Graduate Students

Graduate Students Cover Image

Graduate Degree Objectives

The graduate program offers a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (M.S.E.E.),  an ONLINE Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (M.S.E.E.), and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Engineering  with an emphasis in electrical engineering (Ph.D.).

The Electrical Engineering Department commits to providing additional instruction to graduate students as well as the research environment necessary for the graduate to succeed. This program will enable the graduate to:

  1. Accomplish research that will address new and critical issues
  2. Assume leadership roles in research and development teams
  3. Advance quickly to management positions in research and development
  4. Confidently take the leadership role where ever they choose their professional career

Graduate Degrees and Certificate

 

 

Admission

 

For the Ph.D. program, there must be a faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering who is willing to be your major advisor. Once the Graduate School accepts you, they send your application to the Electrical Engineering Department. Even if the Graduate Committee votes to accept you, there must be a faculty member who is willing to serve as your advisor. A GRE score of at least 302 is also required for the Ph.D. program unless the student's M.S. degree is from the University of Arkansas.

 

Link To Apply:

 

Application for Admission | University of Arkansas (uark.edu)

 

Required Coursework


The following is a summary of the degree requirements for the Ph.D. degree. See the Electrical Engineering section of the Graduate Catalog for a more complete description.

  • The Ph.D. degree requires 36 hours of coursework, as follows:
    1. A student entering the Ph.D. program with a B.S.E.E. will be required to complete a minimum of 36 hours of graded coursework.
    2. A student entering the Ph.D. program with an M.S. degree will be required to complete a minimum of an additional 12 hours of graded coursework on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, campus.
    3. All Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of graded coursework on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, campus.
  • The course work specified above must include a minimum of 30 hours of course work at the 5000 and 6000 level, and at least 24 of these 5000- and 6000-level hours must be in electrical engineering.
  • The course work specified above must include EMGT 5033,  GRSD 5003 or MSEN 5383.
  • The doctoral program must include at least 72 hours of course work and thesis or dissertation hours. A maximum of six of these hours may be thesis hours. The remaining hours that are not course work must be dissertation. The Graduate School requires a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation for graduation.


Summary of the Main Steps in Completing a Ph.D. Degree

  1. Choose an Advisory Committee. You must choose an advisory committee before the end of your first semester of work. Your advisory committee will oversee your work and administer exams. Your major advisor is the chairman of your advisory committee, and will help select its members.  The minimum number of members on a PhD Advisory Committee is four (4) members of the Graduate Faculty with Group I or Group II Graduate Faculty Status, with the majority of the committee members being inside the Department of Electrical Engineering.  At least one member of the Committee must be outside the department.  Fill out an Advisory Committee form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.  If the advising committee members are the same as the dissertation committee then one form maybe used for both committees.
  2. Discuss Which Courses your Committee will Accept from your M.S. Degree. Your advisory committee must decide which courses they will accept from your M.S. degree. Fill out an MS Course Credit Hours Accepted Towards Ph.D. form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.
  3. Take Your Ph.D. Readiness Assessment. Your advisor and advisory committee will test your readiness to complete a Ph.D. degree before the end of your first semester. You will be given an exam to determine weaknesses or specific courses of study required. Fill out a Ph.D. Readiness Assessment form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department. For more details, click here.
  4. Decide Your Schedule of Study. In cooperation with your major advisor and advisory committee, you will choose all your courses for the entire Ph.D. degree. You will choose them all during your first semester. This means that you must plan your entire degree program at the beginning. This planning ahead is necessary to avoid missing any courses that may be offered only once every two years.  The Two-year Tentative Schedule of Graduate Courses shows when each course will be offered. Fill out a Schedule of Study form and submit to the Electrical Engineering department.
  5. Choose a Dissertation Committee. Your dissertation committee will judge your dissertation defense. You major advisor is the chairman of your dissertation committee, and will help you select its members.  The minimum number of members on a PhD Dissertation Committee is four (4) members of the Graduate Faculty with Group I or Group II Graduate Faculty Status, with the majority of the committee members being inside the Department of Electrical Engineering.  At least one member of the Committee must be outside the department.  Your dissertation committee may or may not be the same as your advisory committee. Fill out a Dissertation Committee form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.  If the dissertation committee members are the same as the advising committee then one form may be used for both committees.
  6. Take the Ph.D. Candidacy Exam. The candidacy exam is taken after you have completed almost all of your coursework, but at least one year before completing the Ph.D. degree. This is when your advisory committee will review and critique your research plans. Writing a research proposal is part of the candidacy exam. Fill out a Candidacy Exam Announcement and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department. See PhD Candidacy Exam Guidelines for more details.
  7. Decide on a Dissertation Title. You must decide on the title of your research work at least one year before your dissertation defense. Fill out a Dissertation Title form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.
  8. Announce Your Final Exam. You must announce your dissertation defense to the Graduate School two weeks before the defense. You must announce your dissertation defense to the Electrical Engineering department about a week before the defense.
  9. Complete Dissertation and Defend It. The last step is to complete your dissertation and defend it in front of your committee.  The Department will require an electronic copy of the dissertation for its records. 
  10. Complete the Record of Progress.  The Record of Progress must be completed and turned in to the Assistant to the Graduate Coordinator in the ELEG Office.

