qualifying examination. The exam is designed to test the student’s ability to be successful in the Ph.D. program by demonstrating his/her ability to analyze, critique, solve technical problems, grasp fundamental concepts, solve open problems, and communicate effectively. The graduate student may only take the qualifying exam once. In case the student did not pass, he/she may appeal the decision to the Electrical Engineering Department Chair.

Successfully pass the candidacy examination. The student must present a detailed review of his/her research area and hypothesis under investigation to the members of his/her graduate committee. The presentation will be open to the public. This examination may only be taken after a student has passed the qualifying examination.

The admission to candidacy to the Ph.D. degree requires that the qualifying and candidacy examinations be passed and approved by the graduate committee; after which the student may enroll in EE 595: Dissertation.

The student must write a final dissertation and defend it in an oral public defense before the student’s graduate committee.

Additional requirements include the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Graduate Program requirements.

The certificate program requires a minimum of 16 credit hours of graduate coursework. The course requirements are:

EE 521 Measurement and Instrumentation (4 credits)

One 4 credit electrical engineering graduate course

One 3 credit or higher electrical engineering course at either graduate or upper undergraduate level.

One 3 credit or higher graduate course in either mathematics, physics, engineering or computer science.

EE 590 Independent Study (2 credits) supervised by a member of the electrical engineering department.