Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) offers master of science (M.S.) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree programs and conducts research in:

• Photonics and electronics focusing on VLSI, electronic and optoelectronic materials; devices, circuits and systems for information transmission; storage, processing, and display, especially for optical-fiber communications and lower-power, high-performance systems; biomedical device instrumentation and MEMS; and optofluidics;

• Signal processing and communications, including wireless communications, network information theory, digital signal processing, image and video processing;

• Remote sensing including wave propagation and scattering radar oceanography, and microwave remote sensing.

• Nanotechnology including applications to bio-medicine, integrated optics for biomedical imaging, opto-thermo-electric energy conversion, near-field scanning optical microscopy, nano-magneto-optics, micro-mechanics and micro-fluidics.

Electrical Engineering enjoys a close relationship with the Departments of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, and Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology faculty. The Electrical Engineering faculty are affiliated with: 1) several federally funded and nationally recognized centers such as the Center for Adaptive Optics, and the Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering; 2) state-funded centers such as the Institute for Quantitative Biology (QB3), the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), and the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM); 3) privately funded centers such as the W.M. Keck Center for Nanoscale Optofluidics (CfNO), the W.M. Keck Center for Adaptive Optical Microscopy (CfAOM), and the Center for Sustainable Energy and Power Systems (CenSEPS). Many EE faculty participate in the University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) at NASA-Ames Research Center, which is managed by UCSC and in the Advanced Studies Laboratory, a partnership between UCSC and NASA-Ames Research Center. The department also has ties to nearby industry, employing electrical engineering professionals as visiting and adjunct faculty and arranging for students to gain practical research experience through work in industrial labs. Indeed, the department strongly encourages students of all nationalities to seek practical training as part of their graduate education.

Students begin the program with the completion of courses in a core area of interest and then proceed to do research in their area of specialization. The M.S. degree can be completed in two years. M.S. students must complete a master’s thesis or pass the comprehensive examination. A Ph.D. degree is usually completed in four to six years. Ph.D. students are required to take a preliminary exam within their first two years of study. After completing the course requirements, students must pass an oral qualifying exam and write a dissertation. Part-time study is possible for students working in industry while attending school.

Thesis Track

Each student is required to take 45 credits which must consist of:

1. at least 15 credits must be satisfied with courses from the areas of emphasis defined above;

2. at least 25 credits of the total 45 credits must be satisfied through EE graduate courses; and

3. at most 10 credits of independent study (EE 297, EE 299) are counted toward the EE course requirements.

Total credits required for the M.S. degree = 45.

Note that each graduate course satisfying the above requirements typically covers 5 credits.

Thesis

Completion of a master’s thesis is required for the master’s degree. To fulfill this requirement, the student submits a written proposal to a faculty member, usually by the third academic quarter. By accepting the proposal, the faculty member becomes the thesis adviser. In consultation with the adviser, the student forms a master’s thesis reading committee with at least two additional faculty members, each of whom is provided a copy of the proposal. Upon completion of the thesis work, the student presents an expository talk on the thesis research, and the final thesis must be accepted by the review committee before the award of the master of science degree.

M.S. students admitted to continue to the Ph.D. program must pass a preliminary exam covering fundamental undergraduate coursework (see below).

Comprehensive Examination Track

Each student is required to take 40 credits which must consist of:

(1) At least 15 credits must be satisfied with courses from the areas of emphasis defined above.

(2) At least 25 credits of the total 40 credits must be satisfied through EE graduate courses.

Total credits required for the M.S. degree = 40.

Each student must pass the comprehensive examination. Note that each graduate course satisfying the above requirements typically covers 5 credits.

The examination is administered once a year at the end of the spring quarter. The four areas of concentration are: 1. photonics; 2. electronics; 3. signal processing and communications; 4.nanotechnology. Students can choose only one area for the comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination is in writing with individual problems that the students will solve. The faculty members in the different areas will prepare the examination questions based on the graduate courses in these areas. The examination will be administered in a single day in all four areas of concentration.

Note that Plan II (Comprehensive Examination Track) is the default option and students can select Plan I (Thesis Track) only if they can find a faculty sponsor.

Requirements

• Transcripts. You may upload a scanned copy of your unofficial transcripts to your online application, or send official copies to the Graduate Application Processing address
• Statement of Purpose. Recommended length is a concise 2-4 pages, single-spaced.
• The Personal History Statement is required of all applicants.This statement will be used in conjunction with your application for graduate admission and financial support. Please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose.
• A résumé is required for some applications and optional for others.
• All recommendation letters are required to be submitted electronically through the online application.  You must register a minimum of three recommenders, and as many as five, via the Recommendations page of the online application.
• The application fee for the 2016-17 academic year is $105 for domestic applicants and $125 for international applicants. This fee can be paid by credit card or e-check (the e-check option is only available if you have a U.S. bank account). 
• Official GRE scores must be sent from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to UC Santa Cruz, School Code 4860 (no department code necessary).  Official scores must be received prior to the application deadline.
• If you are a non-native English speaker you will be required to take an English language competency exam.  UC Santa Cruz accepts the TOEFL or IELTS test.  Official scores must also be sent from the testing service to UC Santa Cruz, School Code 4860

Scholarships

• Regents Fellowships. A limited number of these fellowships are awarded to first-year graduate students in master's and doctoral programs. These awards provide a stipend and/or payment of university fees except non-resident tuition.
• Global Education