 

Admission

 

A student must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 system) on all undergraduate work, or a 3.0 average or above on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Also, the sum of a student's verbal and quantitative GRE scores must be at least 302. A GRE score is required for all students, except those graduating with a B.S. from the University of Arkansas.

A GRE waiver is available for applicants of the on-line program who meet the following criteria:

     1.  The student has passed an equivalent exam (like the Fundamentals of Engineering),

     2.  The student has a BSEE degree from an ABET-Accredited program, or already completed a graduate degree in an engineering related field, and

     3.  The student has at least one year of professional working experience after completing a baccalaureate degree.

 

The Electrical Engineering graduate program receives many more applications than the department has faculty or funds to support. Thus, admission is competitive. In other words, meeting the minimum requirements listed above does not guarantee admission.

 

Link to Apply:

 

Application for Admission | University of Arkansas (uark.edu)

 

Required Coursework

  • Candidates for the Master of Science degree who present a thesis are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of graded course work and 6 semester hours of thesis.
  • Candidates for the Master of Science degree who do not present a thesis are required to complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graded course work.
  • Course work presented for the Master of Science must include a minimum of 15 semester hours at the 5000- or 6000-level. At least 15 (21 for non-thesis option) hours of the student's graduate course work must be electrical engineering courses.

 

Other Information Regarding Coursework

  • Only six (6) hours of ELEG 588V (Special Problems) may be counted towards the degree.
  • Students who complete a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, with a GPA of 3.5 or greater may count towards the M.S. degree up to 6 hours of electrical engineering graduate-level course work completed as an undergraduate student.
  • The M.S.E.E. degree includes a distance education option for which students complete most or all of their course work using distance education courses. The use of this option is subject to approval by the student's major professor, and to the availability of sufficient distance education courses in the student's specialty areas to enable completion of the M.S.E.E.  Typically, on-line courses are reserved for global students.
  • The M.S.E.E. degree will allow transfer of up to nine credit hours of graduate level course work from universities with which the University of Arkansas has a "1+1" M.S.E.E. exchange program. Each course transferred must be graduate level and must be approved for transfer by the Electrical Engineering Graduate Committee. The transferred courses will not count toward the M.S.E.E. requirement for 5000 or 6000 level ELEG courses.

