Graduate Program Guidelines

M.Eng. Program

  1. Submit your application to the UNH Graduate School.
  2. Note that Accelerated Master’s program is available for UNH seniors. To qualify you must have a GPA of 3.2 at the time of application. Up to 12 credits earned in non-ECE courses numbered 800-899 may be taken for graduate credit by M.Eng. ECE degree students provided the courses are petitioned and approved by the dean of the Graduate School.  A student may petition that a maximum of 12 graduate credits taken prior to admission in the UNH ECE Master’s of Engineering degree program be applied to fulfill the degree requirements.
  3. Find source of full or partial funding. Note that TA and RA positions, scholarships, and tuition waivers are typically not available to M.Eng. students, unless there are special circumstances.
  4. All transfers into the ECE M.Eng. program from any of the other three ECE graduate programs will require approval by the ECE Graduate Committee through the existing petition process. If a student holding a TA or RA position in the ECE department transfers into the ECE M.Eng. program, they are required to relinquish that position.
  5. Students wishing to take an Independent Study, Special Topics or Variable Topics Courses must obtain permission from the course instructor. The instructor and the student then agree on the number of credits the student may earn and scope of work.
  1. You will be assigned a UNH ECE academic faculty advisor.
  2. With your advisor, identify courses that you wish to take.
  3. The graduation requirement for the ECE M.Eng. degree is based on course credits and concluding experiences. Specifically, students must complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework, with at least 24 credits being earned in the ECE department or related technical disciplines (those disciplines will be determined by the student in conjunction with his/her adviser); of those 24 credit hours in the ECE department, at least 12 must be at the 900 level. Courses outside the ECE department must be approved by the academic advisor. The concluding experiences will be in the form of a technical paper and two oral technical presentations. The technical paper must be reviewed and approved by the advisor and the UNH ECE graduate committee. Technical presentations must be observed by a UNH ECE faculty are typically about 20 minutes long. The presentation is approved by the faculty member who observed the presentation and by the UNH ECE Graduate Committee chair. See appendix for technical presentation forms.
  4. Students wishing to take an Independent Study, Special Topics or Variable Topics Courses must obtain permission from the course instructor. The instructor and the student then agree on the number of credits the student may earn and scope of work.

The graduation requirement for the ECE M.Eng.  degree is based on course credits and concluding experiences. Specifically, students must complete at least 30 credit hours of coursework, with at least 24 credits being earned in the ECE department or related technical disciplines (those disciplines will be determined by the student in conjunction with his/her adviser); of those 24 credit hours in the ECE department, at least 12 must be at the 900 level. Courses outside the ECE department must be approved by the academic advisor. The concluding experiences will be in the form of a technical paper suitable for conference publication and two technical presentations.

Qualified senior students at the University of New Hampshire may be admitted to the Graduate School provided they have followed normal application procedures; they must have been admitted for the semester in which they wish to enroll in courses for graduate credit. A 3.20 cumulative grade-point average is normally required to be considered for admission to the accelerated master's program. 

Such seniors are normally admitted prior to the start of their last undergraduate semester, but may be eligible to apply for admission to the first semester of their senior year. Seniors who have been admitted under early admission may register for a maximum of 12 credits of graduate-level courses prior to completing their bachelor's degree. Such courses may upon recommendation of the department and approval of the Graduate School count toward both a bachelor's and master's degree.

When seniors admitted to the accelerated master's program have registered for graduate courses, they must maintain a grade-point average of 3.00, complete their undergraduate degree as planned, and pass graduate courses taken for credit with a grade of B- or better. If these conditions are not met, admission is withdrawn. 

Dual-credit forms must be completed and approved by the dean of the Graduate School at the beginning of the semester for which dual credit is sought.

