Mathematical Science and Electrical Engineering Dual M.S./Ph.D.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must apply to the dual degree program using the graduate college online application. Applicants must meet the admission requirements for both departments.

Admission Requirements Electrical Engineering Ph.D.

Program Entrance Requirements
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNLV offers a program leading to the Ph.D. degree in Engineering in the Field of Electrical Engineering. Specific major areas of study currently available include: Communications, Computer Engineering, Control System Theory, Electromagnetics and Optics, Power Systems, Signal Processing, and Solid State Materials and Devices. One may be admitted to the Ph.D. program by one of two mechanisms. The Conventional Option requires the student to complete a M.S. Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Direct Ph.D. Option allows those undergraduates with outstanding undergraduate backgrounds to enter the Ph.D. program without having to complete a M.S. Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. All requirements leading to a Ph.D. are still required beyond the B.S. Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering excluding the completion of a Master’s thesis.

Admission: Conventional Ph.D.
Applications are considered on an individual basis. Candidates can be admitted on a regular or provisional status. Qualified applicants who are not admitted can take a few graduate courses as a special student but not completing all of the Ph.D. degree requirements. Only 15 credits taken as a graduate special student can count towards the degree.

To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, an applicant must:

1. Have a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering or a closely allied field with a Master thesis component. Prior to admission, the Master thesis must have been completed. Potential candidates applying to the program based on a course only option or a project option will not be admitted.
2. Have a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 (A = 4.00) for their Masters degree and a 3.00 for their Bachelors degree.
3. Submit GRE scores to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and have obtained the following minimum scores: Section: Quantitative, % Below: 75. NOTE: Five Year Limit - GRE scores will be considered valid if taken within five years prior to the time of admission AND is recognized by the GRE examination board (official scores must be obtained from GRE).
4. Submit a completed application form and official abstracts of all college level work to the Graduate College. In addition, submit a one page written statement of purpose indicating the applicant’s interests, motivations, and objectives and three letters of recommendation (signed and dated) concerning the applicant’s potential for succeeding in the graduate program directly to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. If the student received a MS degree in electrical and computer engineering at UNLV, then only one letter of recommendation is required and it must come from the candidate’s ECE thesis advisor which should be the advisor committee chair. If the applicant has attended a university or is currently enrolled in a program beyond the Master degree, then at least one letter of recommendation should be solicited from that university or program and two from the university in which the Master degree was received. One of the three letters should be written by your thesis advisor commenting on your background and your thesis research. If the applicant has been out of school for an extended period of time, then letters should be solicited from the professional community that can comment on the applicant’s technical background and/or from the applicant’s most recent academic institution. Letters of recommendation written beyond a six-month period prior to applying for admission to our graduate program will not be accepted. Strong letters of recommendation illustrate technical talent and professional accomplishments beyond the grade point average or course grade. We are interested in your technical, conceptual, verbal, ethical and social skills and your ability to perform research with evidence to substantiate claims made. Note that letters from professors that casually know you will not help you in the admission process. Applicants are required to account for all time beyond the Bachelor degree indicating how they have developed professionally. Applicants transferring from other graduate programs without obtaining a Master’s degree must justify why they are leaving that program to join our graduate program. Applicants receiving grades less than B in a graduate course elsewhere may not be admitted to the graduate program without a well justified explanation. Poor performance in course work in the program that the student is transferring from can be a cause for denial of admission. It will be the graduate committee’s discretion whether to allow or deny admission.

Applications from students from the following institutions will be considered for admission on the basis of the understanding with the respective institution along with admission requirements:

1. Politechnika Wroclawska, Poland
2. IIT, India

Admission: Direct Ph.D. Program
Applications are considered on an individual basis. To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, an applicant must:

