Computer and Systems Engineering, MS

Admission Requirements

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All applicants must submit all required documents as part of the online application, including official transcripts, official GRE scores, resume, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and application fee ($25 domestic applicants/$75 international applicants). To learn more about how to apply, visit How to Apply to UH Graduate School. Information about additional documentation for international applicants, including fulfilling the English language proficiency requirement, can be found at International Student Admissions.

Unconditional Admission

• A bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an ABET accredited program, a degree in Computer Science, or a degree in Quantitative Science, with a grade point average of at least 3.0/4.0 on the last 60 hours of the undergraduate degree and on any coursework completed since graduation.
• General GRE scores must be submitted. While no minimum GRE scores are used to exclude students, typically students achieving admission to the program have GRE scores greater than 150 on the Verbal, greater than 159 on the Quantitative and greater than 4.0 on the Writing Assessment.
• International applications must submit additional documents, including meeting requirements in English language proficiency.  Details can be found at International Student Admissions. If submitting TOEFL scores, international applicant are recommended to have a score of 92 or better.

Conditional Admission

• Requirements are the same as unconditional admission except that the grade point average may be between 2.6 and 3.0 on the last 60 hours with high GRE scores.
• Conditional admission is not available to international applicants.

NOTE: The conditionally admitted student must earn a GPA of at least 3.0 on the first 12 hours of graduate work after enrolling in the program. A general petition needs to be submitted to change conditional admission status after completing 12 hours. For more detailed information on the application process, please visit Admission Procedures and Graduate Degree Programs.

Degree Requirements

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Credit hours required for this degree: thesis/non-thesis 30.0

Prerequisites

Upon admission to the program, each student will meet with the Director of the CSE Program who will review the student’s background and inform the student of the prerequisite courses, if any, that the student must complete before taking any graduate level courses.

1. Mathematics

A student must have a mathematics background that includes calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, and numerical methods. These prerequisites may be satisfied by the following courses at UH or similar courses at another university:

• MATH 1431 Calculus I
• MATH 1432 Calculus II
• MATH 2432 Calculus III
• MATH 3331 Differential Equations

2. Computers

A student must have had courses in high-level and assembly language programming, elementary data structures, and in digital logic design and microcomputers. These prerequisites may be satisfied by the following courses at UH or similar courses at another university:

• ECE 1331 Computer and Problem Solving
• ECE 3441 Digital Logic Design
• ECE 4436 Microprocessor Systems
• COSC 6304 Data Structures
• COSC 6310 Fundamental of Operating Systems

3. Circuits and Electronics

A student must have had courses in circuits and electronics. These prerequisites may be satisfied by the following courses at UH or similar courses at another university:

• ECE 2300 and ECE 2100 Circuit Analysis and Circuit Analysis Lab
• ECE 3355 and ECE3155 Electronics and Electronics Lab
• ECE 3457 Digital Electronics

To receive the degree of Master of Science, the student is required to complete (on a part-time or full-time basis), with a grade point average of at least 3.0, a minimum of 30 semester credit hours. If the student follows the thesis option he/she will be advised to find an advisor who will supervise and direct his/her research. The thesis advisor will subsequently advise the student about his/her degree plan.

Non-thesis Option:

A student that follows the non-thesis option should complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of coursework (10 courses).

• Four of these courses should be from the list of Required ECE Courses while the remaining can be from the list of Suggested Elective ECE courses.
• A minimum of six courses should be from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
• A maximum of four courses can be from outside the ECE department. These courses must be from the Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering, or College of Business Administration. No courses from the College of Technology can be used on the Degree Plan.

Before graduation, the student’s degree plan will have to be approved by the ECE Academic Advisor and the Director of the Computer and Systems Engineering Program.

Thesis Option:

A student who follows the thesis option should complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours.

• A minimum of 21 semester credit hours of coursework (7 courses)
• Four of these courses should be from the list of Required ECE Courses
• Six hours of thesis (ECE 6399 and ECE 7399) and
• Three hours of research (ECE 6398)

Before graduation, the student’s degree plan will have to be approved by the thesis advisor, the ECE Academic Advisor, and the Director of the Computer and Systems Engineering Program.

Academic Policies

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Appropriate Coursework

Courses used to satisfy structured course requirements must receive a letter grade (i.e., not S, U, or W).

Courses offered by other institutions, such as Rice University/UT Health, etc., may be taken with prior approval from both the student’s advisor and the director of the graduate program if a similar class is not offered at UH. For permission to take a non-UH course, complete a general petition and an Inter-Institutional Course Registration Form.

Courses taken for personal enrichment will not count towards the degree and must be approved by the advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies prior to enrollment. Enrichment hours cannot be used to satisfy minimum enrollment requirements when an assistantship is being received.

Leveling Courses

Students who do not have a Bachelor of Science in Electrical or Computer Engineering must show competency in four areas:

• Electronic devices
• Circuit theory
• Electromagnetics
• Computers

Students may accomplish this through leveling coursework or by passing a core competency exam. The Graduate Admissions Committee will identify leveling requirements with the assistance of the thesis advisor.

Competence in each area can be demonstrated by passing the following course(s) with a grade of B or better, respectively:

• Electronics (ECE 3355)
• Circuit Analysis (ECE 2300) and its Laboratory (ECE 2100)
• Applied EM Waves (ECE 3317)
• Analysis I (ECE 3317), Digital Logic (ECE 3441), and Microprocessor Systems (ECE 4436)

The graduate level courses Microwave engineering (ECE 5317) and Computer architecture (ECE 5367) may be taken in place of Applied EM Waves (ECE 3317) and Microprocessor Systems (ECE 4436), respectively, with instructor permission.

Thesis Guidelines

The Thesis is written as part of the M.S. degree. Here is a summary of the steps a student takes to complete this requirement.

1. Form a Thesis Committee
2. Write a Proposal and submit it to the Committee for approval.
3. Prepare the Thesis document
4. Defend the Thesis in a public setting with an announcement filed at least two weeks prior to the defense
5. Once approved, gain required signatures and complete the electronic submission of the thesis prior to the published deadline.

More details for each step are available from the graduate advisor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Department Academic Policies

College Academic Polices  

University of Houston Academic Policies