M.S. Programs

  1. Identify one or more faculty champions. These are regular or affiliate UNH ECE faculty who might be interested in serving as your advisor and work with you on research:
    1. Review the work of UNH ECE faculty. Identify one or more faculty members whose research matches your interests.
    2. Complete the pre-application. Name one or more UNH ECE professors whose research matches your interests.
    3. Prepare a statement of research interest to share with potential faculty champions. Focus on accomplishments (such as publications, projects, and technical positions you held), and on areas of interest for research. Read this post before you write the statement.
    4. If your pre-application is approved, contact one or more UNH ECE faculty who are conducting research in an area that you are interested in working. Ask them if they are interested in becoming your faculty champions. Faculty champions argue for accepting a student into the MS ECE program and possibly also for providing funding for that student. When contacting UNH ECE faculty, send them your CV, your statement of research interest, any publications you might have, and questions about their research.
  2. Submit your application to the UNH Graduate School. In your statement of purpose identify one or more UNH ECE faculty champions.
  3. Note that the Accelerated Master’s program is available for UNH seniors. To qualify you must have a GPA of 3.2 or higher at the time of application.
  4. Find source of full or partial funding: TA, RA, scholarship, tuition waiver, self-financing, or other. Successful applicants for a TA, RA, UNH-based scholarship, or a tuition waiver will have strong recommendation from a faculty champion. Also note that students in the Accelerated Master’s program are not eligible for TA and RA positions, scholarships, and tuition waivers before receiving their BS degree.
  1. You will be initially assigned a UNH ECE academic advisor, most likely your thesis advisor.
  2. With your thesis advisor:
    • Identify a research topic with thesis advisor.
    • Identify courses that you will need to support your research.
  3. Take ECE 900 during the first opportunity that it is offered at UNH for a total of 4 credits. Students in the Accelerated Master’s program take these courses after completing their B.S. degree.
  4. Register for ECE 910 Graduate Seminar during the first semester at UNH and complete the course requirement each semester in the graduate program. Current requirements for the graduate seminar course include giving one research talk in the ECE department or professional technical conference each academic year and attending at least 2 of all department approved seminar talks each semester. Students are required to report how they have met the graduate seminar requirements during the annual graduate student performance evaluation with their thesis advisor.
  1. Complete coursework helpful for your research as identified by you and your thesis advisor:
    • The credit requirement is 31, with 1 credit for ECE 910, 4 credits for ECE 900, 9 credits for 900-level coursework, and 6 credits for thesis research. The remaining 11 credits can be either at the 800- or 900-level.
    • Up to 12 credits earned in non-ECE courses numbered 800-899 may be taken for graduate credit by M.S. ECE degree students provided the courses are petitioned and approved by the dean of the Graduate School.  A student may petition that a maximum of 12 graduate credits taken prior to admission in the UNH ECE Master’s of Science degree program be applied to fulfill the degree requirements.
    • Under certain circumstances it may be desirable to take courses outside the ECE department to attain the goals outlined in the student's program of study.  In these cases, up to two non-ECE 900-level courses are allowed without petition, but students need to have their thesis advisor’s approval. Students need to take at least two 900-level courses (neither of which may be independent studies) within the department.  Students must petition to the ECE Graduate Committee before course registration. To take more than 2 non-ECE courses (either 800 or 900 level) students must submit a petition to the ECE Graduate Committee.
    • Students wishing to take an Independent Study, Special Topics or Variable Topics Courses must obtain permission from the course instructor. The instructor and the student then agree on the number of credits the student may earn and scope of work.
  2. Work with your thesis advisor to assemble your M.S. ECE Thesis Committee.
  3. Defend the thesis.
  1. Complete coursework helpful for your research as identified by you and your thesis advisor:
    • The credit requirement is 31, with 1 credit for ECE 910, 4 credits for ECE 900, 4 credits at the ECE 817, 4 credits of ECE 884, 3 credits of ECE 925 Biosensors, and 6 credits for thesis research. The remaining 9 credits are for graduate coursework, with at least 6 of those credits earned in 900-level courses.
    • Up to 9 credits earned in non-ECE courses numbered 800-899 may be taken for graduate credit by M.S. ECE degree students provided the courses are petitioned and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. A student may petition that a maximum of 12 graduate credits taken prior to admission in the UNH ECE Master’s of Science degree program be applied to fulfill the degree requirements.
    • Under certain circumstances it may be desirable to take courses outside the ECE department to attain the goals outlined in the student's program of study.  In these cases, up to two non-ECE 900-level courses are allowed without petition, but students need to have their thesis advisor’s approval. Students need to take at least two 900-level courses (neither of which may be independent studies) within the department.  Students must petition to the ECE Graduate Committee before course registration. To take more than 2 non-ECE courses (either 800 or 900 level) students must submit a petition to the ECE Graduate Committee.
    • Students wishing to take an Independent Study, Special Topics or Variable Topics Courses must obtain permission from the course instructor. The instructor and the student then agree on the number of credits the student may earn and scope of work.
  2. Work with your thesis advisor to assemble your M.S. ECE Thesis Committee.
  3. Defend the thesis.

Qualified senior students at the University of New Hampshire may be admitted to the Graduate School provided they have followed normal application procedures; they must have been admitted for the semester in which they wish to enroll in courses for graduate credit. A 3.20 cumulative grade-point average is normally required to be considered for admission to the accelerated master's program. 

