DEGREE

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree.

GRADES

A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper. Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.

Applicants are exempt if:

English is the exclusive language of instruction at the undergraduate institution; or

you have earned a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated semester of enrollment; or

you have completed at least two full-time semesters of graded course work, exclusive of ESL courses, in a U.S. college or university, or at an institution outside the U.S. where English is the exclusive language of instruction. Completion of graded course work cannot be more than five years prior to the anticipated semester of enrollment.

The required proficiency scores are:

Minimum TOEFL requirement: 92 internet (iBT); 580 paper-based test (PBT)

Minimum IELTS requirement: 7.0

The ECE department offers graduate studies leading to the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. The master’s program emphasizes the enhancement of professional knowledge and research techniques. The doctorate is a research degree emphasizing creativity and original approaches to problem-solving in electrical and computer engineering.

The typical graduate course load is eight to 12 credits per semester, which can include research credits. We encourage degree candidates to select major professors and begin research work soon after enrolling, preferably by the beginning of their second semester in residence.

The MS degree in Electrical Engineering is awarded for successful completion of any one of three options designated by the ECE department. These options for an MS degree in Electrical Engineering include preparing a thesis, completing a project report, or a course-only option. After receiving admission, all MS applicants will be evaluated on their fundamental proficiencies. If evidence of proficiency is insufficient, the student must take the fundamental exam or the fundamental courses.

The thesis option consists of 30 semester hours of graduate credits and approval of a master’s thesis based on independent research. Of the 30 credits, a minimum of 3 credits must be in the department’s Master’s Research course, ECE 790. More information on the thesis option can be found in the graduate student handbook.

The project option consists of the same requirements as the thesis option, except that a project of more limited scope is substituted for the thesis. Students completing the project option will need to complete 30 semester hours of graduate credits, with a minimum of 3 credits of the department’s Master’s Research course, ECE 790. No more than 9 credits from any combination of independent study credits and research credits may be counted towards the degree.

The course option consists of 30 semester hours of course work but no research, project or thesis. If the 30 credits, a minimum of 9 must be in 700+ ECE courses. Independent study courses (ECE 699 and ECE 999) may be used, however students can only apply a maximum of 3 credits of ECE 699 and a maximum of 3 credits of ECE 999 towards the degree.

In order to be awarded a MS degree in Electrical Engineering, students must adhere to department and Graduate School policies and requirements. Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for more information.