Graduate Degrees

A.  MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING (NON-THESIS) 

1. Total number of hours (30)

2. A minimum of 27 classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, and 685)

• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL).
• A minimum of 24 classroom hours from the Departments of CSCE and ECEN
• At least 13 of these 24 hours must be in ECEN
• At least 6 courses will be from the CEEN MS student course list

3. Transfer hours allowed from another institution (maximum of 6 hours)

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at TAMU, the student should consult the ECE Graduate Advising Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcript, and TAMU ECEN course equivalent to the ECE Graduate Advising Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/ Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

4. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours)

• Only 400 level undergraduate courses can be included on degree plan.
• Courses must be from the College of Engineering and/or College of Arts & Sciences as specified in point 2 above.

5. One hour of seminar is allowed (ECEN 681 or CSCE 681) but is NOT required.

6. Seminar (681), Internship (684), and Directed Studies (685): No more than three hours allowed (combined).

7. Research (691) hours are not allowed on an MS non-thesis degree plan.

8. **A Final Project Report is required to be submitted to the ECE Graduate Advising Office.

• A graded project from any ECEN or CSCE graduate course can be used to fulfill this requirement. The project requires a grade, the professor’s signature, and a completed cover page. It must be submitted in the graduating semester; See the Graduate Advising Office’s Microsoft TEAMS page for submission deadlines and other requirements.

9. Composition of supervisory committee

• The Graduate Coordinator will be the chair of all MS non-thesis committees. No other committee members are needed.

10. Requirements for the on-campus and distance education degree programs are the same.

• However, on-campus degree programs cannot have more than 50% distance education courses on the degree plan.
• Students are responsible for understanding this policy and submitting degree plans accordingly.
• International students have additional restrictions on distance education courses, in which case they should consult the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) at the start of their program.

Additional course requirements:

• STAT 651 and STAT 652 (statistics courses) are for non-science majors and are not allowed. Traditionally, no courses will be admitted from Engineering Technology because of the non-calculus-based curriculum and no approved graduate program.
• Credit for CSCE 614 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 651 unless approved by the CESG Group Leader.
• Credit for CSCE 619 and CSCE 612 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 602. Please check with the CESG Group Leader.
• No credit will be given for CSCE 601 & 602.
• No credit will be given for the following foundation courses: ECEN 214, ECEN 248, ECEN 314, ECEN 325, ECEN 350 nor CSCE 221.

 

B. MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING (THESIS) *effective for students admitted from Fall 2025

1. Total number of hours (30)

2. A minimum of (18) classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, 685 & 691)

• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL)
• Courses on degree plan must be approved by Research Advisor.

3. A minimum of 6 credits of research (ECEN 691) must be included on the degree plan. A maximum of 9 research credits can be included.

• Note: If the co-chair is outside of ECEN, research credits must be split 50/50 between chair and co-chair.

4. Transfer hours allowed from another institution (maximum of 6 hours)

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at TAMU, the student should consult the ECE Graduate Advising Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcript, and TAMU ECEN course equivalent to the ECE Graduate Advising Office. Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/GSC.

5. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours)

• Only 400-level undergraduate courses can be included on the degree plan.
• Courses must be from the College of Engineering and/or College of Arts & Sciences as specified in number 2 above.

6. Seminar, Directed Studies, and Research (681, 685 & 691)

• 1 hour of seminar (ECEN 681 or CSCE 681) is required
• No more than 3 hours (in combination) of ECEN 681, 684, and 685.
  • If you are considering going on internship (684), please consult your research advisor before making plans.

7. A final thesis Defense is required for all MS students.

• A thesis proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee and submitted to the ECE Graduate Advising Office via the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) at least one (1) month before the defense. The link can be found on the Graduate & Professional School’s (GPS) website.
• The Request and Announcement of Final Exam must be scheduled through the Graduate Office via ARCS at least one (1) month in advance.
• Thesis draft must be emailed to committee members at least two (2) weeks before defense.
• Please see the ECE Graduate Advising Office’s Microsoft TEAMS page for details – specifically the “MS Defense Steps” document.

8. The composition of the supervisory committee shall have at least three (3) members:

• At least two members within ECEN’s Computer Engineering Systems Group (CESG)
• At least one member from outside the ECEN Department
• Note: Committee Chair (or a Co-Chair) must be a CESG faculty member

Additional course requirements:

• STAT 651 and STAT 652 (statistics courses) are for non-science majors and are not allowed. Traditionally, no courses will be admitted from Engineering Technology because of the non-calculus-based curriculum and no approved graduate program.
• Credit for CSCE 614 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 651 unless approved by your advisor.
• Credit for CSCE 619 and CSCE 612 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 602. Please check with your advisor.
• No credit will be given for CSCE 601 & 602.
• No credit will be given for the following foundation courses: ECEN 214, ECEN 248, ECEN 314, ECEN 325, ECEN 350 nor CSCE 221.

 

C. PHD IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING

1. Total number of hours (64 or 96)

• For students who already hold a master’s degree, 64 hours are required.
• For “direct PhD” students, 96 hours are required.

2. A minimum of 18 (or 42) classroom hours (excludes 681, 684, 685, and 691)

• 18 hours required for students with a previous Master’s degree and 42 for direct PhD students
• Classroom hours must be taken from courses within the College of Engineering (all departments) and/or the College of Arts & Sciences (only MATH, STAT, PHYS, CHEM, BIOL)
• Courses on the degree plan must be approved by your research advisor.

