Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers the following graduate degrees:

the Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering,
the Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering, and
the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

General Information on the M.S. Degrees

Thesis and non-thesis options are available for the M.S. degrees. For a non-thesis degree, a minimum of 30 semester hours of coursework is required. Thesis options require 30 credit hours, of which six credits of ECE 699 shall be devoted to individual study with a member of the graduate faculty. This work must culminate in preparing a written thesis on a significant problem of common interest and an oral defense of the thesis. Students completing a thesis must also complete one credit of Responsible Conduct of Research training. At the advisory committee’s or Graduate Coordinator’s discretion, this credit may be substituted for one of the 6 required thesis/dissertation credits (ECE699). To obtain a master’s degree, a student must have at least a GPA of 3.0 for all courses taken as a graduate student. In the non-thesis and thesis options, at least 18 credit hours must be ECE course credit hours.

All students must register for one credit of ECE 598 Graduate Seminar during the first semester. This seminar course’s pass/fail grade will be given upon graduation. At the advisory committee’s discretion, this seminar credit may be substituted for one of the 6 required thesis/dissertation credits (ECE699).

Requirements for the M.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)

For students to become candidates for a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, they must either have completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering or at least demonstrated its equivalent, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale). If students do not hold a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering, they must complete or demonstrate the equivalent to at least three of the following five prerequisite courses: Electronics I (ECE 342), Fields and Waves (ECE 351), Feedback Control Systems (ECE 414), Electric Power Systems (ECE 427), and Digital Signal Processing (ECE 486). A student may be provisionally admitted to the program pending the completion of prerequisite course(s) with a grade of B or better.

Normally no more than 6 credits of ECE400 level course work will be acceptable for graduate credit. In addition, no more than three credits of ECE599 may be taken toward fulfilling the requirements for a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. ECE 699 cannot be counted as credits in the non-thesis Master’s programs. Degree candidates may also choose to take courses in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, and other disciplines that are consistent with his/her program goals.

Requirements for the M.S. Degree in Computer Engineering (MSCE)

For students to become candidates for a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering, they must either have completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering or at least demonstrated its equivalent, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale). If students do not hold a B.S. degree in Computer Engineering, they must complete or demonstrate the equivalent to at least three of the following five prerequisite courses: Introduction to Unix Systems Administration (ECE 331), Embedded Systems (ECE 471), Computer Architecture and Organization (ECE 473), Digital Signal Processing (ECE 486), and Neural Networks (ECE 490). A student may be provisionally admitted to the program pending the completion of prerequisite course(s) with a grade of B or better.

Normally no more than 6 credits of ECE or COS 400-level coursework will be acceptable for graduate credit. In addition, no more than three credits of ECE599 courses may be taken toward fulfilling the requirements for a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering. ECE699 cannot be counted as credits in the non-thesis Master’s programs. Degree candidates may also choose to take courses in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and other disciplines that are consistent with his/her program goals.

General Information on the Ph.D. Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department offers the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electrical & Computer Engineering. In order for a student to become a candidate for the PhD degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering, the student must have obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in either Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering, or have otherwise demonstrated a high scholastic competency in all of the required undergraduate courses for either degree. The PhD program requirements include 42 credits or more of coursework beyond the BS EE or CE degree requirements, a qualifying examination and a comprehensive examination, and a doctoral research thesis. The specific coursework, examination and thesis requirements of the ECE Department are given below.

Admission Requirements for Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering

The graduate GPA must be 3.2 or better (on a 4.0 scale) for students with an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering. Students without an M.S. degree in Electrical engineering or Computer Engineering must have a GPA of 3.2 or better (on a 4.0 scale) and meet our M.S. admission requirements.

Graduation Requirements for Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Advisory Committee All graduate students must form an advisory committee and submit their program of study within the first year of their graduate program. The PhD advisory committee must have five members, of which at least three must be members of the ECE graduate faculty. ECE graduate students must meet with their advisory committee at least once per year. A progress report (PDF) must be completed and submitted to the ECE department by the end of each academic year.

Coursework A doctoral student must complete at least 42 credits of coursework beyond the BS degree requirements. (Thesis and dissertation credits do not count toward this requirement.) Nine credits out of the 42 are to be completed in an area outside of Electrical & Computer Engineering to constitute a minor. At least 24 credits out of the 42 must be ECE courses. Normally, no more than 6 credits of ECE 400 level coursework will be accepted for graduate credit. A minimum of nine credit hours of registration in Graduate Research (ECE699) is required. However, even after this minimum requirement has been met, all doctoral students using University facilities while engaging in dissertation research must register for at least one credit of ECE699 each semester. Students must complete one credit of Responsible Conduct of Research training, preferably prior to commencing research. The training must take place before the completion of 3 credits of ECE699. All students must register for one credit of ECE 598 Graduate Seminar during the first semester. This seminar course’s pass/fail grade will be given upon graduation. At the advisory committee’s discretion, this seminar credit may be substituted for one of the 9 required thesis/dissertation credits (ECE699).

Residency (UMaine Graduate School Requirement) The minimum residence requirement for the PhD program is met by registering for a full-time program of study and/or research (6 credits per semester) for four semesters beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students entering doctoral programs with a master’s degree must register for at least two semesters of full-time coursework and/or research at the University. For the purposes of satisfying residency, the summer session may count as a semester

Grade Point Average PhD students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.33 (B+) to continue in the PhD program. The grade point average is calculated based on all courses satisfying the requirements of the PhD degree, including any credits transferred from a previous degree.

