The Grainger College of Engineering
Electrical & Computer Engineering

Master of Engineering (M.Eng)

Master of Engineering: Degree Information

Overview

The ECE Master of Engineering (M.Eng) degree is a professional master’s degree intended for students interested in extending the depth and/or breadth of their technical knowledge in Electrical and Computer Engineering or in a subfield thereof. The M.Eng is a coursework-only degree that requires 32 hours of coursework, including at least four hours of professional development coursework. The M.Eng is most appropriate for students who intend to enter the professional workforce after completing the degree. Students who are interested in pursuing a career in research or in academia should consider the research-oriented Master of Science (MS) program instead.

Students applying to the M.Eng degree program are expected to have a four-year Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering or in a related field. The Master of Engineering degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering is a self-funded program where students are responsible for paying their tuition and fees. Students in this program are not eligible for Board of Trustee (BOT) tuition-waiver-generating assistantships at the University of Illinois.

Credit Requirements

All the requirements listed below must be satisfied. Thirty-two hours of credit, which must include at least 4 hours of Professional Development coursework and 18 credit hours of ECE coursework, are required. The ECE coursework must also satisfy the 500-level ECE coursework and focus area requirements specified in the table below.

In addition to 4 hours of Professional Development and 18 hours of ECE coursework, there are 32-18-4=10 remaining hours to complete the M.Eng program. These remaining hours may include virtually any 400-level or 500-level courses from any department, subject to the following restrictions. Credit in ECE 590, ECE 597, ECE 599, or any other reading or independent study courses or group seminars in other departments may not be used. At most, four hours of ECE 596 credit are allowed. Credit from courses listed in the Credit Restrictions section cannot be used. Questions concerning allowable courses should be directed to the ECE Graduate Advising Office.

Credit Hours: Hours
Total Credit for the Degree 32
Course Work (Minimum 18 Hours ECE Coursework) 32

Professional Seminar Class – Registration (0 Hours) every term while in residence

  • ECE 500 – ECE Colloquim
  • ENG 591 – Professional Seminar Series
 0
500-level courses, including 8 hours of ECE 500-level courses and up to 4 hours of non-ECE 500- level courses (subject to Other Requirements and Conditions below) 12

Professional Development:

 4
Non-ECE Coursework (Optional) 8-10
Other Requirements and Conditions (may overlap):*
A minimum of 12 credit hours at the 500-level must be applied toward the degree, including at least 8 hours of ECE coursework. Up to 4 hours of ECE 596 and/or ECE 597 (or other individual study) may be applied toward this degree requirement. Up to 4 hours of non-ECE 500-level course(s) from approved list or as approved by the ECE Director of Graduate Studies may be applied toward this degree requirement.
Course work must include at least 18 credit hours of ECE course work; 15 of these hours must be from no more than 3 different focus areas. The ECE Graduate Committee maintains the focus area course lists.
Credit in ECE 415, 445, 590, PHYS 404, 405, 435, 436 and STAT 400 do not count toward the degree.
No course used to fulfill any degree requirement may be taken using the "Credit/No Credit" option.
This degree option is non-thesis only.
Maintain a minimum program GPA of 3.0.

Approved Non-ECE 500-Level Courses to Satify 500-Level Course Requirement for M.Eng

Up to 4 hours of 500-level course work with the following subject codes may be applied toward the 500-level course requirement, under the additional conditions stated below: AE (Aerospace Engineering), BIOE (Bioengineering), CEE (Civil and Environmental Engineering), CS (Computer Science), CSE (Computational Science and Engineering), IE (Industrial Engineering), ME (Mechanical Engineering), MSE (Material Science and Engineering), NPRE, (Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering), PHY (Physics).

Additional conditions: Special topics (598), seminar, reading, thesis, or independent study courses are NOT included in the above approved list; any exceptions require approval of the ECE Director of Graduate Studies.

Credit Restrictions

Credit in ECE 415, 445, 590, PHYS 404, 405, 435, 436, and STAT 400 do not count toward the degree.

No course used to fulfill any degree requirement may be taken using the "Credit/No Credit" option.

Time Limitations

It is expected that most M.Eng students will be able to complete all degree requirements in two to three continuous semesters or less (counting only fall and spring terms). Some special circumstances require students to stay longer than three semesters, however, students in these situations must appeal to the Graduate Committee for needed extensions to complete the degree.