Such seniors are normally admitted prior to the start of their last undergraduate semester, but may be eligible to apply for admission to the first semester of their senior year. Seniors who have been admitted under early admission may register for a maximum of 12 credits of graduate-level courses prior to completing their bachelor's degree. Such courses may upon recommendation of the department and approval of the Graduate School count toward both a bachelor's and master's degree.

When seniors admitted to the accelerated master's program have registered for graduate courses, they must maintain a grade-point average of 3.00, complete their undergraduate degree as planned, and pass graduate courses taken for credit with a grade of B- or better.  If these conditions are not met, admission is withdrawn. 

Not all graduate programs participate; each program's faculty retain discretion regarding whether their program admits students under the accelerated master's program, as well as the maximum number of graduate credits permitted (not exceeding 12; e.g., some programs will accept one course, others two). Applicants are strongly encouraged to meet with the graduate coordinator in the program's faculty to discuss specifics.

Dual-credit forms must be completed and approved by the dean of the Graduate School at the beginning of the semester for which dual credit is sought.

  • Purpose: Demonstrate ability to use the general tools of science to create new scientific knowledge or to complete engineering development projects. Demonstrate a specific contribution to a field of research in the realm of electrical engineering or computer engineering.
  • When: The student must defend their thesis within six years after matriculation (enrollment after admission).
  • How is the student tested: The student should demonstrate that they are able to use the general tools of science to create new scientific knowledge or to complete engineering development projects, and a specific contribution in a field of research in the realm within electrical/computer engineering. The student does this by submitting a written thesis document and giving an oral presentation.
  • Material: The student supplies a draft version of the thesis to the committee 30 days prior to defense. The student supplies final version 2 weeks prior to the defense; final document is available to entire UNH ECE faculty.
  • Announcement: The defense is announced to UNH ECE faculty, and the public, 2 weeks in advance.
  • Thesis Committee: The committee chair is the student’s UNH ECE M.S. ECE thesis advisor. The committee has two other members: two UNH ECE professors (affiliate faculty are eligible), or one UNH ECE professor and one non-UNH ECE member (with a Ph.D.). The non-UNH ECE member should be an expert in the student’s field of research.
  • Format:  The thesis is available to UNH ECE faculty. Oral presentation is open to the public; presentation is followed by a public question period, and a separate committee-only question period. Finally, the committee meets in private to make a recommendation by majority vote. The oral presentation and public questions are no longer than 60 minutes. The entire event takes no longer than 120 minutes.

  • Thesis committee chair synthesizes recommendations into a committee recommendation, to be accepted by a majority vote of the committee after the oral defense.

  • To pass: Committee recommends based on written reviews and oral presentation and informs the student of the recommendation immediately after the oral presentation. The committee does not inform the student of the exact vote. Within 7 days of the defense the committee informs the UNH ECE faculty of its vote (with vote count) provides the three thesis review documents. The entire UNH ECE faculty votes on the recommendation within 30 days of the notification. Graduate Committee officially informs the student within 14 days of the faculty vote.
  • Under what circumstances can a student, who failed to defend the thesis, defend it again? If a student fails to defend the thesis their committee will recommend to the entire UNH ECE faculty either to ask the student to withdraw from the M.S. ECE program, or to allow them to defend the thesis again. The recommendation is decided by majority vote. The entire faculty votes within 30 days of being notified by the thesis committee. Graduate Committee officially informs the student within 14 days of the faculty vote. If the vote is positive, the student must defend the thesis at most one calendar year after the original defense date.
  • Failing to defend thesis twice: If the student fails to defend the thesis a second time, they must withdraw from the M.S. ECE program.