 

 

Main Steps in Completing an M.S.E.E. Degree

  1. Choose an Advisory Committee. You must choose an advisory committee before the end of your first semester of work. You advisory committee will oversee your work and exams. Your major advisor is the chairman of your advisory committee. You need to consult with your major advisory to select your advisory committee members. Fill out an Advisory Committee form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.  If the advising committee members are the same as the thesis committee then one form may be used for both committees.
  2. Take the MSEE Readiness Assessment. Candidates for the M.S.E.E. degree must take an M.S. Readiness Assessment exam during their first semester of graduate work. This exam is administered by the student’s major professor, and is designed to assess the student’s undergraduate preparation for his or her graduate work. The student may be required to take whatever undergraduate courses are deemed necessary in addition to the graduate courses specified in items 1-3.  Fill out an MSEE Readiness Assessment form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.
  3. Decide your Schedule of Study. You, along with your major advisor and advisory committee, will choose all your courses for the master's degree. You should plan to choose these courses during your first semester. You need to do this to avoid missing a course that is only offered once every two years.  The Two-year Tentative Schedule of Graduate Courses shows when each course will be offered.  Fill out a Schedule of Study form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.  Global students should use the MSEE Online Schedule of Study form.
  4. Choose a Thesis Committee. If you are completing a thesis as part of your degree, you must choose a thesis committee. Your thesis committee will judge your thesis defense. Your major advisor is the chairman of the committee, and will help select its members. Fill out a Thesis Committee form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department.  If the thesis committee members are the same as the advising committee then one form may be used for both committees.
  5. Decide on a Thesis Title. If you are completing a thesis as part of your master's work, you must decide on the title of your research work. Fill out a Thesis Title form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department. You should do this at least one semester before you defend your thesis.
  6. Final Exam Announcement. You must announce your exam to the Electrical Engineering department. Fill out the Final Exam Announcement form and submit it to the Electrical Engineering department. You should do this about a week before your exam. If you are a thesis student, your thesis defense is your final exam. If you are a non-thesis student, you must take  a Comprehensive Exam in front of your committee.
  7. Complete and Defend Thesis. Complete your thesis and defend it in front of your committee.
  8. Complete the Record of Progress.  The Record of Progress must be completed and turned in to the Assistant to the Graduate Coordinator in the ELEG Office.

 

Admission

 

A student must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 system) on all undergraduate work, or a 3.0 average or above on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Also, the sum of a student's verbal and quantitative GRE scores must be at least 302. A GRE score is required for all students, except those graduating with a B.S. from the University of Arkansas. 
A GRE waiver is available for applicants of the on-line program who meet the following criteria: 
     1.  The student has passed an equivalent exam (like the Fundamentals of Engineering),
     2.  The student has a BSEE degree from an ABET-Accredited program, or already completed a graduate degree in an engineering related field, and 
     3.  The student has at least one year of professional working experience after completing a baccalaureate degree. 

 

Link to Apply:

 

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering | ONLINE | University of Arkansas (uark.edu)

 

Degree Requirements


The Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) requires 30 credit hours satisfying the following requirements:

    Thesis Option
  • 6 hours of thesis/research hours
  • 24 hours of coursework             
  • 15 hours must be Electrical Engineering 5000/6000
    Non-Thesis Option
  • 30 hours of coursework
  • 21 hours must be Electrical Engineering
  • 15 hours must be Electrical Engineering 5000/6000

 

Program Specializations

 

Electric Power Specialization


The MSEE degree with an emphasis in electric power engineering provides those students
who have earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering with the opportunity to
learn about future electric energy systems. Specific topics include design of advanced
distribution systems, power system control, optimal and nonlinear control, electric power
quality, and power electronics. A total of 15 credit hours of course work is required for the
specialization in Electric Power Engineering.

Course work must be selected from the following list:
Courses in Electric Power Engineering (select 15 credit hours)
ELEG 5403 – Control Systems
ELEG 5473 – Power System Operation and Control
ELEG 5503 – Design of Advanced Electric Power Distribution Systems
ELEG 5513 – Power System Analysis
ELEG 5523 – Electric Power Quality
ELEG 5533 – Power Electronics and Motor Drives


Control Systems Specialization


The MSEE degree with a focus in control systems develops the skills and knowledge for
analyzing, simulating and evaluating complex systems that incorporate feedback controls.
Applications areas include aerospace and aircraft; automotive and ground vehicles;
robotics and industrial systems; biomedical and physiological processes. A total of 15
credit hours of course work is required for the specialization in Control Systems.