3. A maximum of (6) transfer hours allowed from another institution

• Transfer hours must be from a U.S. peer institution; they cannot have been used on a previous degree plan.
• If a student plans to take a course elsewhere while at TAMU, the student should consult the ECE Graduate Advising Office before doing so.
• Students must send syllabi, transcript, and TAMU ECEN course equivalent to the ECE Graduate Advising Office . Transfer hours are subject to the approval of the Group Leader/Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

4. Undergraduate hours allowed (2 courses or 8 hours)

• Only 400 level courses can be included on the degree plan.

5. No more than 3 credit hours of Internship (684) are allowed.

• PHD students cannot take 684 after dissertation defense.
• ECEN 684 “Professional Internship”: If you are considering going on an internship, consult your research advisor before making plans.

6. Three (3) hours of Seminar (ECEN 681 or CSCE 681) are required.

7. No more than 2 credit hours of Directed Studies (685) are allowed.

• Students working on a research project should enroll in Research (691) hours.

8. All PhD students are required to pass the Departmental Qualifying Examination.

• All incoming PhD students (64 and 96-hour) are required to take the exam within one year of starting the program.
• There are two types of Qualifying Exams available. The research advisor will select which Track the student takes. Students without a research advisor default to Track 1.
  • Track 1: Written exam consisting of questions from undergraduate courses. This exam is administered in January and June of each year. More details on Track 1 are provided elsewhere in the Graduate Handbook.
  • Track 2: Written and oral exam in which the separately formed committee provides the student research articles to analyze and then student gives a presentation. More details on Track 2 are provided elsewhere in the Graduate Handbook.
• Students entering the program with a previous degree outside of Electrical or Computer Engineering are allowed, with written approval from their advisor, an extra year and will be required to take the exam by the end of the second year.
• Those students that fail the examination are given a second opportunity to retake the exam which must be taken at the next opportunity in which the exam is offered.
• Those that fail the examination twice will be removed from the PhD program.
• Degree Plans are to be filed within one semester after passing the Qualifier for both 64 and 96-hour PhD students.

9. All PHD students with a degree plan on file are required to submit an Annual PhD Review

• The ECE Graduate Advising Office will provide this document to the student and his/her research advisor at the beginning of each spring semester.
• PhD students are responsible for meeting with their research advisor to discuss their progress in the program.
• After the student and research advisor sign the review document, the student should submit it to the ECE Graduate Office by the specified deadline which is typically by early May. Failure to submit the document on time will result in a registration hold on the student’s account.
• The research advisor rates the student’s progress as:
  • O (Outstanding), S (Satisfactory) and U (Unsatisfactory).

The first time a U is issued:

• • The student will receive a probation letter from the ECE Graduate Advising Office.
  • The student writes a statement explaining the U and details plans for the next year.
  • The advisor writes a statement explaining the U and details plans for the next year.
  • These items are then automatically brought before the Graduate Studies Quality Committee (GSQ) for review.

The second time a U is issued:

• • The GSQ committee will meet to decide on a remedy.
  • Possible remedies include dismissal, suggestion to change advisors, etc.

10. All PHD students are required to pass a Preliminary Examination

• 64-hour PhD students are required to schedule their prelim exam by the end of their fourth (4^th) semester (excluding summers). 96-hour PhD and those with previous degrees outside of Electrical and Computer Engineering are required to schedule their prelim exam by the end of their sixth (6th) semester (excluding summers).
• Students who have not scheduled their prelim by the appointed time will be blocked from further registration until they do so.
• You must initiate the Prelim Checklist and Report as well as the Proposal Approval Form via the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS). The link can be found on the Graduate & Professional School’s (GPS) website. Initiate these items at least two (2) business days before your prelim.
• Notify the ECE Graduate Advising Office of your prelim date/time/details at least one (1) month in advance.
• Students who fail the prelim exam will have one (1) opportunity to retake the exam within six (6) months of the original exam date.
• Please see the ECE Graduate Advising Office’s Microsoft TEAMS page for details – specifically the “Prelim Steps – ARCS” document. (viewable if enrolled)

11. Final Defense of dissertation is required for all PhD students

• The date and location of the final defense must be provided to the ECE Graduate Advising Office at least 1 month in advance.
• You must initiate the Request and Announcement of Final Exam via ARCS at least 1 month in advance. The link can be found on the GPS website.
• Dissertation draft must be emailed to committee members at least two weeks before defense
• The Dissertation Approval Form and Copyright Form must be initiated via ARCS as well. Please see the GPS website for details.
• Please see provided to the ECE Graduate Advising Office TEAMS page for details – specifically the “PhD Defense Steps – ARCS” document. (viewable if enrolled)

12. The composition of the supervisory committee shall have at least four (4) members:

• At least two members from within ECEN’s Computer Engineering Systems Group (CESG)
• At least one member not in the CESG, yet within the ECEN Department
• At least one member from outside the ECEN Department
• Note:  Committee Chair (or a Co-Chair) must be a CESG faculty member.

13. Requirements for the on-campus and distance education degree programs are the same.

• However, on-campus degree programs cannot have more than 50% distance education courses on the degree plan.
• Students are responsible for understanding this policy and submitting degree plans accordingly.
• International students have additional restrictions on distance education courses, in which case they should consult the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) at the start of their program.

Additional course requirements:

• STAT 651 and STAT 652 (statistics courses) are for non-science majors and are not allowed. Traditionally, no courses will be admitted from Engineering Technology because of the non-calculus-based curriculum and no approved graduate program.
• Credit for CSCE 614 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 651 unless approved by your advisor.
• Credit for CSCE 619 and CSCE 612 may not be allowed in addition to ECEN 602. Please check with your advisor.
• No credit will be given for CSCE 601 nor 602.
• No credit will be given for the following foundation courses: ECEN 214, ECEN 248, ECEN 314, ECEN 325, ECEN 350 nor CSCE 221.