Chapter 1 Information on ECE master program Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Chapter 1 – Information on ECE master program

• Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud

http://www.cae.tntech.edu/~mmahmoud/ mmahmoud@tntech.edu

https://www.tntech.edu/engineering/programs/ece/graduate/ms-program.php

• 1. Program Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes

1.1 Program Objectives

• 1. Graduates
• f

the MSECE program will have the technical competence to be successful in the chosen area

• f

study in electrical and computer engineering professional practice

• r

research.

• 2. Graduates of the MSECE program will have the skills to undertake

technically sound analysis independently and present their work at professional meetings or publish their work in scholarly journals.

• 3. Graduates
• f

the MSECE program will have the technical competence to successfully undertake further advanced study at the doctoral level in electrical and computer engineering

• r

a related area, and pursue lifelong learning through professional education.

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Master program description

1.2 Student Learning Outcomes Students of the MSECE program at the time of graduation will be able to:

• 1. Demonstrate clear understanding of the chosen area of emphasis in

electrical and computer engineering covered in course material in the graduate program.

• 2. Apply

advanced methods in the development

• f

solutions in the chosen area of emphasis in electrical and computer engineering.

• 3. Give professional presentation or write scholarly manuscripts worthy
• f publication in peer reviewed journals.

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MS-ECE with Thesis Option The thesis option MSECE is recommended for students who are planning a career in corporate or academic research, design, and development and who may pursue a Ph.D. in the future. Intro to Graduate Research (1 credit), at least eight graduate courses (24 credits), at least 6 credits of research for thesis completed under the supervision of the graduate thesis advisor, an approved thesis, and an oral thesis defense are required for graduation. The coursework shall include: ECE 6910 - Introduction to Graduate Research, during the first semester of study; at least 15 hours of graduate ECE courses (5000, 6000, 7000 levels) that must include 9 credit hours

• f

ECE graduate level breadth courses from a list maintained by the ECE Department; no more than six (6) hours of directed/ independent study courses and no more than six (6) hours

• f 5000 courses, to satisfy the required minimum of 24 hours of

coursework.

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The thesis requirement includes research and the findings of which must be submitted in writing subject to the policies and satisfaction of the College of Graduate Studies and the advisory committee. In addition, each student must defend his/ her research work before the advisory committee. The advisory committee shall be chaired or co-chaired by ECE faculty member and include an additional member from the ECE Department. As far I know, financial support is given only to thesis option student. You can check.

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Non-thesis Option The non-thesis option MSECE is recommended for students who desire an industry-oriented degree, and who may be attending school part-time while working. An MS-ECE program

• f

study with non-thesis

• ption

requires a minimum of 34 credit hours of course work and shall include: ECE 6910 - Introduction to Graduate Research (1 credit hour), during the first semester of study; 9 credit hours of graduate level breadth courses from a list maintained by the ECE department; a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours of graduate level ECE elective courses; a three (3) credit hours ECE 6970: Non-Thesis Design Project course that will enhance independent learning skills and a maximum of nine (9) hours

• f

graduate level elective courses from

• utside

the department. Additionally, each student should also pass a written comprehensive exam administered by the department.

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Summary of MS Program of Study Requirements

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The ECE Breadth courses are:

• ECE 6040 - Signal Analysis
• ECE 6170 - High Performance Embedded System Design
• ECE 6200 - Linear Systems Analysis
• ECE 6510 - Electromagnetic Field Theory I

You m ust take at least three out of these four

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Advisory Committee

• Each MS student must have an advisory committee composed of at

least three Graduate faculty members.

• They assist the student in the development and executing his/ her

Program

• f

Study and monitor the student's progress towards completion of the degree.

• The student is responsible for identifying a faculty member who is

willing to chair his/ her advisory committee.

• The advisor has the responsibility to guide the student's research

toward degree completion within a reasonable period

• f

time (usually two years for full-time students).

• New

students have a temporary advisor until they choose a permanent advisor from the ECE faculty during their first semester.

• In consultation with his/ her advisor, the student is responsible for

identifying at least two other TTU graduate faculty members who are willing to serve on his/ her committee.

• The other members are selected such that they have either taught

the student in a course or have some expertise relevant to the student's research.

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• At least two members of the MS advisory committee, including the

chairperson/ advisor, must be from the ECE faculty.