Course work must be selected from the following list:
Courses in Control Systems (select 15 credit hours)
CSCE 4753 – Computer Networks
ELEG 5403 – Control Systems
ELEG 5413 – Modern Control Systems
ELEG 5423 – Optimal Control Systems
ELEG 5443 – Nonlinear Systems Analysis and Control
ELEG 5693 – Wireless Communications

 

The remaining course work hours will be chosen from a list of complementary courses offered with on-line delivery.  Students are free to tailor their course schedule to satisfy their professional career needs.

 

To receive the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship with a focus in Electrical Engineering, students must complete 12 credit hours, including 9 required credit hours from the Walton College of Business and 3 elective credit hours of 5000 level Electrical Engineering course. Students should meet with their degree program advisor to determine how certificate courses count towards their degree program.

 

Required Courses

 

MGMT 5213

Business Foundations for Entrepreneurs (Non-Business Students Only - Spring)

3

MGMT 5323

New Venture Development I (Fall)

3

MGMT 5413

New Venture Development II (Spring)

3

 

 

 

 

Elective Course

 

Any 3-credit 5000 level Electrical Engineering Course

 

Link to Apply:

https://entrepreneurship.uark.edu/academics/graduate.php

 

Graduate Resources and Forms

 

Research Areas

 

Faculty performing research in this area:

Jingxian Wu

Graduate courses in this area:

  • ELEG 5173L Digital Signal Processing Lab – Wu

  • ELEG 5663 Communication Theory – Wu

  • ELEG 5693 Wireless Communications – Wu

Faculty performing research in this area:

Zhong Chen

Alan Mantooth

Hameed Naseem

Fisher Yu

Jeff Dix

Graduate courses in this area:

  • ELEG 5993 Mixed-Signal Modeling & Simulation – Mantooth

  • ELEG 5273 Electronic Packaging 

  • ELEG 5213 Integrated Circuit Fab Tech – Naseem

  • ELEG 4243L & 5253L Integrated Circuit Design Lab I - Dix 
  • ELEG 5253L Intergrated Circuit Design Lab I - Dix 
  • ELEG 487V & 587V Neural Network Intergated Circuits

Faculty performing research in this area:

Juan Balda

Zhong Chen

Omar Manasreh

Alan Mantooth

Roy McCann

Hameed Naseem

Fisher Yu

Yue Zhao

Morgan E. Ware

Graduate courses in this area:

  • ELEG 5313 Power Semiconductor Devices – Mantooth

  • ELEG 5503 Design of Advanced Power Distribution Systems – Balda

  • ELEG 5523 Electric Power Quality – Balda

  • ELEG 5533 Power Electronics & Motor Drives – Balda

  • ELEG 5403 Control Systems – McCann

  • ELEG 5423 Optimal Control Systems – McCann

  • ELEG 5443 Nonlinear System Analysis & Control – McCann

  • ELEG 5473 Power System Operation & Control – McCann

  • ELEG 5513 Power Systems Analysis – McCann

  • ELEG 5323 Switch Mode Power Conversion 

  • ELEG 5393 Electronic Materials 

Faculty performing research in this area:

Samir El-Ghazaly

Dr. Magda El-Shenawee

Graduate courses in this area:

  • ELEG 5783 Introduction to Antennas – El-Shenawee

  • ELEG 5703 RF & Microwave Design – El-Ghazaly

  • ELEG 5763 Advanced EMAG, Scattering & Transmission – El-Shenawee

Faculty performing research in this area:

Zhong Chen

Samir El-Ghazaly 

Omar Manasreh

Alan Mantooth

Roy McCann

Hameed Naseem

Fisher Yu

Morgan Ware

 

Graduate courses in this area:

  • ELEG 5323 Nanostructure I – Manasreh

  • ELEG 5333 Nanostruction II – Manasreh

  • ELEG 5223 Design & Fabrication of Solar Cells- Naseem

  • ELEG 5353 Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices – Yu

  • ELEG 5363 Semiconductor Material & Device Characterizations – Yu

  • ELEG 5203 Semiconductor Devices – Yu

The links below are to the web sites of major Electrical Engineering research labs and work groups. Although these are research laboratories, they are also teaching labs in the sense that almost all of the research done in them is conducted by students. Both graduate and undergraduate students are involved in research.

