Electrical Engineering - Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

Requirements and Options for the MSEE degree

The Program Educational Objectives for the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering are:

  1. That graduates successfully apply advanced skills and techniques in one or more areas of emphasis.
  2. That graduates obtain relevant, productive employment with the private sector or in government and/or pursue additional advanced degrees.

Note--the following degree requirement tables outline the minimum requirements for an MSEE.  As many students must register for a minimum of 9 credits each semester to remain full time, a student will often take more than the minimum of 6 credits of E E 599 Master's Thesis or 3 credits of E E 598 Master's Technical Report to complete their degree. 

Thesis Option:

Prefix Title Credits
Graduate Core Courses (choose 2-3 from 2-3 different areas) 16-10
Electromagnetics
Electromagnetic Theory I3
Microelectronics/VLSI
Analog VLSI Design3
Photonics/Optics
Fundamentals of Photonics4
Lasers and Applications
Electric Energy Systems
Power Systems III3
Digital Signal Processing
Digital Signal Processing II3
Computer Engineering
Computer Systems Architecture3
Communications
Random Signal Analysis3
Controls & Robotics
Control Systems Synthesis 3
Graduate Breadth Elective (choose 1-0 courses) from a third area 14-0
Electromagnetics
Antennas and Radiation4
Microelectronics/VLSI
ASIC Design3
Electric Energy Systems
Power Electronics3
Digital Signal Processing
Telemetering Systems3
Communications
Digital Communication Systems I3
Controls & Robotics
Geometric Algebra3
Graduate Electives 213-15
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis6
Complete and defend master's thesis 3
Total Credits30
1

Students must take at least two core courses from two different areas of emphasis.  In addition, either a third graduate core course OR one graduate breadth elective must be taken from a third area of emphasis.  Students pursuing the MSEE who wish to pursue the Ph.D. in the future are encouraged to select three courses from the graduate core courses to satisfy one of the requirements for the Ph.D. Qualifying exam (see https://ece.nmsu.edu/grad-study/phd-qualifying.html) for more information.

2

E E courses must be numbered 500 or higher.  Non-E E courses must be numbered 450 or higher.  The total number of E E credits, including the graduate core and/or graduate breadth electives and excluding credits of E E 599 Master's Thesis must be at least 12.  Credits of E E 590 Selected Topics which are not subtitled are limited to a total of 6.

3

The thesis must be completed and orally defended.

Other limitations and requirements that apply to all master’s degrees are described elsewhere in this catalog.

Technical Report Option:

Prefix Title Credits
Graduate Core Courses (choose 2-3 from 2-3 different areas) 16-10
Electromagnetics
Electromagnetic Theory I3
Microelectronics/VLSI
Analog VLSI Design3
Photonics/Optics
Fundamentals of Photonics4
Lasers and Applications
Electric Energy Systems
Power Systems III3
Digital Signal Processing
Digital Signal Processing II3
Computer Engineering
Computer Systems Architecture3
Communications
Random Signal Analysis3
Controls & Robotics
Control Systems Synthesis 3
Graduate Breadth Elective (choose 1-0 courses from a third area 14-0
Electromagnetics
Antennas and Radiation4
Microelectronics/VLSI
ASIC Design3
Electric Energy Systems
Power Electronics3
Digital Signal Processing
Telemetering Systems3
Communications
Digital Communication Systems I3
Controls & Robotics
Geometric Algebra3
Graduate Electives 216-18
Master's Technical Report
Master's Technical Report3
Complete and defend master's technical report 3
Total Credits30
1

Students must take at least two core courses from two different areas of emphasis.  In addition, either a third graduate core course OR one graduate breadth elective must be taken from a third area of emphasis.  Students pursuing the MSEE who wish to pursue the Ph.D. in the future are encouraged to select three courses from the graduate core courses to satisfy one of the requirements for the Ph.D. Qualifying exam (see https://ece.nmsu.edu/grad-study/phd-qualifying.html) for more information.

2

E E courses must be numbered 500 or higher.  Non-E E courses must be numbered 450 or higher.  The total number of E E credits, including the graduate core and/or graduate breadth electives and excluding credits of E E 598 Master's Technical Report must be at least 12.  Credits of E E 590 Selected Topics which are not subtitled are limited to a total of 6.

3

The technical report must be completed and orally defended.

Other limitations and requirements that apply to all master’s degrees are described elsewhere in this catalog.

Included Prefixes

Graduate course work credits from the following prefixes are permitted for the MSEE degree.  If a graduate course outside this list of prefixes logically fits into the MSEE program, see your graduate advisor about requesting an exception.

Prefix Title Credits
College of Agriculture/Consumer/Environmental Sciences
AEEC
ENVS
GENE
College of Arts and Sciences
ASTR
BCHE
BIOL
C S
CHEM
GEOL
GPHY
LING
MATH
MOLB
PHYS
STAT
College of Business
ECON
MGMT
College of Engineering
A E
A EN
CHME
E E
ENVE
I E
M E
SUR

Excluded Courses

Credits from the following courses do not count toward an MSEE degree:

Prefix Title Credits
C S 451C++ Programming3
C S 452Java Programming3
C S 453Python Programming I3
C S 458R Programming I3
C S 460Computer Science I Transition3
C S 462Object Oriented Programming Transition3
C S 463Introduction to Data Structures Transition3
C S 464Machine Programming and Organization Transition3
C S 465Discrete Math for Computer Science Transition3
C S 466Compilers and Automata Transition3
C S 468Software Development Transition3
C S 469Data Structure and Algorithms Transition3

New Mexico State University master’s accelerated program provides the opportunity for academically qualified undergraduate students to begin working on a master’s degree during their junior and senior years while completing a bachelor’s degree. Typically, a bachelor’s degree requires four years to complete, and a master’s degree requires an additional two years. The master’s accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to complete a graduate program in an accelerated manner. Students can take up to 12 credits of E E graduate courses and get dual course credit that can be applied to both an undergraduate and master's degree.  You can also check NMSU’s catalog for additional information about our programs. 

MAP Requirements

  • The Graduate School allows qualified junior or senior students to substitute its graduate courses for required or elective courses in an undergraduate degree program and then subsequently count those same course as fulfilling graduate requirements in a related graduate program.
  • Undergraduate students may apply for acceptance to the accelerated master’s program after completing 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework of which a minimum of 25 semester credit hours must be completed at NMSU.
  • The grade point average must be at a minimum of 2.75.
  • Students must receive a grade of B or higher in this coursework to be counted for graduate credit. If a grade of B- or lower is earned, it will not count toward the graduate degree.

Accepted MAP Courses

The following courses are accepted for use in the MAP program, any other E E 500+ course that is taught concurrently with an E E 400+ course may be considered after a consultation with an advisor. An exception will need to be made to the degree audit in order for the additional course(s) to be included on both the Undergraduate and Graduate degrees. E E 450+ courses are not eligible for dual course credit nor are E E 500+ courses that are not taught concurrently with an E E 400+ course.

Prefix Title Credits
E E 510Introduction to Analog and Digital VLSI3
E E 528Fundamentals of Photonics4
E E 542Power Systems II3
E E 562Computer Systems Architecture3
E E 565Machine Learning I3
E E 596Digital Image Processing3