• The MS advisory committee may include more than three members.
• Students with a Computer Engineering focus should include at least
• ne Computer Science faculty on their committee.
• A graduate student's advisory committee is selected during his/ her

first semester of study and each member must approve and sign the student's Program

• f

Study form by the beginning

• f

the student's second semester.

• Failure to form a committee by the end of the second semester is

cause for dismissal from the MS program.

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Program of Study

• Each MS student is required to develop and submit a Program of

Study by the beginning of the second semester of study.

• The student prepares this Program of Study in consultation with

his/ her Advisory Committee.

• The student's advisory committee members, the ECE Chair, the

CoE Assoc. Dean for Graduate Studies, and the Assoc. VP of Graduate Studies must approve and sign the Program of Study.

• Any subsequent changes to courses on the approved Program of

Study must be made via a Substitution (Course Addition/ Deletion) form.

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Additional Program of Study Requirements The following restrictions apply to the MS Program of Study. For the thesis option: (a) no more than six hours of 5000-level courses such that 5000-level ECE course, if any, in the program

• f

study are

• utside

the student's area of primary research; (b) no more than six hours of directed/ independent study courses; (c) Make a paper presentation in a conference

• r

a poster presentation in research day at TTU held in April in each year Once a year opportunity. For the non-thesis option: There are no restrictions.

• A

maximum

• f

nine credits (3 courses)

• f

approved graduate coursework may be transferred form another university to satisfy the MS requirements. You should find equivalent TTU courses.

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Thesis Defense (Thesis option)

• A

fundamental milestone in the graduation requirements is completion of the oral defense, which consists of an oral presentation by the student

• f

her/ his thesis research results, followed by questioning.

• The overall intention is to test the student's breadth of knowledge in

the discipline, depth in the specific area of research, and ability to integrate concepts and techniques learned in the various courses.

• The student should schedule the thesis defense date well in advance

to insure that all members of the committee are in attendance.

• Students

must submit a draft copy

• f

their theses to their committees and to Graduate Studies at least two weeks before the defense date.

• The defense begins with an open session in which the candidate

makes a presentation to the committee and

• ther

faculty and students.

• The audience then asks questions regarding the candidate's research

work.

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Thesis Defense (Thesis option)

• Afterward, in a closed session, the committee members examine the

candidate on the details of the thesis, as well as any other relevant material.

• Then the candidate is asked to leave the room, and the committee

member discuss the performance of the candidate and vote to pass

• r fail the candidate.
• The student must pass this examination by three (3) positive votes
• r three-fourths of the committee members eligible to vote.
• A signature form is then forwarded to Graduate Studies which keeps

the results of the examination.

• If

the candidate passes the exam, the committee instructs the candidate on any required changes or new work needed to complete the thesis.

• If the candidate fails the exam, the committee informs the candidate

in writing regarding the additional work that must be undertaken before taking the examination a second time.

• The second attempt may be scheduled as soon as these deficiencies

are rectified. However, failure on the second attempt results in dismissal from the graduate program.

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Thesis Defense (Thesis option)

• The requested revisions to the thesis must be made, final signatures
• f all committee members obtained, and two copies of the final

thesis must be submitted to Graduate Studies (plus one to the Department) at least one week before graduation. Comprehensive Exam (for Non-thesis Option)

• The non-thesis option comprehensive examination is a four-hour

written examination taken after completion

• f

all core courses, consisting of two questions from each of the core courses taken by the student.

• These questions are prepared and graded by the professor from

whom the student took that core course.

• The Department Chair is responsible for assembling, proctoring, and

compiling the overall score on the exam.

• An overall score of 70 percent is required to pass.
• A committee signature form is then forwarded to Graduate Studies

which keeps the results of the examination.

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• If the student fails this exam, he or she will be given a written list of

specific deficiencies which must be addressed prior to a second exam attempt.

• The second attempt may be scheduled as soon as the deficiencies

are rectified. However, failure on the second attempt results in dismissal from the MSECE program.

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https://www.tntech.edu/graduatestudies/forms.php Online Forms The Online Forms page of the College of Graduate Studies contains many forms and guides, among them:

• Fast Track Course Credit
• Program of Study (MS, MS-PhD (direct admit), PhD)
• Substitution (Course Addition/Deletion)
• Thesis/Dissertation Format Checklist
• Thesis/Dissertation Format Guide Manual
• Thesis/Dissertation Defense
• Application for Graduation

https://www.tntech.edu/graduatestudies/pdf/enrolled_student_forms/Change_of_A dvisory_Committee_Request.pdf Change a committee member https://www.tntech.edu/graduatestudies/pdf/program_of_study/MA__M.Ed.__or_MS. pdf Program study

Five-Year Fast Track BS/MS

• The Fast-Track BS-MS five-year program is designed to attract exceptional

Tennessee Tech ECE seniors to stay at Tech for one additional year to obtain the MSECE degree.