Graduate FAQ

 

A: A student must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (based on a 4.0 system) on all undergraduate work, or a 3.0 average or above on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Also, the sum of a student's verbal and quantitative GRE scores must be at least 302. A GRE score is required for all students, except those graduating with a B.S. from the University of Arkansas.

A: The first step is getting accepted by the Graduate and International Admissions Office. All students apply through the Graduate and International Admissions Office, whether domestic or international. Apply online at https://application.uark.edu/. Do not send application materials to the Department of Electrical Engineering. The Graduate and International Admissions Office evaluate a student to determine if he or she meets admission requirements. If all requirements are met, the application is forwarded to the Electrical Engineering Department.

A: Application deadlines are published on the International Admissions website. International students may need to apply much sooner than the deadline to allow enough time to receive a visa.

A: In addition to the Graduate and International Admissions requirements, the Department of Electrical Engineering requires a resume, a statement of purpose, and three letters of recommendation. All of these requirements should be uploaded in your Student Center.

A: The statement of purpose is a one or two-page document which explains why you want to pursue an M.S. or Ph.D. It should also describe the research areas in which you would like to specialize. The research areas pages of this website describe common specialty areas and list the faculty doing research in each area.

A: The Letters of Recommendation for an applicant should be professional in nature. A LOR will directly relate to one’s potential to succeed in graduate studies and their professional future in the field. The letter may be written by anyone who can attest to your:

  • skills in the field of study
  • research skills
  • practical applications of the work
  • work ethic
  • capacity for success

This may be a previous professor, an employer, etc. It should be someone who is in a good position to evaluate your attributes in the above areas and your specific skill set.

A: You can make changes in your Student Center in UAConnect.
A: No, LORs and the GRE are not required if you received your BSEE from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.  Non-BSEE applicants are required to submit letters of recommeendation and a GRE score.
A: No. In fact, the Graduate School will not accept any transcript evaluations other than their own. Send all of the required documents, including all transcripts, to the Graduate School.
A: Applicants seeking regular admission whose native language is not English must submit minimum satisfactory scores on either the TOEFL or the IELTS. No other measures of English proficiency are accepted by the University of Arkansas for the purpose of gaining admission. For more information visit International Admissions English Proficiency Requirements.
A: If you’ve graduated from a university in the United States, or a university whose primary language is English, we can waive the TOEFL exam requirement.
A: We receive your application from the Graduate School. A complete application takes a few weeks for us to process. Delays occur when information is missing from your application. You may contact the department about your application at eleggrad@uark.edu.
A: Yes, you can defer one time, by one semester. In order to do so, you need to send an e-mail to Graduate and International Admissions and to the Electrical Engineering Department. You may defer either before or after your admission is completed.
A: The graduate committee votes on each applicant that comes through our department. Unfortunately, we have more applicants than we can accept and meeting requirements does not guarantee admission. Therefore, the graduate committee must choose which applications to accept and which to reject.

A: Fill out an Application for Graduate Assistantship and upload it in your Student Center in UAConnect.
A: Teaching or research assistantships are very rare for MS students in their first semester. Once you are here it is easier to find an assistantship in the EE department or in another department on campus. EE assistantships are at the discretion of the faculty, and they always receive more requests than they have resources to grant. That being said, you may try. My advice is to go to the Research page of the Electrical Engineering website and look up your area of interest. Study the professors and their work, then chose one or two you would like to work with. Send them an e-mail to introduce yourself. Tell them why you want to work with them and what you can bring to their team. Include your resume.
A: Electronic copy is fine, and it needs to be sent to gradinfo@uark.edu.
A: Tuition and fees information is on the Treasurer's Office website. There is also a tool to estimate your tuition and fees.