1. Have a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 (A = 4.00) for their Bachelors degree in Electrical and/or Computer Engineering a closely allied field;
2. Submit GRE scores to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and have obtained the following minimum scores: Section: Quantitative, % Below: 75 NOTE: Five Year Limit - GRE scores will be considered valid if taken within five years prior to the time of admission AND is recognized by the GRE examination board (official scores must be obtained from GRE).
3. Submit a completed application form and official abstracts of all college level work to the Graduate College. In addition, submit a one page written statement of purpose indicating the applicant’s interests, motivations, and objectives and three letters of recommendation (signed and dated) concerning the applicant’s potential for succeeding in the graduate program directly to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. If the applicant has attended a university or is currently enrolled in a program beyond the bachelor degree, then the letters of recommendation should be solicited from that university or program. If the applicant has been out of school for an extended period of time, then letters should be solicited from the professional community that can comment on the applicant’s technical background and/or from the applicant’s most recent academic institution. Letters of recommendation written beyond a six-month period prior to applying for admission to our graduate program will not be accepted. Strong letters of recommendation illustrates technical talent and professional accomplishments beyond the grade point average or course grade. Applicants are required to account for all time beyond the Bachelor degree indicating how they have developed professionally. Applicants transferring from other graduate programs must justify why they are leaving that program to join our graduate program. Applicants receiving grades less than B in a graduate course elsewhere may not be admitted to the graduate program without a well justified explanation. Poor performance in course work in the program that the student is transferring from can be a cause for denial of admission. It will be the graduate committee’s discretion whether to allow or deny admission.

GRE Waiver
The GRE entrance requirement will be waived for students entering the Ph.D. program if ALL of the following are satisfied:

1. The candidate receives a MS degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at UNLV.
2. The candidate’s BS GPA equals or exceeds 3.0.
3. The candidate’s MS GPA equals or exceeds 3.6.
4. The candidate shows evidence that a paper pertaining to his/her research has been published in a refereed conference (minimum requirement). A published article in a refereed journal exceeds this minimum requirement. In all cases, the candidate must be the first author of the publication. Galley proofs along with a letter of acceptance may be used as minimum evidence that a paper will be published.
5. The candidate is not seeking a teaching assistantship.
6. One letter of recommendation from the major professor indicating the student’s ability for higher education.

International Applicants
Before international applicants can be considered for admission, the Graduate College requires that all international applicants take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and obtain a minimum score of 550 or 85 on the Michigan Test. Students whose first language is not English may be required to take the English as a Second Language Placement Test upon arrival at UNLV. If necessary, they will be required to take English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at UNLV. These courses will not count toward their graduate degree.
 

Admission Requirements Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences

Admission to the M.S. Program in Mathematical Sciences requires that an applicant has a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a minimum GPA of 3.00 for the last two years of undergraduate work, and completed at least 18 credits of upper-division mathematics or statistics courses beyond calculus. If applicable, international applicants must submit an official TOEFL score (minimum score of 80 for the IBT, 213 for the computer test, or 550 for the paper test).

To apply for admission to the M.S. Program, applicants must submit application materials to both the Graduate College and the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Firstly, applicants must submit to the Graduate College the following materials:

1. A complete application form.
2. The official transcripts from all college and universities the student has attended.
3. The official TOEFL score if applicable.

Secondly, applicants must submit to the Department the following materials:

1. Copies of all official transcripts sent to the Graduate College.
2. At least two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic record and potential for advanced study in mathematical sciences.
3. A completed application form for Graduate Assistantship, if interested.
4. A statement of purpose describing the aim in applying for graduate study, the particular area of specialization within the mathematical sciences (if known), and any additional information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating preparation and aptitude for graduate study.

Details of the admission procedure for the M.S. Program can be found on the Departments web site: http://sciences.unlv.edu/Mathematics/study_grad.html

For details regarding application material for the Graduate College refer to: http://graduatecollege.unlv.edu/admissions/

Deadlines.

The Graduate College and the Department of Mathematical Sciences must receive all application materials from applicants by February 1 for fall admission, and October 1 for spring admission.
 

Program Requirements

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.

Requirements Electrical Engineering Ph.D. Program

All PHD Electrical Engineering candidates must maintain an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 (B) and a minimum GPA of 3.20 (B) each semester. Students who do not maintain an overall GPA of 3.20 (B) and a GPA of 3.20 (B) each semester 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.

