BS/MS Program
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
- A 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 forms from the College of Engineering web 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
|
- Consideration of the application will begin only when the file is complete, as described below. Files will be routed to the Graduate Studies Committee and then to Admissions.
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.