Qualifying Examination All Ph.D. students must pass the qualifying exam before the start of the second year to prove their preparedness and capabilities required in our Ph.D. program. The exam will include a literature review, a written report, and an oral presentation on a given research topic followed by questions from the examination committee.

Comprehensive Examination The comprehensive exam covers graduate-level material relevant to the student’s concentration. Students must complete the Comprehensive Examination after successfully completing the Qualifying Examination, and after the majority of the PhD course credits have been completed. Graduate School requirements state that this examination may not be taken until the student has completed at least one and one-half years, or the equivalent, of graduate study. The format of the comprehensive examination is left largely to the discretion of the student’s advisory committee, but will always include an oral examination open to all ECE faculty and any other participants approved by the student’s committee. The comprehensive exam will typically also include a written portion, comprised of a research proposal outlining the PhD research to be undertaken by the student. The proposal is reviewed by the student’s Advisory Committee prior to the oral exam. The advisory committee may also request that the student formally present the proposed research at the beginning of the oral comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam date, time, and location must be announced to the entire ECE faculty at least five days in advance. Following the successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination, the student is admitted to candidacy. To remain in the program, a student must attain candidacy status within four years of registration. All work for the doctoral degree must be completed within four years after admission to candidacy.

Dissertation The doctoral dissertation must demonstrate the candidate’s mastery of their area of research, must embody the results of an original investigation in the principal field of study, and advance state of the art in the chosen field. The work must be a sufficiently new contribution to the field that it warrants publication in refereed journals and/or presentation at an international conference.

The Final Examination The final examination, which is oral, is concerned with the subject of the thesis and with the candidate’s understanding of related matters that are important for proficiency in the principal field of study. The examination must demonstrate the candidate’s mastery of research techniques and skill in organizing and presenting the material. The final exam may take place no sooner than the second semester following completion of the Comprehensive Examination. After the doctoral thesis has been accepted by the candidate’s advisory committee, the original copy shall be presented to the Graduate School. The candidate must then appear for final examination by an examining committee of no fewer than five members (usually the student’s advisory committee) appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the major advisor. Other members of the faculty may attend and participate in the questioning, but only members of the committee may vote in determining the outcome.

4+1 and 4+2 Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs

The department offers the opportunity for University of Maine ECE undergraduates to begin taking graduate courses during their senior year, double-counting up to 9 credits toward the BS and the MSEE or MSCE. The 4+1 is for MS with non-thesis, and the 4+2 is for MS with thesis. Details can be found at the department website: https://ece.umaine.edu/41-bsms-degree-programs/

Application

Applications are accepted anytime for admission in the Fall (September), or the Spring (January) semester. The following webpage lists a few frequently asked questions:

https://ece.umaine.edu/faq-for-prospective-graduate-applicants/

Application materials can be obtained from the Graduate School, 5775 Stodder Hall, Rm 42, Orono, ME 04469-5775, e-mail at graduate@maine.edu, or downloaded from the web site

http://www.umaine.edu/graduate/admissions/admissions

Additional Information

Individual faculty may be contacted via the ECE department web site at http://ece.umaine.edu/graduate/phd-electrical-computer-engineering/

Alternatively, the Graduate Coordinator can be reached by regular mail at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, by telephone at (207) 581-2223, or by FAX at (207) 581-4531.

Graduate Faculty

Ali Abedi, Ph.D. (University of Waterloo, 2004), Professor, Wireless communications, coding and information theory, sensor networks.

Mahdi Al-Badrawi, Ph.D. (University of New Hampshire, 2017), Assistant Professor, statistical signal processing, underwater acoustics analysis

Prabuddha Chakraborty, Ph.D. (University of Florida, 2022), Assistant Professor, cybersecurity, edge computing, artificial intelligence

Vijay Devabhaktuni, Ph.D. (Carleton University, 2003), Professor and Chair, Artificial intelligence, cyber and homeland security, human machine teaming, optimization, and RF and microwave circuit design.

Vikas Dhiman, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2019) Robotic navigation, localization and mapping, safe control, computer vision, reinforcement learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Nuri Emanetoglu, Ph.D. (Rutgers State Univ. of New Jersey. 2003), Associate Professor, Novel semiconductor materials and devices optoelectronics and photonics, piezoelectric materials, thin films, surface acoustic wave devices, sensor.

Taher Ghomian, Ph.D. (Louisiana State University, 2018), Assistant Professor, Energy harvesting, Photonics, sensor, circuits.

Donald M. Hummels, Ph.D. (Purdue University, 1987), Professor. Communications, signal processing and pattern recognition.

David E. Kotecki, Ph.D. (University of California at Davis, 1988), Associate Professor. Microelectronics, circuits, electronic materials, computer modeling, and simulation.

Mohamad T. Musavi, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, 1983), Professor. Artificial Neural Networks, computer vision, power systems, and smart grid.

Mauricio Pereira da Cunha, Ph.D. (McGill University, 1994), Professor. Microwave acoustics, signal processing, sensors and applications.

Rosemary Smith, Ph.D. (University of Utah, 1982), Professor. Microsensors, micro and nano fabrication technology, biomedical microdevices.

Reinaldo Tonkoski, Ph.D. (Concordia University, 2011), Assistant Professor. Power Systems, Power Electronics, Microgrids, and Control Systems.

Vincent Weaver, Ph.D. (Cornell University, 2010), Associate Professor. High performance computing, computer architecture, operating systems, embedded programming

Yifeng Zhu, Ph.D. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2005), Professor. Deep Learning, computer architecture and systems including parallel/distributed computing, and computer storage systems.