Ph.D. Program

  1. Identify one or more faculty champions. These are UNH ECE faculty (regular and affiliate) who might be interested in serving as your advisor and work with you on research:
    1. Review the work of UNH ECE faculty. Identify one or more faculty members whose research matches your interests.
    2. Complete the pre-application. Name one or more UNH ECE professors whose research matches your interests.
    3. Prepare a statement of research interest to share with potential faculty champions. Focus on accomplishments (such as publications, projects, and technical positions you held), and on areas of interest for research. Read this post before you write the statement.
  2. If your pre-application is approved, contact one or more UNH ECE faculty who are conducting research in an area that you are interested in working. Ask them if they are interested in becoming your faculty champions. Faculty champions argue for accepting a student into the PhD program and possibly also for providing funding for that student. When contacting UNH ECE faculty, send them your CV, your statement of research interest, any publications you might have, and questions about their research.
  3. Submit your application to the UNH Graduate School. In your statement of purpose identify one or more UNH ECE faculty champions.
  4. Find source of full or partial funding: TA, RA, scholarship, tuition waiver, self-financing, or other. Successful applicants for a TA, RA, UNH-based scholarship, or a tuition waiver will have strong recommendation from a faculty champion.
  1. Before the first semester starts, you need to contact your ECE academic advisor. By the end of the first semester (at the latest) you should choose your dissertation advisor (mutual agreement is required).
  2. With your dissertation advisor:
    1. Identify research topic.
    2. Identify courses that you will need to take to help with your research.
  3. Take ECE 900 during the first year at UNH. If you completed ECE 900 as part of an M.S. ECE at UNH this requirement is waived.
  4. Register for ECE 910 Graduate Seminar during the first semester at UNH and complete the course requirements each semester in the graduate program.  Current requirements for the graduate seminar course include giving one research talk in the ECE department or professional technical conference each academic year, and attending at least 2 of all department approved seminar talks each semester. Students are required to report how they have met the graduate seminar requirements during the annual graduate student performance evaluation with their dissertation advisor.
  5. Students wishing to take an Independent Study, Special Topics or Variable Topics Courses must obtain permission from the course instructor. The instructor and the student then agree on the number of credits the student may earn and scope of work.
  6. During the first four semesters at UNH, complete coursework identified by you and your dissertation advisor as necessary for your research. Students entering the Ph.D program with a B.S degree must complete at least 9 credits of 900-level courses (excluding ECE900, ECE910 and ECE 998). Students with an M.S. degree in ECE or related fields may petition to receive a full or partial waiver of the coursework requirement.
  7. Complete the Qualifying Exam.
  • Purpose: Test general knowledge in ECE areas relevant to the student’s research, and test ability to create new knowledge.
  • When: PhD students should complete the Qualifying Exam no later than the end of their second semester at UNH.
  • How is the student tested: The student should introduce a topic of research and proposed paths to complete the research, as well as demonstrate reasonable depth of technical background in that area. The student does this by (a) discussing plans for research, and (b) introducing 3 high impact peer reviewed publications approved by the committee. The student gives an oral presentation on(a) and (b).
  • Material: Student supplies 3 reviewed publications to committee 2 weeks prior to exam; these are available to entire UNH ECE faculty.
  • Announcement: Exam is announced to UNH ECE faculty, and the public, 2 weeks in advance.
  • Committee: UNH ECE dissertation advisor plus 2 UNH ECE faculty (affiliate faculty are eligible). The student can substitute one UNH ECE faculty with a Ph.D.-holding committee member from outside of UNH ECE.
  • Format: Written documents available to committee and UNH ECE faculty. Oral presentation is open to the public; presentation is followed by a public question period, and a separate committee-only question period. The entire event is no more than 90 minutes long.
  • To pass: Committee recommends by majority vote, and informs the student of the recommendation immediately after the oral presentation (but does not inform the student of the exact vote). Within 7 days of the Qualifying Exam the committee informs the UNH ECE faculty of its vote (with vote count). The entire UNH ECE faculty decides on the recommendation by majority vote within 30 days of being notified. Graduate Committee officially informs the student within 14 days of the faculty vote.
  • Under what circumstances can a student, who failed the Qualifying Exam, take it again? If a student fails the Qualifying Exam their committee will recommend to the entire UNH ECE faculty either to ask the student to withdraw from the Ph.D. program, or to allow them to take the exam again. The recommendation is decided by majority vote. The entire UNH ECE faculty decides on the recommendation by majority vote within 30 days of being notified. Graduate Committee officially informs the student within 14 days of the faculty vote. If the vote is positive, the student must take the Qualifying Exam during the next academic semester.
  • Failing twice: If the student fails the Qualifying Exam a second time, they must withdraw from the Ph.D. program.
  • After completing your Qualifying Exam work with your dissertation advisor to assemble your Ph.D. Dissertation Committee. Once your committee has been formed you need to fill out the Doctoral Students Dissertation Committee Nomination form.