• During their senior year, Fast-Track students are permitted to take two 5000 or

6000 level ECE courses, which count both as their BS senior electives and as their first two MSECE courses.

• They are also able to begin working with an MS faculty research advisors during

their senior year, thus getting an early start on their master’s research project.

• Fast-Track students are required to apply for admission to the MSECE program

during their senior year in the normal fashion.

• The summer between the senior and graduate years is devoted to research, and

the student takes three classes in each semester of the graduate year.

• In order to be admitted and to remain in the Fast-Track program, the student

must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25.

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• Fast-Track students receive normal undergraduate financial aid and tuition

during their senior year and a normal graduate teaching

• r

research assistantship and graduate tuition waiver during their graduate (fifth) year.

• Fast-Track students who do not succeed (B grade or better) in their first two

graduate courses during their senior year will be advised to complete their BS degree, and withdraw from the Fast-Track program.

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DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Learning Objectives 1.The student should demonstrate breadth

• f

knowledge in the discipline and depth in the specific area of his/ her research topic. 2.The student should gain experience in doing independent academic work and research. 3.The student should demonstrate his/ her ability to identify and define the research topic. 4.The research work performed by the student should contribute to the existing knowledge in the engineering field. 5.The student should demonstrate the ability to clearly communicate complex engineering and research topics in both verbal and written format.

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Degree Requirem ents for the Ph.D. in Engineering The Ph.D. is a research degree. Case 1 : Students Adm itted w ith a Master's Degree

• 1. A minimum of 48 credits of course work and doctoral research and

dissertation as follows: 1.1 A minimum

• f

eighteen (18) credit hours of course work beyond the master’s degree, including six (6) credit hours of 7000-level courses. Additional six (6) credit hours of either graduate level courses or research experience as per the policy

• f the student's major department. No 5000-level courses are to

be used to meet the minimum requirements of course work. 1.2 A minimum

• f

twenty four (24) credit hours of doctoral research and dissertation built upon the student’s course of study and making a significant contribution to the state

• f

knowledge; not more than 9 credit hours may be earned in a particular semester.

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• 2. Residence of four (4) semesters beyond the master’s degree, with

at least two (2) semesters in continuous residence, is required.

• 3. All requirements, including the dissertation, must be completed

within a period of eight consecutive years.

• 4. Maintenance of a minimum quality point average of 3.0.

All students in the program must follow a plan of study and research developed in conjunction with an advisory committee, satisfactorily complete a comprehensive examination, achieve candidacy, and satisfactorily defend the dissertation. A student becomes PhD candidate after passing the comprehensive exam Comprehensive exam has two parts. Research proposal presentation and written exam.

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Case 2 : Students adm itted directly from the Bachelor's Degree into Ph.D. degree program A student admitted with a bachelor's degree on exceptional basis, must successfully complete a qualifying examination based mostly on undergraduate materials before the end of the second semester of enrollment. The process should include at a minimum, an examination of the students fundamental knowledge. Students with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from an ABET accredited program are exempted from this examination. Based on the student's performance on the qualifying examination, the student may be (i) permitted to continue in the Doctoral Program, or (ii) advised to transfer to a MS Degree program in an appropriate discipline in the College, or (iii) recommended for termination from the graduate program of the College.

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• If permitted to continue in the doctoral program, the student, will

select a research advisor, form an advisory committee, and submit a program of study satisfying the following requirements.

• The program of study should have a minimum total of seventy two

(72) Credit Hours of academic work, consisting of course work and dissertation work, subject to the following:

• A minimum of forty two (42) credit hours of appropriate graduate

level course work consisting of a minimum of six (6) credit hours at the 7000-level and a maximum of 9 credit hours at the 5000-level.

• Additional 6 credit hours of either graduate level course work or

research experience as per the policy

• f

the student's major department.

• A

minimum

• f

24 credit hours

• f

doctoral research and dissertation, built upon the student's course of study and making significant contribution to the state of knowledge; no more than nine credit hours may be earned in a particular semester.