A: Yes, both the Graduate School and the department conduct a New Student Orientation the week before classes begin.
A: No, the student must find his or her own advisor. To find an adviser you should begin by visiting the Research page of our website. Look at the professors who conduct research in your area of interest and the work that they do. Choose one you would like to work with and send him or her an e-mail. Introduce yourself, explain why you want to work with him, and tell him what skills you can bring to his research team.
A: M.S.E.E. students may be admitted without an advisor, but Ph.D. students must have an advisor before they may be admitted.
A: Once you have an advisor, then you should form the rest of your advisory committee. Your adviser may suggest two other members, or if you know who you want on your committee you may suggest them. Once you and your adviser have selected two other members, send them an e-mail and ask them if they will agree to serve on your advisory committee. (The committee rates your final comprehensive exam or defense.) Once you have their permission, fill out the MS or Ph.D. Committee form.
A: The department does not have set plans of courses and the student decides, with advisor and committee approval, which courses to take. Courses available for graduate credit are listed in the graduate catalog. The student completes a written schedule for study form in his/her first semester to plan the courses for the degree plan.
A: Ph.D. students cannot transfer courses. Your advisor and committee will evaluate the work you did in you Masters and decide how much of it they will count towards your Ph.D. The hours required for the Ph.D. will be reduced by that amount.

  • A: Candidates for the Master of Science degree who present a thesis are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of graded course work and 6 semester hours of thesis. 

    • Candidates for the Master of Science degree who do not present a thesis are required to complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graded course work.
    • Course work presented for the Master of Science must include a minimum of 15 semester hours at the 5000- or 6000-level. At least 15 (21 for non-thesis option) hours of the student's graduate course work must be electrical

    A: The following is a summary of the degree requirements for the Ph.D. degree. See the Electrical Engineering section of the Graduate Catalog for a more complete description.

    If the student does not have an M.S. degree, a minimum of 36 hours of course work (excluding dissertation hours) beyond the bachelor’s degree must be presented in the Ph.D. program. If the student has an M.S. degree, a minimum of 36 hours of course work (excluding thesis and dissertation hours) must be presented in the combined M.S. and Ph.D. programs.

    • The course work specified above must include a minimum of 30 hours of course work at the 5000 and 6000 levels, and at least 24 of these 5000- and 6000-level hours must be in electrical engineering.
    • The course work specified above must include GRSD 5003 or MEPH 5383.
    • The doctoral program must include at least 72 hours of course work and thesis or dissertation hours. A maximum of six of these hours may be thesis hours. The remaining hours that are not course work must be dissertation hours. The Graduate School requires a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation for graduation.
    A: If you are an International Student who is a GA, your advisor must email Dr. Pat Koski. If you are an International Student who is NOT a GA, you must contact the ISS office at 575-5003. If you are NOT an International Student, your advisor must email Dr. Pat Koski.

 

A: The MSEE comprehensive oral exam will follow the standardized format listed below. The entire exam will last about 45‐60 minutes. The exam consists of two parts: 

1. Student PowerPoint presentation outlining (approximately ten minutes in duration):

  • Previous education: institution, major, special projects completed
  • Professional work experience (company, location, job title, brief description)
  • List the courses taken as part of the MSEE program including the course number, title, instructor, term and grade.
  • One or two slides describing how the MSEE program and curriculum would apply to your professional work (either at present job position or how the MSEE would in the future).

2. The committee will ask several questions of the student covering the student’s coursework.

A: The department requires an electronic copy of your thesis/dissertation. If you or your major professor want a copy (or copies) of your thesis/dissertation bound, the department will send that off for binding for you. You will need to provide the printed thesis/dissertation and pay for the binding cost for those copies.
A: No, because the grade of the incomplete course will affect the final grade.
A: You need to email the Electrical Engineering department and the Graduate School to let them know. You also need to contact the Registrar's Office and defer your graduation.