Dual Degree: Master of Science in Engineering - Electrical Engineering & Master of Science - Mathematical Sciences

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

1. A minimum of 54 or 57 credits (including thesis credits) of graduate work is required for the DualElectrical Engineering M.S.E. and Mathematical Sciences M.S. which corresponds to the choice of completing a Mathematics comprehensive exam or thesis.
2. Two of the courses included in the degree program can be double counted Electrical Engineering M.S.E and Mathematical Sciences M.S. degrees. Non-ECG courses must be applied towards non-ECG electives credits in the electrical engineering degree program pursued.
3. If a thesis option is chosen: In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.

Mathematical Sciences M.S.

1. Students completing a thesis must complete a minimum of 33 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
2. Students completing the comprehensive exam must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
3. 21 credits of mathematics course work must be at the 700-level (excluding thesis).
4. A student will be placed on academic probation if a minimum of 3.00 GPA is not maintained in all work taken in the degree program. A grade of C or less in one graduate-level course will cause a student to be placed on academic probation and will elicit a critical review of the student’s program by the Graduate Studies Committee.
5. The Graduate College requires a minimum of 50 percent of the total credits required to complete the graduate degree, exclusive of transferred credits and/or the thesis, must be earned at UNLV after admission to a graduate degree program.
6. Students must complete a final examination. This will be either an examination to defend the thesis or a written comprehensive examination based on requirements 1 and 2.

Electrical Engineering M.S.E.

1. Students must satisfy the M.S.E. - Electrical Engineering degree program admission requirements and be admitted to the M.S.E. - Electrical Engineering program with regular full graduate standing status, having met all conditions and provisions.
2. Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits of graduate level courses with an overall minimum GPA of 3.00 (B), a minimum GPA of 3.00 (B) each semester, and a minimum GPA of 2.70 (B-) in each class applied towards the 30 credits. Grades below B- are not counted towards the M.S.E. degree and must be repeated or replaced.
3. Students who do not maintain an overall GPA of 3.00 (B), a GPA of 3.00 (B) each semester, or who earn more than one grade below B- will either be placed on probation or expelled from the program. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Committee and/or the Graduate College will determine the terms of the student’s probation in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College.
4. At the time of admission or no later than the first semester, the candidate must formally petition BOTH the graduate college and the ECE graduate committee to accept transfer credits and credits taken as a non-degree seeking graduate student to be applied to the M.S.E. program.
5. Students must select a faculty advisor in their first semester.
6. No more than 3 credits may be from Independent Study (which cumulatively includes Graduate Seminar) and no more than a total of 6 credits of the combination of Independent Study, Graduate Seminar, and Graduate Special Topics may be applied towards the M.S.E. degree program.
7. Students completing a Thesis:
   1. A minimum of 18 core (formal) must be in core electrical engineering courses, of which 15 credits must be 700-level. This excludes Thesis, and informal courses (such as Special Topics, Graduate Seminar, and Independent Study).
   2. Students must complete at least six credits of Electrical Engineering Thesis which culminates in the successful completion of a thesis oral exam and the submission of an approved thesis. Although Electrical Engineering Thesis can be taken repeatedly, no more than 6 credits can be applied towards the 30 credits required for the M.S.E. degree.
   3. Before beginning a thesis, students must have their thesis topic approved by their advisor, and the necessary paper work must be filed with the Graduate College. The thesis prospectus describes the thesis topic and must include an introductory set of sentences, a well formed hypothesis or hypotheses (specifically italicized in the prospectus) accompanied by a motivation, objectives with major and alternative approaches to the studies, and conjectures of possible outcomes. Students are NOT allowed to take thesis credits until their thesis prospectus is approved. Credits taken before the approval date will NOT count towards the degree program.
   4. The student must complete a thesis containing original research and publically defend it before his/her advisory committee at the Thesis Exam.
   5. Prior to the student’s defense of the thesis before his/her advisory committee, the student must submit a complete copy of the thesis to each member of his/her advisory committee. This submission must occur at least two weeks prior to the date of the oral defense. The student must also notify each member of his/her advisory committee of the date, time and location of the oral defense of the thesis or project at least two weeks in advance.
   6. Students who plan to continue their studies beyond the M.S.E. degree program are strongly encouraged to select this option.
   7. A full graduate standing master’s degree candidate who is interested in pursuing a doctoral degree may be allowed to take the Ph.D. qualifying exam without penalty during his/her period as an M.S.E. student. The exam may be taken as many times as desired but no more than once a semester at the time the exam is typically offered. The M.S.E. candidate must pass four areas of choice in a single sitting to satisfy the Qualifying Exam requirement. If the student successfully completes the Qualifying Exam requirement while pursuing the M.S.E. degree in Electrical Engineering with a thesis option in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at UNLV, the student will have automatically fulfilled the Qualifying Exam requirement upon admission to the Ph.D. program in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program at UNLV. Once the student receives an M.S.E. degree in the field of Electrical Engineering, the student must abide by the requirements outlined in the Ph.D. program. This option is not available to non-degree students.
8. Students completing the Comprehensive Exam:
   1. A minimum of 21 credits must be in core (formal) electrical engineering 700-level courses excluding informal courses (such as Independent Study, Graduate Seminar, and Special Topics).
   2. Pass a comprehensive exam on graduate level coursework in the student’s specialty area.
   3. The exam may be taken in the last two semesters of the student’s M.S.E. program.
   4. The student may not take the exam until all course work pertaining to the exam is completed. For clarity, students enrolled in courses pertaining to the comprehensive exam cannot take the comprehensive exam. Within the six year limit, the exam may be repeated until passed but cannot be taken more than once per semester. Prior to the end of the first week of classes in the student’s last two semesters, the student must announce to the ECE Graduate Coordinator his/her intention of taking the exam, the major field to be examined, and at least two courses taken in that field.
   5. The Course Only Option is a final advanced professional degree option in that students who complete the Course Only Option will not be considered for admission into any of the department’s Ph.D. program options.