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• The other requirements, such as residency, grade point average,

comprehensive exam, and dissertation are the same as those for students admitted with a master's degree, as described in the catalog.

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Students Adm itted Directly from the Bachelor’s Degree into Ph.D. program earning a non-thesis MS en route All conditions stated above for the students Admitted Directly into the PhD program apply. In addition:

• Nine (9) credit hours will count toward the non-thesis MS degree

and toward the Ph.D. degree.

• If the departmental non-thesis MS requires a three (3)

credit hours non-thesis project course, those three (3) credit hours can be counted as three (3) credit hours of dissertation research toward the Ph.D. degree. If no project course is required for the non-thesis MS, then nine (9) credit hours of MS coursework can be counted toward the Ph.D.

• Six (6) credit hours of MS coursework can be counted toward the

Ph.D. coursework.

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Advisory Com m ittee

• Each Ph.D. student's advisory committee will have a minimum of

five (5) voting members with at least three members from the student's major department and at least one (1) member from

• utside the department.
• The student is responsible for identifying, in consultation with the

departmental chairperson or Associate Dean, a faculty member who is willing to chair his/ her advisory committee.

• The chairperson of the committee, and the student are responsible

for identifying the other faculty members required/ desired and determining if they are willing to serve.

• If necessary, the advisory committee maybe co-chaired.
• Failure to be able to form a committee is a cause for transfer to

non-degree status.

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Program of Study

• Student’s Advisory Committee shall formally meet with the student

to make an objective assessment of the student's knowledge relative to the field of study. The program

• f study should reflect

such assessment.

• The Program of Study based on this assessment must be completed

before the end of the second semester of enrollment for the degree

• r completion of 15 credit hours of graduate courses, whichever

comes first.

• A form indicating the date of this meeting and members of the

Advisory Committee in attendance shall be transmitted to the Dean’s Office.

• All courses shown on the Program of Study, including background

courses (MS courses), are indicators of the student’s depth and breadth of knowledge in the discipline and shall be considered by the committee when designing the written part

• f

the student’s comprehensive examination.

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• Each proposed Program of Study must be approved by the student’s

advisory committee, the departmental chairperson, the Associate Dean of Engineering for Research and Innovation, and the Dean of College of Graduate Studies.

• There will be a hold placed on a student’s registration if his/ her

Program of Study has not been filed in the Graduate studies office by the time 15 credit hours have been earned.

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Com prehensive Exam ination and Adm ission to Candidacy

• The comprehensive examination will consist of a written part and an
• ral defense of the written research proposal.
• The written examination will consist of several parts as appropriate

to the major discipline and the research area.

• This examination will test the student's breadth of knowledge in the

discipline, depth of knowledge in selected areas, and the ability to integrate the knowledge acquired from several courses.

• This examination must be given after the student has completed at

least eighty (80) percent

• f the coursework

beyond the master's degree, as prescribed in the program of study.

• However,

the written comprehensive examination should be completed before the end of the semester following completion of the coursework prescribed in the program of study.

• The extension
• f

this deadline is possible with the appropriate

• justification. A student desiring an extension shall make a request in

writing to the Associate Dean of Research and Innovation.

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• All parts of the written examination should be completed within a

period of two weeks.

• Other details of this examination, including format, content, method
• f

evaluation and timing, will be left to the discretion

• f

the committee.

• All

voting members

• f

the committee should participate in evaluating the student's performance in the written parts of the examination.

• The written research proposal should, as a minimum, consist of the

development of the research problem from the extant knowledge in the area, the approach and methodology to be followed, the expected

• riginal contribution to the extant knowledge and the expected time-

line for the completion of the research.

• The

student should submit copies

• f

written proposal to the committee within thirty (30) days from the date of taking the final part of the written examination, and the proposal defense will be scheduled shortly thereafter.

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• The

student will be informed

• f

the results

• f

the entire comprehensive examination (written part and proposal presentation) at the end of the defense of the research proposal.

• On passing the entire comprehensive examination, the student will

become an official candidate for the doctoral degree.

• Normally, a student not passing any part of the comprehensive

examination will not be permitted to continue in the doctoral

• program. However, at the request of the student, the committee may

agree to give a second chance to the student to pass that part of the written examination that he/ she did not pass.

• No student will be permitted to continue in the program if he/ she

does not successfully complete all parts

• f

the comprehensive examination after the second attempt.

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Questions

Mohamed Mahmoud