COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Science (MS) in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Wichita State University is a 30-credit-hour graduate program designed to prepare students for advanced careers in electronics, computing, communications, control systems, and related engineering fields, as well as for further doctoral study. The program is structured around three flexible graduation pathways—thesis, project, and coursework-only—allowing students to align their studies with either research-intensive, industry-focused, or broadly applied career goals. In the thesis option, students complete 6 credit hours of ECE 876 MS Thesis alongside 24 credit hours of approved graduate coursework, conduct in-depth research under faculty supervision, complete a literature review, develop a research question, and defend their findings before a faculty committee, with an emphasis on research careers and PhD preparation. The project option requires 3 credit hours of ECE 878 MS Directed Project plus 27 credit hours of coursework, focusing on solving a defined engineering problem through design, implementation, testing, and formal reporting, making it more application-oriented than the thesis track. The coursework-only option consists of 30 credit hours of approved graduate courses plus a required applied learning component such as ECE 875, ECE 826, ECE 893, or ECE 897, and it is structured for students who prefer structured learning without a major research or project commitment. Across all tracks, students must consult advisors or the graduate coordinator to ensure proper course selection and may need to complete department-approved graduate certificates, especially in the thesis and coursework pathways. The curriculum typically allows limited independent study (ECE 790) credits and requires alignment with departmental approval to maintain academic coherence. Overall, the program is designed to build strong analytical, design, and problem-solving skills while offering specialization flexibility in areas like power systems, digital communications, control systems, and computer engineering, preparing graduates for roles in aerospace, automation, telecommunications, computing industries, and research organizations.