ECE Graduate Program — Application Information

ECE Deadlines:

Fall Semester (Begins end of August)

  • First Review — January 1st
    • ECE Faculty Financial Aid Review
    • Review will take place in January/February. Applicants will be notified of the decision no later than March 15th.
  • Second Review — May 1st
    • ECE Faculty Financial Aid Review
    • Review will take place in May/June. Applicants will be notified of the decision no later than June 15th.

Spring Semester (Begins first part of January)

  • First Review — July 1st
    • ECE Faculty Financial Aid Review
    • Review will take place in July/August. Applicants will be notified of the decision no later than August 15th.
  • Second Review — September 1st
    • ECE Faculty Financial Aid Review
    • Review will take place in September/October. Applicants will be notified of the decision no later than October 15th.

Financial Aid Availability:

  • Assistantships — Offered to PhD and MS/A students. Information about assistantships can be found at the following link ‐ https://gradschool.usu.edu/costs/assistantships. There is one type of funding available — ECE Faculty Funding.
    • ECE Faculty Funding — If offered this funding, you will be working as a research assistant or paper grader under the direction of the ECE faculty member who has offered funding.
  • USU Subsidized Graduate Insurance — This insurance is offered to students with a 20‐hour per week assistantship. Additional insurance for spouses or families is available, but must be paid for by the student. More information about Graduate Student Health Insurance can be found at the following link ‐ https://health.usu.edu/graduate‐student‐information/.
  • Tuition Waivers and Awards — Nonresident tuition waivers are offered to PhD and MS/A students with a 20‐hour per week assistantship. Domestic nonresident students are required to obtain residency within 1 year. Instate tuition awards are offered to PhD and MS/A students.

Complete Applications:

Only complete applications, with all supporting documents, will be included in the review. If an application missed the deadline, it will be included in the next available deadline as soon as all materials are received. No special reviews will be held!

Complete applications must include:

  1. Application with $55.00 application fee
  2. Applicants should request the testing agency send official exam scores directly to Utah State University.
    • IELTS — Must be a minimum of 6.5 overall (and a minimum score of 5 on each subscale)
    • TOEFL — Must be a minimum of 79 overall (Internet‐based) and 550 overall (paper‐based)
    • International students ONLY unless a degree has been received from an institution in an English speaking country
    • Duolingo English test scores are not accepted
    • Scores must not be older than two years
    • Unofficial scores will not be considered
    • No students with scores below the minimum will be considered
  3. GRE requirement is temporarily suspended until further notice.
  4. Transcripts sent directly from all colleges and universities attended
    • Unofficial transcripts will not be considered
    • International transcripts may be sent if sealed in an officially‐stamped envelope with the college or university seal or sent through electronic clearing house
    • GPA — Must be a minimum of 3.0 (B average) in the last 60 semester hours of technical work. International GPAs will be converted to a 4.0 scale.
  5. Three letters of recommendation
    • At least two letters must be from professors from whom you have received coursework instruction unless you have been out of school of more than five years
    • One letter may be from a professional person
  6. Statement of Purpose
    • Must declare one main focus area for consideration. Declaring multiple areas or spanning the broad spectrum of Electrical or Computer Engineering may result in denial of application. Faculty are looking for specific research experience and potential in their specific areas.
  7. Resume or Curriculum Vitae

Degrees Offered:

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electrical Engineering
  • Master of Science (MS) in Computer Engineering
  • Master of Science (MS) in Electrical Engineering
  • Master of Science (MS) in Space Systems Engineering
  • Master of Engineering (ME) with a Specialization in either Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering (depending on the type of courses you take)

Focus Areas:

Computer Engineering

  • Computer Architecture
  • Embedded Systems
  • Formal Verification
  • VLSI Design
  • Wireless Networking

Electrical Engineering

  • Control Systems
  • Electrical Power/Energy Systems
  • EM/Microwaves/Antennas
  • Signals/Image Processing/Communications
  • Space Systems
  • I‐20s Information for International Applicants: