Doctoral Program Degree Requirements
Credit Requirements
Students with an MS degree must take a minimum of 30 credits, of which at least 18 must be credits from courses available for graduate credit, and at least 12 must be dissertation research credits. The courses to be taken by the student must be approved by the student's advisor.
Students with a BS degree must take a minimum of 54 credits, of which at least 36 must be credits from courses available for graduate credit, and at least 12 must be dissertation research credits. The courses to be taken by the student must be approved by the student's advisor.
Scholarship Requirements
The grades given for graduate credit in courses numbered 6000 or greater are as follows:
A = Excellent, B = Good, C = Pass, F = Fail, I = Incomplete, IPG = In progress, W = Authorized Withdrawal, Z = Unauthorized Withdrawal
Other intermediate grades that may be assigned are A-, B+, B-, C+, and C-. The grade of C- is the minimum passing grade.
A doctoral student must have a minimum GPA of 3.4 at the time of graduation. The GPA is calculated over all courses approved as a part of student's doctoral program, as entered in DegreeMap. A student who receives two grades of F or three grades below B- is barred from further enrollment in graduate courses and ordinarily will not be readmitted as a degree candidate.
Important: Courses in which a doctoral student earns grades below B- are not counted toward the credit hour requirement for the degree. Students who receive any grade below B- are required to review their programs of study with their advisors. A student may not repeat for credit a course in which he has received a grade of C- or above.
Seminar Requirements
Starting with the Fall 2013 each Ph.D. student must present one departmental seminar, excluding the dissertation defense, before graduation. All seminars and dissertation defense presentations given by the Ph.D. students will be announced as a part of the departmental seminar series.
Starting with the Fall 2011 semester every ECE Ph.D. degree student must attend five Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering sponsored colloquia, seminars, workshops or symposia.
Graduate students must complete the ECE Colloquium Attendance Form, secure a verification signature for each seminar attended, and submit the completed form to their academic advisor for endorsement. A completed and advisor endorsed colloquium form is required in the student's academic file prior to applying for graduation.
Changing Areas of Focus
To change the area of focus, the student should complete the necessary form available in the ECE office. The procedure for admission to a new area of focus is similar to that for admission for the first time. After switching to a new area of focus, the student must, of course, complete a new Graduate Program of Studies for the new area.
Adding, Dropping Courses and Withdrawing
During the registration period (before the end of the second week of classes) students may add or drop courses using GWeb. After the second week of classes, students who wish to add or drop a course must complete a Registration Transaction Form and submit the form to the office of their Dean; forms are available on line, at Deans' offices, and in the Office of the Registrar. Adding a course after the second week requires a signature of the instructor or other authorized member of the department. A course dropped during the first four weeks of classes will not appear on the student's transcript. A course dropped after the fourth week but before the end of the eighth week will be assigned a notation of W (Authorized Withdrawal).
The deadline for dropping a course without academic penalty is the end of the eighth week of classes in the fall and spring semesters. After the end of the eighth week of classes, dropping a course without academic penalty is only possible after the student presents a petition to the Dean and receives written permission.
All charges for courses from which the student withdraws are subject to the refund policy listed under Fees and Financial Regulations in the Bulletin. Failure to withdraw by these procedures can result in an extended financial obligation and the recording of a grade of F (Failure) or a notation of Z (Unauthorized Withdrawal).
Incompletes
At the option of the instructor, the grade of I (Incompletes) may be recorded if a student, for reasons beyond his control, is unable to complete the work of the course and if the instructor is informed of and approves such reasons before the date when grades must be reported. The grade is used only if the student's prior performance and class attendance is satisfactory. Any failure to complete the work of a course that is not satisfactorily explained will be graded F. If acceptable reasons are later presented, the instructor may initiate an appropriate grade change.
Important: A grade of Incomplete carries with it a non-negotiable obligation to complete the course. The grade of I cannot be removed by registering for the course a second time at GW, or by taking its equivalent elsewhere. The only way to remove the I is to complete the course. An incomplete that is not removed within one calendar year is automatically changed to an F.
The department recommends that a student seek to remove an incomplete grade as soon as possible. The student must submit a formal request in writing to request receiving an incomplete grade (the form is available from the SEAS Student Services Office or the ECE Department). The instructor will state the work to be completed and the date by which it is to be completed in order to remove the grade of I. Only the instructor who granted the grade of I may change the grade.
The grade of Z is assigned when a student is registered for a course that he has not attended and for which he has done no substantial graded work. A grade of Z appears on the transcript but does not affect the grade-point average. If the student unexpectedly receives a Z in a course, he/she should contact the instructor, as this may have been caused by a misunderstanding or paperwork error.
Preliminary Exam
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering requires a preliminary examination that must be taken before completing 18 credits after initial registration. The examination is guided by, but not limited to, the core material of the master's program.
Offering and retaking the Preliminary exam:
Starting Fall 2013, the Preliminary Exam is offered every semester. The second attempt to pass the preliminary exam must be in the first semester after the first failing attempt. The Department Chair can waive a student from time/credit requirements for taking and retaking the Preliminary Exam.
Preliminary Exam Rules:
The Preliminary Examination is in written form. Students should solve 5 problems in all, out of which at most 2 questions may be selected from the same section. The lists of topics the students will be tested on define the exam sections. Each area of focus specifies one section (out of the existing eight sections) from which its students should answer to exactly two questions. The list of the area-of-focus specific sections is given below:
Area of Focus: Preliminary Exam section:
- Computer Architecture and High-Performance Computing: Microcomputer Systems Architecture
- MEMS, Electronics, and Photonics: Device Electronics
- Communications and Networks: Probability, Random Variables and Stochastic Processes
- Electrical Power and Energy: Electric Power Generation
- Applied Electromagnetics: Applied Electromagnetics
- Signal and Image Processing, Systems and Controls: Probability, Random Variables and Stochastic Processes
A student who fails the Preliminary Examination twice will be dismissed from the doctoral program.
Residence and Continuous Enrollment
All work for the degree must be done in residence unless an exception is granted by the department chair. A student in a degree program is expected to be continuously enrolled in the School until the degree is conferred. A student who breaks his or her registration must apply for readmission to the degree program under whatever conditions and regulations are in force at that time. To maintain continuous enrollment, a student may register in one of the following categories.
- Leave of Absence -This status is available to students who are attending classes at another institution (special approval is required); who are temporarily transferred out of the area (e.g., for military TDY) or who are having temporary medical problems.
- Continuing Research - Students who have completed their research credits, but are not yet ready to defend the dissertation, must register for 0 credit of Continuing Research each semester as appropriate.
- Examination Preparation - Students who are studying for the Preliminary or Qualifying Examination for the current or following semester, and are not taking any courses, must register for 1 credit of Examination Preparation as appropriate.
All departmental regulation and procedures are subject to and subordinate to the rules and regulations of the University and the School of Engineering and Applied Science as set forth in the GW Bulletin.