M.Eng. Online Curriculum
The M.Eng. in Electrical and Computer Engineering is an elective-based program, meaning that students can choose courses that align with their interests to complete their degree. Students should keep the following basic requirements in mind and closely communicate with their advisor to ensure timely progress toward their degree.
- 32 total hours
- At least 18 hours of ECE coursework. Both 400- and 500-level courses apply
- Up to 10 hours of coursework may be from outside of ECE
- 4 hours of professional development coursework
- At least 12 hours of all coursework must be at the 500-level
Professional development coursework - 4 hours
Choose 4 credit hours from the courses listed below or - with approval - other courses in leadership, entrepreneurship or business.
| Course | Title |
| ECE 596 | Master's Project (supervised by ECE or affiliate graduate faculty) |
| ECE 446 | Principals of Experimental Research in Electrical Engineering |
| ENG 572 | Professional Practicum |
| ENG 573 | Capstone Project |
| TE Coursework | Select 4 hours |
Focus Areas
Many students choose to complete a focus area, also known as a track, in a topic related to their ideal career.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
This focus area is grounded in our systems-oriented view of AI, which integrates theory, algorithms, software and computing architectures. Drawing from the department’s AI crosscutting research theme, this area emphasizes the design of scalable, efficient and robust AI systems, with applications in signal and image processing, robotics and control, natural language processing and data-driven decision making. Students gain both foundational and applied expertise in modern machine learning while understanding how AI models interact with parallel hardware, energy constraints and real-world deployment challenges across the full compute stack.
Highlighted Courses:
ECE 408: Applied Parallel Programming
ECE 434: Real World Algorithms - IoT/DS
ECE 448: Artificial Intelligence
ECE 484: Principles of Safe Autonomy
ECE 544: Special Topics in Signal Processing (Pattern Recognition)
ECE 498: Special Topics - LLMs
ECE 598: Special Topics - Deep Generative Models
Communication, in the broadest sense, is the transfer of information in space and time, from someone who possesses it to someone who does not. Nowadays, communication is almost universally in digital format. The goal of the communication systems focus area is to build an understanding of key physical resources like bandwidth, power and storage space, and their relationship to the reliable and secure transfer of information through a theory-based, mathematical models. Related technical skills, such as dealing in randomness and system complexity, RF Engineering and the creation of effective computer communication systems are even expected to translate to applications beyond communication systems. Students specializing in communication are widely sought in industries such as stock and financial trading, the development of computational systems and Internet applications.
Highlighted Courses:
ECE 438: Communication Networks
ECE 453: Wireless Communication Systems
ECE 459: Communication Systems
ECE 461: Digital Communications
ECE 534: Random Processes
ECE 546: Advanced Signal Integrity
Control Systems and signal processing
Control is the use of feedback to obtain desired system performance in the presence of uncertainties. A deep understanding of control theory provides students with opportunity to develop a deep understanding of key mathematical modeling theory and function to innovate in dynamic control system design.
Control systems are found throughout the man-made and natural worlds. Guidance and control of aircraft and spacecraft, complex industrial processes, autonomous robotics and automatic regulation of large and small-scale power networks are just a few examples of where successful, dynamic control systems are needed. Principles of feedback control and system theory are increasingly important in broadening fields inside and outside engineering.
Highlighted Courses:
ECE 401: Signal Processing
ECE 417: Multimedia Signal Processing
ECE 515: Control System Theory & Design
ECE 534: Random Processes
ECE 544: Pattern Recognition
ECE 551: Digital Signal Processing II
ECE 558: Digital Imaging
This focus area addresses the urgent need to secure complex computing, communication and cyber-physical systems against increasingly sophisticated threats. Building on ECE’s long-standing strengths in trust, reliability and security, this focus area emphasizes the principles and practices required to protect systems from attacks, faults and privacy violations while maintaining availability and performance. Students develop a deep understanding of how vulnerabilities arise in interconnected systems—ranging from networks and cloud platforms to autonomous and critical infrastructure—and learn how to model, detect and mitigate security risks in real-world environments. This focus prepares graduates to design and evaluate secure, resilient and trustworthy systems across industry sectors such as finance, healthcare, transportation and national infrastructure.
Highlighted Courses:
ECE 422 : Computer Security I
ECE 438: Communication Networks
ECE 484: Principles of Safe Autonomy
ECE 449: Machine Learning
ECE 498: Trustworthy Machine Learning
ECE 598: Trust Critical Infrastructure
ECE 598: Deploying Privacy