There are two options for the M.S. degree in Computer Engineering, one in which the students writes a thesis and the other in which the student takes additional coursework and writes a scholarly paper. The time limit is five years from admission into the program. The student must satisfy the GPA and course requirements for his/her field of specialty.
The thesis option in the student’s field requires a minimum of eight (8) graduate-level courses (24 credit hours) and six (6) credit hours of thesis (CMPE 799). The thesis must be supervised by an approved CSEE graduate faculty member as the thesis advisor and must be defended with an oral exam and accepted by the student’s M.S. thesis committee. The committee must consist of at least three graduate faculty members within the department. A bound copy of the thesis must be submitted to the department.
The non-thesis option in the student’s field requires a minimum of ten (10) graduate level courses (30 credit hours) and three (3) credit hours of CMPE 698 (Research Project) work resulting in a scholarly paper that must be approved by the advisor and read by another faculty member. A signed copy of the scholarly paper must be submitted to the department.
The course requirements are as follows:
Three Core Courses required for all students
- CMSC 611: Advanced Computer Architecture
- CMPE 640: Advanced VLSI Design
- CMPE 650: Digital Systems Design
Two focused electives, selected from any graduate course with a CMPE designation, or ENEE 610: Digital Signal Processing.
Three or Five additional electives, depending on thesis or project option, selected from any graduate course with CMPE designation, or most graduate courses with CMSC (Computer Science) or ENEE (Electrical Engineering) designations, with approval from the graduate program director. Courses in related science and mathematics areas may also be taken for credit with approval from the graduate committee.
A graduate-level course that counts towards the M.S. degree may be repeated at most once. No more than three graduate-level courses (that count towards the M.S. degree) may be repeated.
Grade Requirements: Students must receive a B or higher in each of the three core courses, and achieve a 3.0 or better grade point average across the five core plus focused elective courses.
Students are required to maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA (this is a Graduate School requirement). Students who fail to maintain the minimum GPA may be subject to academic probation and in the case of repeated poor academic performance, be subject to dismissal from the graduate program.
Special Topics Courses: At most 3 credits of CMPE 699 (P/F) or CMPE 791 (P/F) will be allowed.
Coursework outside the Department: A student may request to take a maximum of six credits of coursework outside the Department. These courses must be at the graduate level and be approved by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Program Director prior to registration. There is a form available for this request and should be signed by the student’s research advisor.
Transfer Credits: Requests for approval of other universities’ course credits must be submitted prior to registration. At most six graduate-level credits taken at other approved university may be transferred to count towards the M.S. degree provided that the credits have not been used in fulfillment of another degree. Credit transfer must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Submit the Graduate School’s course transfer request form along with required documentation (see the CSEE Forms webpage).
All transfer course approvals and non-CMPE course credit approvals should be obtained before submitting the Graduate School’s Fulfillment of Course Requirements for Master’s Degree form to the CSEE Deptartment.
Pass/Fail Grading: No regular graduate-level course can be taken P/F.
Leave of absence (LOA) will be granted at most three times during the entire M.S. degree. The LOA requests should be submitted before the end of the add/drop period. Requests submitted after that period may not be approved. Please consult your research advisor before submitting this form.
Transfer Credits:
No more than six credits may be transferred from another university or from UMBC as a non-degree student. Credit transfer must be approved by the graduate program director.
Teaching Assistantship support and M.S. Thesis
A M.S. student who has been supported by the Department as a regular 20-hr. Teaching Assistant for at least three semesters is required to complete a Master’s Thesis for the degree. The student should register for at least 3 credits of M.S. Thesis (CMPE 799) in the third semester and submit a thesis abstract by the end of their third semester (as evidence that they plan to pursue the thesis option).
This implies that renewal of TA support in the second year of the M.S. program will be for a semester at a time.