All regular status graduate students must file an approved program before the completion of their second semester. The student’s advisor and the graduate coordinator must approve this program. All regular and provisional status graduate students must show satisfactory progress towards completion of their degree by completing at least six credits of their approved program per calendar year. If progress towards their degree program is not satisfactory, students will either be placed on probation or expelled from the program.

Specific requirements for the Ph.D. degree are:

1. Satisfy the Ph.D. degree program admission requirements and be admitted to the Ph.D. program on a regular status.
2. Pass the Qualifying Exam within 2 semesters of being admitted to the Ph.D. program on a regular status. The Qualifying Exam is offered once every Fall semester and once every Spring semester. This exam cannot be taken more than twice.
3. During the first semester, a Ph.D. student must select a faculty advisor. The faculty advisor does not have to be the one to whom the student was assigned upon entering the Ph.D. program. In coordination with the faculty advisor, the student must also form a doctoral advisory committee. A doctoral advisory committee is composed of at least five members of the UNLV Graduate Faculty. Three of this faculty must be from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the fourth from a relevant supporting field, and the fifth is appointed by the Graduate College.
4. Beyond the M.S. degree, a Ph.D. student must complete a minimum of 24 credits of graduate level courses with an overall minimum GPA of 3.20 and a minimum GPA of 2.70 (B-) in each class applied towards the 24 credits. Candidates in the Direct Ph.D. program (in this dual degree program) must complete a minimum of 51 (24 MS + 27 Ph.D. required credits to satisfy the Electrical Engineering part of the dual degree program) credits of course work. Hence, for a student who is doing a dual degree program with her/his direct Ph.D., would take 24 course work credits in Electrical Engineering after their M.S. courses, and would take 27 credits in Mathematical Science (course work and/or thesis work). Grades below B- are not counted towards the Ph.D. degree and must be repeated or replaced. No course used in the MAT portion can be used in EE and vice versa.
   1. Conventional Ph.D. Option (of the dual degree program): Continued enrollment of a student who earns more than one grade below B- is contingent upon the approval of the graduate committee. Of the 24 required credits, a minimum of 15 credits must be in 700-level courses, and no more than 3 credits may be from EEG 791 Graduate Independent Study. The student’s doctoral advisory committee may add more requirements in accordance with the individual’s background and field of study.
   2. Direct Ph.D. Option (of the dual degree program): Continued enrollment of a student who earns more than one grade below B- is contingent upon the approval of the graduate committee. Of the 51 required credits, a minimum of 33 credits must be in 700-level courses, and no more than 6 credits may be from EEG 791 Graduate Independent Study. The student’s doctoral advisory committee may add more requirements in accordance with the individual’s background and field of study.
5. Beyond the Bachelor degree, a Ph.D. student must complete a minimum of 15 credits in an approved major field, and 9 credits in each of the two approved minor fields. A minimum GPA of 3.33 (B+=3.30) must be obtained in each of the minor fields. Approved major and minor fields are described in detail in the PHD EE Manual.
6. After passing the Qualifying Exam, successfully completing all courses for a major field, and successfully completing all courses for one minor field, students are eligible to take the Comprehensive Exam. All students must have passed the Comprehensive Exam within two semesters after successfully completing all required course work except for the 18 credits of EEG 799 Dissertation. [NOTE: Up to six credits of ECG 799 Dissertation taken prior to the successful completion of the Preliminary Exam may count towards the degree program.] The Comprehensive Exam cannot be taken more than once per semester and cannot be taken more than twice. The Comprehensive Exam is described in detail in Section 4.4 of this manual.
7. After successfully completing all required course work and passing the Comprehensive Exam, the students must pass the Preliminary Exam. The Preliminary Exam cannot be taken more than once per semester but may be repeated until passed.
8. Complete a minimum of 18 credits of ECG 799 Dissertation and complete a dissertation containing original research. Upon completion, the student must pass the Final Exam in which the student defends his/her dissertation.

Qualifying Exam
The Qualifying Exam tests the student’s general undergraduate knowledge of electrical engineering. All students must pass the Qualifying Exam within two semesters of being admitted to the Ph.D. program on a regular status. Students who have not passed the Qualifying Exam within this time will be terminated from the Ph.D. program. The Qualifying Exam is offered once every Fall semester in November and once every Spring semester in March. This exam cannot be taken more than twice. Students who have not passed the Qualifying Exam by their second attempt will be terminated from the Ph.D. program. Students in the Direct Ph.D. program who fail the Qualifying Exam on their second attempt may elect to pursue a M.S. Degree by completing all of the requirements listed in the MS EE Manual.

The Qualifying Exam is a four-hour exam covering questions in the following undergraduate electrical engineering fields:

1. Communications EE 460 (Formerly ECG 460)
2. Computer Engineering CpE 200, CpE 300 (Formerly ECG 200, EEG 416)
3. Control System Theory EE 370 (Formerly ECG 470)
4. Electromagnetics and Optics EE 330 (Formerly ECG 330)
5. Electronics EE 420 (Formerly ECG 420)
6. Power EE 340 (Formerly ECG 440)
7. Signal Processing EE 480 (Formerly ECG 480)
8. Solid State EE 450 (Formerly ECG 450)

The test material for each field will be relevant to topics covered in the class(es) listed with the field and their immediate prerequisites. Recommended reading for the field exams is listed in the PHD EE Manual. A bank of problems representing the material being tested may be available in each area. Consult the Graduate Coordinator for more details. A Pass or Fail grade will be administered. The student must perform well in four of the eight areas. The student must pass the Qualifying Exam in two sittings. The exam is a closed note, closed book exam. Students are highly encouraged to bring a calculator to the exam. The graduate committee will notify students of the results of the exam.

Before a student is eligible to register for the Qualifying Exam, he/she must have satisfied the Ph.D. degree program admission requirements and have been admitted to the Ph.D. program on a regular status. To register for the Qualifying Exam, eligible students must notify the graduate coordinator no later than one month prior to the examination date. The graduate coordinator or a member of the graduate committee will administer and proctor the Qualifying Exam. The faculty member who administers the exam will provide each student with an identification code that will be used to identify each student’s exam. Students will not put their names, initials or any other identifying marks besides their identification code on their exams. Faculty grading their portion of the exam must provide a pass or fail result for their portion of the exam within 15 calendar days of the exam to the graduate coordinator. The graduate committee may review the exams to verify grading but may not alter grades. If the graduate committee suspects a grading problem with a field exam, the graduate committee will submit that entire exam to the appropriate field subcommittee for re-grading. After all of the exams have been graded, the graduate committee will notify student of the results of the exam.

Appeals
Any student may appeal the results of the Qualifying Exam. To appeal, a student must submit a letter of appeal to his/her faculty advisor within 21 calendar days of receiving the exam results. The letter must indicate the field in which the student is appealing the result and the reasons for which the student is appealing. The student’s advisor will forward the appeal letter to the Graduate Committee. The Graduate Committee and the corresponding field subcommittee(s) will consider the appeal and reevaluate the student’s results. A student may not appeal the results of the Qualifying Exam more than once.

Preliminary Exam
The Preliminary Exam evaluates the caliber of a student’s dissertation topic. The Preliminary Exam cannot be taken more than once per semester but may be repeated until passed. To be eligible for the Preliminary Exam, a student must have passed the Comprehensive Exam, and have successfully completed all required course work except for the 18 credits of ECG 799 Dissertation. Before the Preliminary Exam, a student must prepare a 10 to 20-page prospectus of his/her research. A copy of this prospectus must be submitted to the Graduate Committee and each member of the Ph.D. candidate’s advisory committee at least two weeks prior to the Preliminary Exam. The student must also notify the Graduate Committee and each member of their advisory committee of the date, time and location of their Preliminary Exam. This must be done at least two weeks prior to the Preliminary Exam. During the Preliminary Exam, the student will present his/her prospectus to his advisory committee. To pass the
Preliminary Exam, the student’s advisory committee must unanimously approve the student’s prospectus. Students who pass the Preliminary Exam are advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D.