  • Defend the Dissertation Proposal to advance to candidacy.
  • Purpose: Declare a topic for dissertation research; demonstrate ability to complete the specific Ph.D. research topic selected by the student.
  • When: It is strongly suggested that students advance to candidacy within one year after passing their qualifying exam.
  • How is the student tested: The student should define their Ph.D. research topic, outline hypotheses, preliminary results, and expected results; demonstrate significant depth of technical background in the area. The student does this by submitting a written proposal document and giving an oral presentation.
  • Material: Student supplies proposal to committee 2 weeks prior to the exam; document is available to entire UNH ECE faculty.
  • Announcement: Exam is announced to UNH ECE faculty, and the public, 2 weeks in advance.
  • Dissertation Committee: The committee is led by the student’s UNH ECE dissertation advisor. The committee has two other UNH ECE professors (affiliate faculty are eligible), and two non-UNH ECE members (with a Ph.D.). The non-UNH ECE members should be experts in the student’s field of research.
  • Format: Written proposal documents are available to committee and UNH ECE faculty. Oral presentation is open to the public; presentation is followed by a public question period, and a separate committee-only question period. The oral presentation and public questions are no longer than 60 minutes. The entire event takes no longer than 180 minutes.
  • To pass: Committee recommends by majority vote and informs the student of the recommendation immediately after the oral presentation (but does not inform the student of the exact vote). Within 7 days of the Dissertation Proposal defense the committee informs the UNH ECE faculty of its vote (with vote count). The entire UNH ECE faculty decides on the recommendation by majority vote within 30 days of being notified. Graduate Committee officially informs the student within 14 days of the faculty vote.
  • Under what circumstances can a student, who failed to defend the Dissertation Proposal, defend it again? If a student fails to defend the Dissertation Proposal their committee will recommend to the entire UNH ECE faculty either to ask the student to withdraw from the Ph.D. program, or to allow them to defend the proposal again. The recommendation is decided by majority vote. The entire UNH ECE faculty decides on the recommendation by majority vote within 30 days of being notified. Graduate Committee officially informs the student within 14 days of the faculty vote. If the vote is positive, the student must defend the Dissertation Proposal at most one calendar year after the original defense date.
  • Failing to defend proposal twice: If the student fails to defend the Dissertation Proposal a second time, they must withdraw from the Ph.D. program.
  1. Complete your research under the guidance of your dissertation advisor and committee.
  2. Defend your dissertation.
  • Purpose: Demonstrate ability to use the general tools of science to create new scientific knowledge. Demonstrate a specific scientific contribution to a field of research in the realm of electrical engineering or computer engineering.
  • When: Ph.D. students must defend their dissertation within eight years after matriculation (enrollment after admission) or within seven years if they entered with a Master's in Electrical Engineering, in Computer Engineering, or in an equivalent field.
  • How is the student tested? The student should demonstrate that they are able to use the general tools of science to create new scientific knowledge, and a specific scientific contribution within electrical/computer engineering. The student does this by submitting a written dissertation document and giving an oral presentation.
  • Material: Student supplies a draft version of the dissertation to committee 45 days prior to the exam. Student supplies final version 4 weeks prior to the exam; document is available to entire UNH ECE faculty.
  • Announcement: Exam is announced to UNH ECE faculty, and the public, 4 weeks in advance.
  • Dissertation Committee: The committee is led by the student’s UNH ECE dissertation advisor. The committee has four other members: two UNH ECE professors (affiliate faculty are eligible), and two non-UNH ECE members (with a Ph.D.). The non-UNH ECE members should be experts in the student’s field of research.
  • Format: Dissertation is also available to UNH ECE faculty. Oral presentation is open to the public; presentation is followed by a public question period, and a separate committee-only question period. Finally, the committee meets in private to make a recommendation by majority vote. The oral presentation and public questions are no longer than 60 minutes. The entire event takes no longer than 180 minutes.
  • To pass: Committee recommends based on written reviews and oral presentation and informs the student of the recommendation immediately after the oral presentation. The committee does not inform the student of the exact vote. Within 7 days of the defense the committee informs the UNH ECE faculty of its vote (with vote count) and provides the five dissertation review documents. The entire UNH ECE faculty votes on the recommendation within 30 days of the notification. Graduate Committee officially informs student within 14 days of the faculty vote.
  • Under what circumstances can a student, who failed to defend the dissertation, defend it again? If a student fails to defend the dissertation their committee will recommend to the entire UNH ECE faculty either to ask the student to withdraw from the Ph.D. program, or to allow them to defend the dissertation again. The recommendation is decided by majority vote. The entire faculty votes within 30 days of being notified by the dissertation committee. Graduate Committee officially informs the student within 14 days of the faculty vote. If the vote is positive, the student must defend the dissertation at most one calendar year after the original defense date.
  • Failing to defend dissertation twice. If the student fails to defend the Dissertation a second time, they must withdraw from the Ph.D. program.