Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (MS ECE)

MS ECE is a 10-16 month program that covers a broad and diverse set of areas and permeates nearly all areas of application of importance in society today. ECE ranges from nanotechnology to large-scale systems and impacts areas such as communications, computing and networking, energy and cyber-physical systems, biotechnology, robotics, computer vision, information storage and security, data analytics, distributed systems, and privacy.

Faculty and students in ECE seek to advance education and technology in all areas of this field and are engaged in teaching and research that advances both the fundamentals of the field through advances in materials, devices, circuits, signal processing, control, computer architecture, and software systems as well as through the design, building, and demonstration of systems at all scales.

The MS ECE program is for students who are interested in creating technology solutions not only for today but for the future. Students are prepared to become engineering leaders through fundamental and hands-on courses in communication networks, machine learning, data analytics, robotics, energy systems, internet of things, and software engineering. There is also an Advanced Study Program for the MS ECE: MS-AD in ECE.

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Learn more about when applications open and how to apply to CMU-Africa.

What is electrical and computer engineering?

Electrical and computer engineering integrates many disciplines from electrical engineering and computer science under a common umbrella.

Wherever the electrons or computers are, that is where electrical and computer engineers are.

The field permeates all aspects of society and the work done by electrical and computer engineers has a deep and broad impact on our lives. In the video below, Timothy Brown talks about the electrical and computer engineering master’s degree.

What are units?

CMU uses units instead of credits to indicate the average number of hours required per week for a full-semester course. A nine unit class requires nine hours of work a week on the course.

Requirements for the MS ECE standard degree

To complete the ECE standard degree, students must complete at least 97 units with a cumulative quality point average of at least 3.0 (i.e., a B grade in each course). Below is the breakdown of the required completion units:

  • 60 units of ECE core courses - 600 level ECE courses and above
  • 24 units of College of Engineering elective courses - 600 level and above courses from select College of Engineering programs (including ECE and most MSIT 04-xxx courses)
  • 12 units of general technical elective courses
  • 1 unit of 18-989 Introduction to Graduate Studies

For more details, see the Electrical and Computer Engineering website.

Course catalog

To get an idea of what courses CMU offers, check out the course catalog.

Mandatory New Student Foundation Program

Before their first semester, prospective students who are accepted into the MS ECE program must attend the New Student Foundation Program in July and August.

The New Student Foundation Program includes:

  • Seminars
  • Discussions and assignments
  • Common procedures
  • Tools and methods used in the master's program

Other degree programs

Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT)

Master of Science in Engineering Artificial Intelligence (MS EAI)