Summary
This program is designed to allow a select group of undergraduate
students to earn course credits that can be applied toward satisfaction
of the degree requirements of both their BSECE and MS simultaneously.
Thus, outstanding students are given the opportunity to reduce
the total time required to obtain both the BS and MS degrees.
Students in this program will typically graduate with a BSECE
within 3 quarters after they enter the combined program, and will
then subsequently graduate with an MS.
Program
Details
The College of Engineering approved the Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering BS/MS Combined Program in November 1998.
Criteria
To be admitted to the combined BS/MS program, the applicant must
submit documentation that demonstrates satisfactory fulfillment
of the following admission criteria:
- Current
registration in the Department,
- Rank of
Senior at time of Combined Program initiation, and
- Minimum
of 3.5 cumulative point hour ratio in all previous undergraduate
work. Ordinarily, it is expected that students will have a minimum
major GPA of 3.7.
Application
procedures
- The student
should apply to the BS/MS program just as if he/she were applying
to the MS program, by first obtaining the required BS/MS form from
the College of Engineering site. Please note that although the form states the number of BS/MS double-counted credits allowed is not to exceed 15, ECE allows 9 for students entering the program Au07 or later. Students entering the BS/MS program prior to Au07 should confirm the number of double-counted credits allowed with the ECE graduate counselor.
- The student
should be enrolled in the BS/MS program by the time he/she takes
the first Technical Elective course to be credited to the MS
Degree.
- Application
deadlines are given below:
Admission Quarter |
Deadline |
Autumn |
June
1 |
Winter |
October
1 |
Spring |
January
15 |
Summer |
April
1 |
The following
material is needed to complete the application procedure:
- Completed
application form, to be sent to the Admissions Office. Write
BS/MS on the application, in the box labeled "Graduate
Degree Objective"; and
- Three letters
of recommendation, to be sent directly to the ECE Graduate Studies
Committee; and
- Statement
of purpose or autobiographical statement, explaining motivation
for graduate study, to be sent to the ECE Graduate Studies Committee;
and
- The student's
technical elective plan. Note the restrictions below on the
courses to be included in this plan if they are to receive dual
credit. The quarter and year in which the technical elective
courses will be taken should also be noted on the technical
elective plan.
Up to 9 credit
hours of BS technical elective courses may receive credit toward
the MS degree. In order to be eligible for graduate credit, the
courses must meet the following requirements:
- Students
must achieve a score of B+ or better for the course.
- Courses
must be taken at OSU, and be at the 600- or 700-level.
- ECE 999,
ECE 682, and ECE 683 cannot be included.
- No more
than two 600-level ECE courses may be included.
- Not more
than three total hours from among ECE 693, ECE 793 and/or ECE
H783 can be included.
- Students
can take any ECE 700-level course, or courses offered in other
departments that are normally eligible for inclusion in the
MS program, subject to the constraints listed above.
- The student's
technical elective program must be received by the Graduate
Studies Committee at the time of admission to the BS/MS program
to ensure that it is a component of an MS course program.
The combined
BS/MS program is meant to be applicable to both the Electrical
and Computer Engineering BS specializations. For the purpose of
counting technical elective courses to be applied to the MS program,
any ECE course that would be a valid elective for the Electrical
Engineering specialization (EES), also counts as a technical elective
for the Computer Engineering specialization (CES). For example,
ECE 662 is core in the CES program but is elective in the EES
program and therefore, within the restrictions of no more than
two 600-level courses be included, can be applied to the MS program.
The student
should plan his/her technical electives such that he/she is not
in the BS/MS plan for more than three quarters before graduation
with the baccalaureate degree.
Status
in Graduate Program
Following receipt of the baccalaureate degree, the student must
meet the requirements of the MS program as specified by the Graduate
School and the ECE Department.
University
Fellowship Eligibility
Since University Fellowships are intended for recruitment, students
in the Combined BS/MS program will only be eligible for nomination
for Distinguished University Fellowships (DUF), which provide
support for one year early in the Graduate program, and support
for the final dissertation year. Accordingly, students who wish
to apply for these prestigious fellowships are advised to:
- Prepare
their Personal Statements and career goal statements with particular
care.
- Notify
all referees from whom letters of reference are being solicited
that the references are to be used to support nomination for
the DUF.
- Plan to
take the GRE at an appropriate time.