Graduation Requirements

1. Students cannot graduate from one portion of the dual degree until the requirements for both are met. Students must apply to graduate from both programs for the same semester.
2. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.

Mathematical Sciences M.S.

1. The student must successfully complete a culminating experience.
2. If the exam option is chosen, the student must successfully pass a final comprehensive examination.
3. If the thesis option is chosen, the student must:
   1. Submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
   2. After the thesis defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their thesis to the Graduate College for format check. Once the thesis format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for thesis defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 

Electrical Engineering M.S.E.

1. The student must successfully complete a culminating experience.
2. If the exam option is chosen, the student must pass a final comprehensive examination.
3. If the thesis option is chosen, the student must:
   1. Submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
   2. After the thesis defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their thesis to the Graduate College for format check. Once the thesis format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for thesis defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 

Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

1. A minimum of 45, 48, 51, or 54 credits (including thesis credits) of graduate work is required for the Dual Electrical Engineering M.S.E. and Mathematical Sciences M.S. which corresponds to the choice of completing a Mathematics comprehensive exam or thesis, and the number of credits of formally approved graduate level courses applied toward the B.S. degree and used in the Electrical Engineering Integrated BS-MS Track.
2. Two of the courses included in the degree program can be double counted Electrical Engineering M.S.E and Mathematical Sciences M.S. degrees. Non-ECG courses must be applied towards non-ECG elective credits in the electrical engineering degree program pursued.

Mathematical Sciences M.S.

1. Students completing a thesis must complete a minimum of 33 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
2. Students completing the comprehensive exam must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
3. 21 credits of mathematics course work must be at the 700-level (excluding thesis)
4. A student will be placed on academic probation if a minimum of 3.00 GPA is not maintained in all work taken in the degree program. A grade of C or less in one graduate-level course will cause a student to be placed on academic probation and will elicit a critical review of the student’s program by the Graduate Studies Committee.
5. The Graduate College requires a minimum of 50 percent of the total credits required to complete the graduate degree, exclusive of transferred credits and/or the thesis, must be earned at UNLV after admission to a graduate degree program.
6. Students must complete a final examination. This will be either an examination to defend the thesis or a written comprehensive examination based on requirements 1 and 2.
7. If the thesis option is chosen: In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a dissertation committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.

Electrical Engineering M.S.E.