For a Ph.D. student who does not have a prior M.S. degree in Computer Engineering and has been supported by the department as a regular 20-hour TA for at least three semesters, the following options apply:
- If the student has passed the comprehensive examinations within the specified time limit, the student can apply for a M.S. degree with either Thesis or Non-Thesis Option.
- If the student has failed the comprehensive examinations within the specified time limit and desires to take the terminal M.S. degree, then the student must follow the M.S. with Thesis option.
Timeline/Milestones for CMPE M.S. students
The following list presents the milestones and deadlines for M.S. students currently in the CMPE graduate program.
- File the research advisor form: Select a research advisor by the second semester in residence and submit the form by April 15th for students starting in Fall semester and Nov. 15 for students starting in Spring semester.
Part-time students: This should be filed in the semester (by April 15 or Nov. 15) in which the student has completed 15 credits towards the M.S. degree. - File the CMPE Program of Study: By April 15 (For Fall starts) or Nov. 15 (For Spring starts) of the second semester (applies to full-time students). This form is available on the CSEE website and the program of study will list all courses taken so far and courses planned through graduation. This form should be signed by the student’s research advisor. This form is different from the Graduate School’s Fulfillment of Course Requirements for Master’s Degree that is typically filed in the semester you plan to graduate.
Please note that satisfactory evidence of research, strong academic performance and positive TA evaluations are some of the prerequisites for continued departmental TA support in the second year.
Part-time students: This should be filed in the semester (by April 15 or Nov. 15) in which the student has completed 15 credits towards the M.S. degree.
- Research Abstract: For both thesis and non-thesis options, submit a 1-page “RESEARCH ABSTRACT” describing the topic, the problem that is planned to be addressed and expected methodology of study. This should be filed by the end of the semester prior to the semester when the thesis/project is expected to be completed.
- Progression and Graduation Forms: Follow all the Graduate School requirements for applying for the M.S. degree as well as departmental guidelines:
MS Thesis Option
- Research advisor form
- CMPE Program of Study form
- MS Thesis/Project Abstract form
- Fulfillment of Course Requirements form
- Application for Diploma form
- Nomination of Members for Final Examination Committee
- Certificate of Completion of MS Degree form
- Certificate of Completion of MS Thesis form
- Submit unbound copy of thesis to Graduate School and bound copy to Department
MS Non-Thesis Option
- Research advisor form
- CMPE Program of Study form
- MS Thesis/Project Abstract form
- Fulfillment of Course Requirements form
- Application for Diploma form
- Follow the format directions for CMSC 698 Scholarly Paper as outlined on the CSEE website
- Scholarly paper Approval form
- Certificate of Completion of MS Degree form
- Submit an unbound copy of the Scholarly Paper to Department
Important note: If deadlines are not strictly met, you risk delaying your defense dates.
Converting CMPE 799 to CMPE 698
Occasionally, students in the M.S. thesis program choose to switch to the M.S. non-thesis option. The following are the guidelines for requesting conversion of CMPE 799 (Thesis) credits to CMPE 698 (Project) credits.
For example, if CMPE 799 was taken in Fall 2003, the request for conversion should be done by end of Spring 2004 or six weeks prior to submitting the course-fulfillment form.
- Ideally, no conversions will be requested.
- Conversion requests have to be submitted by the end of the second semester in which CMPE 799 was registered or six weeks prior to submitting Graduate School’s “Fulfillment of Course Requirements for Master’s Degree”, whichever is earlier.
- At most 3 credits of CMPE 799 will be converted to CMPE 698.
- CMPE 799 credits that were supported on a tuition waiver by the Department as part of a Teaching Assistantship are not eligible for conversion.
- Credits once converted will not be re-converted again.
- The faculty member assigning a grade for CMPE 799 credits that have been converted to CMPE 698 should be the same as the faculty member under whom the original CMPE 799 was registered.
- A form is available for this purpose, from the “Graduate Forms” section of the CSEE Department website. The request will include the justification for the change and is to be signed by the student’s current research advisor.