Final Exam
The Final Exam evaluates the Ph.D. candidate’s dissertation. The Final Exam cannot be taken more than twice per semester but may be repeated until passed. To be eligible for the Final Exam, a Ph.D. candidate must have passed the Preliminary Exam, and have successfully completed all required course work including a minimum of 18 credits of ECG 799 Dissertation. A minimum of 12 credits of ECG 799 Dissertation must be taken after the successful completion of the Preliminary Exam. A copy of the Ph.D. candidate’s dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate Committee and each member of the Ph.D. candidate’s advisory committee at least two weeks prior to the Final Exam. The Ph.D. candidate must also notify the Graduate Committee and each member of his/her advisory committee of the date, time and location of his/her Final Exam at least two weeks prior to the Final Exam. During the Final Exam, the Ph.D. candidate will present his/her dissertation to their advisory committee. To pass the Final Exam, the Ph.D. candidate’s advisory committee must unanimously approve the Ph.D. candidate’s dissertation.

Time Limits
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering requires that the Ph.D. degree be completed within a period of six years from the time the candidate is fully admitted to the Ph.D. program. Students exceeding this time limit must formally write a letter requesting permission from both the Graduate Committee and the Graduate College to stay in the Ph.D. program. The formal letter must explain the circumstances of why the degree was not completed within the allotted timeframe and indicate the extended period of time needed to complete the degree.

Ph.D. Major and Minor Fields
Beyond the Bachelor degree, a Ph.D. student must complete a minimum of 15 credits in a major field, 9 credits in a minor field of a single area in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and another 9 credits in a second minor field. Currently, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNLV offers Communications, Computer Engineering, Control System Theory, Electromagnetics and Optics, Electronics, Power Systems, Signal Processing, and Solid State Materials and Devices as major fields. Specific courses that can be applied to specific fields are listed in detail in the PHD EE Manual. Each student must complete two minor fields. To complete a minor field, a student must complete a minimum of 9 credits in a minor field and have an overall minimum GPA of 3.33 (B+=3.30) for the 9 minor field credits. Of the 9 required credits in each minor field, a minimum of 6 credits must be in 700-level courses. Courses that can be applied to specific minor fields are listed in detail in this section of the manual. Some courses may be listed under two different fields. Such a course can be applied to only one field. With the written approval of the major advisor and the student’s advisory committee, a mixed minor field may be formed with courses inside and/or outside of the Electrical Engineering Department’s approved fields (e.g., mixed minor in mathematics and physics, a mixed minor in computer engineering and computer science, a physics minor, a mechanical engineering minor, solid state and electromagnetics mixed minor, and etc.) A mixed minor may not be composed of courses in the Electrical Engineering Department that satisfy course work in the major and other minor field. The only exception is when a course may be used in more than one field. In this case, the course may not be counted twice but may be used for either minor area. However, the student must complete at least one minor field in Electrical Engineering in a single area.
 

Requirements for the Mathematical Science M.S. Program

A minimum of 27 credits of graduate work is required for the M.S. in Mathematical Sciences, including at least 21 credits at the 700 level. The following specific requirements must be met:

1.  Core requirement: two of the following three courses, 6 credits:
   1. MAT 707 - Real Analysis I 
   2. MAT 709 - Complex Function Theory I 
   3. MAT 765 - Advanced Numerical Analysis 
2. There are two options for the remaining 21 credits:
   1. Thesis option: 15 credits of MAT/STA courses (with at least 9 credits at the 700 level), plus 6 credits of thesis, MAT 791 
   2. Exam option: 21 credits of MAT/STA courses (with at least 15 credits at the 700 level).
3. All MAT/STA courses at the 600 and 700 level are allowed except for MAT 711  , MAT 712  , and MAT 714  .
4. The student is required to have at least two MAT/STA 700 level year-long sequences in her/his program. The sequences may include courses from the core requirement.
5. Final Examination: This will be either an examination to defend the thesis, or a written comprehensive examination. The written exam will have two parts. The student must choose two of the following options: MAT 703-04, MAT 707-08, MAT 709-10, MAT 765-766, or MAT 771-772.