1. Students must satisfy the M.S.E. - Electrical Engineering degree program admission requirements and be admitted to the M.S.E. - Electrical Engineering program with regular full graduate standing status, having met all conditions and provisions.
2. Total credits required depends on the total number of approved graduate-level course work taken as technical electives (with a grade of B or better) during the senior year.
3. Complete a minimum of 21, 24, or 27 credits (including thesis credits) in the Integrated BS-MS track program respectively corresponding to 9, 6, or 3 credits of formally approved graduate level courses applied toward the B.S. degree yielding a total of 30 course credits. The final division of major, minor, and elective credits will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor.
4. Students must complete all courses with an overall minimum GPA of 3.00 (B), a minimum GPA of 3.00 (B) each semester, and a minimum GPA of 2.70 (B-) in each class applied towards the 30 credits. Grades below B- are not counted towards the M.S.E. degree and must be repeated or replaced.
5. Students who do not maintain an overall GPA of 3.00 (B), a GPA of 3.00 (B) each semester, or who earn more than one grade below B- will either be placed on probation or expelled from the program. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Committee and/or the Graduate College will determine the terms of the student’s probation in accordance with the rules of the Graduate College.
6. At the time of admission or no later than the first semester, the candidate must formally petition BOTH the graduate college and the ECE graduate committee to accept transfer credits and credits taken as a non-degree seeking graduate student to be applied to the M.S.E. program.
7. Students must select a faculty advisor in their first semester.
8. A minimum of 18 credits must be in core (formal) electrical engineering courses, of which 15 credits must be 700-level. This excludes Thesis credits, and informal courses (such as Special Topics, Graduate Seminar, and Independent Study).
9. No more than 3 credits may be from Independent Study (which cumulatively includes Graduate Seminar) and no more than a total of 6 credits of the combination of Independent Study, Graduate Seminar, and Graduate Special Topics may be applied towards the M.S.E. degree program.
10. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
11. Students must complete a thesis.
    1. Students must complete at least 6 credits of Thesis which culminates in the successful completion of a thesis oral exam and the submission of an approved thesis. Although Electrical Engineering Thesis can be taken repeatedly, no more than 6 credits can be applied towards the 30 credits required for the M.S.E. degree.
    2. Before beginning a thesis, students must have their thesis topic approved by their advisor, and the necessary paper work must be filed with the Graduate College. The thesis prospectus describes the thesis topic and must include an introductory set of sentences, a well formed hypothesis or hypotheses (specifically italicized in the prospectus) accompanied by a motivation, objectives with major and alternative approaches to the studies, and conjectures of possible outcomes. Students are NOT allowed to take thesis credits until their thesis prospectus is approved. Credits taken before the approval date will NOT count towards the degree program.
    3. The student must complete a thesis containing original research and publically defend it before his/her advisory committee at the Thesis Exam.
    4. Prior to the student’s defense of the thesis before his/her advisory committee, the student must submit a complete copy of the thesis to each member of his/her advisory committee. This submission must occur at least two weeks prior to the date of the oral defense. The student must also notify each member of his/her advisory committee of the date, time and location of the oral defense of the thesis or project at least two weeks in advance.
    5. Students who plan to continue their studies beyond the M.S.E. degree program are strongly encouraged to select this option.
12. A full graduate standing master’s degree candidate who is interested in pursuing a doctoral degree may be allowed to take the Ph.D. qualifying exam without penalty during his/her period as an M.S.E. student. The exam may be taken as many times as desired but no more than once a semester at the time the exam is typically offered. The M.S.E. candidate must pass four areas of choice in a single sitting to satisfy the Qualifying Exam requirement. If the student successfully completes the Qualifying Exam requirement while pursuing the M.S.E. degree in Electrical Engineering with a thesis option in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at UNLV, the student will have automatically fulfilled the Qualifying Exam requirement upon admission to the Ph.D. program in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program at UNLV. Once the student receives an M.S. degree in the field of Electrical Engineering, the student must abide by the requirements outlined in the Ph.D. program. This option is not available to non-degree students.

Graduation Requirements

1. Students cannot graduate from one portion of the dual degree until the requirements for both are met. Students must apply to graduate from both programs for the same semester.
2. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.

Mathematical Sciences M.S.

1. The student must successfully complete a culminating experience.
2. If the exam option is chosen, the student must successfully pass a final comprehensive examination.
3. If the thesis option is chosen, the student must:
   1. Submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
   2. After the thesis defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their thesis to the Graduate College for format check. Once the thesis format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for thesis defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 

Electrical Engineering M.S.E.

1. The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
2. After the thesis defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their thesis to the Graduate College for format check. Once the thesis format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for thesis defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here.